Sheldon showcases 'revolutionary' display

Author: Ceara Danaher

Four dollars and a student ID card will gain you entry to the Henry Sheldon Museum's new exhibit, "A Kid's Eye View of the American Revolution." The Sheldon Museum, located on College Street in Middlebury, is a haven from the neighboring restaurants and retail stores. Set far back on the street, its interior is unexpectedly large and filled with a treasure trove of materials, and from March 1 until April 7, the Walter Cerf Gallery holds the spotlight: "A Kids' Eye View of the American Revolution: The Bridge School Exhibit."

The Cerf gallery is home to an ever-changing array of exhibits. This month, the local artists on display are elementary school students hailing from the Bridge School of Middlebury, a small, non-profit, private organization. About 65 students are enrolled in the program, which operates out of a former dairy barn. Now, through a variety of projects, the students present their interpretations of the Revolutionary War in the Cerf Gallery.

"It gives the schools a chance to have focus in their work and to show the public what they're doing," says Susan Peden, the museum's education coordinator, of the school-created exhibits. "It's a nice change for us, too."

The concept of exhibits created by children is not new to the Sheldon Museum. In fact, for the past six or seven years, such exhibits have been offered in the springtime, Susan Peden attests. Peden is the Education Coordinator at the Henry Sheldon Museum, and the individual heading up the project. Peden elaborated on some of the children's exhibits of the past, some dealing with Western Religions, or with Folk Art in America. The subject of an exhibit, according to Peden, "depends on what inspires us and what we think would be fun."

One popular exhibit of the past focused on Storybook Quilts, in which the students actually worked with parents, art teachers and local craftspeople to create the quilts.

"A Kids' Eye View" presents an assortment of student's projects and some selected items from the museum's own collection. The children's work ranges from paper dolls in period-dress to a piece-by-piece interpretation of the Declaration of Independence in the words of Elmo. There are a number of dioramas, all of which put the typical haphazard fourth-grade efforts to shame. No scotch tape or store-bought plastic figures can be seen in any of them. Rather, they each stand on their own as art projects.

Bridge School student Peter Watson created a scene of the Boston Tea Party that featured a dock with wooden supports, a hand-drawn ship in the distance, and clay barrels bobbing in the harbor. Similarly impressive are the other models, which include a hat shop, battlefields, the Old North Church, and Fort Ticonderoga.

One part of the exhibit that should not be overlooked is the section displaying Primers created by students. A nearby sign explains a Primer is "an alphabet book" that "usually had rules for good living or manners." In accordance with tradition, four Bridge School students created their own Primers. The pages are alphabetized, each containing a sentence of advice, beginning with the appropriate letter. Much of the advice dwells on avoiding war, eating vegetables and doing homework.

There are also several gems, such as student Carsen Sanchez's instructions that "kicking is terrible" and that one should "learn stuff." In fact, many of us could stand to learn from the primers: "Old people need respect," "Nice People are Great" and "Singing is good" are among the sayings. "Think before you drink" is another.

The exhibit is earnest and appealing, serving as a fond and informative flashback to elementary school years. It fits neatly into the Sheldon Museum, a place that exudes warmth and displays thoughtfulness in its setup. Peden explains the exhibit "brings a different segment of the population into the museum, which is one of our goals: to make it more of a community museum."