News

2025

Alum Ceramacist Teaches Students about Glazes
12/12/2025

Students in Amanda Nelsen's 3D Art Class had a guest artist speak to them this week. Tandem alum Margaret McNett Burruss '83, an artisan potter and website designer/technical consultant for artists who runs Muddart Studios, came to teach them about glazes. It's always wonderful to have alumni return to share their experiences, passion and knowledge with our students.

Read More
6th Grade Artists Take on Negative and Positive Space
11/7/2025
Julia Sapir's 6th grade artists took on negative and positive space in a recent project that is now on display in the Blue Room. Using pen and ink, they drew a drawing. They then flipped the drawing using software to put it into negative space. They printed out lots of versions of their drawing in both negative and positive space, then cut them up and created a collage by putting them on backing paper with a 1/4" border. Stop by the Blue Room and have look, and check out some of their work here - including this dragon collage by April A and a fish collage by James W.
Read More
Sketching the Campus Plein Air Style
10/17/2025
Upper School artists in Amanda Nelsen's class have been out front with easels this week working on graphite landscape drawings created plein air style. They use a small yellow frame to help them focus on their chosen vista, be in the Main Building, one of our spectacular views or a bench under a tree. Check out more photos.
Read More
Student Artist Spotlight this Week - Week #8
10/10/2025
In Upper School art classes, teacher Amanda Nelsen shared photos of two different projects. 3D Art students created food sculptures based on a word or phrase - like Hazel's 'Inequity' or Harrison P's 'Going Crazy.' Students in Amanda's Foundations class have been working on still life drawings created with graphite. Middle School art teacher Julia Sapir reports that 8th grade art students are making papier mache masks. Check out photos of these Upper and Middle School works.
Read More
Kindness with Wisdom Designs by 2D Art Students
9/27/2025

Student groups in Amanda Nelsen's 2D Art classes have created banner designs to communicate Tandem's unofficial motto of "Kindness with Wisdom" in a 2D Art Design Challenge. The assignment was to create a design in keeping with the Tandem style guide (using Canva as a design tool) that could be displayed on campus to elevate the importance of kindness with wisdom. Students prepared 2-3 minute pitches for their designs and presented them to some administrative staff in class, followed by audience questions. There were even snacks! Their designs were amazing, varied greatly, and they were able to answer all sorts of questions about their use of contrast, balance, space, color and more! No design winner has been announced, but we may be seeing one of the designs (or more) on campus sometime soon.

Read More
Three Middle School Artists Accepted into Governor's School for Art
5/9/2025
Middle School art teacher Julia Sapir is happy to share that three Middle School students were selected for the Reflections Governor's School for Art this summer. Check out their names and one of their creative works below:
- Lucy S, 6th grade - Pencil and watercolor, caterfly painting
- Noa H, 8th grade- Colored pencil drawing, trees with red door
- Soleil N, 8th grade - Mixed media mask
Congratulations, Middle School artists - hope you enjoy the Governor's School for Art!
Read More
Student Artist Spotlight Week 27
3/7/2025
Upper School art teacher Amanda Nelsen shared photos of some recent student work. Art for Change students worked on screens to beautify the Quaker Meeting House during they time they are scheduled to house PACEM. The work is inspired by Marc Chagall's 'America Windows' stained glass windows in Chicago. Amanda also shared Brendan's Scaled Object Surprise from the Foundations class, and Marley's graphite drawing of a scrumptious dessert from 2D Art class. Check out the photos of all these wonderful works.
Read More