The last two months of K@P were jam-packed as our students prepped for their End of Year Showcase slated for the first week of December. This event would give parents and members of the community a glimpse at the creativity and self-expression the K@P Kids explored over the semester.

The primary project of the showcase was an installation of large recycled object sculptures. Using recycled plastic bags, wire, and plaster, the K@P Kids split up in groups to create large imaginative creatures.

This month’s featured artist was Jamie Pierson of Scrap Designs. Pierson’s primary artistic focus is all about making art out of recycled materials and creating interactive spaces for curious art lovers of all ages. She was the perfect mentor for our sculpture projects!

How do you start to design such a big project as a group? Planning. The groups learned the importance of planning out their designs through 2D sketches. This brainstorming stage also taught the groups the necessary skill of working together and encouraging new ideas.

The next step was to take their sketches and transform them into the third dimension. By bending wire to create a structural frame, our students learned to think critically on how to represent space and depth in their sculptures. They then filled in their frames using plastic bags, newspaper, and other recycled items.

After painting their creatures, the final step was a favorite of many. Using every elementary child’s favorite crafting tool, the hot glue gun, the K@P Kids glued an assortment of found objects to their sculptures to create interesting textures. Arts@302 is constantly accepting generous donations of bottle lids, buttons, and other odd items. These made for wonderful resources!

The sculptures were not the only feature of the Showcase. The K@P kids also worked on many aspects of the exhibit experience itself. Working with the staff, our students prepared the setup in an aesthetic way, added lights and glow in the dark features, and even composed some musical soundtracks to accompany the evening.

On Wednesday, December 6th, family and friends were invited to experience the walkthrough immersive experience and partake in delicious foods from Broken Arrow Neighbors. The parents were blown away by the creativity and ingenuity of their children! One parent even brought one of our students an entire bouquet of roses to make the evening extra special and memorable.

It was a great way to wrap-up the semester! The K@P kids worked in groups for an entire month on this project. They learned to be patient and accepting of their peers’ thoughts and creative ideas. The use of recycled and found materials also empowered the children to use things around their house and be more mindful of what art can be made from.

Sincere thank you as always to Broken Arrow Neighbors and the Kristin Chenoweth Arts and Education Fund, as well as the families of our artists. Your trust and belief in not only us but your children helps us to build up the next generation of creative minds! We look forward to giving you more updates on this wonderful program next semester.