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Springhill Elementary School first-grader, Landon, stands in front of his artwork. Photo provided
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An exhibition of children's art, "Stroke of Luck," organized by Lafayette Partner's in Education or LPIE and selected by the County Arts Commission, AC5, is currently on display at the County Administration Building lobby, 651 Pine Street, Martinez through April 30.
Art Passages, founded in 1998, is an exhibition program highlighting artists and organizations throughout Contra Costa County. Each exhibition focuses on artists selected from one of the five county supervisorial districts. The exhibitions are on display from one month to six weeks and are open to the public.
Toward the end of each academic year each of the four elementary schools - Lafayette, Springhill, Happy Valley and Burton Valley - has an LPIE Art Fair Exhibition. The students select art from their portfolios to be exhibited at the Art Fair in May. Each child's name is submitted and one name is selected randomly to represent each grade level at their school site, thus, "Stroke of Luck." Every child has the opportunity to have their artwork framed, courtesy of P & L Framing of Lafayette, and exhibited at various businesses throughout Lafayette.
The goal of LPIE's art teachers is to instill in kindergarten through fifth-grade students an interest in and appreciation of the arts. Art history is an integral part of the visual art program, thus, integrating art practice with academics. Picasso, Miro, Pollock and Diebenkorn are familiar names to the students. And the elements of art-line, form, color, light, texture and space are put into practice. Academics, theory and practice are integrated.
Several major artists have taken children's art seriously. Wassily Kandinsky collected children's art as early as 1908. And Paul Klee, Joan Miro, Jean Dubuffet and Pablo Picasso all looked to children's art for inspiration. Picasso said, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."
The exhibition is evidence of the continuing creative accomplishments of both the LPIE students and their art instructors, many of whom are themselves artists.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA