Every year the Bel Aire School honors Black History Month with a 5th grade art project celebrating African American heroes. The project has been part of the art program for over 10 years. The monoprint exhibit that is on display is the culmination of an intense study. Students choose their favorite hero and make a monoprint either by themselves or with others. As they create, the students listen to music by artists like Ray Charles and view historical events, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. giving the I Have a Dream Speech, on a digital screen. Black History Month is a time to pause and appreciate the heroes, their stories, and their contributions to our country. Through the support of Principal Lexie Cala and the Foundation for Reed Schools, the project has grown in recent years to include 20 African American heroes.
Stephani Caldwell, Bel Aire Art Teacher: "To say that I am proud of my students, is an understatement".
The art that you see is on physical display at the Tiburon Town Hall. It was part of an exhibition that never opened to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Tiburon Heritage and Arts Commission sponsored the exhibition. The Commission would like to thank Clara Lu for photographing the student art, DeAnn Biss (Executive Director of the Tiburon Chamber of Commerce) for her coordination and Katie Spawn for digitizing the photographs to create the virtual art exhibition. Last but not least, the Commission expresses its deepest gratitude to Bel Aire art teacher, Stephani Caldwell and to the student artists that she inspires.
Lena Horne by Payden Jacob
Malcolm X by Cian Kelly and Colin Crew
Frederick Douglass by Fiona Bailey
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Zeenath Bassa
Ruby Bridges by Lila Hofeditz
Medgar Evers by Izzy Bartholomew
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Anna Jacobs & Juliet McNamara
Ruby Bridges by Abigale Mullarney
Lena Horne by Annabelle Mast
Muhammad Ali by Julian Zhang, Nicolas Moon & Logan Scully
Dr. Ralph J. Bunche by Ella Vraanes
Malcolm X by Sofie Stiefel & Ashby Plexico
Nelson Mandela by Stella Stake & Cara McKenna
Ruby Bridges by Audrey Stoterau
Muhammed Ali by Roman Bell, Christian Sent & Vincent Anderies