Cooper High School

Abilene ISD students across the district celebrated Big Art Day on Thursday, using their imagination to create unique art pieces as they took part in the Texas Art Educators Association’s initiative. The event aims to raise awareness of art education and highlight art as a creative force in communities across the state.

TAEA’s goal with Big Art Day is to engage all educators, their students, and communities in a single-day celebration of artistic expression. AISD Coordinator of Fine Arts Brady Sloane-Duncan led the district’s efforts, working with fine arts teachers across multiple campuses to develop engaging and imaginative projects.

“Art education in schools is not just about creating; it’s about discovering new perspectives, expressing unique voices, and more,” Sloane-Duncan said. “Art classes often include elements of history, math, science, and writing, offering students a dynamic way to connect creativity with critical thinking and learning across disciplines.”

At Mann Middle School, art teacher Canon Cavazos combined art history with the excitement of tournament season through the March Madness: All-Time Masterpieces Bracket project her students planned and put together. Inspired by the upcoming NCAA Basketball Tournament, students added some of history’s great art pieces to a bracket on the wall outside the art room. Through a campus vote, each art piece advanced through different rounds to determine the most significant work of art ever, at least in the eyes of the Mann campus.

Some of the 16 pieces of work in the bracket – a Sweet Sixteen, so to speak – were The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol, Water Lillies by Claude Monet, The Scream by Edward Munch, The Night Watch by Rembrandt, The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Rembrandt, and Jimson Weed by Georgia O’Keefe.

The second round of voting will begin after Spring Break, and the contest will continue weekly until a champion is crowned. Cavazos enjoys the creative process of putting this project together the most in this celebration of art.

“Big Art Day is an inspiring celebration of creativity that brings students together to showcase their artistic talents and share in an art experience,” Cavazos said. “The day always excites me because, in the end, it transforms our school (any campuses that participate) into a vibrant, collaborative space where students can express themselves and see the power of art in action.

“Depending on the project each teacher selects, students are encouraged to take creative risks, explore new ideas, and develop a deeper appreciation for the arts,” Cavazos said. “Big Art Day isn’t just about making art, seeing art, or learning more about artists; it’s about building confidence, community, and a lifelong love for creative expression.”

The project at Mann was just one of 10 projects across the district that involved hundreds of students and, in some cases, entire campuses. AISD enjoys one of the best fine arts programs in the state, as evidenced by its designation last fall as a TAEA District of Distinction in the Visual Arts for the fourth time. More than 80 percent of the students in AISD are involved in a fine arts discipline, and recently, the TAEA named Abilene High School principal Emme Siburt its Principal of the Year for her exceptional support for art education and the visual arts.

“We are proud to have 10 campuses participating (Thursday) in diverse activities, including handmade bookmarks, collaborative artworks, gallery events, and even a field trip to the zoo for plein air art-making,” Sloane-Duncan said. “These experiences enrich students’ lives, inspire imagination, and celebrate the power of artistic expression.”

Here is how each of the 10 participating campuses celebrated Big Art Day:

Austin Elementary Big Art Night: Austin hosted a school-wide open house, allowing families to visit each grade-level pod and create a small artwork related to each art element.

Bonham Elementary School: Students displayed their artwork in the Bonham Art Room, where families and teachers could view it.

Dyess Elementary School (Uniting Through Art): Students collaborated to create a sizeable mixed-media collage of the American Flag for display.

Stafford Elementary (Connecting Through Art Pop-Up Art Contest): Each class created a collective work of art consisting of individual pieces from each classmate. A continuous line and other drawn elements united the individual pieces, creating a collaborative theme.

Craig Middle School (Drip Mural Collaboration): Students painted drips in the style of contemporary artist Jen Stark. The drips will be displayed as a collaborative mural in the hallway to celebrate Big Art Day.

Madison Middle School (Bookmark Art): Students made and handed out bookmarks to spread awareness of the importance of Fine Arts! Each bookmark included a fun fact about the importance of art.

Mann Middle School (March Madness: All-Time Masterpieces Bracket): This event engages students in learning about famous art and adds a competitive and fun twist reminiscent of March Madness.

Abilene High School: AHS Art II students went to the Abilene Zoo to experience a process called Plein Air Drawing connecting the elements of art and design principles as they study and sketch from real-life observation. Other AHS students were invited to add color to paper murals the National Art Honors Society created and hung in the Art Hall. All Art classes displayed artwork to inspire others to develop and show how art impacts their school experience.

ATEMS: Art students showcased their interactive Makey Makey artworks and self-portraits while inviting their school community to create art.

Cooper High School: Cooper art students created a paint-by-number painting.