Rappahannock Schools Art

The arts are alive in Rappahannock County schools and RAAC is there to support them with Summer Chorus and Drama Camp, summer arts workshops, after-school enrichment classes, community theater and grants to faculty and students — and with a display of their work at the Fall Art Tour Main Gallery.

Collaborative murals and installations from Rappahannock schools surround the Main Gallery that features hundreds of works by studio and gallery artists participating on the Tour.

Six schools are represented this year — Rappahannock County High School, Rappahannock County Elementary School, Wakefield Country Day School, Hearthstone School, Raising Brain Microschool, and SPARK Summer Day Camp.

Each was invited to create a collaborative mural or art installation with a theme of their choice. The teams of student artists range from kindergarteners to 12th graders. While each piece is unique, there are common threads that unite them — every child is creative and imaginative, and by working and problem-solving together they can create something valuable and beautiful.

This year RAAC honors 2025 Rappahannock County High School graduate Lela Masters, winner of RAAC’s $2,000 scholarship, with an exhibit of her artwork.

The Main Gallery is open on Saturday Nov. 1 and Sunday Nov. 2 from 10 am – 5 pm. The student show can be viewed through  Dec. 12 — Monday -Thursday 10 am – 4 pm and Fridays 10 am – 2 pm.

Admission is FREE.

Special thanks to the Washington School for welcoming the community to view artwork from Rappahannock Schools.

The Washington School is at 567 Mount Salem Avenue in the town of Washington.

Click on images to open in larger lightbox format.

Rappahannock County High School
“The Blueprint of Autumn”

Our collaborative cyanotype is the culmination of our Art 1 & 2 exploration into the history of printmaking and alternative photography. Inspired by the cyanotype process invented by Sir John Herschel in 1842, this piece combines historical technique with a modern, collective vision. Using watercolor paper primed with cyanotype solution and the sun as our tool, we have documented not just objects, but the transient memories through the use of the flora and fauna of 2025.

This work is a layered, visual journal of our collection of leaves and objects, as well as sketches.  Instead of a single artist’s perspective, this piece is a conversation between us. Each student collected plants and objects that hold personal significance, whether a found piece of nature, a favorite possession, or a silhouette they created. The overlapping shapes and varying shades of Prussian blue are a direct result of our individual contributions coming together to form a complex, interconnected whole.

The unpredictable nature of the sun-printing process reflects the journey of our collaboration. We learned to embrace imperfections and happy accidents, just as we navigated the challenges and successes of working together. The final piece is not about a single perfect image, but about the beauty that emerges between the sun, the clouds and the wind.  By embracing a variety of approaches, “The Blueprint of Autumn” is a testament to what we can create when we leave a lasting impression on a single surface, together.

Student Artists — 8th through 12th Grades
Art Teacher — Rebecca Flowers
Principal — Dr. Mary Jane Boynton 

Hearthstone School
“A Patchwork of this Land”

The high school students at Hearthstone School are happy to share the ways in which they connect with Rappahannock County, the surrounding areas of Shenandoah, and its celebrated National Park. They aim to teach the story of the land and the people who have lived here, including Native American populations, ancestors displaced by the park, and members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The preservation of both history and nature are important to these students as they investigate the past and examine environmental issues in the present. “A Patchwork of This Land” is a mixed media piece, utilizing acrylic paint and collage.

Student Artists — 9th through 11th Graders
Art Teacher — Monica Newell
Director — Jane Mullan

Wakefield Country Day School
Left: “The Color Wheel”

Building upon their knowledge of color theory, sixth-grade artists tackled a fun, collaborative project focused on color schemes and color mixing. Each student created a three-dimensional paint tube sculpture using paper tubes and plaster wrap. The class then worked together to design and paint a large-scale canvas, combining their individual ‘paint tubes’ to form a cohesive color wheel.
Student Artists — 6th Grade
Art Teacher — Kerrie Mullany
Head of School — John Elmore

Right: “Counting Crows”

Work for this collaborative piece began with students learning how to use gel printing plates and creating a stack of mono-prints, rich with interesting layers and textures. The students then used these prints as a first layer of the mixed media pieces you see here. The decision to focus on crows came from wanting to incorporate a seasonal element and to capture the bird’s expressive nature and varied poses. Eac student was guided by a line from a poem, interpreting it visually to create their piece.

Student Artists — Upper School Art Class
Art Teacher — Kerrie Mullany
Head of School — John Elmore

Raising Brain Microschool

“The Tree We Built”

This mural, created by the children of our microschool, is both art and metaphor. Each of the eight panels, painted by many small hands, represents a piece of something larger. When joined together, they form a tree, a living symbol of growth, strength, and connection. Just as every square adds to the beauty of the whole, every child contributes to the life of our school. As a non-traditional, mixed-age homeschool enrichment program, we are rooted in collaboration, creativity, and community. The tree reminds us that while we each bring unique colors, shapes, and ideas, together we create something greater than the sum of our parts.

This is more than a mural. It is a reflection of the school we are building, branch by branch, root by root, piece by piece.

Student Artists — Ages 6 to 12
Director — Ashley Bobst

SPARK SUMMER DAY CAMP

“Welcome to the Jungle”

SPARK Summer Day Camp is a collaborative effort between Rappahannock County Public Schools (RCPS) and the Headwaters Foundation whose acronym stands for Summer Program for Art, Recreation, & Knowledge. The camp served more than 150 RCPS students as campers, counselors and counselors-in-training in an affordable 6-week full-day program. This summer’s theme, “Welcome to the Jungle”, inspired different age groups to choose their animals — Monkeys, Zebras, Tigers, Elephants & Anacondas — and then to create a team flag. Each SPARK morning began with the presentation of the team flags and reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. These flags represent the five camper & counselor groups — their identity, camaraderie, camp spirit and belonging.

Student Artists — Kindergarten through 12th Graders
Camp Director — Lacey Jenkins
RCPS Superintendent — Dr. Shannon Grimsley

RAAC’S 2025 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER — LELA MASTERS

For the past 4 years, RAAC has awarded a $2000 scholarship to a Rappahannock County High School graduate who intends to pursue the arts in their post-secondary education and/or professional life.

For the first time, RAAC is featuring our RAAC Scholarship winner with a small exhibition of her work at the Fall Art Tour Gallery.