Field Trips and Art Shows

At the end of January, I had the great pleasure of taking the fourth grade to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Ft. Worth, Texas.  I was placed with a group formed at the last minute to relieve two other lager groups, and we lucked out and got the best gallery teacher to lead our discussions.  She was professional and friendly to me as well as the kids, and improvised content based on our group dynamic.  The gallery teacher led us through the galleries to five scheduled stops, and two of the discussions included writing activities.

The field trip was an overall success, with similar positive reviews from the fourth grade teachers.  I don't think any of the kids had been to an art museum before, and they all thanked me as we returned and said they had a great time.  I believe it is important for kids (and adults) to have as many firsthand experiences as possible in order to connect directly to history, culture, and make to sense the world we live in.  The Amon Carter is my favorite art museum in North Texas, partially for the fact that it is a private collection that is free to the public.  You can visit their website here: www.cartermuseum.org

Art Gallery at the MCL Grand in Lewisville, Texas

At the end of February, I hung the artwork I selected for the district art show to represent Vickery.  Seeing everything hanging in the gallery was wonderful, and I am so proud of my young artists.  Many of the artists represented in the show were chosen because of their outstanding growth in the past year.  Most students progress at a steady rate, so it is fun to see a hidden art talent emerge, and this tends to happen around second or third grade.

I hope that you can zoom in on your computer to see the works more closely.  Again, I am so proud!

Wilbur (4th Grade)                                                                         The Time of Dinosaurs (4th Grade)

All of the ceramic work at the show was amazing, and definitely a favorite at opening night.  The art teacher in the space next to me was kind enough to remind children not to touch when I was talking to parents or if I had to step away for a moment.  Opening night is always so much fun for me and the kids, and I love that it is always packed because I think it makes it even more special for the young artists.

The school art show will be on May 1st this year, so I will begin preparing for that next week.

Here are a few other neat projects from the past few months:

Cat sculpture created with wooden blocks. 

Drawing with sharpie and then painting with tempera cakes or watercolor has been very popular in the last few weeks.  

Lego landscape

Tron!

Thanks for reading!

Clay! Yay! and other Sculpture

Fifth Grade Ladybug Rattle

When I was twenty-two, I spent a summer at Camp Hillcroft in upstate New York as the assistant ceramics teacher, and though I learned a great deal from the experience, I was very hesitant to use clay with students on my own for the first few years.  Each year built on the next, however, and I became more confident, let go of fears (of messes, projects breaking etc.), and finally in the past two years I have felt that there is ample time, space, and freedom for my young artists to work with clay.

The clay center opened two weeks ago for grades 3-5, and almost every single artist wanted to try it.   I asked my students to demonstrate a variety of techniques for their first project as a review, and then they were given more freedom to chose their method of working with the clay.

4th Grade Pinch Pot Creatures

An issue that comes up frequently in the Choice-Based studio is abandoned projects.  Before the clay came out I told my students that the time for large sculptures was coming to a close because I didn't have space for both.  The artists had two weeks to claim/finish projects, and yet the pile of discarded cardboard and found object sculpture did not diminish.  This week the sculpture center was open for the first time to my second grade artists, and I encouraged them to take pieces from the abandoned artwork pile, which turned out to be a very popular idea.  One student expertly pieced together the following, using about six or seven separate sculptures, in the span of about twenty minutes:

The artist was very pleased with her creation, and it was a relief to have the abandoned projects not go to waste.  The cardboard sculpture center is still open, but I am limiting the size of the sculptures to about an 8 x 8 x 10 size until the clay center closes, which will likely be in late March or April.  

Here a second grader flies his airplane sculpture around his friend's block construction

More second grade sculpture:

Practicing joining techniques with cereal box cardboard

Church

This sculpture was really neat.  The bunny is on a popsicle stick so that it can actually pop out of (or through, rather) the hat.  I was impressed with how willing the artists were to share about their work, and how eloquently they spoke about it.  

Third Grade Angry Bird Sculpture

P.S.  It has been far to long, but I have finally threaded the table loom, and a fifth grade artist is making a scarf.  She chose a pattern of plain weave and twill, and plans to give it to a close family member.  

