Elementary Artwork Is Popular Auction Tradition

Every fall, each Eastern Mennonite Elementary classroom creates a collaborative piece of artwork that is sold at the school’s fall auction. This year’s pieces created by grades K-5 brought nearly $1,500 in from parent and grandparent bidders to support the school.

The tradition was started over 10 years ago by former art teacher Laura (Stoltzfus) Huffman and was carried on this year by new teacher Erin Williams.

This year’s pieces and description follow. See the gallery, right, of students creating the masterpieces.

KINDERGARTEN
Title: The Rainbow of the Rainbow
Size: 24” x 24” x 1 ½”
Media: tissue paper and acrylic paint, wooden panel
Kindergarten students worked in pairs to glue pieces of tissue paper into ten rainbow stripes on a cradled wooden panel. Each student used black acrylic paint to create a variety of line styles as dividers between stripe colors. As the final step in their creative process, students brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.

Kindergarten artwork, auction 2019

1ST GRADE
Title: The Rainbow Honeycomb
Size: 24” x 24” x 1 ½”
Media: watercolor on paper, wooden panel
Each 1st grade student painted a series of hexagons using watercolor paint, using lines and shapes to add interest to their designs. Students then adhered their hexagons onto a cradled wooden panel, leaving space between the shapes to create a beehive pattern. As the final step in their creative process, students brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.

First grade artwork, auction 2019

2ND GRADE
Title: Woven World
Size: 24” x 24” x 1 ½”
Media: watercolor and paper
Each 2nd grade student used watercolor paints to create patches of color on large individual strips of watercolor paper, adding lines, splatters, and dots to complete their designs. These large strips were then cut into thinner strips which were used to create a warp. Students took turns creating the weft by weaving in additional strips of their painted papers. The colorful woven piece was attached to the recessed side of a cradled wooden panel. As the final step in their creative process, students brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.

Second grade auction art 2019

3RD GRADE
Title: Emotions
Size: 24” x 24” x 1 ½”
Media: acrylic paint and paper, wooden panel
3rd grade students each painted two squares of paper using acrylic paint. Once dry, they used a variety of tools such as spools, wooden blocks, cardboard strips, bubble wrap, clothespins, and lids to create patterns and textures. The squares were cut into a series of 3 x 1 ½ inch pieces. Students adhered their individual pieces onto a cradled wooden panel, intermingled with those of their classmates, arranging them into a quilt pattern called Brick Path. As the final step in their creative process, students brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.

Third grade auction art 2019

4TH GRADE
Title: The Illusion
Size: 24” x 24” x 1 ½”
Media: patterned paper and acrylic paint, wooden panel
After studying Henri Matisse’s paper cutouts, 4th grade students cut organic and geometric shapes from patterned papers and then arranged them into a collage on a cradled wooden panel. Accents were added using black acrylic paint and texture tools such as lids and cardboard strips. Before adhering the cutouts onto the panel, several students learned how to brush thinned brown acrylic paint onto the panel and then quickly wipe off the excess to create a stained effect. As the final step in their creative process, students brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.

Fourth grade auction art 2019

5TH GRADE
Title: Illusions
Size: 24” x 24” x 1 ½”
Media: paper, wooden panel
5th grade students each created two scherenschnitte (pronounced sharon-shnituh) paper cut designs with colorful sulphite paper, using either a double fold to create bilateral symmetry or a triple fold to create radial symmetry. The cutouts were attached to background papers that they selected to highlight the negative spaces in their designs. Students adhered their finished squares onto a cradled wooden panel in a random quilt design. As the final step in their creative process, students brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.

Fifth grade auction art 2019