Moundsville Middle School Students Tap Into Both Their School, Creative Spirits | News, Sports, Jobs - The Intelligencer

2022-05-14 00:25:35 By : Ms. Jing Liu

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This artwork depicting the Moundsville Middle School Trojans logo was created by the school's art students in cooperation with artist in residence Brad Johnson, also director of education with the Stifel Fine Arts Center. In front, first row, left to right, are Camden Hoyt and Riley Polsinelli; second row, Johnson, Khloie Burton, Jayden Blake, Gwen Brown, Abbie Allen, and teacher Tabetha Morgan; and back row, Lexi Lilley, Owen Myers, Chevy Large, Sophie Crumm, Zooey Toothman, and Cheyanne Foster.

Students at Moundsville Middle School have created new artwork for the school under the guidance of a professional from the Stifel Fine Arts Center.

The image of the school’s Trojan logo was recreated by the students using a series of separately painted squares. When painted, the small squares look like individual blobs of paint. But when they are assembled in a grid pattern and viewed from a distance, they create the vision of a life-size portrait.

The painting will hang for the next few weeks at the Moundsville-Marshall County Public Library, then it will be returned to the school.

The students worked on the project one day a week for the past eight weeks under the direction of artist in residence Brad Johnson, also director of education at the Stifel Fine Arts Center. On Monday, students got to see their squares assembled and the project completed for the first time.

Johnson said the Stifel Fine Arts Center works with different businesses and organizations who wish to fund artists in residency programs in the schools, and the project at Moundsville Middle School was paid for by EQT. He opted to share with the students his love for pop art, and his appreciation for the artist Chuck Close, who passed in 2021.

photo by: Photo by Joselyn King

This artwork depicting the Moundsville Middle School Trojans logo was created by the school's art students in cooperation with artist in residence Brad Johnson, also director of education with the Stifel Fine Arts Center.

Close pioneered the process of painting abstract squares that when laid side-by-side and viewed from a distance become a realistic portrait.

“I’ve done this program before at the schools where I have taught, and the kids really enjoyed it,” he said. “It gives them the chance to experience a different art style from the tradition, and learn about different artists.”

Close was considered a “contemporary” artist, Close explained.

“A lot of times they are learning about Da Vinci, Michaelangelo and old artists This is a chance to learn about artists who are working today,” he said.

There are 16 students in the art class at Moundsville Middle School, said teacher Tabetha Morgan. Morgan said Johnson tracked her down at the school with the offer to do the program this semester.

“Anytime we can enrich our program, it’s a big deal,” she explained.

The students were reluctant to talk about their artwork, and Morgan termed them “pretty humble kids.”

“I think it gave them a little more confidence,” she said. “It helped them learn about something more than traditional art. We have been doing a lot of traditional art this year.”

The first semester, the students engaged in plein air painting – the act of painting outdoors – and really enjoyed it, according to Morgan.

“Then we moved on to working with clay, and they said they liked painting better,” she said. “When I told them (Johnson) was coming to paint with them, they said, ‘Yes!’

“When we got new paint brushes and paint, they were extremely excited. And they just glow and radiate when we go around giving them compliments.”

Johnson added he was sad to see the program come to an end.

“I always miss them (the students) when we’re done,” he said

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