Arts & Activities Magazine May 2016 by Arts & Activities

PASSION

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Meet recent graduate of the Stephen F. Austin State University BFA program and now full time Potter:

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CONTENTS MAY 2016

VOLUME 159, N o. 4

ART THAT POPS off the page 12 GALIMOTOS: THE UNIVERSAL JOY OF PROBLEM SOLVING Craig Hinshaw 14 ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST FOAM SCULPTURES Hannah Mazzuto 16 SYMBOLIC SALVADOR: EXPLORING SYMBOLISM IN THE WORKS

18 23 26 28

OF DALI Gary Kohl RELIEFS: SOMETHING TO SCREAM ABOUT Karen Skophammer ALIVE AND KICKING: SWEET TREATS Don Masse CARDBOARD CUBISM Michael Fredieu LETTER PERFECT Rebecca Tarman

YEARLONG HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM SERIES 10 BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION: WEEKLY VISUAL JOURNALS Debi West

SPECIAL FEATURES AND COLUMNS 8 STEPPING STONES ... Games in Art class Heidi O’Hanley 9 CHOICE-BASED ART: DIVING DEEP Julie Toole 38 TRIED & TRUE TIPS FOR ART TEACHERS: 3-D PROJECTS Glenda Lubiner

READY-TO-USE CLASSROOM RESOURCES 19 ARTS & ACTIVITIES ART PRINT FEATURE, WOMEN ARTISTS: EDMONIA LEWIS Colleen Carroll 37 ARTS & ACTIVITIES STUDY PRINT: SINGLE SCOOP ICE CREAM CONE Jim Bachor

A&A AT YOUR SERVICE 34 MARKETPLACE 36 AD INDEX

DEPARTMENTS 4 EDITOR’S NOTE 30 MEDIA REVIEWS 31 SHOP TALK ON THE COVER

CREAMSICLE by Jim Bachor (www.bachor.com). Pothole mosaic, 2015. Location: 200-298 W. Walton St., Chicago, Illinois. See “Alive and Kicking: Sweet Treats,” page 23.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: (858) 605-0251; subs@artsandactivities.com. AD SALES: (800) 826-2216; ads@artsandactivities.com. AD PRODUCTION: production@artsandactivities.com. EDITORIAL: (858) 605-0242; ed@artsandactivities.com. FAX: (858) 605-0247. WEBSITE: www.artsandactivities.com. ADDRESS: 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128. Arts & Activities® (ISSN 0004-3931) is published monthly, except July and August, by Publishers’ Development Corp., 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128. Subscriptions: one year, $24.95; two years, $39.95; three years, $49.95. Foreign subscriptions, add $35 per year for postage. Single copy, $4. Title to this magazine passes to subscriber only on delivery to his or her address. Change of address requires at least four weeks’ notice. Send old address and new address. Periodical postage paid at San Diego, Calif., and at additional mailing offices. Printing by Democrat Printing, Little Rock, Ark. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Arts & Activities®, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128.

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26 3

editor’s note

Don’t you just love it when art pops off the page and shows up somewhere you don’t expect? In Chicago, tantalizing mosaics have been appearing in place of the streets’ dreaded potholes. “Creamsicle,”

president

Thomas von Rosen

e d i t o r a n d p u b l i s h e r Maryellen Bridge

a r t d i r e c t o r Niki Ackermann

E D I T O R I A L A D V I S O RY B O AR D

featured on this month’s cover, is just one in Jim Bachor’s series of pothole

Cris E. Guenter Professor of Arts Education/Curriculum and Instruction California State University, Chico

mosaics, “Treats in the Streets.” And, with his knack for finding living art-

ists who will elicit excitement from his students, Don Masse features Jim in “Sweet Treats,” the latest in his “Alive and Kicking” series (page 23).

It seems kids everywhere like to fashion miniature

Jerome J. Hausman Lecturer, Consultant and Visiting Professor, at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Barbara Herberholz Art Education Consultant, Sacramento, California Mark M. Johnson Director, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama George Székely Senior Professor of Art Education, University of Kentucky, Lexington

C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O RS

vehicles out of whatever materials they can find. In “Galimotos: The Universal Joy of Problem Solving” (page 12), Craig Hinshaw shares the

Colleen Carroll Curriculum Writer and Author of Children’s Art-Appreciation Books, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.

ingenious inventions of children he met while in Zambia. Upon returning

Geri Greenman Art Department Head (Retired), Willowbrook High School, Villa Park, Illinois

home, he shared his experience with his students, and involved them in a galimoto-inspired project. “Experimentation, trial and error, and learning from each other made

Paula Guhin Art Teacher (Retired), Central HighSchool, Aberdeen, South Dakota Nan E. Hathaway Art Teacher, Crossett Brook Middle School, Duxbury, Vermont

for a lesson where process was as important as product,” writes Craig. “Both

Amanda Koonlaba Art Teacher and Arts Integration Resource, Lawhon Elementary School, Tupelo, Mississippi

here in Michigan and over in Zambia, the children exhibited an obvious

Glenda Lubiner Middle-School Art Teacher, Franklin Academy Charter School, Pembroke Pines, Florida

playful intensity and a sense of joyful satisfaction in the problem-solving taking place during the construction process.”

Don Masse Heidi O’Hanley

Hannah Mazzuto introduces her students to the

Irv Osterer Department Head – Fine Arts and Technology, Merivale High School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Abstract Expressionist movement and artist Isamu Noguchi in “Abstract

Debi West Lead Visual Art Teacher, North Gwinnett High School, Suwanee, Georgia

Expressionist Foam Sculptures” (page 14), where they develop a deeper understanding of creating 3-D forms, consider the relation between positive

Art Teacher, Zamorano Fine Arts Academy, San Diego, California Art Teacher, Brodnicki Elementary School Justice, Illinois

A D V ER T I S I N G D E P AR T M E N T

a d v e r t i s i n g m a n a g e r Tracy Brdicko

and negative space, and experiment with the subtractive process of sculpture.

tracy @ artsandactivities.com 800.826.2216 or 888.651.7567

Using Cubist paintings as their inspiration,

p r o d u c t i o n d i r e c t o r Linda Peterson p r o d u c t i o n m a n a g e r Kevin Lewis production @ artsandactivities.com

middle-school students create 3-D sculptures in Michael Fredieu’s “Cardboard Cubism” (page 26). Writes Michael, “The assignment does take a bit

H O W T O REA C H AR T S & A C T I V I T I ES

of time, so I plan for around 4–6 weeks of work time. It is very rewarding

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to watch a student struggle with the creation of their sculpture and then be amazed by the final product.”

Read on for other terrific lesson plans that will have your students’ work popping off the page, into the realm of the third dimension. Enjoy!

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Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones is a monthly column that breaks down seemingly daunting tasks into simple, manageable “steps” that any art educator can take and apply directly to their classroom. Stepping Stones will explore a variety of topics and share advice for art-on-a-cart teachers and those with art rooms.

GAMES IN ART CLASS

by heidi o'hanley

hroughout the school year, you spend a majority of time in your classes discussing ar tists, cultures, concepts, and history, on top of creating projects inspired by those ideas. Having a variety of teaching strategies in the ar t class helps students of all learning styles develop their skills. One element you can include is using ar t games in your class. Why include games in art? Students enjoy a change of pace, especially when they're given small challenges to improve their creative thinking skills. You can include games and mini-challenges in quite a few dif ferent ways, such as time-fillers, beginning activities for lesson units, or quick tests in the middle of projects.

TIME FILLERS FOR THOSE WHO FINISH EARLY • Challenge Capsules. My 7-year-old daughter

loves those quarter machines that give you the capsule with a tiny toy inside. Over time, those little capsules end up all over the house or in recycling. Now, imagine if you saved those plastic capsules for your art class? Similar to a fortune cookie, write out artistic challenges to place in the empty capsules. When a student finishes early and doesn’t know what they want to do to fill their time, have them choose a capsule challenge to complete on their own! The challenges could include drawing exercises, origami designs, or low-key collage work. Keep the capsules in a large plastic container for the students to choose from! • Hue Knew! is a small game that multiple students can play together. The game has different circles with over 9 different color names (printed in different colors), and 10 pegs total. The game helps students to identify the color with the word while helping them to think faster than their opponents. I’ve had the game in my classroom for years, all the pieces are still there, and students love to team up and play when multiple people are finished! • Tangoes is an excellent ar t game that exercises critical thinking skills. In the game container, you’re given a few geometric shapes (triangles, squares, etc.) and cards with random designs. The trick is to fill in the designs with the shapes provided to the player. It is amazing watching my students figuring out the puzzle to each design given.

PROJECT STARTERS • Art Dice. While floating around on Pinterest, I

found many bloggers who created their own “dice” exer8

cise to help build a drawing. My favorite one to use is the worksheet with shapes seen in Joan Miró’s artworks. Students at their tables roll the dice, then whatever number they get corresponds with the shape given in the worksheet. In the end, you get a Miró-inspired creation that students can use for bigger projects! I’ve also seen this exercise used to build monsters and Keith Haring-inspired drawings! You can design these worksheets, or you can find then in a Google search as a classroom resource. • Exquisite Corpse is a creative method of collecting words or images in an assembled collaboration. Each person involved add to the sentence or artwork without knowing what was previously written or drawn, then once passed around, you can reveal the completed sentence or artwork. Surrealists invented the technique back in the early 1900s, but artists and students use the fun activity to see what imaginative designs they develop.

