MC Germantown Celebrates First ArtWalk in Connection With Earth Day

By a Globe special correspondent

Montgomery College-Germantown’s Art Department is launching its first ArtWalk celebration April 20-24 with numerous indoor and outdoor art projects.

The week-long event will include special projects in coordination with MC-Germantown Student Life’s Earth Day celebration on April 22.

This will be the premiere ArtWalk for the Germantown campus, according to Germantown Art Professor Amanda Miller. ArtWalk has been an annual event at the Rockville campus for several years, she noted.

The Germantown Art Department decided to create ArtWalk for several reasons, Miller explained. “We wanted to get art outdoors and out of the classroom and show that art is part of the MC Germantown community,’’ she stated.

Many of the projects will include presentations that will be available for viewing all or most of the week, Miller said. The projects also will show projects created especially for ArtWalk while the week’s celebration proceeds. Most of the projects reflect work created by Germantown students and art faculty, she added.

One of the projects created in connection with Earth Day are group project sculptures made from recyclables.  Under the direction of Professors Bev Ryan and Marta Lautz, the various projects will be shown outdoors, with some located outside of the HS Building.

Professor Mike Piechocinski will be creating buttons with designs based on endangered species from Maryland. The buttons will be attached with a bookmark with information on the endangered species, Miller noted.

Students also will have a chance to create their own screen-painted Earth Day t-shirt, Miller told the Globe. The shirts feature an Earth Day design created by a student. “Anyone can drop in and print a shirt to take home,’’ she said.

The Student Art League will be working with the History Club on Earth Day to make Olmec Heads out of air-dried clay. The clay projects are based on enormous stone head structures created thousands of years ago by the pre-Mayan Olmecs in Mexico.

Moreover, weather permitting, “impromptu’’ sidewalk chalk drawings will be created on Earth Day, Miller said.

During ArtWalk week, other projects include wrapping trees with yarns that create a design, Miller said. “Starting at the entrance of the college on Observation Drive, the trees will be wrapped in colorful yarn, leading toward the campus,’’ she explained. After Art Walk, the yarn will be taken off the trees and rolled up, she added.

Miller further will be overseeing a project that emphasizes “drawing on the unexpected,’’ which includes using “Sharpie’’ pens to draw on ceramic tiles. The Sharpies also will be used to draw on plastic bottles that will be hung from trees to catch the light and make shadow drawings, she added.

In addition, Miller will have a project involving hanging color changing UV bead bracelets from trees.

The Student Art League will be creating mosaics comprised entirely of bottle caps and will be producing laminated prints of digital art,

Other Projects include:

* Department Coordinator Professor David Carter creating a “Monarch Banner’’ that is a canvas banner painted with latex and acrylic paints.  The banner will be hung from chains on the south end of the HS building.

* Professor Casey Magrys will be installing a drawing in the balcony on the Globe Hall Atrium that is composed of yarn, using existing structures to create geometric forms.

In addition, a student show reception will be held April 23 from 2 pm to 4 pm.