Hearts and Hands

November went by in a flash, and we are now only a week away from winter break.  I wrote 20,000 for NaNoWriMo (www.nanowrimo.org) and then decided I couldn't devote all of my spare time to it any longer.  The time I spent on it was fun, but I had other things on my mind.  At the end of November, Melodie Bourassa and I presented the only session on TAB at the annual TAEA (Texas Art Educator Association) conference to a very kind audience, including some familiar faces from my district and others.

Lately I have been contemplating the use of familiar icons such as hearts, rainbows, and hand prints in student artwork, as well as the holiday symbols that naturally begin to appear during this time of year, and it is a topic that comes up on the TAB message boards frequently.  I have seen some beautiful art pieces in the last few weeks that have moved those icons beyond cliche, to vibrant, unexpected, and deeply meaningful to the students.  Below are first grade watercolor paintings with oil pastel resist.  Following a review of the technique, it was given as a choice, and most of the students spent the day drawing and painting.  

This one is by a fourth grade artist:

Students use these symbols because they are comfortable with them, and are a starting point for artistic growth.  The examples above demonstrate a variety of developing skills, including the thoughtful and purposeful use of pattern and repetition,  basic color theory, negative space, focal point, art as story telling, and so on.  Talking with the students as they work reinforces those vocabulary words, and gives them confidence to use those skills in other art projects, eventually moving into a new phase of art making and experimenting.  

Even though I have believed in TAB for three years now, some habits are harder to break than others.  I still teach Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie as a means to introduce primary colors, line direction, abstract art, and collage.  In the past I was very controlling and did not let students cut the paper themselves, with plenty of excuses for why I shouldn't let them.  Thankfully, I have learned my lesson, and I was thrilled with the results this year.

Dragon

Sol

October Updates

One of my favorite things throughout the year is when a new student comes to the art room for the first time and I get to tell them about the choice-based art studio.  Every student is different.  Some jump right in with painting or marker drawing, while others wander around the room and take in everything with wide eyes for most of the class period.  I personally identify with the latter inclination, needing the time to process my environment and consider the context before creating a 'product'.

As of this week we are in full studio mode, except for clay, which will be available when the large sculptures move out.  The students now have their folders and I have been stamping their checklists.  So far, I am exceedingly pleased at the results.  We haven't had a session on writing artist statements, but so far they have been very well written, and the students have a positive attitude when it comes to writing about their work.  During 5th grade today, two kids were doing paper mache, one was drawing a graphic for a video game, five boys were working on an elaborate model of a spaceship with K'Nex, two kids were printmaking, two were making foam sculptures, two were using popsicle sticks, and the rest were painting with florescent paint that I ordered for the first time this year.  Here are a few projects from the last few weeks:

Two boys made a soccer game with construction paper goals and popsicle stick people

Drum

Castle

K'Nex Spaceship

Castle

Oreos made from hole punching foam and a water bottle made from beads

I have two big things coming up in November, and still have a lot of work ahead.  Another art teacher and I will present on TAB at the Texas Art Educator Association's annual conference, which will be in Dallas the weekend before Thanksgiving.  And, I have decided to participate in NaNoWriMo this year.  I have tried NaNoWriMo three times, and "won" only once, in 2009.  What is NaNoWriMo?  www.nanowrimo.org

Time

I am very critical of how time is spent in the classroom, as the most important thing to me and my students is that they have the maximum possible to work on their individual and group projects.  I feel uncomfortable taking up more then five minutes of their time, but there are always announcements, new materials and techniques, artists in the news, questions about art, and a million other things we could share in that short introduction.  I have to consider what would make the most impact on the class as a whole, and at the same time include required state and local standards, and required vocabulary.

Shortening my time with the group as a whole also increases the time I have with each individual student.  Considering 36 weeks of school, less at least 4 weeks for field trips, performances, field day and other athletic days, and absences, comes out to about 32 times in the art room per year.  Each time a student comes to art, they have about 35 minutes to work on their art.  (45 minutes, minus five for introduction and 5 for clean-up).  If I touch base with each student individually, that is 35 minutes divided by an average of 22 students, which is about a minute and a half per student per week.  One and a half minutes per week times 32 times per year is only 48 minutes for the entire school year.  In that amount of time I have to somehow make the child feel appreciated, assess and monitor their progress, and encourage their personal growth.  The young artists have to be independent.

