Art students from our elementary, middle, and high schools took a joint field trip to the Green County Council on the Arts (GCCA) Gallery in Catskill on March 8. There, they toured the “Ginnie Gardiner & Martin Katzoff: Conversations in Color” installation with Visual Arts Director Niva Dorell. Dorell explained the artists differing styles but helped the students see their similarities in gesture and flow. Gardiner’s paintings blended Baroque influences with contemporary images to produce paintings rich in color and dramatic figuration, while Katzoff’s paintings were more abstract but similarly vibrant and rich in texture.
After exploring the artwork, the students grabbed paints, pencil, or markers and under the guidance of Dorell and volunteer art educator Stephanie Dougherty, created their own artwork inspired by the paintings that surrounded them.
The GCCA offers these “Critique & Create” experiences free of cost to Catskill Central Schools as a way for students to connect with art and artists in their community. This was the Catskill Art Department’s third visit to see installations at the gallery this year. For the March 8th trip, select 5th grade art students, the 8th Grade Art Club, and the High School’s AP Art class attended.