INTERACTIVE ONLINE GAMES • Create your own Jeopardy Game. If you go to

the website Super Teacher Tools, you can create your own jeopardy- style game to use within your classroom! Whatever game you create, as long as you save the link, you can re-use for any classes you have over time. You enter in the categories and the answers, while the students guess the question! I used this tool for my sixth-grade students at the end of the year once they finished their art histor y units. Each categor y was a time period and sub-categories were vocabular y they had learned throughout the year. • Symbaloo is a website that helps create a bookmark page of your most visited sites. Unlike Pinterest, which bookmarks sites into categories, Symbaloo is designed for you to see thumbnails of your bookmarked sites in one page. This page can then be added as a widget to your website or blog. Since I have a classroom website already created, I added my Symbaloo widget to my home page. When students are finished with projects and have access to computers, all they need to do is visit my website and click and choose which sites and games they wish to play online! There are so many ways to include games and challenges in your art class, no matter if you’re in a classroom or cart. It’s amazing to see the faces of my students when I spring a game on them to exercise their imaginations! n Arts & Activities Contributing Editor, Heidi O’Hanley (NBCT) teaches elementary art for Indian Springs School District #109, in the Greater Chicago Area. Visit her blog at www. talesfromthetravellingartteacher.blogspot.com. m a y 2 0 1 6 • 83 y e a r s

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Choice-Based Art

Edited by Nan Hathaway

Choice-Based Art classrooms are working studios where students learn through authentic art making. Control shifts from teacher to learner as students explore ideas and interests in art media of their choice. This concept supports multiple modes of learning to meet the diverse needs of our students. Learn more at teachingforartisticbehavior.org.

DIVING DEEP by JULIE TOOLE

t the heart of a choice-based classroom is the principal belief that the children are artists and the classroom is their studio. “If we wish for our students to do the work of artists, we must of fer them the opportunity to behave like artists, think as artists, and per form as artists.” (Douglas and Jaquith, 2009, p. 5)

If we think about how artists behave, one thing that

is evident is their deep exploration of themes and media. Artists may spend years, or even their entire careers, focusing on and exploring a theme, medium or technique. Through this “deep dive” into their personal work, their art will change, grow, mature and develop over time. This is the opportunity I want to offer my students. If students are constantly skipping from project to project and material to material, how will they ever discover what type of artist they truly are? Once-a-year clay projects will never allow students the time to explore, make mistakes and innovate to discover the possibilities of this remarkable material. Carefully controlled projects inspired by master works but designed by the teacher often don’t leave much room for exploration, self-expression and discovery. When given choices, students often gravitate to

a particular center or explore a specific theme over time. In my classroom I have painters, conceptual artists, toy designers, architects, illustrators, filmmakers and sculptors. Students understand and appreciate the unique talents and interests of their peers, and through this have a broad definition of what it means to be an artist. It is not just the student who can draw realistically who is an artist. This understanding could not develop if they were not given the time, space and support to discover this for themselves. While diving deep, students may spend a large portion of their studio time simply exploring the possibilities of a medium. These explorations are not “galler y-ready” works of art, but necessar y steps in the creative process. Choice allows students to work at their own individual pace. Some may take months to complete a single work of art while others are quite prolific. Another benefit of diving deep is a student’s ability to

“master” a medium. Peers watch these classroom masters work and are inspired. Their classmates seek out their advice and expertise when working with the same media. www.ar tsandactivities.com

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Through this, rich and meaningful conversations about their art and technique are nurtured. The art teacher should not be the all-knowing art guru when the room is full of amazing artists. By valuing and encouraging students to explore deeply, there are many chances for innovation. Although all media are first demonstrated and practiced by students through mini-lessons and skill builders, it is through experimentation and play that students discover novel and interesting ways to use them. Diving deep supports and encourages mixed-media work to occur. As new techniques and centers are opened and demonstrated, students may layer these new skills into their choice work. Collage artists in my choice studio may begin to add paint to their compositions, and fiber artists may begin to print their own fabric to sew. Diving deep provides inspiration for rich and meaningful self-reflection. Students write about their work through artist statements that accompany their display pieces. Students describe their inspiration, their creative process and challenges that occurred along the way. Another choice students have is to develop their personal working style. Students with similar interests find each other and may dive deep together. Collaborative work can lead to deeper learning and more complex work as students share plans, problem solve and negotiate ideas. But what about the skill development with all this exploration? A high level of intrinsic motivation is the

key to this. It is common for students to work on ideas and plans at home and show up at the studio door with extra supplies, bursting with excitement to begin their work. When students are highly engaged in their art making and can independently find the materials they need, I am free to work one-on-one with students to mentor them on specific skills they want to learn. Ultimately, with the precious and limited time I have with my students, my goal is to support them to discover who they are as artists, where their passions and talents lie, and to nurture a love and appreciation for the creative process. I want each one of my students to leave my class with a positive association with art and feel like their ideas are valued and honored. Diving deep helps take them there. n Julie Toole is a National Board Certified Choice-Based art teacher. She teaches grades 1–8 in an independent school in Wilmette, Ill., and is a member of the Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) Leadership Team. She authors choosingchoice.blogspot.com. 9

Yearlong High School Curriculum Series | BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION

Lesson 9 of 10

Weekly Visual Journals by Debi West

have found through the years that holding my kiddos accountable by having them submit weekly promptbased journal assignments is a win-winwin experience! My first year as a secondary teacher, I realized that my students needed to be encouraged to practice their drawing and compositional skills, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. Telling them to practice wasn’t cutting it. So I started thinking about my college art course experiences and how much I enjoyed my sketchbook assignments, and the light bulb came on! I came up with prompt-based weekly Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources related to this article.

journal assignments that not only give my students inspiration to work in their journals, but I figured out a way to combine the technical with the creative that encourages my kids to work hard. On the second day of school,

I give my students a visual journal handout that explains the reasons why artists keep journals; specifically, how these journals become a storehouse of ideas and how their sketches can often be used to push their class projects to the next level. The handout explains how each week the journal will be graded on a threepart rubric. I must see direct observational drawings, collage and text. I never say how much of each, but I must see at least 50 percent drawing, so that I know that students are practicing drawing from life, as well as working on how they arrange these works into creative compositions. My intro stu-

dents have prompts such as, “Who Am I,”, “Invent a New Object,” “Scare Me,” “Kitchen Items,” and they even have a “Free Choice” week, and all of their works on one page, while my art II and advanced students have singleword prompts such as “Me,” “Rip,” “See,” “Joy,” “Eat” and “Spirit,” and their work is a two-page spread, with the added challenge of making the work unified even with the spiral holding the pages together. Each class has 14 journal assignments per semester. One of the most

fun aspects of having to grade these journals each week is that I call students up to my stool and we have a one-on-one conversation as we grade the work together using the rubric. We have really wonderful chats about their personal progress. These quick meetings hold them accountable and I have seen their work grow tremendously as they want good grades, they want to get better at their art skills and they really want me to snap a photo and pin their work on my visual journal Pinterest page! (www. pinterest.com/dewestudio/visual-ar tjournals-2015-2016/) I am now pinning

Weekly journal assignments give students inspiration to work in their sketchbooks, and are a way to combine the technical with the creative.

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Lesson 9 of 10

INTRO TO ART CURRICULUM SERIES

Weekly Visual Journals WHY KEEP A SKETCHBOOK? Most artists keep sketchbooks. In them, they experiment with ideas and collect drawings of things around them (direct observation) and things they enjoy. Sketchbooks are like visual diaries for artists, who often use them for planning and developing their work. They are essential to creating powerful artworks and often become the basis for award-winning work. • The most famous sketchbooks are those of Leonardo da Vinci. His are filled with drawings, diagrams and written notes of things he saw and ideas he came up with. • Picasso produced 178 sketchbooks in his lifetime. He often used them to explore ideas and make compositional studies until he found the right idea or subject for a

larger painting. • I was in college when I realized that sketchbooks are for more than just making drawings! They can be a journal, a diary of my thought process—something I can refer to for more ideas later. I used to just draw in sketchbooks, now I draw, paint, write, collage, and attach anything that gives me an idea or expresses who I am as an artist and person. Pictures, photos, poems, lyrics, etc … If you want to be an artist or get accepted into a college art program, it’s a good idea to keep a sketchbook/visual journal with you all the time! You can draw, write and make it your own. Later on, return to your sketchbook when you’re looking for ideas and you’ll find your works of art!

GETTING STARTED Begin by collecting interesting images from magazines and keep them in a large envelope or shoe box. Whenever you need to “journal” an idea, select an image from your collection. Paste it into the sketchbook and write about it.

Writing ideas might include: What drew you to the image at this particular time in your life? What does the image mean to you? What other images does it call to mind? What memories, hopes or dreams does it evoke?

WHAT IS EXPECTED

Art journals become a storehouse of ideas, which students can often use to push their class projects to the next level.

approximately 65 works a week, as the work continues to get stronger—which is the ultimate goal! I love Mondays, because Monday means I get to really connect with my students as they share their hard work with me via through visual journals … As I said, it’s a win, win, WIN activity! Next up … Summative Assessment Bookmaking Unit! n Debi West, Ed.S, NBCT, is Art Department Chair at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia. She is also an Arts & Activities Contributing Editor.

