MILLSTONE — Falling leaves, carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating were a few of the seasonal inspirations for young artists at the Millstone Township Elementary School. The pupils were encouraged to experience and enjoy artistic freedom while participating in the Fall Harvest Art Contest sponsored by the Friends of Millstone Historic Properties on Oct. 25.
All 405 students in grades three through five participated in the contest. The winners received gift cards to AC Moore, an arts and crafts store. There were awards for first, second and third place in each grade, plus an overall winner. The pupils’ art was shown in an exhibition.
Judging took place at the first Harvest Festival held at the Baird homestead. The winners were Emma Bogusz, Maddy Branin, Anthony Latruglio, Liam Kilcomons, Radhika Manvar, Olivia Stauder, Emma Whitney, Sofiya Rizzo, Ava DePalma, Alexandra Sullivan and Talia Hanson.
The art will remain on display at the elementary school through 2014. Then the exhibit will move to the Baird homestead on Baird Road from January through March, according to Debbie Novellino, vice president of the Friends. Novellino said members of the public will be able to see the exhibit at the Baird homestead by appointment only by calling 732-446-1936.
Novellino said the contest was sponsored by the Friends as a way to become involved with the children in the school and also to have them involved with the Baird homestead, a historic plum in Millstone.
“I think the artwork is quite special because it was designed by the children of our community,” she said. “It depicts the children’s personal images and stories of fall and harvest.”
Likewise, the students were enthusiastic about having the opportunity to win the chance to exhibit their work at the Baird homestead, a Greek Revival farmhouse that dates to 1830. More than 180 years later, the 7.5-acre property is targeted to become a cultural center for historic, agricultural and community activities.
Shannon Bell, an art teacher at the elementary school, said the art staff was excited to see the pupils get involved and embrace the project. The art teachers supplied materials for the students to create artwork in response to the changing seasons.
The children brainstormed activities regarding fall and harvest, looked at gourds and pumpkins, and images on the Internet.
Bell said she was proud of the pupils for having interesting artistic interpretations regarding the fall and harvest. The youngsters were permitted to choose a medium they felt comfortable with and create an interpretation of fall.
Some students worked in only pencil, while others chose to make a collage or mix several media, including watercolor, oil pastel, colored pencil and marker.
“The children were thrilled by the idea of having their artwork on display at the Baird homestead,” Bell said. “This was a perfect opportunity for the community to see what our talented students are capable of creating.”
Art teacher Daniel Locandro said his pupils worked together to create a list of multisensory words that relate to various aspects of fall.
The children then sketched four ideas and chose one for their final project. They penciled plans for their ideas and added color, employing any supplies they deemed fit from in the classroom.
“I tried to inspire the children to create artwork relating to the fall and harvest season,” Locandro said. “I am super proud of all the students in the elementary school. All of the artwork was just incredible. I was truly blown away by the students’ ideas. I saw many students experimenting with many art mediums and advanced techniques.
“Fall meant something different to each student, and seeing all of those ideas become tactile was very impressive.”