Art for Earth Day: Villa Di Maria's Student Art Show, 2018
This past Sunday the Villa di Maria Lower and Upper Elementary Children (along with the Primary Culminating Year children) celebrated an overcast, rainy day at Reese Gallery in the burgeoning arts district of historic Cherokee Street, St. Louis for "Art for Earth Day." The children showcased many exceptional pieces of both visual and performing arts, with the help of their Guides and the generous and kind Ruth Reese and Tim Gebauer, who are Villa di Maria parents, artists and the gallery owners. 
It was wonderful to return to this cozy space; last year's show was unforgettable!
Upon entering the gallery, a large eye-catching piece was the weaving in progress, a work of an Upper Elementary 4th year that grew from his love of finger-knitting back in Lower Elementary. We're excited to talk more about this, and how the process of this child's work encompasses the true spirit of Montessori, at a later blog post.
The work itself ranged from clay sculpture to paper mache to perspective and landscape work, to design work and watercolor, and much more!
As she did last year, Ruth created some beautiful pottery, the proceeds of which were donated, in 100% of their entirety, to Villa di Maria. Thank you, Ruth!
The creativity of nature and the earth is reflected in the artistic explorations of our children. Vincent Van Gogh said, “Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to understand art.”
Possible album cover?
A highlight of the opening was the performance of an original piece of music by five Upper Elementary students. They clearly practiced a lot, as the song was impressive! Bonus: when they realized they didn't have enough drums, one resourceful student made one out of cardboard and duct tape!
The snacks were delicious!
One artist poses with his work in progress
The Upper Elementary students had also curated a binder full of artists' statements, which were impressive in their depth and introspection. Beautifully done!There were also poetry readings and skits later in the day. It was a grand success, and we give a huge heartfelt thank you to Ruth and Tim for welcoming us into their space, setting it all up, and generously donating their time and resources to the school once again. We are so fortunate!