The display will remain in the gallery through April 30 and can be visited during regular library hours.
The production of the piece was led by Sharon Tobin, the art teacher at Fulmar Road Elementary School and one of the teachers at Mahopac High School.
Tobin, and her student teacher, Francesca Sandoval, examined the diverse species of fish found in the Hudson River with their students. White Catfish, American Eel, Spotttail Shiner, White Fingered Mud Crab, Shore Shrimp, Sunfish and Common Carp are among the varieties of fish that make their home in the Hudson River. The river’s signature fish is the Atlantic Sturgeon, a fish that spends the first few months or years of its lives in fresh water before swimming out into the Atlantic to mature. As adults, they will return to the river only to spawn. It is fitting that the centerpiece of the “Rolling on the River” mural is an 8-foot long, 3-dimensional aluminum sturgeon sculpted by Mahopac High School’s studio art students.
The texture of this fish is hammered, carved and folded into the aluminum, creating scales, fins, whiskers, an elongated jaw and a tail. The sturgeon is affixed to a large canvas depicting an underwater scene painted by Fulmar Road Elementary School students and Mahopac Middle School students. The youngest students created the bottom of the river with their fingerprints; the watery waves were rolled by the older elementary students and the sea creatures swimming in the river were printed by Fulmar’s fifth-graders and middle school students.
The students who participated in the “Rolling on the River” project are Mahopac High School studio art students Annamaria Ball, Brianna Barletta, Daniella Bastone, James Bruen, Anthony Cassone, Madison Dellamedaglia, Amanda Dellicolli, Carl Depole, Kole Dokaj, Ryan Dugan, Julia Ettere, Matthew Fahy, Meagan Fenster, Christopher Fragano, Erick Gagne, Taylor Kalensky, Julia Mende, James O’Brien, Samantha Pelliccio, Jessica Peri, Kenny Perna, Michael Pietrosanti, Matthew Posniak, Gianfranco Police, Pedro Rauda, Cabrina Servedio, Raphael Teixeira and Hannah Teligades.
Mahopac Middle School students are Philip Chung and Alexa Gusta.
Fifth-grade Fulmar Road students are Joshua Chung, Elias Lahti, Katherine Westin, Jaclyn Crea, Dayton Halmy, Kayleigh Kraus and Rebekah Lazar; and students in the following classes: kindergarten – Mrs. Lang; first grade – Mrs. Stefunek; second grade – Mrs. Czuy; third grade – Ms. Monahon; fourth grade – Mrs. Carlin.
For information about the Young Arts Gallery, please contact Cheryl Harlen at (845) 628-2009, ext. 145, or visit the Mahopac Library here.
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