Full STEAM Ahead!

Our most recent art show in the Delano Gallery was inspired by a Science and Art connection. You probably have heard of STEM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. There has been a recent push to insert Art to create STEAM!

Science and Art share many things: research, observation, experimentation, discovery, and collaboration. We asked our artists to be inspired by our natural world, scientific discoveries, tech, engineering, or math to create a work of art. Art pushes beyond reason and allows our imagination to make new connections and discoveries- it was truly amazing to see what they came up with!

Students were also invited to create a collaborative artwork inspired by the invisible. Invisible without a microscope!  Microscopic inspiration included blood cells, amoebas, euglenas, pollen, viruses, mitosis, paramecia, and various bacteria types. Who knew a virus could be so beautiful?!

I really love the details in this satin skirt! Naomi related the design to the Eosinophil white blood cells they have been learning about in first grade. In her artist statement she noted that the human body is a fashion design all by itself!

The science room is right next to the gallery. Eric, best science teacher ever, treated gallery-goers to a microscopic show. It was very cool to see these tiny organisms on the big screen!

Nadya was recently hospitalized with appendicitis. She wrote in her artist statement that she heard her doctors talk about her white blood cell count a lot and that her favorite part of this art project was getting to eat the supplies:)

Benjamin is one of our sixth grade artists. Here is part of his thoughtful artist statement:
My inspiration for "Galacticube" was outer space. All sorts of amazing things are out there somewhere in our universe. All we can do is look at them. They are pieces of art created long before the rise of humanity. I tried to capture that and put it into my piece of art.

Check out the Thisiscolossal blog for more wonderful art and science interdisciplinary work! This is one of my favorite places on the internet to be inspired.

sew loved art show opening

Thank you to everyone who visited the Sew Loved opening night! The gallery was packed with artists and their families talking about all of the great soft sculpture art while noshing on grapes and cheese cubes.


The photo above was taken at the very end of opening night. This young artist wanted to stay until the very last so he didn't miss the chance to share his art work with any last minute gallery goers.





Stop by to see the colorful work of Sandy's 6th grade math group also displayed in the gallery. They created ratios comparing the different colors used in the exhibit!



We had 60 pieces in the show submitted by students, teachers, parents, and grandparents! Here are a few to share with more on the way. I am so impressed with the inventiveness of our creative artists!

sew loved

The Sew Loved art show is here!


Where: New City School's Delano Gallery, Saint Louis, Missouri.
When: 2012 Winter-Spring show
Why: Sew Loved will feature artists from around the world who love to make softies. These artists will inspire the New City School children and community to create their own softies in a collaborative way. Create, Inspire, Love!



What are softies? Softies are huggable art! Also called soft sculpture, plush, or textile art, this kind of art is soft to the touch and made from any kind of fabric.



How does it work? Each of the softie artists have created a special little package just for you to help you get started making your own softie. You should have already picked up your package when you signed up for the show before Winter Break, but if not, you are welcome to still participate! Bring your softie to the art room by January 6th and it will by hung in the gallery to complete the art show. I can't wait to see what you create!

I'll also be introducing you to some of the artists featured here in the coming months. More from Sew Loved soon!

I dreamed I was a butterfly...

I couldn't resist sharing more art from the first grade show! There was a large crowd of friends and family on opening day and a wonderful time was had by all. It was such a pleasure to see the first grade artists beaming with pride. Thank you to everyone who came out to support these young artists! This was such a success that we will continue to highlight a different grade each year in the Delano gallery. If you haven't had a chance to visit, the show will be up for another week so don't miss it!



Maria Sibylla Merian was a German artist and naturalist who studied plants and insects and made detailed paintings about them. She was particularly interested in metamorphosis and her art helped to dispel the common belief that insects were evil creatures. Maria worked in a scientific field during a time when options for women were very limited. She traveled all over the world to study insects in their natural environment. Her art has inspired the first graders to make their own carefully detailed drawings of insects- some are based on real insects and some imagined.





I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man? Chuang Tzu

Symmetrical Name Bugs: The first grade artists know that symmetry is found in nature and an important feature in insects. Each bug design is made from the student’s name using mirror symmetry. Line, pattern, and color completed their typographical bug.