Arts & Entertainment

Hundreds of Local Children Exhibit in Art 'Safari' At Environmental Education Center

Show with art from 15 Somerset County schools begins Saturday and runs for a month.

Artwork by students in 15 Somerset County schools, including two in Bassking Ridge, and one in Bernardsville, are included in "Nature Through a Child's Eye," the 22nd annual exhibit of children's art with an environmental theme from this Sunday through Feb. 2.

More than 300 pieces of art will be on display at the Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education Center (EEC) at 190 Lord Stirling Road in Basking Ridge, said EEC naturalist Vanessa Darras, who is coordinating the 22nd annual show of childrens' nature-themed work.

The pieces of art created by children in kindergarten through sixth grade include students from the Olam Academy and St. James School in Basking Ridge, and Bedwell Elementary School in Bernardsville.

This year's specific theme is a nature "safari," Darras said.

The show runs from this weekend through Sunday, Feb. 2, on on a daily basis from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except major holidays. 

As in previous shows, the students communicated their views of nature and the environment though application of a variety of textures, shapes and colors, according to information from the EEC.

Adults and children alike can enjoy exploring the creative minds of Somerset County schoolchildren through their works of art.

Past projects have included fall leaves printed with tempera, nature landscapes in pastels, and impressions of trees.

For information on "Nature Through a Child's Eye" or other Environmental Education Center activities, call 908-766-2489 or NJ Relay 711 for individuals with a hearing or speech impairment. 

The Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education Center is located within Lord Stirling Park, in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, within 450 acres of the western portion of the Great Swamp Basin of the Passaic River.

Throughout the year, and in the months coming up, the Environmental Education Center offers entertainment opportunities for the entire family including the environmental library and store, trails through the Great Swamp, Maple Sugaring during winter months and a full calendar of special events.

A swamp vivarium, and an environmentally based library are located within the Center itself. Blue “BOBO (Buy One - Bring One) Fridays” bins now are located at the Environmental Education Center and Lord Stirling Stable in Basking Ridge, as well as at the Somerset County Park Commission headquarters at North Branch Park in Bridgewater. The public is invited to drop off canned food or personal-care items for donation to Somerset County food banks at the collection bins.

Information on this event and other Somerset County Park Commission activities may be found online at www.somersetcountyparks.org


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