April 3, 1936
A Nation-Wide Exhibit of Elementary, Junior High and High School Art opened today at the Brooklyn Museum and will continue on exhibition through April 26. Work from Rochester, Albany, Boston, Milwaukee, Seattle, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Cleveland and other other cities is included as well as from Girls' Commericial, Walton, George Washington, Girls' High, Washington Irving, Bay Ridge, Haaren and Boys' High Schools of New York City. The exhibition was assembled and installed by Dr. Forest Grant, Director of Art of the New York Public Schools.
A feature of the exhibition is a group of textile designs obtained through a competition sponsored by the International Silk Guild and open to students of Girls' Commercial, Textile and Washington Irving High Schools.
The convention number of the Art Bulletin was designed and executed by the Professional Art Class of the Washington Iriving High School in commemoration of the Nation Wide Exhibit and the Annual Convention of the Eastern Arts Association. It is an example of the screen process of reproduction and speaks well for the technical ability and art judgment of this remarkable group of young women who are under the personal leadership of Miss Edna Sandry.
The following statements by art directors of different cities indicate the character of work shown in various sections of the exhibition:
Miss Ovel L. Adams, Director of Art, Rochester, N.Y.
"We have made selections from a few phases of high school art work instead of representing out course of study whcih is not as yet in printed form. We shall, therefore, exhibit life sketches of pupils at work in the art room rather than from the formal pose; still life in color (pastel and water color), also charcoal; interpretive and decorative design. Prints, blocked on paper and fabric; some illustration."
Mr. Herbert A. Steinke, Director of Art, Albany, N.Y.
"After considerable deliberation and thought, I have decided to include in my exhibit work of Junior and Senior High School children of the City of Albany. Our exhibit will consist of posters and illustrations.
"We are called upon, in the City of Albany, to cooperate with so many civic movements by having the children make posters I feel that these posters on various subjects will be of considerable interest to other art teachers. Some of these subjects are, Milk Publicity, Municipal Flower Show, Federal Housing Program and Conservation.
"The work in illustration and still life includes various mediums, chalk, transparent water color, and tempera."
Mrs. [unclear] Cleaves, Director of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
"We are sending 95 mounts, one drawing on each mount, selected from work of all grade from 1 through XII, illustrating a typical sequences of experiences in drawing and painting. First are thirty-five childrens' drawings of plants, people, animals, trees and buildings in realistic manner. Second a series of thirty six designs in the basic modes of order showing sequence and balance. Third, a series of nine exercises in interpreting ideas and moods through color movement. Fourth, fifteen drawings, in pictorial design in which design is consciously used to lend force and beauty to the expression of pictoral themes.
"The whole illustrates fairly well our Boston method of procedure."
Mr. Alfred G. Pelikan, Director of Art, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
"It may be well to point out that these mounts will represent a variety of work from our high schools. Unlike New York all our work from our high school is elective abs because of difficulties in arranging programs, we very often do not get some of the most talented students who should be taking art, or in the case of those who have a heavy program, it prevents them from taking more than one period a day. The exhibition will show the versatility and variety of subject matter handled in our schools and will include such times as stream-lined autos and trains, modern architecture, modern labels, modern furniture design, decorative compositions, covers for school publications, posters, caricatures, oil painting, pencil sketches, pen and ink rendering and typographic lay-outs, etc. Our course of study is very flexible and subject to constant revision."
Miss Clara R. Reynolds, Director of Art, Seattle, Washington
"For the center panel we have two large cartoons of murals done by ninth grade students, the themes being "School Activities" and "The Westward Movement." With these are photographs of the complete murals. On either side will be groups of water colors, illustrations for school annuals, block prints, and designs for textiles.
"We decided to illustrate two or three phases rather than show a sample of many. These are being well labeled. The right and left panels will present examples in varying shapes and sizes done in different techniques, using the Northwest and every days experiences as the main themes. These will include the work of children from kindergarten through the sixth grade.
"We hope to suggest what these art experiences have done for the children who have been given the opportunity of handling these materials and tools; paper, paints crayons, chalks, charcoal, inks, linoleum, brushes, pens, knives. etc. I wish we could include some of the other materials; textiles, wood, clay, plaster paris and waste products in our exhibit.
"Sometimes the expression is the response to a vivid experience in the in the child's home life, again, it illustrates the child's feeling about some bit of reading or perhaps it is wholly imaginary, and often it is pure fun - just the joy of handling materials.
"I like Professor Cizek's thought that the child by his drawings or handwork reveals himself to himself as well as to us.
"Because of the policy here in Seattle Schools of raising no boundary lines between art and craft or handwork, and of using art materials freely in any department, we are especially interested in the trend toward "Art Integration" and "Art in Everday Living." Children are encouraged to express themselves in terms of art, in connection with all subjects. As the child grows older, skill develops and more guidance is needed to insure satisfaction. The teacher gives the needed help that inspires new confidence and the child is freed for other and richer experiences."
Mr. Elmer A. Stephan, Director of Art, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
"The Pittsburgh Public Schools present art work from the elementary, junior, and senior high schools. It represents work of certain talented children attending museum classes on Saturday morning; large drawings done in the elementary schools by individual pupils, or by several pupils working on one drawing, a community problem. Emphasis has been placed upon originality in creative drawing, unhampered freedom in technique together with boldness of design in space relations."
Mr. Harry W. Jacobs, Director of Art, Buffalo, N.Y.
"The exhibit will illustrate the sequence of work in the Advertising Art Course. This a vocational course leading directly into the field of Advertising Art.
"The course is five years, ten weeks of the fifth year being devoted to actually work in an art industry of the City of Buffalo."
Mr. Alfred A. Howell, Director of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
"I have divided the work into two main groups. First, a set of posters dealing with community interests. Most of those posters were executed by students at the request of community organizations, and included the following: The Community, Community Fund, Charity Football Game, The Zoo, The Ballet, The Milk Fund.
"The second group in the miscellaneous in character, and includes posters, decorative design, still life, portraiture and illustration.
"I hope that the work will be of interest. unfortunately, much of our good work is not available at present, but I think there is enough variety to give some idea of the work carried on in the secondary schools in Cleveland."
Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1931 - 1936. 04-06_1936, 053-5. View Original
