Art Across the Island

Over 4000 works of student art have been displayed since Art Across the Island began in 2016. Every Alameda public school has participated in the program and locations including small businesses such as Books Inc and Lilac Dress Boutique, all three of our city libraries, the College of Alameda library and Rhythmix Cultural Works.

Please stop by and view student art at these locations:

Main Library

Student art at Main Library Jan 2024

Science becomes art when Love 4th graders create topographic maps of Mt Shasta and its satellite cone, Shastina. Each change in elevation of 5,000 feet is made with layered construction paper. The brightly colored paper (each outlined with contour lines) is set against a black background. These topo maps are part of the soils, rocks and landforms curriculum. Science teacher: Katharine Jolda. Classroom teacher: Marissa McMahan.

Location: Children’s Section, Main Library
1550 Oak Street
On Display Until: February 29, 2024

Bay Farm Island Library

Student Art at Bay Farm Library Alameda

Earhart students, from across the grades, made Land Art using earth material like leaves, flowers, pinecones, rocks and mulch. The varied surfaces on which these temporary works were built created backgrounds that complement and contrast with the flowers and leaves. Grownups, involved in the Land Art movement, often filmed or photographed their ephemeral art so that there was a record of what they made. Earhart students were photographed while working together to construct their pieces.

Location: Bay Farm Island Library,
3221 Mecartney Rd
On Display Until: April 30, 2024

West End Library

Student Art at the Alameda West End Library

Ceramic vases by Encinal High School students are in the main section of the West End Library. The project was labor intensive as each vase was carefully constructed with coils of clay, one coil on top of the other. The vases were the first pieces where the students used the kiln, first for a bisque firing and then to glaze. The scenes depicted on the vases include a ship on a stormy sea, a landscape, the moon and stars, flowers and an homage to Monsters, Inc. Art teacher: Eric Schoeffler.

Location: West End Library,
788 Santa Clara Ave.
On Display Until: April 30, 2024

Lilac Dress Boutique

Student Art at Lilac Boutique in Alameda

Biographical watercolors, by Love fourth and fifth graders, are in Lilac’s windows. Students were asked to paint an object that was important to them. This created a lot of thought as they discarded many options before pinpointing one thing that would tell their story. Sometimes, the object is symbolic as in a house representing a family; sometimes, it’s whimsical as in the scrunchie that the student always wears. You’ll discover that the children love sports, various kinds of food, and their pets. They used both realism and abstraction in their watercolors. 4/5 teacher: Ariel Cohen.

Location: Lilac Dress Boutique
1918 Encinal Ave.
On Display Until: April 30, 2024

See Spot Run

Student art at See Spot Run

Urban pet supply store See Spot Run is Art Across the Island’s newest venue. Crazy Creatures by Otis 5th graders grace two walls at the store. Teacher Lisa Goodwin showed her students templates of elongated animals before asking her students to draw their own versions of these vertical creatures. Using markers and colored pencils the 5th graders drew ducks, cats, chicks, sheep, turtles and zebras dressed for a night on the town or an afternoon at the gym. They placed their animals on the beach, underwater and in kitchens, all the while making each work of art their own.

Location: See Spot Run,
2510 Santa Clara Ave.
On Display Until: March 31, 2024

Enjoy these wonderful posters made by Alameda High School students! These posters have been hung at some of the therapy offices used by Alameda Family Services for AUSD mental health services.

East Bay Community FoundationArt Across the Island is made possible by a generous grant from the Schuler-Heimburger Family Fund of the East Bay Community Foundation.

 

Please consider a donation to keep arts alive for Alameda students.