Art for Art’s Sake

Talking art with Mikayla Berliner, a junior at Livingston High School, it was easy to see the joy that comes from her photography. She brightened while pointing to the intense colors and beauty she found in a Bermuda cave, the image among 62 pieces featured in a new exhibit at Town Hall.
 
Throughout March, schools are celebrating the artist in every student and the importance of arts education. The Student Perspective exhibit at Town Hall is just one venue where art in all its forms is being showcased. Students on stage, behind stage, and those who literally build the stage are being recognized for their artistic achievements.

Youth Art Month gives schools the opportunity to showcase these talents. From “Hello, Dolly!” (lights, sound, music, stage design, orchestra, and the actors, all LHS students) to an all-township concert, creative writing, storytelling and art exhibits, schools are nurturing a vibrant arts community with well-rounded academic rigor.

“Art is so important because it engages children in a process that benefits in the development of self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, and self-motivation,” said Janice Reis, Lead Art Teacher at Livingston High School.

At the All-Township Concert, Robert Wirth, the District’s Supervisor of Visual and Performing Arts, pointed out two songs performed by elementary chorus members written by Paul Stefany, who is retiring this year after 38 years in the District. His music instruction, along with the songs he created to teach important lessons to our children, will be missed.

It's the type of creativity that is inspiring students learning the intrinsic value of the arts, collaboration and focus, and academic skills along the way.

“Brain research confirms that art education strengthens student problem-solving and critical thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement, school success, and preparation for the work world,” Reis said.

There is lifelong enjoyment and wonder inherent in dance, music, theater, and visual arts, the teachers said. Students who study the arts are taught to see better, to envision, to persist, and learn from mistakes.
 
“I want students to learn to be flexible, resourceful, innovative, and not lose their playfulness,” said Wendy Rosenberg, an art teacher at Heritage Middle School. "I want them to have an opinion about what works, what looks good to them, what is unique, and to create work that can be meaningful to them and their lives.”

The written word is also being valued. For her short story, “Ma and Her Boots,” Sorasicha Nithikasem was awarded a silver medal in the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing competition. Younger students are also putting words to paper, including Magnolia Wang at Mt. Pleasant Middle School, who was awarded first place for her essay on her dream job (a food critic) from the NJ Associations for the Gifted and Talented. At Harrison Elementary School, third grade classrooms were transformed into little theatres for the ancient art of storytelling.
 
Livingston students are looking at the world with the eyes of an artist. At the Student Perspectives exhibit this included the battered boardwalk after Hurricane Sandy. A strip of orange over Jersey City, the sunset photograph in memory of the artist’s father. The colorful cave.
 
"It's nice to know I have photo,” Berliner said of her blissful break from academic classes. “It encourages you to be creative and go your own way."
 
“Arts open a window and allow many of our students the chance to be individuals,” observed Martha Ackermann, President of the Arts Council of Livingston. “They do not have to conform to state test guidelines and scores. They have the opportunity to explore, experiment and be themselves, be it behind the camera, at a sculpting table or in the chorus room.“

The Arts Council of Livingston installs the Student Perspective show, an exhibit of AP Photo and AP Studio Arts. The works range across genres and mediums, including digital photography, studio art, ceramics, and digital imaging. “The Arts Council is honored to bring this AP exhibit Student Perspectives to the community, the work is exceptional and the students deserve the recognition,” Ackermann said.
 
Elementary artists are featured in a new exhibit at the Livingston Public School offices on Foxcroft Drive. For the past few weeks, the work by middle school artists has also graced the walls. The Arts Council’s Student Perspectives will be open until March 30. Violinist and LHS senior Amy Zhang will perform with the Livingston Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, March 23.

“As a parent, I have always been appreciative of the enrichment we offer our children in art and music,” said Pam Chirls. “As a Board of Education member, I see that these programs are critical to the social, emotional, and academic growth of our students.”