“Dancing Hues & Kinetic Color” Now on Display

Now on display in the Werner Family Art Gallery at University School of Milwaukee is “Dancing Hues & Kinetic Color,” an exhibit of artwork by 3rd grade students and Upper School ceramics students.

3rd Grade Suns and Moons 

In this art project, 3rd grade students explored the expressive power of color and movement by creating vibrant suns and moons with oil pastels. By connecting specific colors to their emotions, the young artists convey feelings of joy and warmth in their suns, while cooler, darker tones represent calmness in their moons. The use of line movement further enhances their compositions, allowing students to visualize the energy and rhythm of their emotions. This project not only fostered creativity and self-expression but also encouraged students to reflect on their feelings and how they can be communicated through art.

Upper School Ceramics Inspired by Kandinsky

In their ceramics classes, Upper School students studied the artwork of Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian painter and art theorist recognized as a pioneer of abstraction in Western art. Kandinsky believed music and color were deeply connected; he associated each musical note with a specific color. He famously stated, “The sound of colors is so definite that it would be hard to find anyone who would express bright yellow with bass notes or dark lake with treble.”

Inspired by Kandinsky, students chose two songs from different music genres and interpreted them by abstracting the songs through elements and principles of art and design, such as color, shape, pattern, rhythm, and balance. Additionally, students experimented with clay using additive, subtractive, and texturizing techniques. They employed Gouache, an opaque watercolor, to mix colors for a glossy finish on their ceramic pieces.

This exhibit is interactive. Each ceramic piece is accompanied by the song that inspired it. In the gallery, a QR code links to a playlist featuring all the songs, allowing visitors to listen while viewing the artwork.

Guests are invited to visit the gallery to explore and experience the artwork from these talented artists, which will be on display through February.

Many thanks to Mandy Culver, Lower School art teacher, and Andrea Worthey, Upper School art teacher and Werner Family Art Gallery coordinator, for their work to bring these pieces to the broader community.