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Fill your sketchbook with pages that will trigger your creativity and ideas. Each page should include three distinct parts, which we will grade together: 1. Collage: Somewhere in the work should be direct visual transfers, such as cut-andpasted images or photocopies, newspapers, magazine images, and Internet images of what interests you. 2. Text/Words: Incorporate words

somewhere in the work. YOUR writing about the visuals, WHY is it important? WHY is it good, or bad? WHAT does it say about you?, quote, lyrics, text, letters, etc… 3. Direct-Observation Drawings: Somewhere in the work there should be some kind of sketch, drawing, or painting responses from you from life (at least 50 percent). Translate the idea into your own visual style. Experiment with media!

SKETCHBOOK GUIDELINES • It is your responsibility to hand your sketchbook in to be graded. • Assignments must be attached to your sketchbook to be graded. Loose assignments and assignments on notebook paper will not be accepted. • Fill the page. Each composition should touch the edges of your paper. Composition is key. • Three-dimensional objects are allowed, even encouraged. Think about a relief, collage, etc … • Unless otherwise noted, always include

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a wide range of values (even in color work) and think about contrast. • Always consider elements and principles of art in your work. Such as: What do you want emphasized? • Spend at least 30 minutes to one hour per assignment. (Have I mentioned that practice makes perfect?) • Drawings from observation are mandatory. Meaning: you should look at the object(s) while you are drawing it/ them. Try not to draw from memory: direct observation is key.

Galimotos: The Universal Joy of Problem Solving by Craig Hinshaw

hile traveling in Zambia, my wife and I spent some time at Flatdogs camp. Flatdog (slang for crocodile) is a camp outside of the national park that takes tourists on safaris into the park. At the time I was training for my one and only marathon but the camp said it was too dangerous to run in the camp. Food runs, meaning lions chase down their food. The guides at the camp offered to drive me into the village where it would be safe to run. I imagine I cut a comical image, a skinny white guy in running shorts jogging on the dirt road through the village. I felt like a pied piper, as children began running with me. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t keep from laughing.

With a long wire bent into a steering wheel, this galimoto could be both pushed and steered.

This one was made from scrap wire, and shaped like the all-terrain vehicles used for safaris. Note the raised seating for tourists and a canopy to block the sun.

On my jog I passed some boys “driving” their “galimotos” along the dirt road. Galimotos are toy cars and trucks made from scrap wire, plastic container tops, bottle caps, bits of metal, and other found materials. The galimotos I saw had long wire push rods, with one end connected to the front wheels, and the other bent into a steering wheel, allowing the cars to be both pushed along the road and steered.

WHEN I RETURNED TO MICHIGAN, I presented a galimotobased lesson to my students. The lesson had three objectives: (1) to show students another culture a world away, (2) for the students to use their imagination to create a toy using discarded materials, and (3) have students consider where play takes place and what type of toy is necessary to create the enjoyment that play can elicit. To prepare, a week before the galimoto project would commence, I presented the idea of the lesson to the students, along with some photos from our trip to Africa. I also gave students a list of items to collect and bring to class for making their galimotos: small cardboard boxes, buttons, circular caps, bottle tops and wire, as well as pliers. The lunchroom moms saved the colorful plastic caps from the students’ milk containers, and I drilled small holes in the centers of them. These could function as wheels. I cut 3" x 4" pieces of cardboard for the galimotos’ chassis. Sliding two 4-inch pipe cleaners (axles) through the cardboard and into the drilled caps could be a start to the vehicles, especially for students who didn’t bring items from home. The day we began construction of our vehicles, we had a large array of materials for the students to select from—pipe cleaners, wire of all types, thin brass sheets, buttons, toilet paper tubes, cardboard milk containers and more. Scissors, hole punchers, pliers and hot-glue guns were also available. Students who brought supplies were happy to share with their classmates. Galimotos are toy cars and trucks made Experimentation, trial and error, from sticks, scrap wire, bottle caps and and learning from each other made for other cast-off materials.

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Suggested reading Galimoto, by Karen Lynn Williams Seven-year-old Kondi lives in Malawi, Africa. In this story of determination, resourcefulness and pragmatism, Kondi sets out on a quest to find materials he can use to make a galimoto.

Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources related to this article. Galimoto-inspired vehicle by a Michigan student.

a lesson where process was as important as product. As students finished, they cut lengths of 18-gauge stovepipe wire to make a push rod/steering wheel. None of our little cars worked as well as those made in Zambia, but it gave us all a better appreciation of the skill necessar y to make a true galimoto. Closing thoughts: Would the students play with their galimotos, enjoying them as much as playing a game like Angr y Birds? I can’t say. But, I can say that both here in

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Craig Hinshaw is an art teacher in the Lamphere School District in Madison Heights, Mich., and author of the books, “Clay Connections” and “Animals, Houses and People” (www. craighinshaw.com).

As students worked to create their galimotos, a playful intensity pervaded the classroom.

Michigan and over in Zambia, the children exhibited an obvious playful intensity and a sense of joyful satisfaction in the problem-solving taking place during the construction process. You certainly don’t get that with Angr y Birds! n

The children felt joyful satisfaction in the problem-solving that took place during the construction process. 13

Abstract Expressionist Foam Sculptures by Hannah Mazzuto

y students are exposed to three basic process when creating sculptures: carving, modeling, and assembly or construction. The carving process is when a sculptor removes unwanted material to create their form. Generally, materials such as a block of wood, stone, and other hard materials are used. With a typical school budget, I knew using floral foam would be the perfect alternative for my students.

To introduce students to the car ving, or subtractive process, we discussed Abstract Expressionism. It was an art movement after World War II in which artists focused on spontaneity and emotional expression. Artworks typically had no recognizable subjects and were completely inspired by the subconscious. As reference, students were exposed to and researched the works of Japanese artist, Isamu Noguchi. The overall process was very spontaneous and intuitive. There was no concrete objec14

tive to their design, as the focus was to be abstract. Students were directed to lightly make marks of where they wanted to make recesses and impressions. From there, they could carve deeper while making sure to constantly turn their foam around to assess the positive and negative space. Loop tools were used for larger areas while smaller details were made using simple ceramic tools and toothpicks. For students who were not comfortable being completely spontaneous, they were given the prompt of trying to express a specific emotion. This option was a good compromise as their focus was still trying to represent a feeling, which isn’t something physical or tangible, but rather with a more methodical objective. Throughout the process, I kept finding my stu-

dents nervous to carve out too much. They were not comfortable with the idea of “once it’s gone, it’s gone.” After much encouragement, and several reminders—It’s art! It shouldn’t be nerve wracking!—students started to become more relaxed with the idea that it was supposed to be abstract. m a y 2 0 1 6 • 83 y e a r s

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NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

Learning Objectives Upper middle- and high-school students will ... • be introduced to the Abstract Expressionist art movement and artist Isamu Noguchi. • develop a deeper understanding of creating 3-D forms, taking into consideration all angles and perspectives of a design. • consider the relation between positive and negative space. • to experiment with the subtractive process of sculpture.

• • •

Creating: Conceiving and developing artistic ideas and work. Presenting: Interpreting and sharing artistic work. Connecting: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.

Materials

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One 3" x 4" x 8" block of floral foam per student • Toothpicks, variety of carving tools (ceramic tools, especially

• • •

loop tools, work well) Gesso or spray primer Acrylic paint, paintbrushes Wooden base (optional)

This project helped students develop a deeper understanding of 3-D forms. Acrylic paint was used to finish the sculptures, which were then mounted onto wooden bases.

Many students at this age tend to not “get” abstract art and I find that they usually want to make recognizable art. It’s a boost of confidence when someone compliments their work and says, “that’s an awesome horse!” So, when they are asked to completely let their emotions take over and not worry if their form is an actual subject, it can be a little intimidating at first. While they were carving, however, I would overhear peers comment to each other about what looked good, what needed more carving, and how to make it look less brick-like. Whether these eighth-graders were aware or not, abstract art still holds an aesthetic standard of quality, and I loved hearing them explain to each other why something— even something abstract—could look more appealing one way compared to another. When the car ving was completed, students brushed www.ar tsandactivities.com

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off as much dust as possible and primed the surface prior to painting. Acr ylic paint was used to finish off their sculptures as well as mounting their work onto a wooden base. If a student chose to portray a specific emotion, their color choice should have also represented their intention. In retrospect, I should have used a spray primer rather than gesso. The gesso was more time-consuming than I would have liked, and it didn’t cover the surface as evenly as I hoped. Overall, carving the foam was a huge success. The options for variety are limitless. This lesson is appropriate for a wide range of ages, and it’s a fairly simple project that produces terrific results. n Hannah Mazzuto is a teacher with the West Valley Central School District in West Valley, N.Y. 15

Symbolic Salvador: by Gary Kohl Once the paint was dry, the hands and numbers— stretched to fit the shape of the clock—were drawn on with permanent black marker.

Exploring Symbolism in

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Middle-school students will … • design and create three-dimensional sculptures. • create multi-media in sculptures. • apply elements of perspective to clock face numerals. • apply theories of line, shape, and form.

Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory (1931) led to fascinating discussions about time and what these images might mean.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

•

Creating: Conceiving and developing artistic ideas and work. • Presenting: Interpreting and sharing artistic work. • Responding: Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning. • Connecting: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.

MATERIALS

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Nylon stockings/hose, wire hangers White and blue acrylic paint, brushes Thin rope, silver spray paint, glue Permanent black markers

led to some fascinating discussions about time and what these images symbolized, along with other images found in the paintings. We then placed some clocks in different locations around the school to create our own symbolic representations of time and homework, reading, and more—even linking an earlier unit on Grimm tales, Rapunzel’s hair, and the passage of time.

y grade-eight English class had been reading several stories and during each reading, we discussed symbolism—the technique whereby an object means more than its literal self. We discussed how water was used to represent such things as journeys and cleansing, and how a broken watch —a gift from Boo Radley to Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird—meant more than just a token of friendship.

