Vibrant paintings and mixed-media works from Bridgeport fourth graders on view at Earthplace in Westport. The exhibition celebrates a Silvermine Art Partners collaboration with Earthplace.
NEW CANAAN, CT, Jan. 19, 2024—Silvermine Arts Center, in partnership with Earthplace Nature Center, is proud to present a unique art exhibition featuring the works of fourth graders from Dunbar & Wilbur Cross public schools in Bridgeport. The exhibit, titled “Bee-me,” is currently on display at Earthplace Nature Center in Westport and is a testament to the successful collaboration between Silvermine’s Art Partners outreach education program and Earthplace’s educational offerings. The exhibition runs through Feb. 16, 2024.
Over the last three years, Silvermine and Earthplace have forged a partnership, providing area students with comprehensive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) experiences. This collaboration began during the pandemic, merging complementary programming with public school curricula to enhance learning at under-resourced schools in Bridgeport and Norwalk.
A highlight of this partnership is the collaborative Pollinator Program conducted at Earthplace, where students engage in specialized STEM field trips. Guided by resident naturalists, young learners explore soil, seeds, insects, and plants while traversing the 62-acre nature sanctuary’s woodland trails. These hands-on workshops offer insights into pollination—bringing science, conservation, and education together in a unique learning pathway.
Complementing the STEM education, Silvermine’s Teaching Artists conducted four days of fine arts enrichment directly in the students’ classrooms. Each fourth grader created a 16″ x 20″ mixed-media canvas, expressing their newfound knowledge of local flora and fauna. The resulting artworks, characterized by vibrant colors and intricate details, reflect the students’ close observation and appreciation of their natural surroundings.
Veronica Swain, Director of Nature Programs at Earthplace, remarked, “We at Earthplace don’t often get a chance to see how kids process the learning we provide. This unique collaboration between Earthplace and Silvermine not only grants us that rare opportunity, it’s also incredibly rewarding for the students to explore that intersection of art and science. We love to see it!”
Silvermine’s Art Partners curriculum aligns with state educational standards, integrating specific vocabulary from science and language arts. This approach not only enriches the students’ learning experience but also provides a tangible way to assess their understanding and skills.
The community is invited to view these extraordinary works of art at Earthspace Nature Center. “This ongoing partnership symbolizes a commitment to nurturing young minds through the fusion of art and science, highlighting the importance of holistic education in today’s world,” said Missy Savard, Outreach Education Coordinator at Silvermine.
Silvermine’s outreach programs have a proven track record of fully engaging students in the advancement of critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration—supporting better academic achievement and life skills. Since 1992, Silvermine Art Partners Programs have provided curriculum-based arts education for under-resourced Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Stamford public schools. Serving over 1800 at-risk urban youth annually, Art Partners help close Connecticut’s educational achievement gap—one of the largest in the nation—by providing access to the arts and unique enrichment programs designed specifically to target critical student needs.
Art Partners Outreach Education programs are made possible by generous support from Hearst Foundation, Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority, National Endowment for the Arts, Cornelia T Bailey Foundation, Bedford Family Social Responsibility Fund, Maurice Goodman Foundation, United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut, The George & Grace Long Foundation, and others.
