Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Art Show at Spring Concert



May 12th was the Spring Concert for grades K-6. Students sang in both the choir and played in the band. Outside the theater in the foyer student artwork was on display! 

Facts about Art in Education: 

  • "Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and 3 times more likely to be awarded for school attendance."
  • "Multiple studies have concluded that curricular and extracurricular art studies and activities help keep high-risk dropout students stay in school."
  • "The No Child Left Behind Act clearly mandates The Arts (music, art, foreign language, etc.) as a core academic subject."










https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-arts-education


Shoe Print Medallions

2nd & 3rd Graders learned that texture is one of the Elements of Art and can be visual (in drawings or paintings) or physical. After students felt many different textures in brown paper bags and used adjectives to describe them we started the project shown below. Students explored the textures on the bottom of their shoes, rolled clay into a ball and applied an even amount of pressure with the palm of their hands. Students then created a hole using a straw and carved their names on the backside. After the air dry clay dried students painted on a gold acrylic to really make the different textures shimmer!  








Pre-K Flowers in a Vase





These delightful masterpieces were created by 4 Year Old Pre School students. Students were given a piece of paper with a vase drawn in pencil, then traced the vase, colored it in crayon and drew green stems inside their vase. Then students used a cork to stamp yellow circles on top of each vase and painted in their petals. 








Sculpture 101: Grade 4 Creatures



Many of these students had very little prior experience creating 3 dimensional art. I introduced the project and we all discussed what a "challenge" was and what it took to "succeed" in a challenge. We decided this project required a positive and adaptable attitude that was not afraid to take risks. We enjoyed this challenge and as you can see below each student's personality shows through in their work!
Materials used: 
Elmer's Paste 
Newspaper
TP rolls
Air dry clay
Acrylic Paint
Yarn 
Googly eyes
Beads
Glue
Drink umbrellas
Corks













Tuesday, May 6, 2014

6th Grade Cupcakes



6th graders were introduced to sculpture this year through the works of the famous sculpture artist Claes Oldenburg (work shown below). Students enjoyed sculpting their own cupcakes using laundry detergent caps, newspaper, tape and plaster of paris strips. Students painted their cupcakes using acrylics, added beads for sprinkles and of course a cherry on top using painted air dry clay.

Claes Oldenburg

Claes Oldenburg 













5th Grade Love Birds


5th grade students learned about the African Lovebird. A parrot species native to Africa whose name is derived from spending long hours sitting next to their mates. This was a sculptural project that challenged students to create a 3 dimensional bird. The birds were each painted to mimic the traditional Lovebirds. Students also created a nest for their sweet creatures to perch in.  You will see below how each student's individual personality shines through in their birds!

An actual Lovebird