I decided that we could improve

our understanding of the term “symbolism,” particularly time, if images 16

were used. Time in one stor y was eternal as the stor y was one of punishment in a unique type of hell where retributive justice is dispensed until finally the punished becomes the punisher and all sense of time is lost and eternal. I had also promised the class that we would do some sculpture before the year’s end. Considering the ideas of time, movement and symbolism, it seemed that Salvador Dali’s melted clocks in his The Persistence of Memory (1931) would serve our needs well. Looking at the clocks in Dali’s works

I gave students a week to bring in

nylon stockings. I had a large collection of wire hangers already. When the students were given their hangers, I explained to them that the wire should be bent and shaped to suggest flow— the flow of metal melting in the heat of the sun. I let them decide if the flow would be that of a clock melting over the edge of a table or if it were melting as if draped over a branch—in other words, both halves melting. Most went for the melting over the table effect. Once the hangers were shaped, students pulled the nylon hose over so

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the Works of Dali

This young lady achieved a “clock-melting-over-my-head” effect.

Some students placed books with the melted clocks, linking them to novels or stories they have read.

with white paint to suggest light hitting it. The backside was spray-painted silver to simulate the metallic housing of the timepiece. To avoid a rough line around the clock face’s perimeter, we spray-painted thin rope silver to act as the decorated edge of the clock’s face. These silver ropes were glued down on top of the wire edge. Once the blue and silver paints were dry, students used black perma-

Silver-painted rope was glued along the perimeter of the clock faces.

that the material was smooth. Often one pair provided enough for four hangers. The last step in this first class was to coat the nylon with a base of white acrylic paint. The acrylic base dried quickly, and in the next period we painted the top of the clock blue: half slightly lighter, blended www.ar tsandactivities.com

nent marker to draw on the hands of the clocks and their numbers, stretched according to the shape of the clock. The students were thrilled with their results. As there was already a lot of discussion, star ting with the stories, then Dali’s paintings, then the melting clocks themselves, and we considered how we might capture these ideas in our display of the final pieces. Some students placed books beside or, if possible, underneath the melted clocks, linking them to stories they’ve read, either in class or independently.

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Mitch Albom’s book, The Time Keeper (Hachette Books; 2013), suited the project well, as did a short story by Neil Gaiman that one student had read, which opened with the line, “Time is fluid here.” The quote was displayed on an index card beside the student’s clock, and reminded viewers of one of the original symbols we discussed, time as movement: Time sometimes flows quickly and sometimes flows slowly, and sometimes time periods melt together and change or are recalled in different sequence. Time is a powerful topic of discussion, and students quickly realize that linear time, whether in stories or in life, is often not as direct as we think it is. Time shifts, it ebbs and flows, and sometimes it melts together into something altogether different—what that might be ... only time will tell. n Gary Kohl teaches visual art and English at Unionville Montessori School in Markham, Ontario, Canada. 17

here are different types of sculpture. Relief is a sculpture in which forms project from a background. The design on a relief sculpture is raised from the background surface and is intended to be looked at from only one side. Kids seem to be fascinated by relief sculptures. They like the fact that something actually stands out from the background surface. My students and I explored several relief sculptures, including the works of Roy Lichtenstein, Ben Nicholson, and a few student-created reliefs. Lichtenstein’s Wall Explosion II (1965), done in enamel on steel, shows an explosion that has a type of balance with radial symmetry. It’s impressive because it is classic “Lichtenstein style” with a modern look and colors bursting forth. (www.tate.org.uk/ ar t/ar tworks/lichtensteinwall-explosion-ii-t03083) We then looked at Ben Nicholson’s 1934 Relief (www.tate.org.uk/ar t/ar tworks/nicholson-1934-relieft02314), which is oil paint on wood shapes. It is done all in white and has a totally different look than Lichtenstein’s work, and the students found it equally fascinating. The geometric shapes are layered and all painted one color. Next, we looked at some student-created relief sculptures done using wood shapes on a flat background. Students were picking out concrete items formed by the shapes, much the same way you’d pick out shapes in the clouds. I then laid some coins on a table, and asked the kids why I’d done that. One fourth-grader caught on right away and said the coins were an example of relief.

When I was sure the students understood the concept of a relief sculpture, I had them examine Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night and Edvard Munch’s The Scream. Munch painted The Scream in 1893. His rawest, most emotional work, it was inspired by an actual experience he had during a walk he took at sunset. Munch was dead tired, and stopped to lean against a railing. He looked at the sky and saw what he described as flaming clouds that hung like blood and a sword over the city. He trembled with fright and let out a loud, unending, piercing scream. That is the moment he painted in The Scream. Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night in 1889. It was an ordinary scene, which he painted in an imaginative way. There are unnaturally brilliant colors in the moon and stars, and swirling curves in the far-away galaxies. He was see 18

SCREAM

on page 32

Something to Scream About by Karen Skophammer

Using air-dry clay, markers and tag board, students made relief sculptures that interpreted their chosen paintings.

Learning Objectives Elementary students will … • understand and apply art media, techniques and processes. • know how to use organizational principles, sensory and expressive features, and the structures and functions of art. • understand the connections among the various art forms and other disciplines.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

• • •

Creating: Conceiving and developing artistic ideas and work. Presenting: Interpreting and sharing artistic work. Responding: Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning. • Connecting: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.

Materials

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8.5" x 11" tag board Model Magic clay, white glue m a y 2 0 1 6 • 83 y e a r s

Graphite pencils, colored markers

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classroom use of the art print

Instructions: The monthly Art Print is meant to be removed from the center of the magazine, laminated or matted, and used as a resource in your art room. – Editor

Hiawatha’s Marriage, Edmonia Lewis primary

middle school

Share the Art Print with students. Inform them that the

It is not uncommon for middle-school students to study

sculpture depicts the marriage of two Native American

American histor y. Use this month’s Art Print as a supple-

characters from a famous and beloved poem, “The Song of

ment to 19th-centur y American studies. Spend some

Hiawatha,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

time leading a discussion about how the artist depicted

Point out the male, Hiawatha, and his wife Minnehaha.

the figures, Hiawatha and Minnehaha. Did the sculptor

Ask students to describe the details the artist used to rep-

represent Native American culture accurately? Does this

resent their Native American heritage. Spend some time

sculpture represent Native Americans in a realistic or

talking about the details, such as the eagle feathers in

stereotypical manner?

Hiawatha’s headdress, the fringe of his skirt, and Minnehaha’s fur collar.

Explain to students that the artist was inspired by “The Song of Hiawatha” (Longfellow, 1855). Have all students

Give students a handful of white polymer sculpting

read the introduction to the poem. Assign the rest of

medium. Have them experiment with the clay to build a

the parts to individuals or small groups. Spend time dis-

sculptural figure. Encourage students to include at least

cussing how Longfellow’s mid-19th centur y perceptions

three different details in their piece. Display all completed

and attitudes about Native American culture differ from

figures along with the Art Print.

today’s. Challenge students to create a 2-D or 3-D work of art based on the Longfellow poem (www.hwlongfellow.org/ poems_poem.php?pid=62).

elementary Edmonia Lewis worked in marble, painstakingly removing bits of stone to form the sculpture featured in this month’s

high school

Art Print. Show students the short video on marble carving

Hiawatha’s Marriage is one of a small number of sculptures

to provide a sense of the process. Explain to students that

of Native Americans by Edmonia Lewis. This piece, inspired

they will be making a sculpture, with soap, that uses some

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem “The Song

of the same techniques that master marble carvers employ.

of Hiawatha,” is remarkable in both its break from Lewis’

First, share the following video tutorial: www.wikihow.

Neoclassical style and its sensitive and dignified treatment

com/Make-a-Soap-Carving. Next, pass out a piece of draw-

of Native Americans. Lewis captures the love and respect

ing paper and a bar of white soap to each student. To create

between Hiawatha and his wife Minnehaha that Longfellow

spaces for practice sketches, show students how to use the

elegantly describes in his poem. Ask students how Lewis

bar as a tracing tool. In the upper left corner of the paper,

captured these sentiments.

place the bar of soap and trace around it with a pencil.

Next, share part X if the poem, “The Wooing of Hiawatha”

Repeat until there are eight rectangles on the paper. Have

(www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=284). Give stu-

students make simple line drawings in each box, finally set-

dents time to read the poem silently and then read it aloud.

tling on one that they will incise into the soap. After students

Instruct them to silently read the poem a second time,

have incised their design into the soap, they may use a plas-

highlighting passages that resonate with them in some

tic knife, wooden stick or other blunt tool to carve away the

way. Bring students together and encourage them to share

excess soap and add detail.

highlighted passages and to explain why they were drawn to those particular parts of the text. Over the next few class

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sessions, have students create an original work of art based on the Longfellow poem. 19

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Edmonia Lewis (American; 1844-1907). Hiawathaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Marriage, 1868. Marble; 29.5" x 13.125" x 13.125". Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama. Gift of Ida Bell Young Art Acquisitions. Public domain.

