"Machines" is the third annual collaboration between Make.Shift Art Space and two local Montessori elementary schools, Cedar Tree Montessori and Samish Woods Montessori. In this show, paintings by 4th, 5th and 6th-grade students have been interpreted by local artists and each artist's "response" piece is displayed next to the student painting that inspired it.
Each diptych created in this collaborative manner tells the story of a visual dialogue between a student and an adult artist, with the student taking the lead and providing the inspiration for the adult. This format challenges the notion that adults are always the teachers, the leaders, and the sources of inspiration. Students really enjoy seeing the way their paintings are interpreted and relish the chance to take the lead in the creation process.
Each year's show has a different theme and this year's theme is Machines. Students have spent time thinking about the aesthetics and functions of different machines- a fitting theme for a year in which they have taken their art classes over Zoom and technology/machines have played a different and sometimes more prominent role in their lives. Join us in enjoying the collection of machines students have imagined and created that reflect their insight, curiosity, kindness, humor, and the ability to re-imagine the way we interact with our world.
Images can be enlarged upon clicking on them