A note from the Fine Arts Coordinator,
Happy Spring! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful and safe two weeks off from school and come back refreshed and ready for more incredible artistry!
There are so many amazing things happening in the Fine Arts at IC Imagine when we come back from Spring Break. Make sure to mark your calendars for these events coming up!
April 9-Spring Chorus Concert, 6 pm
April 30-MS Visual Art Skate Deck Gallery Opening, 5 pm
May 14, 15, and 16-”The Little Mermaid” MS/US Theater Production (tickets on sale now!)
May 26-Summer Band Concert, 5:30 pm
May 28-Summer Chorus Concert, 6 pm
June 5-K-12 Fine Arts Showcase and Fundraiser, 5 pm
I want to highlight our Fine Arts Showcase, a wonderful K-12 meeting of all of the arts of IC Imagine! We will have performances from the bands, choruses, theater students, as well as an incredible K-12 art show! This will also be our final fundraiser for the year, and we have many amazing offerings that will be raffled off that evening, including artwork from our Visual Arts teachers and students, tickets to next year’s theater productions, reserved seating at the band and chorus concerts, and much more! If you are interested in making a donation to the raffle, please reach out to me at melanyecrayton@icimagine.org. And definitely mark your calendars, as this is NOT an event you want to miss!
A special thank you to Ms. Nilo, Ms. Cummings, Mr. Barton, and all of the parent/faculty volunteers for the incredible production of “The Lion King Kids” last week. Despite crazy weather and sickness, they pulled off an incredible show!
Our wonderful Booster Club is up and running and already planning amazing events to support the Fine Arts. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, April 8th, from 8:00-9:30 am, in the MS/US Chorus room. All are welcome to join us!
Thank you to the parents who are taking on the role of Parent Lead in the Booster Club. Band: Kathy McElreath and Winslow Dean
Chorus: Kinsey Bevilacqua
Theater: Kerri Eudy
We are still in need of a parent(s) to take on the lead for Visual Arts. Please reach out if this sounds like something you can do!
Make sure you're following all of the incredible Fine Arts happenings on Instagram @ICImagineFineArts!
Finally, one quick reminder, please remember that in order to participate in any IC Imagine Fine Arts event that takes place outside of school hours, students must be present for the school day for at least 3.5 hours on the day of the event. Failure to attend on the day of the event will result in not being allowed to participate in the event.
Melanye Crayton
IC Imagine Fine Arts Coordinator
In the Music World
Lower School Music
Can You Feel the Love Tonight (video from the LS musical)
Spring Music Clubs with Ms. Cummings
Recorder Club
This spring, 3rd graders will have the opportunity to participate in Recorder Club after school. The recorder is a woodwind instrument that dates back to the Renaissance and Baroque eras. It is easy to learn and fun to play!
Days: Mon. + Wed.
Time: 2:45 - 3:30
Start/End: Mon. Apr. 13 - Wed. Jun 3
Grade: 3rd
Registration Fee: $50 (includes instrument)
Sticks and Bars
This spring, 4th and 5th graders will have the opportunity to participate in Sticks and Bars after school. In this music club, we will perform music on xylophones and percussion, sing, and dance! This is a great club for students who love music class and want a challenge. It is my hope that Sticks and Bars will perform at the Fine Arts Showcase in June!
Days: Tue. + Thu.
Time: 2:45 - 3:30v
Start/End: Tue. Apr. 14 - Thu. Jun. 4
Grades: 4th + 5th
Registration Fee: $50
If you have any questions, please feel free to email Ms. Cummings (ncummings@ccpcs.org).
Middle and Upper School Bands
The Spring Concert performance will be on Thursday, March 19th, at 5:30pm in the IPAC! We are continuously impressed by the student musicians at ICI for their dedication and passion for music, and we hope that you will come to support the program by welcoming the Spring Season with us.
After Spring Break we will be hitting the ground running to prepare for our performance opportunity at the Trills and Thrills festival of Dollywood, which will take place on Friday, April 24th.
Please continue to encourage your students to bring their instrument home as much as possible. Even 10 minutes of practice can make a huge difference!
At this point all students have had the opportunity to select their electives for next year. We will be sending our audition information after Spring Break for those who would like to be in Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, or Jazz Band.
Thanks for supporting the Band Program at ICI!
Middle and Upper School Chorus
The Upper School Choruses participated in the North Carolina Music Performance Adjudications on Tuesday, March 10th. While there, the US Mixed Chorus and US Chamber Choir performed two pieces each for three former music educators for ratings and comments, as well as participated in sight reading for a former music educator. Both groups earned a rating of Excellent for their performances and Superior for their sight reading! Well done US Choruses!
The Middle School Chorus participated in the North Carolina Music Performance Adjudications on Wednesday, March 18th. While there, the MS Beginning Chorus and MS Intermediate Chorus performed two pieces each for three former music educators for ratings and comments, as well as participated in sight reading for a former music educator. The MS Beginning Chorus achieved an IC Imagine first and earned Superior in their performance, becoming the first IC Imagine Chorus to earn a Superior in Performance at the North Carolina Large Ensemble MPAs! They also earned a Superior for their sight reading. MS Intermediate Chorus earned an Excellent for their performance (only .7 points away from Superior!) and a Superior for their sight reading. Well done, MS Choruses!