A&A art print notes

Women Artists

by Colleen Carroll

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Lewis never established residency in American again, The stor y of a female artist having to overcome cultural, but often traveled to her native country to exhibit and societal and political odds to achieve commercial and sell her work. Her masterpiece, The Death of Cleopatra, critical success in a male-dominated art world is an all- earned critical acclaim at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition too-common one. But there is nothing common about the in Philadelphia, and is now part of the Smithsonian Institulife of Edmonia Lewis (1845-1909). tion’s National Museum of American Art. The child of an African American father and a Native In a 1996 PBS Newshour interview, art historian David American mother, Lewis was orphaned at a young age Driskell described Lewis’ legacy. “Well, I think here was the and, together with her brother Samuel, was sent to live bravery, the courageous person who did not let race, did not with her mother’s sisters near Niagara Falls. Three years let gender, or anything like that stand in her way. And she later, Samuel left for California, leaving his sister in the was able to pursue her goals, her objectives without all of the care of a guardian, and ultimately arranged her enrollobstacles that one normally associates with the period. I ment at the New York Central College, a comean, we’re talking about somebody who’s just education and racially integrated school out of the period of slavery, and certainly “I was practically in Upstate New York. who would not have had the patronage Three years later, Lewis entered that some white Americans would driven to Rome in order Oberlin College, a progressive have. So she pursued her goals institution that promoted eduand insisted upon being a part to obtain the opportunities for cation for both genders and of the period and a part of that people of diverse ethnic backmovement, and she was.” art culture, and to find a social grounds. There, Lewis took atmosphere where I was not her first drawing classes. ABOUT THE ARTWORK Although Lewis made conHiawatha’s Marriage is one constantly reminded of my nections at Oberlin that would in a series of sculptures serve her later, her time there inspired by the 1855 epic color. The land of liberty was marked by accusations and poem, “The Song of Hiawatha,” violence: she was accused of poiby Henry Wadsworth Longfelhad not room for a soning two roommates (for which low. The sculpture captures a she was brutally beaten by a mob of moment in the poem directly after colored sculptor.” townspeople; and ultimately tried and Minnehaha agrees to marry Hiawatha, — Edmonia Lewis acquitted), and later for stealing art supthereby uniting their tribes in peace. plies. For the latter offense was expelled just Carved in white marble, Lewis captures the months before her graduation. love and respect between the couple. The pair stride handFrom Oberlin, Lewis moved to Boston. Her Abolition- in-hand, Hiawatha gently holding his bride-to-be with his ist connections led her to the portrait sculptor, Edward left arm on her left shoulder. Although Lewis’ depiction Brackett. It was under Brackett’s tutelage that Lewis of a Native American couple acknowledges their ethnicrealized that she would pursue a career as a sculptor. She ity through costume details and to some small degree in began to produce terracotta and plaster portrait medal- the handling of Hiawatha’s facial features, the style is still lions of famous Abolitionists and heroes of the Civil War. grounded in Neo-Classicism. The works sold quite well; enough for Lewis to afford “As typical of neoclassical artists, Lewis used physical charpassage to Italy. acteristics such as wide foreheads, and prominent noses to She eventually settled in Rome, where she would live for communicate 19th-century ideas of nobility and intelligence. the rest of her life. There, Lewis worked under renowned Gentle expressions in women and protective stances by men American sculptor, Hiram Powers, and learned the art of conveyed the accepted gender roles of the day”. (Source: www. marble sculpting. Working in the popular Neo-Classical kiarts.org/news.php?article_id=38) style of the day, Lewis began to make a name for herself in This tender and dignified depiction of Native AmeriItaly and the United States, and eventually established her cans was a departure in 19th-century art, which often own studio (a popular site for American tourists). depicted native peoples as “savages.” 22

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ALIVE

and kicking

by Don Masse

re you looking for a “sweet hook” to use when introducing texture to your young students? Then you really must tap into the delicious street mosaics of artist Jim Bachor. Jim is a mosaic artist based in Chicago. He has been busy filling potholes around town with mosaics in a variety of themes—fashion patterns, cereal packaging, flowers, and frozen treats. You can use his work to address a wide variety of elements: texture, color value, 3-D solids, art historical movements/techniques, and the purpose and place of art in society. When I did this project with my kindergarten students, we looked at how Jim uses light and dark colors to make his images look 3-D, how the tiles feel different than the cement and road they are placed in, and the fact that these artworks are out in public, actually placed in the street, and not in an art gallery or museum.

These kindergarteners made deliciouslooking, textural collage creations.

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Learning Objectives Primary students will … • be introduced to mosaic as an art form and technique that can be used to bring art to public places. • identify the elements of art in the environment and in works of art, emphasizing line, color, and shape/form. • gain an understanding of texture through feeling surfaces around them and by doing rubbings of those textures. • gain experience with cut-paper collage to create an artwork. • use geometric shapes and forms in a work of art. • build skills in various media and approaches to art making through experimentation.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

•

Creating: Conceiving and developing artistic ideas and work. • Presenting: Interpreting and sharing artistic work. • Connecting: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.

Running their hands over a mural, the kids felt the difference between the slick tile and rough grout.

Materials

• • • •

9" x 12" white paper 6" x 9" gray and assorted colored paper Pencils, black and white crayons Scissors, glue sticks

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I started this lesson by sharing images from his website on my smart board. The kids get such a kick out of his work and subject. It’s suitable any time of the year, but if you do it in the spring, when things start to get warmer, the reactions of the kids is priceless. After we looked at Jim’s work, we

Strawberry Cheesecake, 2015. Chicago, Illinois. Image courtesy of the artist, Jim Bachor (www.bachor.com). 24

took a little on-campus field trip. With our black color sticks and white paper, we hiked out to the playground and did rubbings of the blacktop! We then went over to one of the mosaics we did with students a few years back, so the kids could actually feel the difference between the tile surfaces and grout. I found this part of the process to be really impactful. The actual touching of the surfaces made the texture connection so much stronger. How often are kids allowed to touch the artwork somewhere? We came back in and cut out a large

Students made texture rubbings of the playground blacktop.

gray Popsicle shape, larger than the actual Popsicle, to simulate the space and color of the grout of a mosaic. Students could choose to do a single or double, and they could add a bite or two out of them if they wanted. Kids picked a color for their treat and added white to a third of the paper, left a third the pure color, and added black to the final third. We did this on a piece of brown for a Popsicle stick, too. We cut those parts up into little squares and rectangles and practiced sorting and stacking in the process. We then glued those pieces from light to dark onto the gray shape on our rubbings. I encouraged them to leave little spaces between the pieces to simulate the look of a mosaic. When it came time for gluing the pieces in place, I showed the kids how to put lines of glue on the gray paper, so they didn’t have to put glue on each individual piece. When finished, the kindergarten students had created a delicious looking introduction to texture, all thanks to Jim and the long line of mosaic artists that have come before. When I shared this project with the artist, Jim Bachor, he was gra-

cious enough to share some stickers

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The children cut out large Popsicle shapes from gray, grout-colored paper.

Students were encouraged to leave space between the paper pieces to simulate the look of a mosaic.

Jim Bachor sent postcards and stickers for the students, and did a trade with one art star. She received one of Jim’s T-shirts in exchange for one of her collages.

and postcards with me so I could reward good citizens in my classes. He even did a trade with one of my art stars! This deser ving student got one of his shirts in exchange for a collage she did. To say she was thrilled is an understatement! This project is geared toward my youngest students, but a lesson on Jim’s work could be adapted for a variety of grade levels, and more choice could be included throughout the process. Kids could research a theme and create a series of paper mosaics; www.ar tsandactivities.com

they could compare and contrast Jim’s work with mosaic artists from the past; they could work in groups to create an actual mosaic and install it at their school or in their community; and on an on. Whatever you choose to do with Jim’s work with your students, I think it provides you a relevant and tasty starter … with dessert! n Arts & Activities Contributing Editor, Don Masse, is a K–5 visual arts teacher at Zamorano Fine Arts Academy in San Diego, California.

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After choosing a color for their treats, students added white to one third of their paper, left the middle alone, and added black to the final third.

After cutting apart the three different sections, the kids cut little squares and rectangles out of them, and practiced sorting and stacking.

From light to dark, the pieces were glued onto the gray paper shapes. Spaces were left between the pieces to simulate the look of a real mosaic. 25

Students selected Cubist artworks, then created cardboard sculptures inspired by them.

by Michael Fredieu

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developed this “Cardboard Cubism” lesson plan from an assignment I really enjoyed doing while in college. I first taught it during my student teaching at Alcoa (Tennessee) High School, with Ms. Minda Cedeno, and since, have been able to adapt and use the material in my eighthgrade art classes at Alcoa Middle School.

The lesson begins with an introduction to the Cubism movement through the works of influential artists, such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Fernand Léger. Students must then select a Cubist painting and create a three-dimensional cardboard sculpture based on it. To stay relevant to the movement, I tell students they need to choose work from a well-known or famous artist. From past experience, I have learned how important it is to stress that the inspiration piece must come from a recognizable work, in order to prevent random images, which are not necessarily Cubism at all. With some of the larger paintings, students may chose an object or section of the painting. They then begin sketching out their ideas and planning how their sculptures will be formed. During this planning process, students must think about the depth of the various pieces, how they will fit together when constructing the sculpture, and how the finished piece will stand on its own. It is important for them to think three-dimensionally, and to not only plan how the sculpture will look from the front, but also from the side and back.

