Fourth-graders from Roseville's Crestmont Elementary School compared a giant, plastic eyeball on display with a Pixar-animated character.
The students said the 5-foot-wide sculpture at the new Blue Line Gallery in downtown Roseville reminded them of the Cyclops from the movie "Monsters, Inc."
Volunteer docent Melissa Sullivan offered another perspective.
"I also like to think of it as art looking back at you," Sullivan said as she guided the students on a tour.
Placer County students are getting a free peek into the artistic world, thanks to Roseville Arts and several organizations.
As part of Roseville Arts capital campaign, "Keep Art in Our Future," schools are offered free transportation to its Blue Line Gallery this spring and docent-led tours of the exhibit "Art and Illusion: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation." The international collection is a mix of contemporary paintings, photography and sculptures that use illusion and humor to create new ways of looking at the world.
Students on a recent field trip were mesmerized by an oversized painting of an Orange Crush soda can that actually appeared crushed. They were intrigued by the so-called "scapegoat" made from sweater fragments to symbolize people who have been discarded from society. Another eye-catcher for students and teachers was a dollar sign created with retail tags.
"My favorite was the paper butterflies," Crestmont Elementary student Karly Reed said. "I didn't know you could make art out of candy wrappers. I thought that was really cool."
Roseville Arts and its sponsors have scheduled nearly 30 school field trips to the Blue Line Gallery since its opening in February on the ground floor of a new city parking structure on Vernon Street. Teachers are given a resource packet that includes an introduction of the exhibit and ideas for art education lessons. Gallery curator Beth Rohlfes said the goal is to address a lack of art education funding for schools and to spark children's artistic imagination.
"There is so little understanding of the importance of arts in education," Rohlfes said, explaining that emphasis on standardized testing has branded art as a luxury to the curriculum. "Art teaches how to be imaginative and to problem solve," she said.
Roseville Arts received funding from the Frederick R. Weisman Philanthropic Foundation to pay for bus transportation for students, which educators say is a major obstacle in providing field trips. Educational support for the exhibit is provided through several community partnerships, including volunteer docents from William Jessup University in Rocklin.
Call The Bee's Lakiesha McGhee, (916) 773-7630.
