A Feast for the Eyes and the Body at Swimming River School

The halls and gymnasium of the Swimming River School were transformed on Thursday, April 14 into an art gallery and a United Nations food court of sorts.  The school's combined event, the Annual Art Show and Multicultural Celebration was a feast for the eyes, mind and body. Art teacher, Tami Morales, and world language teacher, Marie-Ellen Walsh, have been partners in the events since Morales came to Swimming River four years ago.  Prior to that Morales taught for threeyears at Mahala F. Atchison.“The two events compliment each other well.” Morales said, “Combining them created an exciting night of various cultural expressions through art and food." Indeed, the art show filled the halls of the school with bright, colorful, brilliant examples of Morales’ students' work, projects that focused on the principles and elements of design, including line, shape, color and composition. Morales instructed and inspired her students this year with exposure to artists including Van Gogh, O’Keeffe, Pollack, Edvard Munch and Jim Dine.  Many of the pieces in the show were filled with the spirit of those artists' work.  Variations on Munch’s The Scream opened the show and the students' own Pollack-style pieces were one of the highlights of the hallway art stroll.The art show concluded at the gymnasium, where the sound of exotic music and the inviting aromas of mixed cultured food greeted families and friends.  The 32 cultural exhibits that students made, consisting of flags, images and artifacts, lined the perimeter of the gym.  In the center, tables were filled with meals, snacks, salads and desserts from around the world, all prepared by Swimming River School parents and extended family members. “Our student body is quite diverse,” Walsh said, “with examples of representation from India, Ireland, Germany, Peru, Italy, Greece, Pakistan, Mexico, Puerto Rico and many more.”  The seemingly bottomless buffet was proof of that.  Students and parents formed a long line to sample the dishes and sat together at cafeteria tables exchanging cultures and conversation.“It is a wonderful family night, with a special feeling of bringing the home and school communities and all cultures together,” Walsh said. “What better way to teach our children how to treat other? The simple answer set by example this evening is to treat others the way you want to be treated.”