In the past few years I have asked the students to fill out a planner for me to approve before they began a project, explaining their idea and needed materials, but I found it not to be worth the time, and this year I am trying something different.  Each student will have a checklist in their folder based on the TEKS (state requirements), and the new LISD fine arts curriculum.  It will help the students to be self-directed and it will help me keep track of what is being covered in class.  I will still expect students to write an artist statement when they are finished with their work and it is very encouraging that artist statements are in the new art TEKS.

Thanks for reading.  Here are some fun paper sculptures from the last few weeks:

Play

“Such experiences is not just play…. It is work he must do in order to grow up.” 

-- Maria Montessori

I am so proud of the 2013-2014 yearbook cover artist!  (Fifth Grade) 

For most of my childhood, until the middle of third grade, I went to a Montessori school, which is the present day Montessori Country Day School in Flower Mound.  The Montessori philosophy is similar to TAB; the teacher introduces a new concept, tool, or technique to the students, and then guides them as they learn at their own pace.  Play is the work of a child; it is a highly engaging, memorable, whole child experience.  This week Kindergarten did an activity that I had heard of many times before, but had never seen in action until my student teacher tried it (successfully) with the kids last year. 

Dog with Spots (I love that little drawing!!!)

As the kids came in the room, a virtual tour of the Lascaux caves was playing on the projector.  We discussed what we saw on the cave walls, who might have drawn pictures there, and what tools they would have used.  I love telling the story of the four boys who found the cave when they were out playing one afternoon.  The kids recognize the animals on the cave walls, and understand that the people needed the animals for food and clothing.  They loved the hand prints on the cave walls, and when we got out the brown butcher paper, the kids immediately started tracing their hands.  Many also drew their pets, or their favorite wild animals.  Then came the best part:  I taped the butcher paper to hang on the sides of the tables to create caves, and the kids took turns with the flashlights to explore the cave walls.  Though this is not a TAB lesson, I believe it to be a valuable one.

I also believe in unstructured play as a means of storytelling.  Last year I watched a group of fifth grade boys act out an intricate battle scene with K'nex, "flying" them above an arena made from blocks.  When they were finished I asked the boys to document their battle in a drawing or written story, and they happily recorded, with rich details, the dramatic scene.  Clyde Gaw's chapter "The Art of Boys" in The Learner Directed Classroom was very thought-provoking, and influential in shifting my thinking on this type of play.  In past years I may have said, "Okay, enough playing, keep building with the blocks, or go draw what you have built", but when we lost Drama at our school two years ago, I began searching for ways to fill the void.  My young artists need the opportunity to learn empathy through role playing, and to express and develop their ideas through improvisation.  The young artists then reflect on their learning through artwork, and artist statements.

Great Conversations

During one of my second grade classes this week, I overheard the following conversation between two boys as they worked on their drawings:

"I want to be an artist when I grow up."

        "I want to be a football player and an artist."

"I know!  You can be the person that designs the football stadiums."

My students surprise me constantly, and this exchange was a delightful one.  Not only was the main speaker enthusiastic about making artwork, but he was also being a supportive and encouraging friend.

Kindergarten Still Life

Most grade levels began using the drawing center this week, and each class had a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the event.  The students gathered around the drawing center, and I made a speech:

"Welcome to the first ribbon cutting ceremony of the 2013-2014 school year.  I am extremely happy to have you all in attendance as we begin to open the Vickery Art Studio.  Today we will be opening the drawing center.  After the ceremony, you will have the rest of the day to explore the resources and materials therein.  Before we cut the ribbon, does anyone have any advice on drawing to share with the rest of the class?  ________ will now cut the ribbon on behalf of the entire ____________ class.  (the ribbon is cut, then claps and cheers)  Thank you Vickery Voyagers, the drawing center is now open."

I asked the students questions about their art as they worked, and in the next few weeks 3rd - 5th graders will begin to write artist statements when they finish an art piece.  It is difficult to interpret a student's authentic artwork by simply looking, and assumptions are usually wrong.  Being able to express their thinking behind the marks on the paper is more indicative of knowledge than the forms themselves, similar to when a child is learning to write.  

To reflect on our time in the drawing studio, we discussed "What do artist draw?"  Though many drawings overlap in category, students were asked to identify their work as Memory, Observation, Imagination, or Experimental Marks on paper.

This week we also talked about "What is art?"  or rather, "How can you tell if something is art?"  I would have liked for students to write on the post-its themselves, but I didn't want to take time away from their art making, so I sat with each table for a few moments and interviewed the groups.