May 4: A Dispatch From Our Youngest Friends
Quaranzine is a weekly collection of creative works from the Arlington community that documents how we responded to this strange time we find ourselves in. Submit your own work.
Audrey Portner, "Longing for Snorkeling in Hawaii" - Each day my twin brother Sully and I do a chalk drawing about something we miss or are longing for during quarantine and incorporate ourselves into it. We were supposed to go snorkeling in Hawaii over Spring Break, so we created a fun underwater image of us snorkeling with fish and other sea creatures. We've also created images of our summer swim and dive teams, fishing and crabbing, watching the sunset on the beach, soccer games and dance recitals and even playing on the playground with our friends!
Alma Dominique-Kabasela, "In Quarantine" - I am an Arlington resident sheltering in place with my 8 year old granddaughter. This is a poem she wrote about how she feels about staying in quarantine.
Caoimhe O'Connor, "Lion Artastic" - "Caoimhe (sounds like 'kiva', rhymes with 'diva' for good reason) is four years old and loves nothing more than drawing and the library, so she was particularly excited about submitting to the Quaranzine. She's by far our family's most talented artist!
Interview with the author:
Q - What were you thinking about when drawing?
"I was thinking of drawing an oval with a heart, and a tail like he was lying down."
Q - Why did you draw a lion?
"Because I love lions. They're my favorite animal, and they're yellow, and they're soft."
Q - Why did you choose to use markers?
"Because they're my special thing and I love them and they're my favorite thing in my art kit."
Nadia Lachhab, "Coronavirus" - My name is Nadia Lach, I am eleven years old. I hope this mini anthology will help some people struggling and I hope you enjoy it! These are all my works, I am excited to submit.
Eliana Villwock, "The Helpers" - This picture is about everything that is going on right now. I know it's hard for some people but I hope this will bring people joy at this awful time. (Eliana Villwock, Grade 2)
Claire Smarr, "Malala" - Claire is submitting a piece she made after reading Malala Yousafzai's autobiography for kids - Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls' Rights. Claire is 7 years old and a second grader at Glebe Elementary. She was inspired to submit this by her reading teacher, Ms. Beg.
Nolan Kim, "Art Therapy" - 7 year old Nolan has been having trouble adjusting to all the recent changes, especially as a child on the autism spectrum. He finds comfort in playing outside, singing his original songs, and coloring (like the image you see here).
Lucas Hand, "Sunrise" - This is a poem about the countryside in the spring.
(Written by Lucas Hand, age 7, 2nd Grade, Glebe Elementary School)"
Eleanor Meehan, "Wormhole" - I had fun collaging this. It is made out of painted paper that I glued onto cardboard.
Catherine Norton, "Evacuation Vacation" - Due to COVID-19, I left my home in quarantined Hong Kong for two free weeks in the US before being quarantined again.
Taarini Gulia, "Activities That My Sister and I Do" - How do you feel about missing school? I do not feel so good about missing school and other stuff, but I do get to play with my sister for more time. We also get to go for bike and scooter rides everyday! Today before submission I played outside. My sister and I played basketball, my sister rode her balance bike and we played Marco Polo. My favorite part of the day was writing this piece for you all. Goodbye!
Ronan Sweeney, "Race to the Sun" - I have written a book review of Race to the Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse. I use reading to escape the confines of our house and hope that others might benefit from learning about a fun new book.
Amanda Merrow, "City Starlight" - Acrylic on canvas. Collaboration with my 5 year old. It is her interpretation of "the very special night when everyone will be allowed to go outside and play together.
Caroline Carter, "Spring Time Family" - I drew my mommy, and brother and me outside with the sun and trees with flowers.
Sophia Leggoe, The Something" - I am Sophia's English 6 teacher, and I am submitting her poem on her behalf. Sophia is a sixth grader at Swanson Middle School in Arlington. She is 11.
Enkule Federer, "The Great Wave of Kanagawa" - Hello I am Enkule. I drew the “Great Wave of Kanagawa” which was created by Hokusai. I moved to Arlington county in January and I started school on February 1st. I went to school for 2 months, and now we are stuck at home because of the quarantine. I draw a lot of pictures, we enjoy cooking, playing games, and I do my school assignments online at home. I can’t go out much, and I can’t see my friends for a while, so I’m a little bored. When we go out to get groceries we wear masks and gloves to protect us. We are being very careful because I have an 8 month old baby brother. We are extra careful about going out. Hope this is better soon!
