Interdependence is about connecting across the globe through hexagonal art. Each year in September The Hexagon Project holds its Eastern Regional Exhibit in Scranton to exhibit the hexagons submitted for the annual theme from around the world. But it is so promising to see exhibits of hexagonal art taking place across the United States and the world at schools and community centers. This decentralization is vital to sustaining and continuing the work and accomplishments that have been achieved over the past 15 years.
Executive Director of The Hexagon Project Beth Burkhauser says, “It’s important to demonstrate to teachers that they can do the project and get their community to see it and appreciate the expressions of young people through an exhibit.”
We are delighted to feature some of the artwork below from various exhibits held at schools and community centers.
Artwork from Australia Highlights Nature and Water Creatures
2022 Interdependence Hexagon Project: KINDNESS: Migrations – Open Hearts! Open Borders! is a body of works that represent a collaborative installation of drawings – paintings by three groups of preschool children at the UOM Early Learning Centre in Melbourne, Australia.
This year we have introduced the notion of KINDNESS through learning about migration and empathy that comprises emotion recognition and perspective-taking, and phenomena of imagined, thoughtful and caring actions that are important to ensure harmonious living in any society (Rogoff, 1998). This year also marks the UN International Decade of Ocean Science and Healthy Oceans, and the children were learning about the migration of whales (and parallel to that, birds) when a question about borders opened a different perspective comparing it to human migration. Throughout Term 2, the children explored and deeply reflected on current migration issues in both Australia and the world and were encouraged to imagine how would they feel if they were forced to leave their space, their home or their country due to floods, fires, pollution, famine or war. The University Of Melbourne Early Learning Center teachers leading this project are: Suzana Clarins, Esther Wong and Harriet Deans. View a slideshow of their full work here.
The University of Melbourne Australia’s Early Childhood Services did an exhibit that included beautiful artwork taught by Frances Hegarty. The 4-year-old children at Queensberry Children’s Centre were invited to create ephemeral land art hexagons. They planned their symbols of kindness and then teachers helped them to collect natural materials to use. They worked in small groups of 2 or 3 and collaboratively created their hexagons in the backyard of the center. They discussed how this would be something kind for the Earth, to give to the other children and that although it wouldn’t last forever, it would be beautiful while it was here. The children created rainbows, hearts, trees and other representations of kindness for their hexagons. View a slideshow of their full work here.
Michigan Schools and Community Spread Kindness Through Art Display
Melissa Hronkin, who teaches art at Houghton Elementary School in Hancock, Michigan, and her students, were inspired by the Hexagon Project 2022 Kindness theme. Their hexagons were on exhibit regionally at the Copper Country Community Arts Center in Hancock this Spring. An extra feature of the exhibit was the inclusion of the many paper 3-D hexagons which, when displayed together, gave a dramatic “beehive” effect.
Florida Middle School Shares Hexagonal Artwork
Visual Arts Teacher Brittany Braniger at Rowlett Middle Academy in Florida shared her students’ colorful artwork, many featuring blue and yellow and incorporating a call for peace and support for Ukraine.
Artwork from Sullivan High School in Missouri
Veteran Hexagon Project Participant, Valerie McEuen, who is an art teacher at Sullivan High School in Sullivan Missouri, had over 100 students participate this year. Their strong work focused mainly on the Kindness theme with many hexagons recognized by The Hexagon Project for creative interpretation of the theme. She held an exhibit within the high school.
West Scranton High School Displays Hexagons
Ryan Hnat is art teacher at West Scranton High School in Scranton, PA. He is also PA Art Education Association’s Northeastern PA Representative. He used Interdependence themes as an introduction to a painting unit and displayed them in the school. Ryan also hosted a PAEA WebInArt in April where PA teachers shared their Hexagon Project teaching strategies and demonstrated how to upload hexagons onto Artsonia.com.
