There will be an opening reception for “An Elemental Eye” photographic exhibit tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the DDRProjects Art Gallery in Long Beach with food across the street at Pizza and Garden Café on the corner of Broadway and Falcon Avenues.
The featured interpretative photographs of earth elements were created by fifth-grade students from Westerly School in Long Beach who viewed this assignment as a combined science, history and art project.
Fifth grade teacher Gina Ashworth and art teacher Shannon Buchanan guided students through an exploration of Earth’s elements from a historical, scientific and artistic understanding. Professional photographer and art educator Yvette Marthell showed students how to use a digital camera as well as how to set up and take a good shot.
Students photographed elements at different locations in Long Beach and Los Angeles including Rancho Los Alamitos, the Japanese Gardens at Cal State Long Beach, MOCA and Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and in their immediate surroundings at Westerly School.
Then they edited and evaluated their work. After careful consideration, they selected the final exhibit photographs and wrote scientific analyses of the different Earth elements.
In its ninth year, the Westerly photography project embodies the Westerly educational approach to learning. It exemplifies the team approach to teaching which gives students a multi-faceted understanding of a subject.
Each year, Westerly School partners with a museum or gallery to exhibit the finished product. Westerly’s gallery partner this year is DDRProjects, located in the East Village section of Long Beach at 1532 E. Broadway. Following the May 15 opening reception, the exhibit will run through May 30.
Westerly School is an independent, non-profit, non-sectarian school whose mission is to develop each child’s full potential intellectually, emotionally, morally and physically.