When we come back from Spring Break, we wrap up our Spring Concert Series with the Spring Concert on Thursday, April 9th. Then the US Choruses head to Walt Disney World to participate in their Festival Disney Music competition, where they will perform for three of the best choral musicians in the country for ratings and comments, as well as receive a special clinic with one of the musicians. After that, the MS Choruses head to Dollywood to participate in the Trills and Thrills Music Festival for ratings and comments.
In the Theater World
Lower School Theater
Lion King Kids was a huge success! Thank you to our families and community members who supported us in our performance journey.
Middle School Theater
Middle School Students are preparing this week to audition for their class shows, to be performed at the Fine Arts Showcase on Friday, June 5th.
MS Beginner will be auditioning for roles in their Sock Puppet Shakespeare production of “Comedy of Errors”.
MS Intermediate will be auditioning for roles in their production of “The Phantom Tollbooth.”
Upper School Theater
Tickets are now on sale for our Spring Musical - “Disney’s The Little Mermaid”. The show dates are May 14 and May 15 at 6 pm, and May 16 at 1 pm. Tickets can be purchased at this link: https://icimaginekingfishertheatre.ludus.com/200524375
In the Visual Arts World
Lower School Visual Art
Kindergarten and 1st-grade students are studying the vibrant floral paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe. Using oil pastels, they are creating close-up drawings of flowers while learning about radial symmetry—how shapes and lines spread out from a central point.
In 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades, students are diving into abstract art inspired by Wassily Kandinsky, Charmion von Wiegand, and Crystal Wagner. They are experimenting with color, shape, and composition to create expressive abstract watercolor paintings.
Meanwhile, 4th-grade students are putting the finishing touches on their weaving projects, inspired by local artist Neil Goss. These pieces highlight patience, craftsmanship, and an understanding of pattern.
Middle School Visual Art
Murals Made: We made 36 new works of art in the hallways of our school. Most are now complete. There are a few students who are completing their murals during arrival or on their lunch break. Below are a few more standouts:
Skate Decks Coming: Students are very excited about the opportunity to make original art on a skate deck. When we come back from spring break, we will begin the process in earnest. This is an annual project where students have the opportunity to participate in a juried art show at Push, a skate shop and gallery downtown.
Self Portrait Process: As February wrapped up we began the most difficult project that I will ask students to complete this year. We have had conversations about the word tedious, we have talked about how creating a self portrait is very personal and we have discussed how carrying something all the way through to the finish can be very rewarding. Students will be learning and employing the grid method for studying an image that you are drawing.
This is an annual project which offers an excellent opportunity to see their growth over the years. Prepare yourself to be blown away by what they create.
Upper School Visual Art
Wow! What a month it has been! And there is so much more ahead.
We will be celebrating the artists whose work is currently in the Brevard Small Works show ( March 13-20th). The students whose work will be on display at the Spears Gallery are Owen Welton, Sophia Paulino, Ayla Wimsett, Maddie Surrett, Amber Guzy and Lilianna Smith.
On the 20th is the closing reception and the awards ceremony! We all have our fingers crossed that we will have students who win some awards.
On the 22nd We will be celebrating the silver and gold key winners for the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards at the Asheville Art Museum from 2-4 pm. I will be there celebrating ICI’s silver Key winner Kiera Krupnick!
What a wonderful weekend for our ICI artists.
Ceramics 1 is finishing up their Sgraffito mug project and are working on their designs for the face jugs they will be constructing when they return from Spring Break.
Photo 1 is finishing their Light Painting Project and preparing to move on into Portraiture when we return. They have been researching the mask work of Saul Steinberg, Inge Moranth and Ralph Eugene Meatyard and constructing their own paper bags mask to use in photo shoots both in and outside of school.
Art 3,4 have been working on their watercolor techniques and they are currently working on their chosen watercolor projects. But before they started, they practiced their abilities and expanded their knowledge by reproducing images of DONUTS! Yummy!
3D Sculpture
Students are currently working on their magical wand sculptures, carefully carving and shaping their designs. They have been fully engaged in the creative process and are bringing a lot of imagination to their work. Looking ahead, we are excited to begin spoon carving and explore mechanical sculptures as we prepare for our upcoming spring showcase.
Intro to Stained Glass
Students have been hard at work all semester designing and cutting their stained glass pieces—many doing so without the use of a grinder. I am incredibly proud of their perseverance, craftsmanship, and attention to detail throughout this process.
Art 1 – 2D Foundations
We have just wrapped up our exploration of typography, and students created some really dynamic and creative work. As we move into new assignments and continue developing ideas in our sketchbooks, I am excited to see where their creativity takes them next.
Art 2
Students have recently completed their pointillism projects and are now studying the work of Jacob Lawrence. As part of this unit, they are exploring themes from the Civil Rights Movement and using his storytelling style as inspiration to create their own narrative-based artworks.