ALLENTOWN, Pa. — When the retired art teacher and former student locked eyes after 33 years, their smiles exploded in colors perhaps not even present in a Crayola box of 64.
Former Hiram W. Dodd Elementary School art teacher Cindy Canfield Gunn was visibly moved on Saturday afternoon, by the art, but more so by the artist.
Gunn was a surprise guest at the Allentown Art Museum where Dr. James Nangeroni was gifted a painting he created as a 9-year-old, third-grade student in her class in 1992.
His painting of a mythical creature called Alien 4, was so named because the motion picture, Alien 3, had just been released in theaters.
“I don’t know why I chose to paint that, because my mother wouldn’t let me go see the movie,” Nangeroni laughed. “Remember, I was only nine.”
The painting was part of a current display of more than 50 vintage pieces in the Crayola exhibition — Dream Makers: A Creative Legacy.
“When I was contacted that one of my former students would be given his painting back, his name just popped into my head,” said Gunn, 69, who had retired from teaching in 2011.
“It’s so wonderful to see James again, here with his parents and wife and young boys. I’m so glad to be able to be here.”
Fond memories
Nangeroni smiled while looking at Gunn speaking with his mother.
“It’s special to see her again,” he said. “I remember painting it in her class. I don’t remember how long it took to paint. But I remember it was so much fun.”
Crayola and the Allentown Art Museum partnered on Campaign for Creativity. The first Dream Makers exhibition opened at the museum in 1985, and the exhibition was displayed in museums, galleries and public spaces across the U.S.
The Crayola Dream Makers program was a nationwide initiative that celebrated children's creativity through art. The program ran from 1984 to 2013.
“I didn’t teach James how to paint. I may have tapped something inside of him, but that is his talent."Cindy Canfield Gunn, former Dodd Elementary School art teacher
The program was founded to inspire and display children’s artwork.
According to Cheri Sterman, Crayola senior director of education, creativity helps children develop critical skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, self-expression, resilience and confidence.
“Neuroscience shows us that drawing is the best way to make those connections,” she said.
Added Victoria Lozano, Crayola Chief Marketing Officer, “This exhibition aligns with Crayola’s Campaign for Creativity, transporting adults back to childhood, reminding them of the creative moments that impacted their life and inspiring them to nurture their own children’s creativity.”
Another former Dodd Elementary student, Amber Trimmer Groeller, also gifted her painting back. She was represented by family members.
Nangeroni is a board-certified general surgeon and director of robotic surgery at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Ocean County, N.J.
He has performed over 3,000 bariatric surgeries in his career, helping folks reduce their weight and return them to the quality of life they desire. He earned his B.A. in neuroscience at Muhlenberg College and his medical degree at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
If DNA counts for anything, that nine-year-old James Nangeroni possessed the talent to create an impressive painting of an alien wasn't so alien to him at all; his mother is former art teacher and his late great-uncle was an artist of note in Milan, Italy.
Common ground
Nangeroni believes there’s a parallel between art and surgery.
“Doing paintings can make people happy,” he said. “And when people need to lose weight and I help them, it makes them happy. There is a definite happiness component to both.”
Nangeroni said his painting will be hung in the basement of their Medford, N.J. home along with art done by his two young boys, Lorenzo, 5, and Sebastian, 3.
As Gunn peered at her former student’s painting from so very long ago, she was asked how much credit she takes from his art.
“I didn’t teach James how to paint,” she said. “I may have tapped something inside of him, but that is his talent.
“The best thing a teacher can do is to not teach the art out of students. You allow them to explore their self-expression. That’s what I always did.”
