Written by Naomi Seng and Thuy Nguyen (Class of 2022)
Photography by Erica Lai (Class of 2024), Amy Liu (Class of 2023), Naomi Seng, Rachel Blythe, Thuy Nguyen (Class of 2022), and Ms. Ashley
Video by Thuy Nguyen

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein

This spring, the mood of elation is palpable in every corner of the memorable ESLR Museum event. Taking place over the week of March 7th, the ESLR Museum exhibits a collection of student work and projects from the classroom and school extra-curricular activities. The K-12 submissions were centered around the school’s Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLRs), which include: the Eight Core Virtues, Spirituality, Academic Potential, and Global Awareness. The students have expressed these topics in various creative mediums ranging from 2D, 3D, writing, digital, video, music, interactive and live art. 

Organized by the DVGS Creative Team, students innovatively orchestrated a vibrant installation of projects and artworks created from the culmination of weeks of research, material exploration, and refinement of ideas. With advice from Ms. Boge, the curator of Grace Hudson Museum, the assembling of the museum could not have been executed more efficiently and with expertise. Here are some insights of the team’s plans: the positions of the artworks depend on how closely related the artwork is to any of the four ESLR categories; artworks of the same theme would be situated in the same area, regardless of the mediums. Drawing inspiration from other museum layouts, the Creative Team members resourcefully used medium and large sized black boxes to professionally exhibit the artworks. Centering their attention in providing a gratifying experience for the audience, the team ensured spectacular visual presentations of artworks, leaving undiminishing impressions to keen observers. 

Art is not just a sensory stimulation, but also a significant part of an intellectual pursuit. As the potential of a child is never exhausted, students of IGDVS embedded an extensive variety of ideas into their artworks, displaying their boundless creativity and gifted intellectual curiosities. Stepping into the entrance, arrays and collections of vibrant images along with informational descriptions lined the walls of the room. Digital media such as videos, presentations, and audio recordings were presented on the interactive board. Live performances such as Choir, Chinese Orchestra, Chinese Dance, and a self-produced play adaptation of the Sixth Patriarch Sutra by the DVGS World Religions Class, was an integrated part of the museum’s program. Through creative outlets and interactive avenues, the students have demonstrated how art can go beyond objectivity and express themselves in ways that could relate to the wider social world.