Area fifth graders, including our own Jayde, Abbeygail and Ella, recently visited two exhibitions at the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College and created their own quick-drying collage paintings during a Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Honors Program event.

Museum Education Manager Marjorie Hurley, Assistant Manager Emily Girard and student docents welcomed students and shared an “informative and creative morning together,” Herkimer BOCES Honors Program Coordinator Deborah Schoff said.

Docents guided students as they explored the exhibitions, “Jamea Richmond-Edwards: Another World and Yet the Same” and “EXODUS.” Students toured in small groups as they discussed and interpreted Jamea Richmond-Edwards work,” Schoff said. “They focused on setting and character, and explored possible storylines within the artwork.”

Fifth graders from Central Valley, Dolgeville, Herkimer, Little Falls, Poland, Richfield Springs and West Canada Valley attended the Herkimer BOCES Honors Program event on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Hamilton College. After touring the exhibitions, students created quick-drying collage paintings, experimenting with saturated colors and energetic patterns inspired by the works of Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Schoff said.

“I enjoyed watching students as they explored the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art for the first time,” Schoff said. “As the morning unfolded, students became more comfortable discussing and sharing their opinions of Jamea Richmond-Edwards’ work. They enjoyed using what they learned as they expressed themselves through their own artworks.

The Herkimer BOCES Honors Program is open to students in Herkimer BOCES component school districts and is designed to support the potential of students in grades 3-12 who have above average interests and abilities in a particular area. Programs allow for interaction with like-minded peers. Students learn by engaging in educational activities with presenters who are noted in their field. Exploration and programs provide for different learning styles and include topics in the arts and sciences as well as literature and history. Ongoing evaluation of all programs by teachers and students assures their relevance and quality.