Collaborative Art
EMES Art Raffle
Every fall, each Eastern Mennonite Elementary classroom creates a collaborative piece of artwork. This year's elementary artwork will land in someone’s lucky home by raffle! Each painting is described below. All proceeds benefit the EMES art department.
Congratulations to our winners!
Kindergarten - Kendra Straughn
1st grade - Genevieve Moyer-Groff
2nd grade - Merridy Gnagey
3rd grade - Catherine Arehart
4th grade - Michael Parrot
5th grade - KLarla Tierney
The artwork can be picked up at the upper building front office, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. of this week. During the Christmas break, please call 540-236-6000 to check our hours.
EMES Notecards
There is still time to place a note card order!!!
Blank note card sets featuring the artwork are for sale. Each set of six cards features one photo on the cover. Purchase a pack of six for $10 and choose if you want all from one grade, or a variety pack.
Submit your order by clicking on this link. Orders received by Friday, December 9th are guaranteed to be sent home with your student by Christmas break.
To pay for the note cards:
- Select "Charge student's account"
- Select "Cash or check". Make checks out to EMS, with "note cards" in the memo. For both forms of payment include a note with your name on it.
*You must complete the note cards order form, regardless of how you are paying.
KINDERGARTEN: The Colorful Unicorn
Size: 18” x 24”
Medium: acrylic paint
Description: Kindergarten artists worked in small groups to paint abstract designs directly on a cradled wooden panel. Beginning at the edges and working inward they painted large patches of color as a base layer. Additional layers were created using small blocks of color along with line, shape, and pattern designs. Students were thoughtful in selecting colors that would stand out next to each other, and they enjoyed talking together about their painting. As the final step in their creative process, the class brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.
1ST GRADE: Midnight Wonderland
Size: 18” x 24”
Medium: paper, watercolor, marker
Description: 1st grade artists used liquid watercolor to paint a collection of rectangles that were blocked off with masking tape. After students used extra fine black permanent markers to add line and shape designs, the tape was peeled away to reveal a crisscross design. Next, students worked in small groups to glue their rectangles onto a wooden panel in a randomly alternating horizontal-vertical design. As the final step in their creative process, the class brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.
2ND GRADE: Summer Strings
Size: 18" x 24"
Medium: yarn
Description: 2nd grade artists worked one by one to weave a wall hanging. After reviewing basic weaving terms (loom, warp, weft), students took multiple turns weaving portions of the wall hanging. With each turn, students chose a strand of yarn in their desired color then wove the yarn in using a basic over/under pattern, trying as best as possible to keep the selvedges straight by maintaining even tension. As the final step in their creative process, the class brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.
3RD GRADE: Broken Rainbow
Size: 18” x 24”
Medium: paper, acrylic paint
Description: 3rd grade artists each painted two 8x8 squares of paper a solid background color (chosen from the project color scheme), then used a variety of tools such as spools, wooden blocks, and lids to create patterns and implied textures. The large squares were cut into a series of triangles. Students adhered their individual pieces onto a cradled wooden panel, intermingled with those of their classmates, arranging them into a quilt pattern known as Broken Dishes. As the final step in their creative process, the class brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.
4TH GRADE: The Galaxy of Flames
Size: 18” x 24”
Medium: acrylic paint
Description: 4th grade artists brainstormed and voted on an inspirational saying to serve as the centerpiece of their painting. After the quote was written on a wooden panel, students selected colors of their choice then worked in small groups to paint sections between letters a solid color. Next, students painted over the letters to make them stand out. The class worked together to decide whether to add line and shape patterns to every block of color, no blocks of color, or just some blocks of color. It was decided that patterns would be added only in the spaces between words. To help the letters pop, a dot design was added using paint pens. As the final step in their creative process, the class brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.
5TH GRADE: Stepping Stones
Size: 18” x 24”
Medium: paper, acrylic paint
Description: As inspiration for their collaborative project, 5th grade artists learned about the art of Lea Anderson, a mixed media abstract artist whose work is influenced by nature and biological patterns. Students created concentric oval or circle designs by collaging layers of paper together. Line and shape designs were added using paint pens. Students worked in small groups to glue their pieces onto a wooden panel, creating a collection of designs carrying both unique and similar elements. As the final step in their creative process, the class brainstormed title ideas for their piece then voted for their favorite.