Madison Montessori School

Choosing Madison Montessori is choosing
to be part of a creative and caring community.

Genuine Art

Genuine Art was begun by a group of parents in 1999 as a way to support the MMS Scholarship Fund.  This group of out-of-the box thinkers sought to bring together our entire community and engage students, parents and artists in a collaborative process that would be as meaningful as the artwork it produced – and raise money to help families with tuition costs. Over time, Genuine Art has raised more than $180,000 and has provided countless partial scholarships to MMS families. In addition, proceeds from Genuine Art also support Preschool Advantage, a program that funds other such preschool scholarships in the Morris County area.

All these years later, Genuine Art captivates our entire school community. Each year, 10 to 12 professional artists give of their time, talent and patience to collaborate with the students to create a piece for Genuine Art. Each artist chooses his or her own way to work with the children. From September through March, we come together to work on the various pieces that in some way relate to a theme  — this year’s being Counting on Creativity. On a Friday evening in April, artists, parents, teachers and friends gather in a local gallery to view the work, socialize and bid on their favorite piece in the silent auction. The next day, our students visit the gallery and proudly show their parents the piece of art they worked on with their classmates.

“I feel proud when I see my work.”
Caroline, age 6, April 2007

“Putting the color water on the leaves was the funnest part.”
Lily, age 4, April 2007

“I can’t believe that I made it because it’s all so big.”
Zoe, age 6, April 2007

 “I had an art show. My art was hanging in a gallery. There was an upstairs and a downstairs … and my work …my work and my class made turtle shells.” [she jumps and claps her hands with excitement] “All my friends were there. I have so many friends at school. I love school. Actually.”
Charlotte, age 3, explained it to her Aunt – April 2008