Children’s Art in Concert With Family, Friends

Pastoral visions of families enjoying a picnic dinner. Elephants and mice dancing happily together. Musicians playing on an outdoor stage at twilight.

These were among the images chosen by youngsters for an art contest sponsored by the Valley Cultural Center as part of its Concerts in the Park program, which brings musical performances to the Warner Center Park.

Fourth- through sixth-grade students throughout the region were asked to create a drawing based on the theme “Family, Friends and Music.”

A panel of judges Monday selected the first-place drawing, which will be used as cover art for the audience program for this summer’s Concerts in the Park series.

The winning picture, drawn by David Aguirre of San Fernando Elementary School, depicts children and a family by a gazebo and a stream.

The second- and third-place drawings, along with the names of 10 honorable-mention recipients, will be printed inside the program, said Marilyn Haskins, executive director of the Valley Cultural Center, which organized the concert series.

One judge, Earl Sherburn, community arts director for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, is happy to see projects such as this art contest.

“This gives a chance for children to express their creativity through the visual arts and also be part of something that gives them a sense of belonging,” he said.

Edie Pistolesi, assistant professor of elementary children’s art education at Cal State Northridge, also was a judge.

“These images are like a window into a child’s view of the world,” she said. “That’s the wonderful part of drawing.”

Second place went to last year’s winner, Adrienne Herbst-Holmes of Woodland Hills Elementary. Third place went to James Lee of Calvert Street Elementary.

Honorable mention went to David Belbel, Stacy Meisel and Danielle Elvira-Bartoli, all of Woodland Hills Elementary; Nely Perez and Lani Tupou, Oxnard Street Elementary; Jessica Klein, Hamlin Street Elementary; Nusrath Muzib and Elina Antoniou, Balboa Magnet School; Katharine Anne Hoye, Topanga School, and Garth Herberg, Castlebay Lane School.