April Showers...

March snuck out the back door, leaving all its dirty laundry...

Grateful to April for leaving the fools back at the ranch.

Wishin' those April showers would wash the pandemic away.

Hope you are healthy and taking care of yourselves.

Covid-19 is no joke.

#30dayartquarantine is still a thing....and now more than ever, STAY HOME.

New Terrain

The coronavirus is wreaking havoc. This virus has forever changed life as we know it, although we do not yet know how much. 

There are many new obstacles, and even more layers to peel back as we move forward. I do not yet have the words..

 ...but I have been making art daily since the schools have closed. The art gives my brain a break from the frenetic news and social media overload. (I highly recommend making a creative space in your home)

This new week brought the news that Virginia schools will close for the remainder of the school year. Sad to miss out on the end of year milestones and celebrations. Now actively working towards an instructional migration to distance learning. Striving to figure out how to  maintain the personal connections that are so natural and important in studio classes.

 

 Practice patience and generosity like never before. Stay home folks.

*to see more of these daily art exercises visit @sillysusansilva on Instagram.

Let Me Introduce you...(ongoing series)

Let me introduce you to Mrs. Marcaccio. This amazing lady is an art teacher at Centreville High School. She loves teaching ceramics and sculpture. Currently she is collaborating with the engineering drawing teacher so their students are designing bird houses. Mrs. Marcaccio is always innovating!

I was also struck by how visually pleasing her equipment storage is organized. It reminds me of Julia Child's kitchen. Those Centreville students sure are lucky to have such a clever 3-D teacher!

Let Me Introduce You (ongoing series)

Let me introduce you to Mr. Beale. He splits his days between Robinson Secondary School and Thomas Jefferson High. He is an accomplished artist, painting everyday life in a variety of media. Mr. Beale has a wonderful sense of humor and inspires his students daily. When he is not painting you can find him on the baseball field or hanging out with his dogs. FCPS is lucky to have him on our team!

Save the Date!

Putting it All Together

                                                                                                This has been a busy couple of weeks and the last few days have been joyously intense! We have been busily putting together the Fairfax Region Scholastic Art Exhibition. The show opens on Thursday this week at the Ernst Cultural Center.

The artwork was delivered last Friday. We checked in over 300 artworks, labeled and packed them. Today they were delivered to the gallery and an amazing team of art educators came to help hang the show! Eight teachers worked in pairs to dress the walls! Such a productive way to connect with colleagues surrounded by inspiring student artwork! 

Tomorrow we return to the gallery with a new team of art educators and fresh eyes to look over today's result, label all the artwork, install the animations, sculpture and ceramics portion of the show and add finishing touches!

In case I have not mentioned it, art teachers are made of steel and have the best hearts and strongest work ethic! This show would not happen without their passion and participation on so many levels! 

2020 Cultivating Creative Vision

Starting off the new year with an abundance of art! I love this photo my dear friend captured of me photographing the exterior of the Baltimore Museum of Art. Props to the BMA for committing to expanding their collection with work of only women artists in 2020! 
This year I challenge you to get it together and venture to out to see all the creative and curious art works that are available in your area! Museums have been declared good for your health! So get out there and improve yourself!