Seattle Art Museum

Salmonberry Elementary students took advantage of an opportunity to view the collection of contemporary art at the Seattle Art Museum with a special focus on the temporary exhibit Alexander Calder: A Balancing Act.

The class spent time with their art teacher, Andrea Cohen preparing for the visit. They did some projects in the classroom and discussed some of the elements of art, for which Calder became famous as a twentieth century American sculptor.

When the day finally arrived all seventeen students along with twenty parents and eight siblings woke up early and met at the ferry well before dawn.

The group reconvened at the downtown museum and proceeded to follow a docent led exploration of line, shape, color, and balance. They discussed several focus pieces, before entering the Calder exhibit itself.

The museum does not allow photography of the exhibits, so we can’t show you the sculptures, but the kids were duly impressed by both the enormous and minute sculptures and mobiles.

Then the group spent an hour in the SAM classroom, where they got to try their hand at some Calder-inspired wire-based art. They each made a circus character in response to Calder’s famous Circus.

Finally the class headed to Seattle’s Olympia Sculpture Park for a bit of lunch and time to play!

Most students returned later that evening, others stayed overnight in Seattle. All returned tired but well satisfied!!