In the Gallery

Morphology

Elizabeth Koloski ’15

Pennington School alumna Elizabeth Koloski ’15 returned to the School in connection with her award-winning collection of work, Morphology, on display in the Silva Gallery of Art from September 3 to October 25.

Koloski is intrigued by anatomy and the human figure, and her prints portray the body as both an object and a landscape. She also uses the organelle and cellular levels of humans as inspiration and subject matter. As a printmaker, Koloski combines her love for scientific process with her passion for art-making to present

32 Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2019–20 scientific content in a unique visual way. During the printmaking process, Koloski has created a core image that was then manipulated and reinterpreted over and over again, providing an endless playground of colors and textures as seen in Morphology.

Koloski graduated in May 2019 from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture with a B.F.A. degree in printmaking. Her culminating body of work received the Vivian Rosenberg Award for Tyler Outstanding Senior Project.

The objective of our travels was to be able to increase our global awareness, particularly when it came to understanding the world and culture that many of our students come from.

Pictured: Sarah Sensenig and Don Dolan, Susan and Len Leib, and Judy Rossi and her son, Ryan Rossi.

Faculty Trip to China

by Len Leib

One day after the final teacher meetings of the 2018–19 school year, faculty members Judy Rossi, Don Dolan, and I embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to China made possible by the generosity of a Pennington parent donor. The objective of our travels was to increase our global awareness, particularly when it came to understanding the world and culture of many of our international students. We were also encouraged to just enjoy our time to learn, experience, and have fun. Mission accomplished!

Among the many firsts we experienced were sleeping on a real bed for several hours while airborne, trekking the winding humps of the Great Wall, and exploring the Forbidden City—which was neither forbidden nor a city but rather a wide open portal to an enduring past. We ate eel (slimy), chicken feet (tasty), rabbit head and brain (does NOT taste like chicken), and amazing Beijing duck, dim sum, fish, hot pot, and on and on. We were the recipients of hospitality beyond anything I have experienced; our hosts could not have been more generous and caring. Beijing is a city that embraces the modern world while reaching back to an amazing past. Shanghai was just incredible. More than modern, it is a city of the future with a vibrant cosmopolitan population and a skyline that triumphs and gleams more than any I have seen in the West.

But the best part of our visit to China was the amount of time we got to spend with our Pennington students. We were joined at various outings by nearly two dozen alumni, and current and prospective students. Seeing Shanghai’s Bund waterfront at night through their eyes was magical and enlightening. Their obvious pride for the maturation of their country, even during their relatively short lifetimes, was palpable. They guided us through little alleys in the old town section, brought us to temples and introduced us to street food, fabulous restaurants, cat cafes, and took us into niche shops where multiple floors of arcade claw machines beckon to teenagers. It turns out that some of our students are fabulous claw machine players, evidenced by the large cheshire cat doll now hanging out in my classroom.

We returned home with a deep appreciation for Chinese culture and the global nature of our vast Pennington community. We gained important new insights into the lives of our students. An example of how this trip made us aware: while it was difficult to find cold water in public areas or restaurants, hot water was ubiquitous because that is what the Chinese prefer to drink. Armed with this insight, we are hoping to get easier access to hot water for our students. I have planned multiple interactive activities for my AP Statistics class that incorporate data-based elements of ancient Chinese life. My daily interactions with my international students and advisees are now much richer.

Judy, Don, and I are deeply grateful for this unique opportunity and experience. We traveled seven thousand miles to grow even closer and more connected to our community. Though that community is centered here in Pennington, we have learned that it truly reaches out to all the corners of the globe.e