Best Buds: Smaller Parts of a Bigger Picture

Inspired by Chuck Close, students created small, abstract drawings, each one unique. When assembled, these individual works combined to form one large collaborative artwork-a vibrant floral bouquet that beautifully illustrates how every small piece plays an important role in the big picture. Kindergarten students experienced how individual contributions come together to shape a larger whole.

21" x 26"

Peace Between Us

KLJ created a black-and-white photography piece featuring peace signs. Each child had the opportunity to express their individuality by creating or selecting a unique accessory-such as a bracelet, ring, or small tattoo-to wear in the photograph. This fun project invited students to come together around one of their favorite symbols of peace, quiet, and stillness. The final artwork is a powerful and distinctive image that captures their shared spirit, highlighting both their individuality and the sense of unity and community that connects them.

14" x 23"

Discovering Friends Together

For our K students, Friends continues to be a new and exciting place filled with discovery. KME's project celebrates students' growing school pride giving them the opportunity to express their enthusiasm through familiar and recognizable school motifs. The class collaborated on a drawing of Friends Seminary, incorporating well-known imagery such as the school building, logo, and Rutherford. Using a variety of methods and mediums-many of which they have explored in the classroom this year-students worked together to create a meaningful piece that reflects both their creativity and their connection to the Friends community.

17" x 22"

The Light Between Us

The 1JS students collaborated to create a vibrant chessboard, with each child painting and decorating their own chess piece, resulting in a colorful and playful final work. The light between the pieces represents the individuality of each child. The colors of the chess pieces symbolize each child's unique mindset, and each chess piece reflects an action-showing how the way we play, think, and make choices can lead to different outcomes.

18" x 18"

Brilliant Board; It's Your Time To Shine

The 1MC class designed a bespoke chessboard featuring backlit images of the students, creating a visually striking and deeply personal work of art. Each child was asked to reflect on the meaning of "The Light Between Us," and their individual interpretations became an integral part of the piece. The additional imagery visually represents their thoughtful responses. Among the definitions they shared were: "Lightness," "Having fun together," "Peace," "Friendship," "Love," and "We are all connected." Together, their words and images illuminate the powerful sense of connection and community that binds them.

12" x 12"

A Slower Pace

It can often seem like there are not enough times where families get to slow down and be present in each other's company. One opportunity to enjoy a slower pace is during a meal, such as dinner time. 1MK students painted and decorated a set of muslin napkins and candle holders. The napkins include the children's responses to prompts such as, "How can you honor the light in others?" and "How do you honor the light in yourself?". The completed set serves as a beautiful reminder of the theme, "The Light Between Us," encouraging moments of reflection and connection at the table. Through both their words and artwork, the children's interpretations of honoring the light will continue to shine in everyday family life.

Set of 8 12" x "12" muslin napkins
Four candle holders ; Set of two candles

Ride the Rails of Imagination - From Station to Station!

This year, our second graders are exploring New York city through the theme of transportation,
with a special focus on the MTA-the lifeline of New York City. To bring their learning to life,
the class created a vibrant collaborative art piece featuring New York City landmarks - each one
brought to life with a "city monster". These imaginative monsters come together in a bold two-part collage, showing how each
child's individual journey connects to the larger story of our city. The result is a joyful, colorful
snapshot of creativity, community and the way New Yorkers of all kinds move through the
world. This one-of-a-kind artwork captures teamwork, design-thinking, and the magic of seeing the
city through a child's eyes. A standout piece for any home - and a spirited celebration of what
makes NYC so special.

Two 12 inch x 12 inch framed collages

Hands of Light

Hands of Light is a large-scale photographic artwork composed of individual black-and-white images, each closely focused on each 2K child's hand gesture. Each gesture is a personal response to what it means to belong at Friends Seminary, reflecting the school's Quaker values of peace, equity, integrity, and inner light. Together, the images create a quiet yet powerful collective portrait-hands of light-illuminating the Quaker values at the heart of the school: peace, equity, integrity, and inner light. Seen side by side, these small, intimate moments become something larger: a shared reflection on connection, individuality, and the light that exists between us all.

17" W x 32" L

Leave Your Mark

This collaborative art project invited 2M students to work together to create a large fingerprint mosaic of Rutherford the Owl. Each student contributed by adding their fingerprint to a designated section, and together these individual marks will form a vibrant, unified piece of artwork that represents the spirit and diversity of our school community.

13" x 13"

Shine Bright

3H students colored foil shapes and assembled them into a collage to create a luminary piece of art. The foil, with designs and color, creates uniqueness and individuality, while the collage assembled will shine bright as a unified piece of art.

35" x 25"

A Migration of Light

A Migration of Light is a collaborative textile artwork created by 3O- reflecting the 2026 Benefit theme, "The Light Between Us," and the students' beloved study of monarch butterflies. At the center of the piece, an embroidered sun radiates outward, symbolizing warmth, guidance and shared energy. Surrounding it are seventeen monarch wings - sixteen crafted by students and one crafted by Olivia - evoking the monarch's remarkable migration and the idea of individuals moving forward with a shared sense of purpose. Designed as a timeless wall hanging, A Migration of Light honors both the individuality of each student and the collective journey they share at Friends Seminary - offering a lasting reminder that light, like learning, is carried forward together.

20" x 20"

Fluttering Reflections in Light

Butterfly symbolism centers on transformation, metamorphosis, and rebirth, stemming from their life cycle, representing profound change, spiritual evolution, and freedom from limitations. They also signify hope, joy, lightness, the soul, good luck, and connection between the living and the departed, with specific colors often carrying unique meanings like hope (yellow) or peace (white). A broken mirror can symbolize that identity is not a monolith but a mosaic, suggesting a fragmented, or more complex, view of oneself. The reflections of light in a mirror mosaic can be fluttering reflections, that often shimmer, twinkle, or glitter when light reflects off of the mosaic. Place this piece in the right place and watch the dynamic, dancing patterns arise from the rapid, temporary alignment of light sources, like the sun or streetlights, with the observer's eye.

33" x 37"

Meditation on Sol Lewitt's Wall Drawing 797

The 4th Grade painted their interpretation of Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing 797, which exemplifies the core principles of Conceptual Art, where the idea takes precedence over manual execution. The students filled the piece with distinct color combinations. As with many of LeWitt's wall drawings, the piece was executed by following precise written instructions, underscoring his belief that the concept itself is the artwork. The vibrant colors and systematic structure reflect LeWitt's interest in order, logic, variation, and the relationship between simple forms and complex visual outcomes. Each student from grade 4 completed one or more lines in this piece, each bringing their own personal expression to the lines they painted.

23" x 57"