Christmas Pathway Of Peace
2011 Ornaments!
Every year one-of-a-kind ornaments are made by ordinary Americans to hang on 56 trees – one for every U.S. state, territory and the District of Columbia – that surround the National Christmas Tree. Artists and volunteers have given their time and talents to design and create tree ornaments that symbolize the history, heritage and culture of their homelands.
Alabama
Alabama
- Artist: Sheila J. Hull
- Sponsor: Brushes of the Black Belt, middle and high school students
- About: Alabama artist Sheila J. Hull decided to create designs reflecting the beautiful heritage and landmarks of our Black Belt region of Alabama, which includes 19 counties. Fourteen middle school and high school students from different counties were chosen to help create these ornaments. The group is called "Brushes of the Black Belt". The designs were sketched on watercolor paper by Sheila. The students and Sheila then completed the designs using colored pencils, markers, watercolors, and acrylic paint. The completed designs were then cut in a circle and laminated to fit inside the plastic globes.
Alaska
Alaska
- Artist: Sonia Pullins
- Sponsors:Sonia's Art Studio, home school art class
- About: Made by Sonia's Art Studio, home school art class. These ornaments were made using a paper art form called quilling. Although not an original American art form, it has been practiced in the United States since the Colonial era. Home schooled students from Sonia's Art Studio in Anchorage, Alaska, under the direction of artist Sonia Pullins, designed images that reflect nature, history and activities that we enjoy in our great state.
American Samoa
American Samoa
- Artist:Don Hoffman, Department of Education
- Sponsors: Combined High School Art Classes
- About: Our ornaments were created by students from several of our high schools. Samoana, Leone, Tafuna and Poly Tech public high schools and South Pacific Academy created our ornaments. Local cultural images, themes and local materials (shells, coral, sand, plastic bottles and local fibers) were used in their creation. Our students designed the ornaments with an original American Samoan holiday message.
Arizona
Arizona
- Artist: Cathy Saraniero
- Sponsors: Cocopah Middle School, Scottsdale
- About: The process began when the Cocopah Middle School students, in Scottsdale, were invited to submit designs for the 24 globe ornaments. The inspiration for the designs was to represent the natural beauty of Arizona's National Parks with a Holiday theme in mind. Many of the designs included a cactus wearing a Santa hat, and students were guided to incorporate Arizona's diverse nature. As Arizona prepares to celebrate its Centennial year, this is a singular honor and privilege for the students.
Arkansas
Arkansas
- Artist:Elizabeth Weber and Hamid Ebrahimifar
- Sponsors: Arkansas Children's Hospital, Artist-in-Residence Program
- About: Artists-In-Residence Elizabeth Weber and Hamid Ebrahimifar collaborated with the collective artwork of patients from Arkansas Children's Hospital to create global winter wonderlands. Patients from the Hematology, Oncology, Orthopedic, Rehabilitation, Cardiac and several other units produced miniature scenes of seasonal beauty and tranquility within each transparent sphere. Handmade paper, recycled cardboard and styrofoam, paint and modeling clay were used to create Christmas trees, packages, and animated snow people, some even in the form of Arkansas' beloved hogs. Each ornament from the "Natural" state was made possible through the direction of our Artists-in-Residence and the love of many of our patients' hands.
California
California
- Artist: Melissa Manfull and Sergio Hernandez
- Sponsor: Armory Center for the Arts/ArtWorks
- About: Our original design was inspired by African textile designs and symmetrical graffiti found around Los Angeles. Our high school class at ArtWorks focuses on teaching traditional printmaking, so we decided to use these techniques to create simple paper sculptures with vibrant designs inspired by local graffiti. We used florescent paint in the background, which is popular with contemporary Los Angeles graffiti design and helps illuminate the intricacies of the designs.
Colorado
Colorado
- Artist: Anita Rodriguez-Harman
- Sponsor:Escalante-Biggs Academy
- About: At Escalante-Biggs Academy, a Denver Public School, my kindergarteners created papier mache birds that they decorated with tissue paper, feathers and pine needles. The Christmas birds theme was chosen because of a story about a young girl who cuts down a pine tree for Christmas to discover that she has also cut down a bird's home. The young girl's love for both the bird and the holiday season brought great joy and inspiration to my young artists and that is the reason why we chose the theme of Christmas birds and pine needles.
