Preparing for Our Winter Exhibition: The Beauty of Collaborative Art Projects at School Nova

Preparing for Our Winter Exhibition: The Beauty of Collaborative Art Projects at School Nova

At the start of each School Nova semester, I always feel a sense of excitement and curiosity about what our students will create together. This year, as we begin preparing for our Winter Student Exhibition, I wanted to take time to document and share the early stages of our projects—because the process itself is as meaningful as the final display.

Our first few weeks of the semester have been filled with three major projects, each designed to help students explore a different aspect of visual art: expression, craftsmanship, and collaboration.

The first project, “My Treasure Chest,” invited students to create their own miniature treasure boxes using wet tissue lids as tiny doors. Behind each door lies a personal artist’s statement—a glimpse into the student’s creative heart. The goal was not just to make something cute or decorative, but to let students define what “art” means to them personally. Opening each little lid reveals their dreams, passions, and hopes for the year. It was a perfect warm-up project that helped us understand our students as individuals before diving into larger collaborative works.

Next came the “We Are Treasure” Watercolor Gem Project. Here, students explored the transparency and brilliance of watercolor, learning how to paint glowing, three-dimensional spheres. They then assembled their painted gems into magnetic art chains—pieces that can attach, move, and reconnect into new patterns. This project allowed students to play and interact, showing that art can be both personal and collective. The magnetic chains symbolize unity and creativity: when connected, they form something greater than the sum of their parts.

Finally, we began our Hand Study Project, one of the most challenging and rewarding exercises for any young artist. Students started by posing and sketching wooden hand models, studying form and proportion. Then, they took the process further by creating their own plaster hand casts using fabric tape. This hands-on experience deepened their understanding of anatomy, texture, and movement. What amazed me most was that every single student succeeded—each one produced a hand drawing full of precision and character.

Through these three projects, I’ve been reminded of the immense power of collaborative learning. When students work together toward a shared goal, their creativity expands beyond individual imagination. They exchange ideas, problem-solve, and celebrate one another’s progress. The results are not just visually impressive—they carry the energy of teamwork, curiosity, and mutual respect.

As we look ahead to the winter exhibition, I’m proud to see how these early projects are already shaping a space of connection and growth. The gallery won’t just be filled with art—it will be filled with stories, relationships, and the living proof that art education is as much about community as it is about creativity.
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Every student, every brushstroke, and every idea adds to our collective masterpiece. This is the heart of School Nova Art: learning to create together, and discovering that we are all, in our own ways, treasures.

As the new semester begins at School Nova, our art students dive into hands-on, collaborative projects—from miniature oil paintings and watercolor gem chains to anatomical hand studies—laying the foundation for our upcoming winter exhibition.