News

2023

  • Finishing the Hat

    Students in Amanda Nelsen's 3-D art class are making hats - any kind of hat - out of cardboard. First they had to draw a design and now they are in the foundation-building stage. They have two more class periods to finish the hats, which range from baseball cap to stovepipe to cowboy and more. Can't wait to see the finished products next week!
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  • Students Create Word Art in Advisory

    This week during an Advisory period, all Upper and Middle School students were given paper and pens/markers/crayons to create word art. This was the first all community art project anyone on campus can remember (at least for a long time). The inspirational prompt was to creatively present "one word that describes how you feel about the new school year." While art teachers Julia Sapir and Amanda Nelsen originally titled the project 'Text Art for a New Year - A Community Art Project,' it is now called 'We Commence.' The artwork was assembled together into panels that are on display in the Blue Room. Pop by and take a look at their work, or check it out in the photos. Seems there is a good bit of hope and excitement on campus!
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  • Digital Photography Class Creates Large Camera Obscura

    The Upper School Digital Photography class converted a U-Haul truck into a camera obscura by covering the open back of the truck with cardboard in order to create a light-tight space, and then cutting a quarter-sized hole in the cardboard. The resulting image was an inverted projection of the scene outside the U-Haul on the back wall of the truck. Amazing! Check out the photos.
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  • Tandem Senior's Artwork Featured in Teeny Tiny Trifecta 6

    Upper School art teacher Amanda Nelsen shared that senior Caroline K's artwork will be featured in Second Street Gallery's Teeny Tiny Trifecta 6, an exhibition and fundraiser running throughout the month of September. Every featured artist has three pieces on display, each measuring 9 x 9 inches or smaller, in a variety of styles, techniques, and media. This year features the work of 160 artists (471 pieces, all for sale for $100 apiece). Submissions were open to anyone, with local/Virginia artists given preference. There are several Tandem alumni and former Tandem art teachers also included among the featured artists. Learn more about Teeny Tiny Trifecta 6, here. Congratulations, Caroline - this is her third year in a row of being selected as a featured artist. Check out her artwork! 
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  • Reinterpreting Mona Lisa

    7th and 8th grade art students with teacher Julia Sapir had one class period to reinterpret Leonardo da Vinci's iconic painting, Mona Lisa. Here is a selection of student work. Clockwise from top left: Hannah W. 8th, Sawyer K. 8th, Juliet B. 7th, Laurel S. 8th. Well done!
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  • Middle School Art Students Provide Summer Setup Help

    Two weeks ago, several helpful 8th grade art students and one 9th grader came to help Middle School Art teacher Julia Sapir set up the new Middle School Art room. Over the summer, the Middle School Art location shifted from the basement of the Main Building to the McDonald room of the Middle School. While our Buildings & Grounds staff performed the heavy lifting and moving of years of collected art materials and supplies, these students came to help Julia with the actual classroom setup and organization. It's a great new Art space, thanks to their thoughtful and supportive assistance! 
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  • Upper School Artists Showcased

    Upper School art students in Amanda Nelsen's Art Capstone and Independent Study classes showcased their work in a Blue Room show this week. During the show's reception, each of the Art Capstone students introduced their work and shared goals and details from their senior year. Congratulations to our talented Upper School visual artists, especially seniors Theo A, Lilly B, Charlotte G, Carlos G, Aidan S and Talia S and juniors Caroline K, Adam K, and Phia S-J. What a great show!
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  • Middle School Artists Accepted into Summer Program

    Two Tandem Middle School students of art teacher Julia Sapir have been accepted into the Reflections Governor's School for Art program this summer, Dhruvi G. (7th) and Sydney G. (6th). Check out two pieces from their portfolios - Girl with the Spotted Sweater, pencil, is by Sydney and Vase with Roses, acrylic, is by Dhruvi. Click here to learn more about the Reflections program. Congratulations, Dhruvi and Sydney.
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  • 5th Grade Artists Work with Grandparents to Create Community Art Project

    On Grandparents Day, 5th grade art students worked with their visiting grandparents in class to create a community art project. With teacher Julia Sapir as their leader, they created a colored paper and oil pastel work that explored symmetry and color harmony.
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  • 5th Grade Learns Color Theory

    The 5th grade art class has been learning about color theory with teacher Julia Sapir. The group photo shows them standing in front of their collaborative mixed media color wheel, which includes hundreds of pieces cut out of magazines and a collection of small found objects that correspond to the 12 colors on a conventional color wheel. (Incidentally and ironically, there are twelve 5th graders in the class). Their color wheel is currently being displayed over the fireplace in the Blue Room. Check out two 5th grade paintings - complementary color studies done by Hadley (red and green) and Levi (blue and orange). Very nice!
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  • Ceramics Students Take to the Wheel

    Amanda Nelsen's Upper School 3D Art students started to try throwing on the wheel and are (mostly) enjoying making a bit of a mess while learning the challenges of centering and pulling clay into a form. Check out some photos of them working individually (at the same time) to master the wheel-thrown platter and other ceramics pieces. We are so lucky to have so many wheels for them to use.
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  • 8th Grade Silhouettes

    8th grade art students with Julia Sapir created art inspired by the work of African American artist Kara Walker, famous for her cut-paper silhouettes depicting historical narratives haunted by sexuality, violence, and subjugation. Students chose emotions relevant to the life of an 8th grader, photographed themselves in silhouette depicting those emotions, and then created a silhouette tableaux that expressed them. These amazing creations are on display in the Blue Room. Stop by in person or check these photos and more here.
     
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  • Art Students Get Pointers from SCAD Representatives

    On Wednesday, February 8, representatives from Savannah College of Arts and Design (SCAD) met with interested Upper School art students to chat about art majors and provide really helpful guidance and details about putting together portfolio submissions. There were two sessions offered and a total of sixteen Upper School artists attended the sessions, held in the Art room with College Counselor Ryan Hannifin and art teacher Amanda Nelsen on hand. The SCAD representatives left here very impressed with the Tandem community, and even shared some SCAD merch for students.
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  • Tandem Musicians Performing in the Local Community

    Tandem student musicians are making a name for themselves in the local community. 9th grader Carolina T represented Tandem at the All-District Honor Band event last weekend, playing flute in the High School Concert Band comprised of over 90 talented high school musicians. Carolina was honored to be a member of Virginia's District 13 event, which included musicians from the city of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Amherst, Buckingham, Culpeper, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, and Orange. Congratulations on being selected, Carolina. In other music news, four of our eighth graders — Hayes B, Jack J, Van W and Jude G — are going to be participating in the Highway to Rock program at The Southern on Sunday, March 19. They're one of two all-student bands who will be closing the show. We hear 9th grader Gabriel S may be participating as a drummer in the house band as well.
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  • Middle School This is Us Project

    Our Middle School just completed a fun and amazing This is Us project. With the help of Middle School art teacher Julia Sapir, almost every Middle Schooler (even those not currently taking an art class) created a self portrait to add to the collection that is now hanging on a wall in our Math/Science building. It's breathtaking!
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< 2023
Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
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