Connecticut
Connecticut
- Artist:Roxanne Faber Savage and Judie Cavanaugh
- Sponsor:Julie Villanueva's 4th grade class, Worthington Hooker School, New Haven
- Sponsor: The theme of the ornaments for the Connecticut Christmas tree is the CT State bird, The Robin Red Breast. The process for the ornaments began with the art instructor, Judie Cavanaugh of Worthington Hooker School in New Haven, CT, inspiring 4th grade students to draw pictures of the CT State bird.
Delaware
Delaware
- Artist: Jamie Moore
- Sponsor: Southern Delaware School of the Arts
District of Columbia
District of Columbia
- Artist: Emma Steinkraus, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
- Sponsor:Youth Arts Program (YAP)
- About: Students of the Youth Arts Afterschool Program at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) created mixed media dragon ornaments using textured papers, felt, modeling clay, fabric and a variety of found objects. Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2012, CHAW builds community through the arts with workshops, classes and performance in all disciplines of the arts for students of every age.
Florida
Florida
- Artist:National Art Honor Society
- Sponsor: Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
- About: When the students of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts started the ornaments, they went through a lot of ideas: state flag? state bird? maybe something representing each county? Certainly NOT flamingos! In the end they decided that WE are Florida.
Georgia
Georgia
- Artist: Jane Hemmer, Forensic and Fine Artists of Georgia
- Sponsor:John Amoss, Gainesville State College, Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia
- About: Sandra Deal, Georgia's first lady, contacted Jane Hemmer, a Georgia sculptor, to head up the Christmas ornament project for our state. Mrs. Deal's inspiration for this year's ornament was Juliette Lowe, founder of Girl Scouts, particularly because this year is their 100th anniversary. Ms. Lowe had been a sculptor as well, thus the selection of Mrs. Hemmer, who sought help with the design from John Amoss, assistant professor of art at Gainesville State College.
Guam
Guam
- Artist: Rolando C. Zepeda
- Sponsor: Middle School Art Class, St. Anthony Catholic School
Hawaii
Hawaii
- Artist: Mary Ann Reyes, Honolulu Academy of Arts
- Sponsor: Art to Go at Susannah Wesley Community Center
- About: The Susannah Wesley Community Center and the Honolulu Academy of Arts collaborated in offering a two month art class for students ages 12 to 18. As part of this class, students designed and created ornaments based on the theme of "Ohana," the Hawaiian word for family. The youth developed pieces that were inspired by their own personal history, ethnic background and Hawaii's diversity.
Idaho
Idaho
- Artist: Major JoAnn Markham
- Sponsor: The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Coeur d'Aleneh
- About: The Salvation Army artist Major JoAnn Markham, who is a native of Idaho, said, 'The inspiration for the three ornament designs came from living in Idaho with all the natural wintertime beauty along with the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus".
Illinois
Illinois
- Artist:Diana Stezalski, Jeremiah Hulsebos Spofford and Devin Mawdsley
- Sponsor: The Chicago High School for the Arts, Visual Arts Conservatory Students
- About: Honored to be chosen to participate in the design and creation of the 2011 ornaments for Illinois state tree in Washington, DC, students of the ChiArts visual art department approached the project as a means to represent that which Chicago (and our school) is proud of the most diversity.
Indiana
Indiana
- Artist:Ying Lu Larimore and Zach Medler
- Sponsor:Battle Ground Middle School Art Students
- About:Designing around the six sides of a cube, all 140 art students at Battle Ground Middle School (in West Lafayette, IN) created their own unique vision of the Christmas Holiday in Indiana. Images of snowy covered bridges, Indiana barns, the state flower and bird, and even Indy 500 race cars were carved into blocks, pressed onto clay squares, slip scored to form cubes, then fired and colored to produce these 24 individual ornaments.