After THE students complete their sketches, I must approve them before allowing them to move for ward. This provides me the opportunity to see if the students understand the assignment and have a well-developed idea for their sculpture. This is the point in the lesson where patience is most required, and most important. It will be necessary to encourage your students to have the same patience. Obviously, their drawings will not always translate directly to the pieces they cut out, due to mistakes or misplacement of pieces, but it is important that the teacher and the students are prepared for this, and capable of adapting. In evaluating their own work, students answer the following essential questions: “Why did you choose the painting that you did?” and “Is your sculpture a good representation of your image?” This assignment helps students develop some very good problem-solving skills. Students can use craft knives, box cutters, scissors, or even tear the cardboard to form their pieces, and then use a hot glue gun to apply them to the sculpture. The assignment does take a bit of time, so I plan for around 4–6 weeks of work time. It is ver y rewarding to watch a student struggle with the creation of their sculpture and then be amazed by the final product. n

Michael Fredieu teaches art at Alcoa Middle School in Alcoa, Tennessee.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES Middle-school students will ... • become knowledgeable about Cubism: what it is and how it began. • work individually, using self-expression to complete the assignment. • create a 3-D sculpture out of cardboard using images of famous Cubist paintings as inspiration. • display their final projects and participate in a critique of one another’s work.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

• • •

Materials

• Access to the Internet • Drawing paper/sketchbook, cardboard www.ar tsandactivities.com

• • • x

Rulers, craft knives Hot glue gun, string Pens, pencils, markers 83 y e a r s •

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henever I find a 3-D project that everyone is successful with, I feel fortunate. These papier-mâché letters are one of those projects. Before beginning this project with my students, I present a lesson on typography, and introduce them to Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1398–1468) and the invention of the printing press. We discuss the enormous impact this invention had on the availability of books and the art world—including the works of Albrecht Dürer.

We look at early examples of typesetting, learning terms such as font, kerning, leading, serif, and sans serif. We view examples of contemporar y art that incorporate typography, as well as Robert Indiana’s Love (1966), and others. After discussing these topics, we go to the computer lab where each student will print out a letter of their choice. They are instructed to use a “chunky” letter and that the printed letter should fill an entire page.

Back in the art room, students cut out their letters, then trace them twice onto a cereal box. Once these are cut out, students take one of them and begin to build up the sides using 2-inch poster-board strips, which they attach with masking tape. (I show students how to mark and score their strips to create the neatest corners possible.) When there is a side around the perimeter of the letter, and any cutouts—such as those within in an “A,” or “D”—students then build supports

Sidney

Julia Alexandra

by Rebecca Tarman 28

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Grace

Kori

by accordion folding more strips and placing them across the open areas. The letters are then stuffed with crumpled newspaper. If a letter will be top heavy, such as an “F” or “P,” the leg of the letter can be filled with a weight, such as small bags of sand. Once firmly stuffed, the other cardboard letter is laid on top and secured with tape. Papier-mâché comes next. Our school’s brown paper towels make a nice base coat. Once the papier-mâché letters are dry, they’re painted with a coat of white house paint. While the paint dries, students plan a black-and-white design on their original printed letter, such as checkers, dots and various other geometric designs. Some choose to do more of an organic design incorporating leaves, vines, flowers and so on. Once the white paint is dry, students transfer their designs from the printer paper to the letter sculpture by coating the back with graphite and tracing over the design. Using black paint, students paint their letters to complete the black-andwhite design on their sculptures. They then choose one color to use as an accent, to add in selective areas on their pieces. The finished works are then coated all over with Mod Podge®. This project is a student favorite. Each student’s own style shines through in his or her choice of font and design. This is always an artwork of which they are all quite proud. n Rebecca Tarman teaches fine arts at Fairfield Junior-Senior High in Goshen, Ind. www.ar tsandactivities.com

LEARNING OBJECTIVES High-school students will … • understand the evolution of printing and typography. • implement basic paper construction techniques. • create a sculpture using papier-mâché. • create a unique design using a repetitive black-and-white pattern.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS The letters’ sides were built up with 2-inch strips of poster board and masking tape.

•

MATERIALS

•

Cereal boxes, 2-inch wide strips of poster board • Papier-mâché paste, paper towels, newspaper, small bags of sand • White and black house paint, various colors of acrylic paint, paintbrushes • Mod Podge®

The letters were then papier-mâchéd, using the school’s brown paper towels.

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THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO MAKING WIRE JEWELRY: Techniques, Projects, and Jig Patterns From Beginner to Advanced, by Wing Mun Devenney. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.; $22.99. Twist it, bend it, wrap it: Wire brings with it a possible safety factor, and yet the availability of wire, cord, and beads makes possible the addition of jewelrymaking to many visual arts curricula. Of course the hazards of using cutting tools 6:40:17 must be considered. 10/29/2013 AM From beginners and intermediate

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AUDIOVISUAL BOOK/PRINT Jerome J. Hausman • Paula Guhin

learners to the makers of fine jewelry, readers likely will refer to this book often. Devenney delivers the goods with due diligence: types of metals, pliers, cutters, mandrels and other equipment. Her coverage of basic techniques is followed by the more advanced (some very sophisticated). Anyone looking for soldering procedures should seek out another Barron’s book by the same author. For crafters who use jigs, the author provides many patterns at the back of the book. Hundreds of color photos, plentiful pointers and cautionary notes supply added value–P.G. THE COMPENDIUM OF FANTASY ART TECHNIQUES: The Step-byStep Guide to Creating Fantasy Worlds, Mythical Characters, and the Creatures of Your Own Worst Nightmares, by Rob Alexander, Finlay Cowan, and Kevin Walker. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.; $29.99. A thick, thorough manual for creating artworks in the fantasy genre, and it’s beautiful too? Yes, please. Many adults and young adults will be in awe of the body of knowledge to be found in these 288 pages. Even middle schoolage children will admire the profuse spellbinding illustrations, but do consider the latter phrase of the subtitle. Truth be told, the vampiric creature and the demon could trigger nightmares in the squeamish. Be aware that, if you already own books on the subject by any of the three authors, some content in this compilation will be repeated. The experienced artists and writers cover ancient and futuristic realms with every tool and see

m a y 2 0 1 6 • 83 y e a r s

REVIEWS

on page 33

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shop talk

AMAcO Magic Mud® allows you to have the experience of real clay, then choose whether to air dry or fire. Developed by a classroom teacher, this nontoxic, non-staining, air-dry natural clay promotes learning, encourages discovery, increases sensory motor development, and allows self-expression. Air-dried objects made with Magic Mud can be turned back into mud by breaking into smaller pieces and adding water. Magic Mud can also be fired in a kiln. Includes 25 lbs. of soft, natural clay; an 8-inch wire clay cutter, and a parent/ teacher project guide.

BLICK ART MATERIALS Blick’s aluminum Armature and Sculpture Wire is soft, flexible, and can be used by artists of all ages. Available in a variety of thicknesses, this lightweight wire is ideal as an armature for clay, papier-mâché, plaster-roll sculptures, wall decorations and more. Nonstaining and non-corrosive, its pliability and low cost make it a great choice for classroom projects.

AVES STUDIO Create solid, durable items that dry to a hard, flat finish without ovens, kilns or fumes. Critter Clay™ is a moist, water-based clay ready to use right out of the bag. Its great detail, fine texture, low shrinkage rate (0–1%), plasticity and handling features make it a good choice for students and artists of all skill levels. Comes in one-, five- and 25-lb. packages in white or native color.

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CRYSTAL PRODUCTIONS Appropriate for use with grades K–6, Amanda Feterl’s Affordable Art Projects for Kids features step-by-step photos of 26 traditional and modern art activities that will stretch the art room budget. The focus is on the artistic process, which allows teachers and students to add their own creative touches to the projects. This user-friendly spiralbound book has 72 pages.

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Do you have art-teaching tips to share? Send them to “Tried & True Tips for Art Teachers” email:triedandtrue @artsandactivities.com

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We believe that when students are having fun, they stay engaged. For years, ceramic educators have relied on the Giffin Grip to reduce frustration encountered in trimming. Giffin Grip keeps the creative fun flowing from clay to kiln!

83 y e a r s •

may 2016

confined to a mental institution at the continued from page 18 time and did not have a window, so he was painting from memory.

SCREAM

After STUDYing the two paintings, students listed the similarities

and differences in the two works of art. Some of the similarities were the swirling colors, which the students found fascinating and “cool,” not at all disturbing. They thought both artworks had mysterious qualities to them, such as van Gogh’s “squiggly” trees and Munch’s swirling orange water. Students agreed that both paintings showed perspective and depth. As for the differences: Munch‘s had people in it and van Gogh’s painting did not. The colors van Gogh chose for his painting were much darker overall. We discussed the moods these two artists might have been in when they painted these works. Some thought Munch must have been crazy or maybe just scared. Others thought he was just tr ying to show someone

that might get frightened if something scar y happened to him. Most thought van Gogh was simply using a technique when he painted, and didn’t read too much into the dark colors, oddly shaped trees and swirling skies. Of course, there are lots of differing opinions about why and how these two paintings were made, but the general educated consensus seems to be that both men were suffering from some kind of psychosis or depression. Following THE discussion, each

student was given a piece of tag board and some Model Magic® air-dry clay. Each student could decide which of the two artworks he or she wanted to work with. Students were then to create relief sculptures that interpreted their chosen paintings, using markers, air-dry clay, and tag board. For example, if a student were doing The Scream, he or she was to think about what coming out from under the walkway would cause him or her to scream and run away. If he or she chose The Starry Night, the student was to create the type of town or atmo-

sphere he or she wanted to put under a starry night sky. The students started with the tag board as a base and sketched the general scene. Then, they sculpted the parts they wanted raised—in relief— out of Model Magic, then attached them to the tag-board base. Both the clay and the tag board were then colored with markers. I asked the students to look at the patterns and swirls in the original artworks to discern the “mood” of the original painting. We had “Scream” reliefs with scary clowns coming out of the sky, snakes or other scary animals coming out from under the bridge, and asteroids raining down from the heavens. “Starry Night” renditions featured modern shopping centers, helicopters, birds ﬂying around, and much more. You can bet these students will not forget who Edvard Munch and Vincent van Gogh were any time soon, and they’ll surely remember relief sculpture and its many forms, as well. n Now retired, Karen Skophammer taught art in Iowa public schools for 31 years.

