I’m very happy to announce that tomorrow night, Sue Silverstein will be receiving the St. Elizabeth Seton Distinguished Teacher Award from the Catholic Diocese of Albany, New York. “She has brought her passion for art to hundreds of students over the years of her teaching,” said the Diocese. “She coaxes the best out of everyone she meets by her care and compassion and for compassion for art in all forms. Sue loves and nurtures all who she meets. We are blessed that Mrs. Silverstein has become an integral part of our community.” Sue will receive her award at the Diocesan Catholic Schools Week Mass this year at St. Thomas the Apostle in Delmar, New York. Passion is the correct term for Sue. She has a great passion for her students; they have a great passion for her. I can’t imagine a person more worthy of being recognized as the best teacher in the Catholic school system. It was the privilege of a lifetime to meet her, work with her, and see her fantastic work. I am so happy to know you, friend, and to have you on my blog every week. Thanks for supporting her incredible work; you make it possible. Sue is the only person I’ve met I would happily nominate for Saint. Good flows from her like a river. It could happen. — Jon Katz
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News from the Art Room – It’s Pretty Cold, By Sue Silverstein.
It has been cold, beautiful clear skies, but truly cold. I worry about the kids who walk and who wait for the bus. Thank you for all the donations of coats and freezing weather gear to help keep them warm.
There is bagged and tagged art everywhere. Tomorrow is a set-up day for the annual art exhibition at the Empire State Plaza. Hasani just dropped off a drawing. He said, “I was up until 4 am finishing this so you could bring it!”. This is a big deal for so many of these students to have their work on display in a public place. I was lucky to have a large donation of mounting materials to work with this year. I remember when I started matting and framing my work (more years ago than I would like to say aloud). There is just something special about it. The students always smile when they see pieces tagged and ready to display!
I am happy with the variety, too! Traditional and nontraditional, and some just plain fun!
I will take lots of photos when I get it all set up!
Lots of people to thank this week!
Thank you to Regina from NC for the donations. I am excited to get the kitchen projects going!
Thank you to Kathy from MA. Two 6th-grade students (almost) fainted when they discovered the jar of pink glitter at the art club. So many wonderful things included, like plaster, wire, gauze, and more! Thank you!!!!!
Pat dropped off “goodie bags” this afternoon! The bags were full of personal care items (much needed) and things she takes the time to save for us, like tin can tops! We so appreciate all of you and your help in making this program work!
I am so proud of the work the students have done this year. They are willing to try anything, not afraid to fail, and have totally embraced the idea of making new things from old things to help the planet.
Emma nailed the wire sculpture but threw a twist at the last minute, taking us back a step. As you can see in the photo, the figure collapses on top of a pile of advanced placement class textbooks. She said that sometimes classwork and the quest for the highest scores can become suffocating, and some students put massive pressure on themselves.
10th graders, Chrissy and Charlotte, wanted to create a sculpture that showed the destruction caused by natural disasters with their hurricane. They have been working on it for a while, and sadly, other fire disasters have taken place in the news feeds all over the world.
Anthony is a 12th grade student who adores a video game character called Kirby.
His fun-filled creation is a tribute created from found objects. Art can be so much fun. Why not a tribute to his favorite character?
Alannah is a 12th-grade student who used a retail store bag and paint markers to create her statement about what we see. We were talking about color blindness and the ability to see color. She wanted to send a clear message that it is ok to see differently.
In 10th grade, Tolu added beautiful painted lace from vintage linens to her painted landscape. It was so lovely!
Next semester, we will be gearing up for a new course featuring food art and photography. If you have unused baking tools lying around, I would be happy to find a use for them. We plan to do some baking, food decorating, food art, and photography. It is a new course, and I would love to hear any suggestions that have worked for others.
We are looking for baking supplies if you have anything you no longer use. We always seek donations for anything you feel could be made into something new! We are looking for rolled gauze, wire, glassware, canvas, art supplies, heavy foil, pinecones, glue sticks, baking tools, seashells, sea glass, bottle corks, sandpaper, and wood. I love hearing from you. My email is [email protected].
Have a blessed day! Happy New Year!
Sue
ND-BG
2600 Albany Street
Schenectady, New York 12304