Art Shows And Open Houses Showcase Student Talents In DUSD

Starting this year in 2019, April is officially Arts, Culture & Creativity Month in the state of California. The first Arts, Culture & Creativity Advocacy Day was held yesterday, April 23 at the Capitol in Sacramento.

It therefore is well timed that students from across the school district got to display their hard work, creativity and artwork at several Art Shows and Open Houses held in DUSD (Dublin Unified School District).

Dougherty Elementary held its 4th Art show with almost 800 student artworks on display. The Art Show was organized by Ms Zana Tam and her dedicated team of volunteers. Ms Tam said she found it extremely rewarding to give students the opportunity to showcase their talents.

"Art in Action provides every student with the opportunity to learn about different cultures of art and how they can express themselves creatively, " said Ms Tam "When art lessons are introduced to students and they are exposed to art at a young age it not only enhances their artistic skills but is beneficial to their overall development and can be helpful to their personal growth and career path in the future."

Kolb Elementary Parent Faculty Club also held its Art Fair and Open House on the evening of Thursday, April 18.

"We taught Art In Action lessons with the intention that students learn something new and at the same time, enjoy the lessons. As these lessons are not graded, there is nothing for students to stress about and they are free to explore the creativity," said Ms Neha Gupta, Art in Action Coordinator.

PFC Members remarked that the Kolb Art Fair is a great platform to encourage kids to be proud of their creations while discovering their inner artist. They were very proud to have the artwork of 743 students to showcase. All 37 docents who are also Kolb parents were very committed to providing the fun experience to children in their classes. Docents are very passionate volunteers and make a genuine effort to bring art to students even while some are balancing their work schedules.

"Love these amazing parents who made Kolb Parent Faculty Club Art Fair possible. Thank you for all your hard work!" said PFC President Olga V Mack, who is also the organizer and curator of TEDx EmeraldGlenPark.

We believe that the Kolb Art Fair was a great success. It was very rewarding to see parents capturing memories of their children's work and to see how excited the children were to share the concept/inspiration behind their creation.

"Art in Action exposes Kolb students to different art styles and influential artists while allowing them to explore different mediums and techniques; to spark an interest or, at least an appreciation, in art and provide an outlet for student creativity. Kids learn about American Art, which is aligned with the common core. Students get to explore their artistry in portraits, calligraphy, and collage while examining art representing the artist’s viewpoint " said Ms Neha Gupta.

Wells Middle School hosted a Night of the Arts on the same evening that was organized by Dublin Unified VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts) and included dance, drama and musical performances along with a visual arts showcase. Artwork by Sarah Khouri, Raelyn Crespin, Nick Rodela and Serena Gualdarama - Winners of the Dublin / San Ramon Womens Art Contest, was also on display. This was the 27th year of their sponsorship and the contest is open to all students in the cities of Dublin and San Ramon.

There will be another Open House in addition to a Multicultural Event at Fallon Middle School on Thursday April 25 which will include dance and other performances.

In the words of Dublin resident Katherine Utsumi "The students in our school district are amazingly talented. At these events we have an opportunity to witness this first hand."