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Primary school art specialist brings Lascaux-style ‘cave’ to life for students
Summary
At a Princeton primary-school showcase, students created pictograph name symbols, explored a virtual Lascaux cave, painted with fluorescent paints and used historical techniques to make durable symbols. The project ran across multiple sessions and drew positive response from board members.
Susan Bartholomis, the primary school’s art specialist, described a multi-session classroom project that recreated cave-art techniques to teach art and science to first- and second-graders. Students designed pictograph symbols to represent their names, watched a virtual tour of the Lascaux cave in France, then painted fluorescent pictographs in a darkened inflatable “cave” and made impressions on wood using hand-forged nails brought from a family home.
Bartholomis said the unit combined history and hands-on practice over several visits: students first devised a pictograph symbol and a sentence rendered as pictographs, then visited the darkened cave to paint with glow paints and later used tools to leave their marks on wood slats. Shannon Reskowitz, identified in the meeting as the primary-school principal, introduced the project and noted teachers could sign up for half-hour class sessions during the four-day installation. Board members and attendees reacted enthusiastically and asked brief logistical questions about where the structure was located, how it was inflated and how classes were scheduled.
The project emphasized experiential learning and cross-subject connections: Bartholomis said students journaled, drew and discussed their impressions, and one student reported going home to research cave art after the lesson. Board members welcomed the return of the activity after a 15-year gap and suggested making it an annual event.
