I’ve been thinking about 5th grade since I was on an NCAA Learning Initiative Zoom call with a 5th grade class. I spoke as part of the Creativity & Sport segment. My business, Avant Garb Mascots is very closely tied to creativity in the world of sport. Mascots & sports are allies.
In my school, there were two 5th grade classes. I was in the abstract 5th grade art class. The other 5th graders were the realists.
We learned about Picasso, Matisse and Cézanne’s and his abstracted landscapes. We learned about composition and meaning. It was a great year for art. I went through a short blue period, just as Picasso had – mixing poster paints and trying out the colors. It was an art adventure.
In that eye-opening 5th grade year, my mother, who was an ardent fan of puppets, made sure I saw the Bil Baird Puppet Theater, at the NYC Worlds Fair – and there was a new puppet game in town, the Bread & Puppet Theater. They put on big puppet performances on NYC streets and in churches (because they have high ceilings). All the ingredients for becoming a mascot makers and giant parade puppet maker were in place.
Sometimes as my mother did for me in 5th grade, I pass on the joy of puppet-making and telling stories with puppets to the next generation of fifth graders.
Talking to the 5th graders gave me a clear insight into how fulfilling the 5th grade was. It’s when I became an artist. It’s when I learned about realism & abstraction. It’s when I started looking at the world with an artist’s eye. Maybe it’s in the 5th grade when we can clearly see who we want to be when we grow up.
Thanks to the 5th graders for asking interesting questions and for having me look back on a completely glorious 5th grade experience.
©Jennifer Smith 2022