RAHWAY, NJ — Madison Elementary School has announced the completion and public exhibition of several diverse art projects across its early elementary grade levels. From the savannas of Africa to the rolling landscapes of the United Kingdom, Madison students have spent the winter season exploring complex techniques, art history and creative storytelling.
This month, the vibrant fruits of their labor are on full display at the Rahway Public Library. The exhibition features a curated selection of student work from kindergarten through third grade.
“We are once again so excited to display Rahway Student work!” said Paul Ridgway of the Rahway Public Library. “Please, if you have the chance, come in and look around.”
The recent curriculum, led by talented art teacher Laura Gould, focused on bridging the gap between foundational shapes and sophisticated artistic concepts. The resulting collection reflects a high level of technical skill and imaginative thinking from Rahway’s youngest residents.
Highlights from the exhibition
- Kindergarten: “Winter Giraffes” – After studying the natural habitats of giraffes, students tackled a creative problem-solving exercise: What would a giraffe need to wear to survive a Rahway winter? Using simple geometric shapes to build complex figures, students added colorful crayon details to depict their giraffes in local snowy scenes.
- First grade: “Textured Landscapes” – Inspired by UK artist Eloise Renouf, first-graders explored the concept of the horizon line. Students created custom textured paper by stamping items into wet paint, which they later collaged to build multi-layered landscapes featuring Renouf’s signature “doodle line” trees.
- Second grade: “Thiebaud Gumball Machines” – These young artists stepped into the world of Pop Art by studying Wayne Thiebaud. Students practiced overlapping and repetition to fill gumball machines, notably mixing every secondary and tertiary color in their paintings using only the three primary colors.
- Third grade: “Echo Line Leaves” – Focusing on contour lines, third graders created wax-resist watercolor paintings. By using “echo lines” – repeating contours that follow the shape of a leaf – students successfully captured the visual effect of ripples in a pond.
This successful season of art education was made possible through strong community ties. Madison Elementary School extends a special thank you to Paul Ridgway of the Rahway Public Library, as well as Maureen Dalessio and Patricia Volino-Reynoso, for their instrumental roles in connecting the library’s resources with Rahway’s dedicated art teachers.
The Madison Elementary art display will be available for public viewing at the Rahway Public Library throughout the month. Community members are encouraged to stop by and support these burgeoning local artists.