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material required, including the digital. They don’t miss an artistic trick, from perspective, scale, lighting, faces, anatomy, and value to color. (To nit-pick, the color wheel as shown is a bit misleading, with yellow opposite blue.) The paperback, with a heavy, flexible cover, is not cheap in any sense of the word. With bizarre beasts, costumes, weapons, landscapes high and low, watery and arid, it’s well worth the cover price.–P.G.

REVIEWS

Look for the ACMI seals

continued from page 30

ACRYLICS: A New Way to Learn How to Paint, by the Parramón Editorial Team. Barron’s Educational Series, $16.99. Designed for beginners just learning the art of acrylic painting, this book begins with brief coverage of seven basic techniques. Following these fundamentals, it portrays seven separate projects for students to complete. This series of seven paintings-in-progress includes such subject matter as fruit, flowers, a boat in water and a tree. No faces or human figures are represented. On their website, Barron’s assumes the stepped-out, sequential paintings will be copied exactly, but surely the learner can choose to use other, similar subject matter instead. One can also elect to use a different color scheme or switch out the techniques. The exercises begin with swatches of the suggested colors, as well as a reference photograph. Each drawing on canvas is shown in pencil rather than charcoal or paint. Following the under- and overpainting steps, contrasting accents are demonstrated and, lastly, the finished work is pictured. Acrylics is a paperback with a spiral binding, part of Barron’s Easel Series. Pages read from top to bottom, and the book can be folded in half to lie flat. As the series title suggests, it also converts to a mini-easel format. At 96 pages, it’s a slender book, but it is also very attractive and instructive. Auxiliary material (about acrylic mediums, supports and surfaces, brushes and more) is presented as a foldout at the book’s end.–P.G. www.ar tsandactivities.com

when you purchase art and craft materials! Why you should purchase ACMI-Certified Products: • ACMI has been committed to the safe usage of Art Materials for over 70 years

• You will be selecting products that have undergone extensive testing and meet strict requirements to qualify for the use of the AP and CL seals • The seals you can trust!

Visit www.ACMIart.org to learn more about ACMI and ACMI-certified products!

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Paragon kilns help students create priceless ceramic treasures

eramic ware survives the test of time. Ancient Greek and Roman pottery is now treasured artwork. The 7th and 8th grade stu- Seventh and 8th grade students at Brandenburg Middle School’s dents at Brandenburg Middle Classical Center in Garland, Texas. Shown in both photos is the School in Garland, Texas have digital Paragon TnF-28-3 12-sided kiln. made ceramics that may one patented spring-balance lid day become family heirlooms, treasured for feels so light that you can generations. They worked under the guid- lift the lid with one finger. ance of Gennell Murphy and Christy Call or send email for a Bautista. The ware was fired in a Paragon free catalog. digital TnF-28-3 kiln. Paragon kilns have been helping students create ceramic art since 1948. Our kilns are designed for the harsh environment of the school, where they are often neglected. They fire day in and day out with little maintenance. They are workhorses. The top row of wall bricks in the TnF-28-3 is blank (no element grooves) to prevent brick damage caused by leaning over the kiln. The

83 y e a r s •

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Visit the Arts & Activities website to access our Writer’s Guidelines and Young Artist nomination information: artsandactivities.com/submit may 2016

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Sharing successful creative ideas ...

from GRAY to

S ELEPHANT Flynt by Deborah

and personal own ideas They added their elephant. to their for roles touches to their sketchbooks the also play important the Elephants from referred back In Buddhism they had recorded rain and good in world religions. and their ideas bringers of . a strong mind sidered the emphasized presentation elephant symbolizesHindu god Ganesh PowerPoint this is further added headdresses luck and of Indra and and the Several students mythology on the backs defeat- calmness, of an elephant. in the ancient in carriers are students Airavata. After down has the head and figures elephants All of the honoring his elephant, animals Festivals Airavata reached water of their elephants. which is a decorain India. The ing an enemy, sucked up colstill held today added a “caparison,” mainly used for ground and with brightly it into the or cloth under the decorated patterns and sprayed are lavishly tive covering and intricate with his trunk were known ceremonies. ored costumes parades and and Airavata them too. were completed, rain.” painted on clouds. Indra elephants cool s the Once of the body who brought so are sometimes the characteristic in the bottom as “the ones with was considered After discussing students began by we cut a hole small holes The elephant the for many a few more .A of the project, and poked it was a vehicle escape in the sketchbooks majestic that allow air to elephants were sketching ideas in their skewer and techpin tool to a thought that wooden is A 1100 It terminology kings. process. back as of clay Cunningham Kathy ring bybisque-fi got started. brief review battle as far from the bottom and then we first used in part of warup the legs an integral is the two threeniques followed was inserted create another retirement of to B.C. and were body by making gunpowder ne of the joys with in the and We began invention of into the hollow museums visit assisted to This fare until the which we stuffed Alexander new-foundto time escape. pinch pots, at 16th century. the shape. way for air exhibits. One show the process. on his inch around the to help hold firing leisurely explore King Porus to create Art feanewspaper drying and severalof weeks Museum took the Great battled Metropolitan were joined New York’s The elephants “hard or from 325 B.C. them The two pots elephant. A hole was dure, prevent elephant in the sooftopietre turedtomasterpieces we complete, colors. the body of periods, the head was stunning Austin inlays inclass with stone body where between stone,” cabiOnce they cut in the drying out the gorgeous was another boxes, The head in plastic bags. While viewing forofa couple with paper to be attached. placed them great idea and tables, took aanother pot stuffed pictures nets, were finished, it smaller pinch my glazes, over the hole. head. I was so myout. into popped to dry inventory of to the body projectfor them class was were attached fter taking legs retired firing and weeks was abunafter bisqueI then, I remembered coils for the had an over to excited! But I realized I Four large and the and The last step the die hard, size and cut Old habitsgray Faced with no classes! elephants to the same and had then Once rolled out to glaze the dance of gray. legs were with go. bright colors. wouldn’t let with what to do length. The my idea an body. finished. the same being decorations the dilemma of of were about of things idea great the the bottom with the elephants One of the along attached to glaze-fired many were trunk were it, I came up made of friendsproud ndian Indian ears and is the art teacher how to Next, the My students for Robert making elephants—I decand couldn’t could choose I had recently substituted The bright the way. turned the added. Students their elephants elephants. dis-area. When onmy art teacher in trunk. Some gifted the elephants Graff, await to put them position the orations on ec- he invited idea, curled it down. self-refl about my project the neuand some I told him trunk up play. In their it to would offset in place, tusks his fourth-grade introduce the project trunk was and offer me to come Once the tion about samples tral gray tone how discussed materials, We then possibilities classes.they all expressed were added. completed, endless preparation. to be basic shape necessary and the much they enjoyed student With the for my students stores, I collected expired began. Each wallpaper about advanced At local and the fun really learning creative. My books containing marble-like students wallpaper S India’s culture.wallpaper stores are 8th grade OBJECTIVE (most about papers most the stone-like excited of LEARNING One were as they les- books, will … part with expired our annual happy toimportant l students of the idea for importance Rob and I then cut Middle-schoo while thrown out). the historical usually get sons learned and various clay unit. stone• learn aboutin the Indian culture. we samples clay is using the wallpaper elephants out of clay For motivation, working with stockroom process. Indian elephant from his school a Powcolored papers Hannah • create an of hand-building techniques. gray glaze the visualization started with muchwith. to work of too the students for dilemma a variety presentation and into squaresMy erPoint information terms. done on informative dure is historical much of pietre enjoyable, • learn clay glazing and firing processes. Because in the led us to an we agreed to use black ■ that included S of elephants • learn about project. STANDARD a dark background, colorful clay and the importance students learned NATIONAL The S media, a MATERIAL teacher at Indian culture. elephant has been and applying is an art Understanding thousands • techniques and processes. and functions. Deborah Flynt that the Indian and pencils School in Germanidentity for structures • Sketchbooks for storage Riverdale Elementary part of India’s exact time of human • Using knowledge of in relation to bags arts Plastic visual the the • rock town, Tennessee. of years and • Understanding By studying • Clay tools cultures. is unclear. ❘ 81 the and brushes history and es.com interaction humans began ctiviti and assessing • Glazes white clay tsanda ecting upon it seems that www.ar of their work paintings, as long ago • Refl and merits • Low-fire com characteristics others. with elephants vities. of ndacti interacting .artsa and the work ❘ www EARS are con• 81 Y as 6000 B.C. y 2014 pachyderms februar These beloved

Elizabeth

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

will ... elementary students of the term pietre • show understandingwork in this style. dure by creating a birds, flowers or fruit • create a drawing of of a pietre to be used as the basis dure work. to fit pieces together • trace their drawings of pietre dure in the working method artisans.

