By Claire Curran
On Thursday, June 11, 2026, students, parents, and art teachers gathered in the Rye Central Administration building to celebrate young artists ranging from 1st to 12th grade. A year’s hard work lit up the office buildings’ grey walls in an array of shapes and colors.
“This is our second consecutive year showcasing student work through all five buildings,” said Rye High School Art Department Coordinator Anthony Campbell.
“It is a great opportunity for young students to see the types of art they will make in their future years, and for senior students to reconnect to their elementary art experiences–all side by side. The true purpose of the show is to adorn the district offices with the remarkable creative efforts of all of the students that the Central Administrative employees serve– to give them [the Central Administrative Employees] a daily connection to the young people of Rye.”
Middle school art teacher Kim Tamalonis described the process behind the colorful paper-collage and print animals spread throughout the gallery. “The sixth graders only have art for a quarter, [which is just enough time to] go from the beginning to the end of the project. They get to see [the work develop] through a long process, and come out with something that is pretty sophisticated and the result of many steps.”
Sixth grader Angelica Song said about the meticulous craft that went into her paper-collage and print lizard, “We had to fold the papers into sixteenths, cut out designs, and then put them onto another piece of paper… [Then for the print-making] You take a piece of rubber, and then carve it into different shapes.”
High school art teacher Bendis Mani spoke about the development he gets to see as someone who teaches art throughout high school. “The level–the understanding of the colors, and the style, are remarkable,” he said about 9th grade Yuri Shirasaki’s painting of a lush green hill set against a blurry sky.
But painting is just the start for highschoolers in Rye’s art program. “The AP [Advanced Placement class], [which students can start only] once they’ve gone through learning about composition, elements and principles, color, design… and mixed media–not just paint, but synthesizing nontraditional materials—is what they reach for. It’s something very impressive.” Mani pointed out an AP piece by high school senior Nanami Aoyama which combines embroidery, procreate, photography, and painting.
Families stopped by throughout the event to grab cookies from the snack table and perhaps catch a glimpse of what their artists could be creating in the future.
