Student Artwork 2012

About the Exhibit

Golden Dragon Acrobats: Social Studies & Art

Wells Fargo Center for the Arts is committed to showcasing student artwork from schools and classrooms around the county.  We are pleased to exhibit student work created by 6^th and 7^th grade students from Hillcrest Middle School during a recent Artists in the Schools project connected to the performance “Golden Dragon Acrobats.”

Through the course of the project—which included seeing the performance, a post-performance activity, and three visits with a teaching artist in the classroom—students explored the art and culture of China juxtaposed with the art and culture of the west.  Students were able to see the vast difference between the art of the west, tremendously informed by the culture around it, and the timeless art of China, inspired primarily by nature and religion for thousands of years.  Through this hands-on project, students recognized that art is a direct reflection of the culture in which it is created and that the arts are a lens that can be used to study culture and history.

Inspired by the color, movement, persistence and artistry of the Chinese acrobats, teaching artist Judy Timmerman created a project that captured the elements of the performance using devices artists use to convey movement.

This work began with an asymmetrical shape and an “action” of movement.  Each repeating shape creates another dynamic shape which enables the eye to see bouncing, soaring, scooting, spinning, dancing and more.  Take a moment to let your imagination go and explore the movements you see in the collection.