Iowa
Iowa
- Artist: Sticks Inc.
- Sponsor: Theodore Roosevelt High School Art Club
- About:To create Iowa's state tree ornaments, the artists at Sticks drew on the exterior of the provided globes, creating in ink the illusion of a woodburned line, a core element of traditional Sticks pieces. Collaborating with the art club students from Des Moines' Theodore Roosevelt High School, Sticks provided acrylic paint palettes in set color waves, and instructed the students on how to blend the paints to create the brush stroke effect that is a hallmark of Sticks work. The acrylic paint was applied to the inside of the globes, allowing for the outside ink lines to set design. Images and words depicting Iowa were used, highlighting agriculture, state universities, landscapes, flora and fauna, amongst traditionally whimsical Sticks patterns and icons.
Kansas
Kansas
- Artist: Anita Wolgast
- Sponsor: Kansas Children's Discovery Center, Topeka
- About: The Kansas Tree features brass ornaments in the shape of Kansas with county outlines. Designed by Anita Wolgast of Topeka, the center of the ornaments feature specially-commissioned art by Governor's Arts Award winner Ernst Ulmer depicting early 1900's carolers in front of the Kansas Capitol. On the back of the ornament is the Kansas Sesquicentennial logo. This is the 30th year Wolgast has designed the Kansas Ornaments. Complementing ornaments depict Kansas history, created by children from the Kansas Children's Discovery Center.
Kentucky
Kentucky
- Artist: Amanda Brantly
- Sponsor: Youth of the Gateway Regional Arts Center
- About: The inspiration for the Kentucky Christmas ornaments this year came from traditional quilt patterns seen all across the state. Fifth through twelfth grade students spent several afternoons at the Gateway Regional Center for the Arts assembling the beautiful patterns adapted by Amanda Brantly. The students used various blends of fabric to give the Christmas ornaments a unique, festive appearance.
Louisiana
Louisiana
- Artist: Tony Bernard
- Sponsor: Copper Mill Elementary School, Zachary
- About: First Lady Supriya Jindal, Lafayette artist Tony Bernard and the students of Copper Mill Elementary in Zachary, LA wanted to create an ornament design that all Louisianans would be proud of and one that would exhibit the true beauty of Louisiana.
Maine
Maine
- Artist: Spindleworks Art Center
- Sponsor: Independence Association
- About: Honored to have been chosen by the Maine Arts Commission to create ornaments for the National Christmas Tree display, twenty four Spindleworks artists, adults with disabilities, took inspiration from the beauty and traditions of coastal Maine and jumped into designing a unique globe. The artists worked in their favorite medium, whether that was painting, sculpting or fiber, and demonstrated their diverse styles.
Maryland
Maryland
- Artist: Viki Keating
- Sponsor: Central Middle School, Edgewater
- About: The art club at Central Middle School participated in the National Christmas Tree project. The art club is an after school program for 6th through 8th graders. The idea for the ornaments was a collaboration with the art teacher. We both felt that we wanted our globes to be more 3 dimensional instead of just enclosing something inside the globe. We felt that creatures from the Chesapeake would represent Maryland well and that if they were made from recycled materials it would show commitment to the environment and saving the Bay. We made fish, turtles, jellyfish and crabs.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
- Artist: Yuganti Shirodkar
- Sponsor: ArtWorks! Invest-in-Kids: Exploring My City Through Art Programh
- About: The ornaments were designed by 4th and 5th grade students from Taylor Elementary School in New Bedford, as part of ArtWorks! Exploring My City Through Art after-school program. Art educator Yuganti Shirodkar used the project as a way to teach students about the history and diverse culture of the city. Ornaments represent New Bedford's notable people and architecture.
Michigan
Michigan
- Artist: Ronald Krauss
- Sponsor: Averill Elementary School
Minnesota
Minnesota
- Artist: KNOCK, inc.
