Mark DeLay Art Fest Highlights Student Creativity

Art class has evolved from when parents of students were in elementary school decades ago.

Projects now include mixed media and digital creations. Parents and community members will get a taste of the students' artistic abilities Friday during the Mark DeLay Art Fest.

Throughout the school year, the 580 kindergartners, first- and second-graders at Mark DeLay have gotten an introduction to art history through the works of Mondrian, Monet, Van Gogh, Pollock, Kahlo and Bridget Riley’s optical art, as well as a Japanese unit, just to name a few.

Art teacher Liese Hearth has been coordinating art projects all year with the Art Fest in mind. She has slowly been accumulating art projects since August so that one from each student will be highlighted in Friday evening’s display.

Her criteria for deciding which pieces to use are usually defined by the student’s thrilled response to the outcome of a project.

“The students are so excited to show off their artwork, and they’re really excited to finally take it home,” Hearth said.

 She enjoys watching the students glean confidence from art.

“No two projects are exactly the same,” Hearth said. “And younger students especially like to work with their hands and discover different ways to manipulate materials.” 

Hearth says she appreciates the support of the arts in the Darien community. She says the event is always well attended and she gets great feedback from families.

A remarkable feature of Mark Delay’s art program allows even family members who can't make the fest to view their favorite kid's work. Hearth has created an online art display of student work on a secure website called Artsonia.

Hearth catalogs and photographs every piece of student art—about 4,000 each year—and posts each of them to the students' secure accounts. Out-of- state grandparents can view art projects, and it helps build a portfolio as art is added through high school.

Patrons attending the live art fest can also enjoy light refreshments and participate in an interactive art project as they create their own biodegradable sculptures with donated materials.

Framemakers in Westmont donated the mat board for the base of the project andLarsen Packaging Products in Carol Stream donated the biodegradable packing peanuts that stick together and can be shaped when moistened.

Hearth wished to acknowledged the companies’ generous contributions as well asBerlin Industries, Inc. in Carol Stream for their paper donations used for much of the artwork. 

This year’s fest takes place at Mark DeLay Elementary on  Friday evening from 6-8 p.m. Admission is free.