What an incredible summer we have had at Akiba! Every day was filled with joy and adventure. Our deep dive into murals and Chicago Street Art was a huge success! All of the classes created spectacular murals using different techniques and media.
The summer's biggest takeaway was that, to create a mural, you need to work as a team and collaborate. Children learned to work alongside their friends to paint, draw, make a mono print and employ so many more techniques. Walking into Loeb Hall for our Akiba Summer Art Gallery Opening on Thursday, July 25, this awesome community effort was evident in the children's work. The gallery really made all of this summer's learning happening visible for everyone to see.
|
|
| Our gallery opening on July 25 was a great showcase of all the preschoolers' amazing collaborative art work. |
We are so proud of how much our children learned and explored this summer around the study of murals. Please
check out our blog for more on this summer's murals and their creation.
One of the highlights was a mural-making day with a local artist, Doug. With him, the children painted on giant wood panels; each class creating a different scene. It was striking how differently each group approached these enormous panels of wood. Some classes abandoned the brushes and tools, and instead used their hands and arms to paint the giant surfaces. The Purple Big Kids on the Go used small brushes to paint their own portions of the large mural. The Blue Big Kids On the Go actually painted in absolute silence. I have never witnessed a group of children focus like that for such a long period of time! We can't wait to show you the children's work on this giant project. The boards will be displayed along the fence in the preschool playground soon!
|
|
| Mural making with local artist Doug |
Thank you again for sharing your children with us this summer at Akiba. The summer experience at Akiba is always unique, meaningful and so much fun for everyone.
I am ending my summer with a trip to China, where I will be teaching a course on Building Community and Leadership in the preschool environment. It is the perfect topic to share after experiencing our community coming together to create these incredible works of art and then celebrating the children behind the masterpieces.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we look forward to seeing you in the fall!