- Sponsor: Juxtaposition Arts
- About: Every year, the National Christmas Tree lighting in Washington, D.C. is the official kickoff of the holiday festivities and for the second year in a row, the Minnesota ornament was co designed by KNOCK! We turned to the younger generation for energy and inspiration, buddying up with artists at Juxtaposition Arts, a local hands on visual art and design organization that provides education, jobs training and mentorship. The result: reclaimed wood trees suspended in glass bubbles, each uniquely decorated and assembled, all handmade from the heart of Minnesota.
Mississippi
Mississippi
- Artist: Roberto Bonilla
- Sponsor: Mississippi School of the Arts
- About: The Mississippi School of the Arts (MSA) is proud to be a participant for the second year in the National Christmas Tree display Celebration for the holidays. Located in Brookhaven, MS, MSA is a statewide residential high school for juniors and seniors. For 2011, Roberto Bonilla, visual arts faculty, led the visual art students through a class exercise to create unique ornaments that reflect the many aspects of Mississippi that make it such a wonderful state.
Missouri
Missouri
- Artist: Michelle Ochonicky
- Sponsor: Joplin East Middle School
- About: Working with the wonderful East Middle School students in Joplin, a city that suffered so much from the terrible tornado this past year, made this an especially uplifting and meaningful project. The ornaments are reverse glass painted (painted in reverse from the inside of the spheres) and offer special symbolism this year. Missouri is proudly proclaimed across the top of each sphere.
Montana
Montana
- Artist: Alaina Buffalo Spirit
- Sponsor: Chief Dull Knife College, Foundations of Art Class
- About: Artist Alaina Buffalo Spirit worked with the Chief Dull Knife College's Foundations of Art class. As a class, they decided on a Native American theme showing off Northern Cheyenne culture. Students used bright acrylics to paint miniature war shields and drums, cut out buffalo silhouettes from rawhide and set up traditional village scenes within the globes.
Nebraska
Nebraska
- Artist: Eddie Dominquez
- Sponsor: LUX Center for the Arts
- About:Eddie Dominguez recalled his fond Christmas memories as a young boy and how much he liked the glittery decorations. He wanted to provide the boys living at Youth Services Center with a similar experience. Some of the boys were there because they were awaiting adjudication for possession of controlled substances or for truancy offences; some were there because of abuse or neglect. Eddie used the glittery remembrances of his childhood as the inspiration for the ornaments. The boys made a clay body out of bread, glue, and water and made winter time figures. They then painted and glittered the figures. LUX Center for the Arts provides art classes two times per week for youth living at the center.
Nevada
Nevada
- Artist:Lorna Denton and Susan Sullivan
- Sponsor:VSA Nevada, Arts Access for All
- About: VSA Nevada's (VSAN) mission is to provide quality arts opportunities for ALL focusing on children and adults who have a disability, are disadvantaged, at risk, or under served by the arts. Two of VSAN's teaching artists, Lorna Denton and Susan Sullivan, were selected for the National Christmas Tree ornament project. Ms. Denton's ornament design is 2-dimensional with the shape of Nevada cut out in heavy silver foil embossed with holiday designs. Ms. Sullivan's design is a 3D scene displaying a snow capped mountain, evergreens and blue waters achieved with mixed media. O'Brien Middle School students produced the "Silver State" design and Traner Middle School students produced the mountain landscape design. Both schools are in northern NevadaÕs Washoe County School District.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire
- Artist: Kristine Lane
- Sponsor: Andover Elementary Middle School
- About: The seventh and eighth grade students of Andover Elementary Middle school in New Hampshire created beautiful ornaments with a stained glass effect. They created mosaic images with colored tissue paper on a clear acetate surface, which allows the sunlight to filter through and illuminate the translucent designs. Their ornaments are a lovely representation of some of the many wonderful aspects of winter and Christmas in New Hampshire.
New Jersey
New Jersey
- Artist: Amanda's Easel Creative Arts Therapy Program
- Sponsor: 180 Turning Lives Around, Inc.
- About: Bird houses and representations of the New Jersey State bird and flower were used to create miniature oasis's depicting how and what makes families feel safe and protected. Each ornament became a personal expression of how these resilient families have grown from scared and worried in homes dominated by abuse; to secure and peaceful in homes where they now feel safe and empowered.
New Mexico
New Mexico
- Artist: Julia Bergen, Jonathan Cohen and Tara Santini
- Sponsor: Fine Arts for Children and Teens (FACT)
- About: The National Park Foundation ornament project provided a perfect opportunity to highlight art work unique to the culturally diverse and rich Southwestern region of New Mexico in the United States. New Mexico's history is steeped in Native American cultures. One of the main components of Native American culture is their pottery. FACT teen student artists chose to create small clay vessels using clay that was then baked and painted with acrylic paint. The students were shown images of native pottery from various Northern New Mexico Pueblos to guide their ideas and creative choices.
New York
New York
- Artist: Nina C. Lasky
- Sponsor: Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
- About: Artist Nina Lasky designed and created the ornaments with Artists for Social Responsibility (AFSR), a student volunteer organization that strives to help people through their talents, such as performing at senior homes, making portraits for the memory project and creating beautiful community murals.
North Carolina
North Carolina
- Artist: Carolyn & Gary Schena, STUDIO 12
- Sponsor: Locomotion, Cape Hatteras Teen Association
- About: The Christmas ornaments for the North Carolina tree were designed by Carolyn and Gary Schena of Studio 12 and created in conjunction with participants from Locomotion, the Cape Hatteras Teen Association. The Schena's drew upon the natural beauty of their coastal home as the inspiration for their high relief design that captures a slice of coastal North Carolina life. Each of the Schena's high relief designs starts with a drawing which is then hand carved into plaster. Clay is pressed into the plaster, the clay dries and is then kiln fired, glazed and then kiln fired again; the teens from Locomotion helped in each step of the process.
North Dakota
North Dakota
- Artist: Julie Borgstrom
- Sponsor: ArtWise Manvel
- About: Mary O'Neil, 4th grade teacher at Manvel Public School, and her fellow teachers worked together with artist Julie Borgstrom to assist the students with the ornaments. The bison in the globe ornament is a rendering of the oldest inhabitant of the state, the wheat and the snow are found in abundance here, and holly, a symbol of the holiday, grows wild in the western part of the state.
Ohio
Ohio
- Artist: Thad Ricker and Dan Gerdeman
- Sponsor: Hilliard Davidson High School's Advanced Art Students
- About: The ornaments for the Ohio Tree were created by two art teachers, Dan Gerdeman and Thad Ricker, and some of their students at Hilliard Davidson High School. Dan and Thad worked with selected advanced art students coming from Art Club, the Portfolio course and an advanced Photography course. The individual students were selected based on proposed ideas, communicated through sketches and writing. The students were to draw their inspiration from the memories and traditions that are a part of their families' holiday celebrations. No two ornaments are the same, and many of the ornaments were created by two students.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
- Artist: Ronda Roush Studios
- Sponsor: Victory Christian School Art Department, Tulsa
- About: The Oklahoma tree is titled and themed "A Light In Darkness." It commemorates the energy and effect which occurs when light is shown into a dark place. The ornaments illustrate 21 different light sources coupled with 21 different qualities which emerge in the presence of light, such as hope, peace, security, inspiration, love, courage, and many more. The central message of the Advent season is symbolically represented in this collection, which at its core celebrates light coming into the world, bringing positive change to everyone who experiences it.
Oregon
Oregon
- Artist: Lena James and Jaqui Forney
- Sponsor: Howard Street Charter School
- About: Oregon's ornaments were designed and created by 7th and 8th grade art students from Howard Street Charter School. Their inspiration was Oregon's natural beauty and diverse landscape. The students also wanted to show Oregon's commitment to environmental issues and therefore chose to use recycled materials to create each ornament. This was an exciting project for both the students and teachers who worked many hours, all after school. Howard Street Charter School is a small middle school serving student's grades 6-8 throughout the Salem-Keizer Area.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
- Artist: Alberto Almarza, Karen Page and Heather White
- Sponsor: Pittsburgh CAPA 6 through 12
- About: Alberto Almarza, grade 6-8 Concept Studio Instructor at Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, created the template for the Icosahedron. Heather White, grade 9-12 Printmaking Instructor at CAPA, had her 9th grade students burn a screen with the image of the template and then print each template onto watercolor paper. Using Dr. Ph. Martin dyes, the students then painted the templates in Textiles under the instruction of Karen Page, 9-12 Textiles Instructor at CAPA.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
- Artist:Juan Villafane
- Sponsor: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (MAPR)
- About: Students from the Art Workshop Program at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan worked with artist Juan Villafane to design ornaments with images of the Three Kings, or the Three Wise Men and the Star of Bethlehem. The ornaments inside the globes are prints made from etched foam. Each participant made a print either of the Three Kings or the Star of Bethlehem. They then glued together to two prints to form one ornament. They added glitter and bows to make the ornaments more festive.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island
- Artist: Nika Gorini and CityArts Youth Council
- Sponsor: Providence CityArts for Youth (CityArts)
- About: The ornament is a visual representation of Providence's popular Waterfire festival. During Waterfire large lamps that rest on the surface of the canal that runs through downtown Providence are lit, creating a beautiful backdrop for a number of outdoor arts related activates. For the ornament we created a cityscape out of black tag board and embellished it with silver glitter. We cut out a dark blue half circle and hot glued it perpendicular to the base of the sky line for the water. In the center of the water we created a small fire made from orange jewels and colored cellophane paper.
South Carolina
South Carolina
- Artist: Brucie Holler
- Sponsor: Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts
- About:The students covered a 4" papier-mache ball with nautical charts of the Hilton Head area. After the surface was covered, 3 images pertaining to the low country, i.e. the state seal, the Carolina wren, oyster shells, live oak trees, etc. were added. Once they dried, I dipped them in tea as South Carolina has the only tea plantation in North America. I then painted Spanish moss silver and used that as a nest for the ornament itself.
South Dakota
South Dakota
- Artist: Cheryl Peterson Halsey
- Sponsor: Kadoka, SD Students Grade 6-12
- About: High School Students from Kadoka, South Dakota helped Cheryl Peterson Halsey make our South Dakota-themed ornaments. We feel they represent winter winds on our prairie, along with the peace and freedom of our great sky.
Tennessee
Tennessee
- Artist: Patients and Former Patients
- Sponsor: Monroe Carell, Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
- About: Members of the staff at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville presented 23 patients with an ornament, craft materials and the freedom to showcase their imagination. Each ornament displays its creator's unique perspective of the state and represents the strength and creativity of the patient. The 23 handmade ornaments feature the hospital's well-known paper dolls, a recognizable symbol of the top-quality, family-centered care of the hospital.
Texas
Texas
- Artist: Erin McAleavy
- Sponsor: High School For the Performing and Visual Arts
- About: The sophomores at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts used a wide variety of materials to create their personal idea of what winter means in their state. They drew from the disparity between the usual tropes of winter and the reality of Texan winters to create often humorous vignettes.
Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
- Artist: Peter P. Aldan
- Sponsor: Kagman High School Art Class
- About: A majority of the students found inspiration from their own cultures, such as the latte stones, turtles, and mwaarmwaar (head leis), resembling the Chamorro and Carolinian cultures, as well as the many other diverse ethnic backgrounds in the CNMI. The emphasized materials were the local natural materials found throughout the island, such as sand, seashells, coconut shells and pine cones. The processes also reflected many cultural traditions like weaving and carving. From the Art classes of KHS, Mr. Aldan and the whole Kagman High School Community, we would like to wish you all a Happy Holidays by saying Feliz Navidad yan Anu Nuebu!
Utah
Utah
- Artist: Donna Pence
- Sponsor: Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program/Beacon Heights Elementary, 6th Grade
- About: With this ornament project, 6th grade classroom teachers Melissa Hoehler, Shanna Lewis, and Gwen Foster incorporated the Language Arts skill of writing Haiku with Donna Pence's watercolor diorama concept. These 3D interlocking watercolor spheres represent the cityscape of Salt Lake City and the Northern Wasatch on one side, and the colorful landscape of the Southern Utah wilderness on the other. The watercolor dioramas are meant to inspire the student written haiku reflections that appear below. Each globe is a combination of up to four different students work, whether in watercolor or haiku, all 66 sixth graders are represented in the 24 ornaments sent to Washington D.C.
