Clowning Around Town

The circus is coming to East Haddam! Brightly painted clowns are popping up around town on signs as part of a Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School circus-themed Under the Big Top art event. 

Art students in grades four through eight have been studying the circus through art this past school year.  In addition to the clown signs painted in the Expressionist style by the sixth graders, other circus-themed projects have been created. Eighth grade students, for example, built life-sized circus animals in the shape of an elephant, giraffe, lion and tiger. 

Some of the animals are scheduled to ride in a circus wagon with students marching in circus character costumes in the town's Memorial Day Parade this coming monday. The circus wagon is a borrowed hay wagon from the  Ray of Light Farm that has been constructed into an antique replica wagon by the seventh and sixth grade students.  

Sixth-grade students were outside on wednesday adding the finishing touches to the circus wagon. As he was working on the back of the wagon, Austin, a sixth grade student at the middle school, said that this project has been "really fun".

Fellow sixth-grader Connor agreed, adding that this experience has been a challenge and good experience.  "It's been very helpful for learning how to paint", he says.

The culminating event will result in the Under the Big Top Circus on Saturday, June 4th. The event will take place at the East Haddam Historical Society Museum, where all the students' art work will be on exhibit and for sale (any donation accepted).

There will also be games of skill, a fortune teller, a petting zoo with live animals, music, face painting and refreshments will be sold.  The event is free to all those in the community and will take place from 12pm to 3pm.

Sixth-grade student, Megan, says that this is "something every school should do; it's an awesome project."

Michael, another sixth grade student, added that "we're going green with this project because all this has been made with recycled cardboard."

Claudia Mazzotta, middle school art teacher, says that many art professionals, art commissioners and those in charge of the CT state education department in the arts have been invited to this event. 

"The Nathan Hale Ray Middle School (students and faculty) are so appreciative to the East Haddam Historical Society Museum for always embracing the students efforts in art", she says.