The California Report:
An NPR Broadcast on the 2013 Grandparent Portrait Show
The NPR show California Report (KQED) included in the programing for April 26, 2013, a report on the Grandparent Portrait Show 2013. Below is a copy of the article by Diane Bock.
“Relationships between grandparents and their grandchildren are unique, significant and often fleeting. The Grandparent Portrait show, an art exhibit currently on display in Santa Barbara, aims to strengthen and preserve those bonds. The show features drawings, paintings, sculptures and photographs of grandparents by local junior high and high school students.
At the show’s opening reception, there’s a palpable layer of energy inside the Faulkner Gallery. The room is packed. Students, teachers, family and friends have gathered for their first look at some very special one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Smiles and hugs abound — along with a few tears.
Monica Kunz looks at a striking charcoal portrait. It shows a ’50s-era young woman wearing pearls around her neck and a hat perched on her elegant hairstyle. “I get moved by these things.” Kunz says. “And the kids, what they do to create and capture — it’s awesome”.
The portrait was drawn by Kunz’s daughter, Jacqueline Hewitt, who explains, “It’s a picture of my mom’s mom, and she passed away, so I wanted to do something with her.” Kunz wipes away a tear. “It’s a picture of my mom when she was young. To see my mom up there — it’s just very touching, and it just reminds me.”
Monica Kunz and her daughter, Jacqueline Hewitt, pose next to Jacqueline’s charcoal portrait of her grandmother at The Grandparent Portrait Show.
John Houchin is Hewitt’s eighth-grade honors art teacher. “To see the reactions of grandparents and parents is extraordinary” he says. “It’s not something that art teachers get to see very often, is a connection, a human connection, between students and their work. And it’s been phenomenal.”
The Grandparent Portrait show is sponsored by Santa Barbara’s Student Art Fund, which was established in 2006 by a group of retired art teachers. The fund supports art programs in the area’s public junior high and high schools. This exhibit is their signature event.
Sally Hamilton is a member of the Student Art Fund. “Three and four generations come to the show,” she says. “They’re all so proud of it. It just links them in a wonderful way.”
Grandparent portraits were a regular part of art teacher Audie Love’s high school class curriculum. When he heard that a student’s portrait had been prominently displayed at a memorial service, Love had his “ah’ha” moment. He created the grandparent show four years ago. “I would love to see this in a lot of towns, because it’s a good, good situation.” Love says. “Good for the kids, good for the families. And they’ll go on some grandparent’s wall as soon as the show goes down.”
Olivia Sturman, with her Grandparents
Globe-trotting grandparents were the inspiration behind high school senior Olivia Sturman’s whimsical piece, titled “Eighty Three Years of Travel.” It contains vintage postcards, a map and a miniature jet airplane, along with photographs of her grandparents, Adrianne and George Sturman.
Olivia’s grandmother laughs as she explains, “She stole a couple of our albums and cut out these pictures, I didn’t notice them missing until now!” Both she and her husband are delighted to see their granddaughter’s work.
George Sturman gets his first look at granddaughter Olivia’s award-winning artwork at The Grandparent Portrait Show.
“I was surprised, I was absolutely amazed,” says George Sturman. “This is three-dimensional, which is very interesting. It shows a lot of talent.”
Standing nearby, Olivia beams.“They’re really quite inspirational,” she says. “I love my grandparents.”
And that love is very evident in the Faulkner Gallery in the Santa Barbara Public Library, where the Grandparent Portrait show runs through April 30.
We thank KQED, NPR , the California Report and reporter Diane Bock, and the persons in this story for this report. Photos courtesy of Diane Bock.