Vermont
Vermont
- Artist: Kraig W. Kernehan
- Sponsor: Community High School of Vermont
- About: Community High School of Vermont (CHSVT) is proud that our student and resident artist, Kraig W. Kernehan, was selected to design and over-see the creation of Christmas ornaments to represent Vermont in the 2011 National Christmas Tree Lighting event. Kraig and other art class students at the St. Johnsbury, Vermont campus worked interdependently to brainstorm holiday images of Vermont and collaborated to bring those images to fruition utilizing various methods including crafting, drawing, painting, stenciling, and sculpting. Our students are honored and excited to be a part of the National Christmas Tree display because they want to give back something personal and of value to their community. They hope to bring a bit of wonderment and awe to children young and old during this Christmas season.
Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands
- Artist: Jan Mitchell-Larsen
- Sponsor: St. Croix Central High School
- About: Four students from Central High School joined Jan Mitchell at her glass studio on St. Croix to make the ornaments for the Virgin Islands' Christmas Tree. Each cut glass shape was hand colored by the students using ground glass and small sifters.
Virginia
Virginia
- Artist: Angela Winters
- Sponsor: 5th grade students, James Monroe Elementary School, Norfolk
- About: Artist and art teacher, Angela Winters develops works of art with textiles and glass while researching new media and techniques for her classroom lessons. Angela and her fifth grade students from James Monroe Elementary School-Norfolk Virginia, created holiday ornaments inspired by the rich historical background in Virginia. We researched Colonial Crafts including wool felting, stitched samplers and Freedom Quilts. Students shaped felt winter symbols as the basis of their design. Original details were added with layers of felt, hand stitching and found objects such as beads and buttons, to give their designs an imaginative modern twist on a craft from our past.
Washington
Washington
- Artist: Karla Tripoli
- Sponsor: 8th grade U.S. History class, Seattle Christian School, SeaTac
West Virginia
West Virginia
- Artist: Virginia Killian and Parkersburg Art Center
- Sponsor: Nanette Seligman's Art III and IV class, Parkersburg High School
- About: The Art III & IV students at Parkersburg High School located in Parkersburg, WV worked with Parkersburg Art Center artist Virginia Killian and created their ornaments using three different techniques. First they created collages on papier-mache bulbs that were suspended inside plastic bulbs. The second technique they used was to paint winter scenes on papier-mache bulbs and then add a synthetic textured snow to the painting before suspending them inside the plastic bulbs. The last technique they employed was to sculpt winter scenes or activities incorporating natural materials like pine cones. These were also suspended inside the clear bulb. Their ornaments are a representation of some of the many wonderful aspects of winter in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
- Artist: Paula Zinngrabe Wendland
- Sponsor: Jim Larsen Boys and Girls Club of Sturgeon Bay
- About: We decided on a collaborative approach to designing our ornaments. First we brainstormed with the kids, talking about the natural history and features of our home county. Then we distributed pre-cut pieces of paper to the participants, and asked them to paint an image that we had talked about. Various kids took up the process from there, decoupaging the paintings onto the inside of the ornaments, and adding tissue paper and glitter to fill in the background around each painting.
Wyoming
Wyoming
- Artist: Karyne Dunbars
- Sponsor: Greybull High School Art Club
- Sponsor: Greybull's student art club was excited and intimidated to provide the decorations for our state tree in Washington. Students worried that their small town ideas might not hold up in the big city. But then, when they started brainstorming for ideas, they realized just how much Wyoming offers to the rest of the nation. They had no problem coming up with designs that represented our rich resources in minerals and oil, wildlife, national and state parks, outdoor recreation, diverse cultures and creative arts. They took a lot of pride in what they created, some working in pairs. When they all beat the deadline by over a week, it was obvious their enthusiasm carried the day.
Photographs by Angela Hearn and Alanna Sobel
