INNOVATIVE ART: A special exhibition on view recently at the Arts Council of Princeton highlighted projects by young students from Johnson Park Elementary School who completed the Olivia & Leslie Foundation’s innovative Arts + Math Program.

More than 60 parents, children, and educators celebrated a special exhibit at the Arts Council of Princeton recently that showcased projects by young students who completed the Olivia & Leslie Foundation’s innovative Arts + Math Program.

The twice-a-week afterschool program, which took place at Johnson Park Elementary School, is designed to foster critical thinking, cognitive skills, and social-emotional development in kindergarten and first-grade students through visual arts education.

At the reception opening the exhibit on April 19, parents such as Morten Hansen expressed admiration for the program’s impact on their children, noting how it inspired the young artists to explore new creative avenues and put greater effort into their artistic creations. The exhibition ran through April 21.

“I’m so proud of Thelma (Mortensdottir),” said  Hansen. “The program not only taught her artistic techniques, but also instilled a deep respect for her own creativity and the work of others.”

The pilot program has garnered support from educators as well.

Angela Siso Stentz, the principal of Johnson Park Elementary School, said 44 students in the program were proud to see their artworks on display, and eager to share their thoughts on their creations.

“The students were excited to attend the after-school art classes,” said Siso Stentz. “We look forward to building upon this success and including even more students in the future.”

The program enabled students to explore various art forms including multi-media, colored pencil, watercolor, geometric shapes, portraiture, and landscapes. Students delved into artistic expression, learning to articulate their thoughts and emotions through art.

The driving force behind the initiative is Chris Kuenne, an entrepreneur, bestselling author, Princeton University lecturer in entrepreneurship, and lifelong resident of Princeton. Kuenne founded the global marketing firm Rosetta, and is now chairman and CEO of Rosemark, a marketing technology firm.

The Foundation has partnered with Maker Prep, an organization devoted to supporting computer science and arts education. These arts educators developed the curriculum based on analysis and research of its impact on students.

Kuenne addressed those gathered and the shared how the foundation honors the creative legacies of his daughter, Olivia, who was killed in an accident at the age of 5 in 1997, and his late wife, Leslie, who died of ovarian cancer in 2019. He later said that the educators with Maker Prep will seek to continually enhance the program and hope to scale it across more elementary schools in New Jersey and Vermont.

Kuenne said, “For children, art is another language. They articulate some of their deepest feelings with pencils, paint, and through collages. It was wonderful to see the joy in their faces as they explained in highly animated ways how they had made their piece. This moment of pride on the part of the child and curiosity on the part of the parent or caregiver is one of the ways we hope to foster the creative spirit.”