One by one, they were carefully placed, hand-painted rocks in various sizes, shapes and colors. Less than an hour after the largest rock, emblazoned with “HCC” was placed in the center, a meaningful installation of rocks had taken shape around it outside of H.C. Crittenden Middle School.
The rocks, painted by students and faculty members, are all one of a kind, yet they are connected through a unifying theme. Each rock features a mandala, a design that radiates from a central point into a circle, or a spiral and has touches of gold paint.
The plan for the installation of mandala rocks was the work of the new after-school club Art for H.C.C., which creates art to help make the school a more beautiful and welcoming place. Everyone in the H.C.C. community was invited to paint a rock, and a group of students positioned the rocks on an empty bed of mulch to the right of the main doors on May 11.
“This inspiring installation shows a sense of community and pride in our space,” said art teacher Joanna Bergelson, the Art for H.C.C. adviser. “Everyone who will see it is going to feel the power of individual artistic expression creating a unified artwork.”
The installation itself is in a circular shape that mimics the mandala design on the rocks. And while some rocks have quiet, calming designs, others are more celebratory. “Each rock has a lot of personality, considering it’s a rock,” Ms. Bergelson said.
“Whether a rock has brighter colors or is monochrome, or has loose brushstrokes or an intricate design, they all come together, and the differences in the individual pieces are what make the installation more visually pleasing,” she said. “What’s creating a dynamic composition is that there are so many artistic voices from our school community joined together.”
The mandala is a design found in cultures across the globe and throughout the centuries, Ms. Bergelson said. Painting a mandala can be relaxing, and because the artist is not re-creating an object from reality, like a landscape or portrait, they can feel freer as they create, she said.
Teachers enjoyed painting mandala rocks during part of the April faculty meeting. Students also loved painting the rocks and felt the collaborative artwork showcasing the creativity of students and faculty makes the school feel welcoming.
“It’s joyful,” sixth grader Mason Tassone said, noting the different colors. “It pops.”
Mason, who helped paint the H.C.C. rock, said the installation “shows as a community at H.C.C., we’re all connected.”
Another sixth grader, Mirabelle Backs, said together, the rocks bring warmth and welcoming.
“They all look really good and vibrant and pretty together, which I love,” she said. “It looks like it’s going to bring so much beautiful art and inspiration to the school.”
Sixth grader Shayna Usherenko, who painted five rocks, agreed that the rocks looked great together.
“It looks very united,” she said. “Even though they’re all different colors, they all match well together. It’s very peaceful.”
When people walk past the art, Shayna said, “I think they’ll remember H.C.C.’s community and how we worked well together, just like the rocks.”
Minna Shah, also in sixth grade, added: “All the hard work that people put into this shows how much everybody loves the school.”
Byram Hills High School students in the National Art Honor Society worked with the Art for H.C.C. club on this project, building another artistic bridge between the schools.