Alexa Valdivia, "I Wish I Had a Dog During Quarantine" - This is a picture that my daughter Alexa, age 9, drew of an Australian Shepherd mix puppy.
Keira Guith, "ARTiculating in Solitude" - Sometimes when I am stuck inside, I like to paint to occupy my time, and it helps me express myself. This drawing represents a lot of my time in isolation.
Maddy Sadler, "Separation" - A 5 stanza poem written about the impact of the corona virus from the perspective of an eleven year old girl.
Wes Riggs, "Troubled Water" - I created this work 2 weeks into Quarantine when I still had hope and excitement for the break from school. Now I have run out of creative energy and I am just left with the fruits of my labor.
Hailey Clay, "Healthcare Heroes" - Hailey drew a picture of a nurse reminding everyone to stay safe during quarantine.
Matthew Tafuri, "Do's and Don'ts of Video Calls" - The Top Ten List of what you should and shouldn't do on a video call for work or school.
Kai Heilen, "Star Trek Forever" - My dad introduced me to Star Trek and I really liked the way the characters and other things looked, so I made a whole page of drawings dedicated to Star Trek. And it turned out more awesome than I thought, so I decided to submit it.
Ellsie Seward, "Golden Ocean" - I hand painted this picture with acrylic paint. I put gold, blue and purple blobs on the paper, then blended them together. After that, I dipped the paintbrush in the paint and put my finger on the brush and sprayed the paper with the paint.
Aaron Miller, "Untitled" - When asked about the excessive drool on her shirt from teething, the artist, age 1, snarked “It's part of my process. You’re not an artist so I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” Teenage attitude in toddler format.
Sedona Reichert, "Formality Scale: Quarantine Edition" - I wasn’t sure what to do and I just thought this was funny. My dad is working from home at this time and is generally in pajamas, unshaved, and unshowered!!!
Robin Beaty, "A Day in the Trees" - A treehouse with a swing underneath. The other house holds their food supply. The ladder is for them to climb to the storage supply house. The big house has a sofa, table, beds, and fun toys. The sun is shining and the grass smells like apples.
Lucas MacPhail, "My Pillow" - This is a poem I wrote for my 8th grade writing class with Ms. Korr. We had a unit on poetry and this one is a poem about a personal possession. We use Google Classroom Meets, so I see my class every day, but this week we're on spring break. Submitted with permission from mom.
Mary Keeser, "Signs, Words and Images of Kindness, Hope, Compassion and Hugs" - We can support each other from afar with words and images of kindness, hope, compassion and hugs.
Getting out exercising and working on a project such as this with family and friends - showing an act of kindness and support for one another is a good thing.
This is Lake Accotink Park and Ravensworth Farm in Springfield, VA. The kids did all the artwork and posted them around Lake Trail, the marina, and the neighborhood. A big thank you to the VanBrunt family (dedicated Friends of Lake Accotink Park (FLAP) and community volunteers) for their amazing artwork of kindness, hope, support, hugs and compassion - wonderful job by Arika and the kids. For many, getting out for a walk, following protocols, is the only time they can get out for exercise and a much needed break. Seeing these signs lets them know they are not alone - we are all in this together.
Trini Rogando,
"(Quaran)Teen Life" - For some Arlington students that have had to adjust to online learning, it's been unexpected and difficult to suddenly lose the in-person interaction, school support systems, and extracurricular events. As we participate in social distancing and stay at home, the days start to blend together, and it's easy to get lost in the monotony and lose hope - remember that we'll get through this together.
Laila Pandhi, "The Butterfly" - This was painted by a 6 year old kindergartner at Nottingham Elementary School. She wanted to create an abstract painting with no parent assistance, and painted this beautiful abstract butterfly.
Sam Cruley, "How to Start A Minecraft World" - Parents, beat COVID-19 with a guide to begin a world.
Jack Bellais, "Chinese Water Dragon" - Jack worked with his grandmother, Nancy Steen Adams, in her studio and learned about the linoleum printmaking process. He drew the Chinese Water Dragon on paper, traced, and cut the image into linoleum. Jack mixed the ink, and then with the help of his grandmother, ran the linoleum, paper, and ink through the press to create four prints.
Luci Ciatti, "Making Masks Over Spring Break" - A short essay about making masks over my spring break.
Heather Beaty, "Roses are Red & Violets are Blue" - A poem and picture of a person planting roses and violets.
Francis Mohan, "Random Acts of Kindness" - I made these stone buddies for my elderly neighbors who live at home. I also left a few lying around for people to find.
The next deadline for submissions to Quaranzine is Thursday, May 7