Students blend art, history and storytelling in gallery series

It was during an internship at the Cornish Colony Museum in Windsor, Vermont, that Meredith ''Brinker'' Ferguson '08 (above) first became acquainted with the work of artist and children's book author Taylor Morrison. Thanks to Ferguson, 50 fifth-graders from the Henri A. Yelle School in Norton had an opportunity not only to discover Morrison's work, but to speak with him as well.

Ferguson joined Courtney Kelley '07, Layla Takebayashi '08, Kristin Ford '07, Hailey O'Donnell '07, Laura Tschop '07 and Kim Wozniakewicz '08 to create Wheaton's ''Children's First Art Gallery,'' an opportunity to unite local students with authors and artists in an educational setting. In its inaugural session, the program focused on Morrison's book Buffalo Nickel, a children's book based on the life and art of James Earle Fraser, an American sculptor who designed the Indian Head nickel, or Buffalo nickel, in 1913 for the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

''When I came across Taylor's book, I knew instantly this was a perfect combination of beautiful fine painting and non-fiction history for young students,'' said Ferguson, an art history and anthropology major. ''Children's book illustrations can be considered a child's first real exposure to art.'' She decided to invite Morrison to Wheaton and share his book and art with the community.

''Most museums are stuffy, but it is important for elementary students to be exposed to art,'' Ferguson said. ''I wanted to pull away from the old, dusty museum and push art education that was not boring for the students. Our mission with this program was to instill excitement and passion into kids with regards to art, and start art history appreciation for the next generation.''

Morrison's work (right) is a blend of history, art and storytelling, all with the intentions of bringing history and science to children. He has published seven children's books based on historical events ranging from the Italian renaissance to the Civil War. He spends up to two years researching, and then recreates the event or time in history through paintings and stories that can be understood by school-aged children.

''Children need more history and science,'' Morrison said. ''I am trying to fill a need through narration and art.'' He travels the country reading his books to children, as well as does ''trial runs'' of new stories. ''When their eyes glaze over, I know I need to change something,'' he said.

Morrison mailed his paintings used in Buffalo Nickel from Oregon to Ferguson. She had 10 matted and hung in the gallery at 54 inches high instead of the standard 64 inches to make the art more accessible for the children. She also created an activity for the students, encouraging them to look at the paintings and uncover its meaning. ''I am blown away by all the work they did,'' Morrison said.

Ferguson credits the ''excitement and passion'' of faculty advisors Sean McPherson, instructor of art, and Vicki Bartolini, associate professor of education, for helping her make the event happen. ''I had very strong faculty support. They really pushed me to do this,'' she said. Ferguson also acknowledged the work of her classmates. ''It was a great collaboration of art history, education, sociology and fine art majors,'' she said.