Middle School Artwork Mimics The Masters

By Eliza Hallabeck

The yearly student exhibit of furniture art at Newtown Middle School brought the soft shades of Claude Monet, the comic book inspired faces of Roy Lichtenstein, and the Campbell’s soup cans of Andy Warhol out into the main lobby.

Art Enrichment students were asked in seventh grade to search for a piece of furniture, and in eighth grade they were asked to chose a 20th Century artist’s work to mimic on their desired object. Stools, school desks and a mailbox were some of the objects that were turned into works of art over the last school year.

“We try to base our eighth grade curriculum on 20th Century art,” said Claudia Mitchell, art teacher at the middle school. She said focusing on 20th Century art prepares students for their studies at Newtown High School.

The students can chose to sell their furniture, but this year many of the pieces will not be put up for sale. According to Arlene Spoonfeather, another art teacher at the middle school, the students who choose to sell their work keep all of the profits.

In the middle of the lobby stands a black table painted in the style of Piet Mondrian, according to Grace McKinley, an eighth grade art enrichment student. She said she does not know whether she will be selling her artwork.

“He’s my favorite artist,” Grace said on June 6. “I like the geometric figures that he uses. I like the clean lines.”

According to Grace her favorite part of the table is her painting on the top, which is a replication of one of Piet Mondrian’s pieces.

When she was painting she said she thought about her cousin, because her cousin, who Grace said is going to college to become an art teacher, is one of the people she looks up to when it comes to art.

“They should definitely do this project again,” said Grace.

Lucy Riley said she has all ready sold her stool that she painted in the style of Claude Monet for $25. According to Lucy, her parents bought the stool at Michael’s.

“If you step back it looks different than it does close up,” said Lucy about her painting on the stool.

There were other pieces of furniture in the style of Monet, but Lucy’s artwork was the only stool.

The only school desk in the room was painted red, and Steph Scheubert said her favorite part of creating the object was painting the top. Steph said she chose Keith Haring to copy for the piece, and one of his works was used as an inspiration for the top of the desk.

“He has a piece of artwork that is untitled, but it has the same colors,” Steph said while describing her desk and Keith Haring’s work.

According to Steph, she does not yet plan to sell her school desk, because she said she will “probably keep it for if I have any kids.”