Paso Robles Public School Students Show Off Their Art at Studios on the Park

Drawings of Abraham Lincoln by Second Graders
 © B. Radisavljevic

During my most recent visits to Studios on the Park I've noticed a new gallery. I discovered it shortly after it opened and I first shared it with you here in December when the Alice In Wonderland Costume display was on exhibit there. Currently the theme is Leadership, in honor of Presidents' Day. Since today is Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, I'm featuring some of the pictures  drawn by second grade students of Abraham Lincoln that were hanging on the wall during my last visit.

There were actually two walls of student-drawn pictures of both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Here is one of those displays.

Drawings of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington by Second Graders, © B. Radisavljevic

Fourth grade students, with a bit of assistance from art teachers Louann McKinley and Leslie Moss, prepared this exhibit of their drawings of what the USA means to them.

What the USA Means to Me Drawings by Fourth Graders, © B. Radisavljevic

Studios on the Park and the Paso Robles Unified School District have worked together to provide this studio for the students to use in not only displaying, but also for selling their work. Not shown from the gallery in this post is a display of stoneware created by Joshua Potter,  a Paso Robles High School student. His pieces are currently for sale in the student gallery.

Another advantage of having this student gallery at Studios on the Park is that it facilitates communication between the resident artists and the student artists. Students can watch the artists in their studios, and they can ask the artists for feedback on the work they themselves are doing.

The Leadership Exhibit will last until February 27, so there's still time to get in and see it. If you happen to have any art books around the house you aren't planning to use anymore, bring them along and leave them on the table in the student gallery for student use.

If you'd like to know more about Presidents Lincoln and Washington, these books might be a good place to start. The books by Genevieve Foster, Abraham Lincoln's World and George Washington's World, are some of the best books for giving upper elementary age children and above a worldwide view of history during the times these two presidents lived. I find them a delight to read because they read like fiction.

I personally find it easier to understand a period of history when I can see on two facing pages Foster's illustrated charts of what's happening world-wide before each new historical period in the books. You see who the political leaders are all over the world, new inventions and discoveries in science and technology, prominent artists and musicians, and more for each historical period. These visual aids are very helpful, and one can keep referring back to them if one forgets who is king of where.

 If that isn't enough to convince you of the value of these books, consider that each reads like a novel, except it's true. Reading these books aloud together as a family is a great way for you to refresh your own memory and fill in the gaps of your history education as you make sure your children learn about two very important periods of America's history -- its founding, and the Civil War and what that led up to it. Why not pick up one of these books today?

 The Annotated Lincoln Abraham Lincoln's World, Expanded Edition George Washington's World The Spiritual Journey of George Washington The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: A Book of Quotations (Dover Thrift Editions) George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation (Little Books of Wisdom) 1776