Louise Nevelson, an American sculptor once stated: “Art is everywhere, except it has to pass through a creative mind.”
Staford School, an institution that has earned applause for its innovative teaching methodology and techniques for shaping the personality of its students organized its annual event SPLASH-2015, an Art and Craft Exhibition, on Saturday and Sunday, December 12th and 13th 2015. Ms. Mansi Didwaniya, Director, Kala Srot Art Gallery and Ms. Manjari Pandey, Director of Manjari Institute of Management and Finance (MIMFA) were the Chief Guests for the first and the second day of the exhibition. The presence of other dignitaries and esteemed guests like Mr. S.V.Singh, Director, Department of Education Department, Dr. Sunita Gandhi, Director, Global Classrooms, Ms. Tamanna Raza, Head Red Hill School and senior teachers from Loreto Convent, and La Martiniere School Lucknow, and the parents and patrons of the school graced the occasion.
Th Art and Craft Exhibition showcased the learning and creative talent honed over the year and expressed through varied, colorful art and craft projects, prepared throughout the year.
The Exhibition which was truly a riot of colors and creativity, was organized in tastefully decorated class rooms and the School Atrium. Put on display were various paintings, drawings, and art and craft work of the students. Household items like glass, bangles, matchsticks, paper, and cotton wool were creatively transformed into curios and decorative items, wall-hangings, and pen-stands. OHP sheets and sheets of glass turned into an array of glass paintings, old denim jeans were converted into jazzy, trendy bags, old torn dupattas, and sarees transformed into fashionable bags of various sizes. Remnants of foil rolls, and pipes turned into flower vases, and pen stands, while plastic bottles found multiple uses and were transformed beyond recognition. The children also put on display their canvas, Tie-n-dye, fabric and T-shirt paintings. The pre-primary section stole the show with their creative talent at its best in an array of work on each letter of the English alphabet.
And it was not just art at display. The students expressed themselves through appropriate communication. Their ownership of the work, involvement in its creation and pride in the outcome was also at display through their constant interaction with their parents and visitors who visited their stalls. Parents were overjoyed to hear the tiny tots speak about the items on display and recite the rhymes related to them. Students from Classes II to VIII spoke ardently on paper-flower making, wall hangings, recycling of materials, ceramic vase decoration , bags made of waste cloth braids, glass painting, fabric painting, Tie-n-dye , paper mache etc. In addition, there were on-going crafts corners of Classes II to VIII where the children were busy doing hands-on work on the themes related to the exhibition.
To add more spark to the exhibition were flash performances from each class linked to their craft items. Bihu dance, Bharatnatyam dance, group songs, puppet dance and the grand-finale performances of a Sufi dance, and yet another foot tapping, awe-inspiring contemporary dance added a zest of excitement to the whole show- making it a program with 100% participation and involvement of students.
The visitors carried back with them the fond memories of the exhibition in the form of tattoos, mehndi designs and face painting which was done as token of gratitude by the students of Classes VII and VIII. This SPLASH made in 2015 will definitely stay alive in memories for a long time to come!