On Wednesday night, March 27, the fourth-grade artists and performers dazzled parents, grandparents, and guests with a spectacular gala art exhibit and musical production.
The lunchroom and gym were transformed into an elegant art gallery. As you entered the corridor leading in to the gallery, the walls were lined with amazing Giacometti sculptures, each depicting the unique interests of our students. Guests were greeted by students at coat check. Ushers and tour guides helped guests navigate the galleries. White-gloved students circulated with hot hors d’oeuvres as the guests enjoyed the art on display. Students’ creations were inspired by the works of Alberto Giacometti, Wassily Kandinsky, Kesler Woodward, Sonya Delaunay, Sandra Silberzweig, and other artists. There was also a multi-media exhibit from the students’ trip to the Lower East Side and the Eldridge Street Synagogue as well as a display of photos from their trip to the Guggenheim Museum.
Students and guests had the opportunity to participate in performance art, created by our resident pop artist, Rabbi Yitzchok Moully. Using ten different paint colors and large syringes, students and guests took turns to squirt paint in order to form drip lines on a white canvas. They watched how the paint pooled to the bottom of the canvas. At the event, the artist photographed different guests; representing HAFTR students, faculty and parents. A student with a globe, another holding a tz’dakah box, a rebbe teaching Torah from a sefer, and a mother walking her daughter to school, will become part of nine silhouettes the artist will affix onto the mural. When complete, the mural entitled, “9 Plus 1” will adorn our hallway.
The musical program began with an introduction by Ms. Hammer. As boys and girls filled the stage, students narrated, sang, and played their recorders as guests enjoyed the music. The program was set in the HAFTR TV STUDIO Channel 613, as students went on a journey across the world, “DISCOVERING OUR HERITAGE THROUGH OUR PASTORAL PAST.” It included a combination of songs in Hebrew and English, focusing on shepherds and their music from around the world. Some of the musical artists included in the performance were Johann Strauss, Naomi Shemer, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, and Stephen Sondheim. Applause rang out in the auditorium and the students’ faces were beaming as they took a bow. Mrs. Royce Maron, Mrs. Jill Goldstein, and Mrs. Janet Goldman were thanked for inspiring our students with an awareness and love for the arts. Thank you to the entire fourth grade staff for helping to prepare students and to the many generous sponsors that made the evening such a success.