Abstract art fills the walls in The Studio room at FOUND:RE Hotel this February as the students of Phoenix Elementary School District honor the memory of late Valley artist Jackson Pollock through recreations of his work.
Pollock was an alumni of Monroe School, which is now home to the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. He was a leader in abstract expressionism and was especially known for his work in abstract paintings. Some of his most famous works were drip paintings in which artists pour or drip paint across the canvas.
“We chose Jackson Pollock because he is the most famous alumnus from our school district,” said PESD Art Department Chair John Avedisian. “Pollock was a groundbreaker and influenced painting around the entire world.”
For the past 15 years, the district has taught its students about Pollock to honor his memory. Students also created art projects inspired by his art.
“Each student has the ability to create something that they see as beautiful artwork,” said Lauren Feldman, art teacher at Kenilworth Elementary School. “They are being able to have that ability to choose their own colors or utensils that they want to use. It’s being able to express themselves in a way they wouldn’t be able to in other electives.”
On First Friday, the district collaborated with FOUND:RE Hotel and held an event to showcase the students’ recreations, allowing the students’ families and the public to come see the students’ work. To complement the evening, Helen Harrison of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center came to Phoenix to talk about the life and work of Pollock.
“I was approached by John (Avedisian) through one of our staff employees about doing a student art show,” said FOUND:RE Cultural Curator Michael Oleskow. “I thought how fun would it be to do something that really highlighted the kids.”
The art pieces featured in The Studio are more than just kids taking brushes and splattering paint around. For many of the students, these paintings were a way for them to tell a story and get creative in how they recreated a Pollock piece.
One significant piece was created by Miyuki Ketchum, art teacher at Shaw Montessori School. Her artwork was a collection of canvases held together, each with different color combinations and style, made by classes at Shaw Montessori to construct one giant collaboration of the school.
“(I loved) the energy and to see the joy on the kids faces,” said Oleskow. “One of the teachers was talking about how English isn’t the first language for her students so there’s difficulty in expression, whether it be the written word or the spoken word but through art they could speak.”
For Oleskow and Avedisian, the arts are important when it comes to education and allows students to embrace their creativity.
“We have a school district that is very supportive of the arts,” Avedisian said. “Education is not complete if it’s not rich in the arts.”
The Jackson Pollock student exhibit will be open to the public again on Third Friday and will be on display at FOUND:RE Hotel until Feb. 25. For more information on how to see the exhibit, contact Michael Oleskow or FOUND:RE Hotel.
Contact the reporter at smedwar7@asu.edu.
Sara Edwards was the executive editor of Downtown Devil. She is a graduate student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Sara has additional bylines in Phoenix New Times, West Valley View, L.A. Downtown News and Boardwalk Times.
Sara is also the co-secretary for the Multicultural Student Journalists Coalition.