Reese

Eunice

YEARS

•

februar

y 2014

of artisans, students Inspired by the work their faux pietrewere excited to create of paper. dure art works out

ith budget restrictions and probeads and soft, hairy and fuzzy STANDARDS varietARTcut gram NATIONAL backs affecting most ies, these weavings can become landmedia, public-school art programs, and applying creating scapes or simply textural • Understanding adventures artistically and processes. and culturally soundtoart les- in techniques weaving. It also becomes a hands-on the visual arts in relation sons is challenging. • Understanding discovery of art elements and and cultures. princihistoryWeaving on looms made out of ples using color, shape, texture, pattern upon and assessing the • Reflecting recycled cardboardofboxes their work fits the cir- and rhythm. characteristics and merits cumstances at the three elementary and the work of others. Strips cut from “retired” sweatschools where I teach. With so many ers can be used to create lumpy and students and a slim budget for art sup- bulky sections in the weavings that MATERIALS plies, it took creativity, recycling efforts can become hillsides, abstract shapes paper soliciting black background for yarn and x 12" fabric-scrap and more. Mixing • 9"and thicknesses, envelopes sticks, weavglue to support this donations • Scissors, school-wide ing patterns and assorted colored papers textures with raffia paper, weaving • Tracing activity. straw, satin ribbons and feathers papers (available from create • FauxAstone field trip to the University or paper of Penninteresting sections. wallpaper sample books sylvania Museum of Archeology and supply companies) inlaid works and in Philadelphia Visuals of pietre dure sparked PATTERNS AND CONCEPTS • Anthropology flowers K–1 stufruit and this activity, of birds, and illustrated the vast dents use small looms and concentrate multicultural connections of a weav- on an over one/under one, alternating lesson—for aesthetic as on this and clickwell as ing pattern that I check for accuracy. Go to artsandactivities.com functional article. reasons. While to this only third This is the most basic weaving button for resources related the pieces on our “stone” pattern, through fifth grades went on the the wing, and then traced trip, but they on must durepay beak closeand attention to at a time, and glued them And, many pietre all grades were included in well.weavas the Students cut one piece their edges, making as our background provided of papers. paper sure to include stick. Envelopes were ing project, which we used student sketches created motif, asowonderful black paper with a glue the last warp thread their feature a bird works of class. and count it in the esprit de corps. glued down at the end completed class project. pieces that were not next line group of for of weaving, birds from a recently coming back the students were encouraged the lesson to his first the birds were finished, When opposite scraps. Rob asked me to introduce direction. introducIf it is and missed at lesson one leaves from their paper MATERIALS Five spools continuing the tree limbs, flowers and to add more color. fourth-graders, with him of rug warp end, it can skip several warp threads were the page, they added enough to prepare the looms classes. not only helped fill up in coming back the other This ing it to his other fourth-grade direction. If the weeks later to photograph the students’ all pietre dure masterpieces three schools, and instudents a book of were pattern is notpietre I returned two sucTo class, I brought row, it asked to bring in to see a high rate of student are several books on alternating each There small bolts of yarn, can pull out You final work and was pleased consisand a sample I had made. done such a fine job, which at your local library.completely. The looms becameshould be available this project. Rob had collection.” have either an odd which the “school how or cess even with number online. I explained I dure, organized them examples in a fine shelving system, of warp threads, carrying out our goals. tently also find many featured so each student’s carefully cut each piece incan order of color, trace success for both of us—Rob a drawing easilyand keep weaving pattern The project was a Luther, would so I could at the like artisans project is different. piece, new by this piece from tabs on the yarn inventory. art work put together, time, stone until the work was A varietya difficult skill because the beautiful studentgrade 1. though it was for a short ofof Loom colors and textures were atthis even with ourwas dis- WARPING AND of school’s art show and, true: some a puzzle. I told the children last initial. posal, in the classroom. It’s and students could are made from chips, the pieces FINISHINGhappy to be back I wasis Theform number unlike mosaics, which use any yarn This with working ofstill notches of art is they retire! Collaborating liked. together exactly. approximate > Gretchen, art teachers never truly alive as pietre dure had to fit and, a because our passion for teaching Cardboard looms canthem, especially in Italy where even grade 2. colleagues, can keep n of the Students varying sizes popular today, I told be adapted to dollars. were of with cardPurse. most of students! any age and dexterity hundreds level, for bring our ideas to art board, there small design goes for is same not an we in the exact be working students in IEPs and those with we would chal- number of warp threads. excited when they learned from North MerThe lenged motor-skills. Large notches and a retired art teacher Kathy Cunningham is warp is made from one continand the manner as these artisans. She thanks Robert Graff thicker yarns work well for primary rick (N.Y.) Public Schools. Shore, N.Y. our chosen bird on tracstudents. Narrower notches traced Manor School in Bay We first and fine the students of Gardiner THe WOrK BeGINs cutting out the head, but sturdy 17 warp string apart be the tookcan usedbird, for paper, then moreingadvanced applications, october 2013 x 81 y e a r s • and result vities.com n d a c t iweavs atighter r ta w w w . ain ing base appropriate for tapestry-like patterns and images. Using a variety of textures, boucle yarns, > Liam, sparkly colors,

WEAVING REQUIREMENTS

81 y e a r s october 2013 •

activit www.ar tsand

ies.com

Grade 1: Basic pattern of over “1/under 1” with accuracy, using a variety of textures and sweater yarn. Grade 2: Two or more weaving patterns, one being the basic over 1/under 1 pattern and another of their choice, and add a variety of textures and yarn colors. Grade 3: Three or more weaving patterns and choose a tapestry-type or free-form

• •

grade 5. Pouch.

veryb ody Weaves! december 2013 • 81 Y EARS

❘

www.ar tsandactivi ties.com

MATERIALS

• •

Cardboard and masking tape Rug warp and yarn in a variety of colors, textures and widths Strips of old sweaters and embellishments such as raffia,

•

ribbons, feathers, etc. ast summer, I attended abstract weaving. a course Grade • Child-safe weaving needles 4: At least in which four weaving create beautiful patterns I learned plan out toandfun handmade adapting their tapestry picture books. or free-form. With great excitement, I introduced images in Photoshop this project amazed at the Elements. I was Gradeto 5:my At least five weaving patterns and make craft creativity and example of an accessible, design weavings class, as an excitement they into a framed useful picture, allowed to spend pillow or purse/pouch as awhen and interesting in cultures all over final project. some time exploring> John,showed skill found freely. the world. the program I guided them (Note: At grades 3–5, students should be able to identify and Unfortunately, the in this process, grade 4. list their different weaving patterns and answered basic on paper or draw them oncifi c questions, Pillow. spegraphbook but mostly I wanted paper to design work out what lesson vate my their patterns Sabreen, didn’t may look students grade like beforethemselves moti2. as I’d intended—and them to find out they weave them.) the many possibilities for as it had motivated me over the summer. inherent in Photoshop. Unwilling to give up on the concept, uoushowever, string/thread, I told each which AFTER THE STUDENTS of mygoes students to choose favorite MANIPULATED around his or her their book only each notch fromona the their digital pictures frontcollection photo satisfaction, the to books. of 500 handmade class began the of the Each student cardboard loom. Towas produce biggest stage of project—creating then given the the the books themselves. assignment a flatter weaving, to personalize the warp must students all having With my different and re-create chosen different be tight their and the cardboard chosensturdy, book designs, often became rather class hectic during this and book’s Megan kept flat style, until completion. with process. Because my students our ahigh For experienced entirely school neatly finished as edge, craftsmanship issues, different I worked with each books’ the their weavings should end in an ually to figure out student individtheme. how to create his over-one/under-one pattern at or her particular as beautifully as book possible. This was, both the top and bottom of the of course, necessary given that we had no templates from THE FIRST work. This way,STEP the loops around which to work, and various book designs the the process were as new to the in notches catch thewas frontfor and me as they were the students. This to each variety and experimentation back student of the patterned to cloth take many wonderful digital lessons on the importance made for when pictures it is slipped off of of the the in the creation of of process school, loom. art. cardboard including the students, All weavings the must faculty be and EVERY CLASS compressed theat the structure top and the PERIOD INVOLVED > Vinh, a itself. I see new series of attempts chose grade 4. WEAVES this on page 26 to determine LEARNING theme because Pillow. what did andOBJECTIVES at the didn’t work for each time of the lesson, Elementary book.students willdiffi For each ... we were culty encoun• create preparing to leave art using weaving we tered,unique patterns we would our 40-year-old and relate the making constantly undo of woven cloth school building unsuccessful to the for a brand-new, other cultures inelements and try a different a historical context. approach. Books beautiful high school. weresubject • choose and evaluate created This gave the matter, out of paper and symbols books a personal, cardboard, and art outelements of wood, nostalgic touch. in the use ofacrylic of clear sheetstheir After all of the andweaving of copper. design in a creative manner. Books students were joined with their specific photographic had captured see BOOKS on page memories, I signed 26 up to use the COW (computer NATIONAL ART STANDARDS on wheels) for several class periods, so the students • Understand and apply media, techniques could have some and

marketplace

General Pencil

A Sc ho

processes Use knowledge of structures and functions Understand the visual arts in relation to history and cultures Reflect upon and assess the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others Make connections between visual arts and other disciplines

olwide Activity

www.ar tsandactivi ties.com

❘

81 YEARS • decem ber

Angelica

Ryan

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

High-school students will

... • design and create a handmade

book based on a visual image without a specific template or set of instructions.

• theorize and experiment

by Lisa D. Matthews

2013

Handmade Boo ks A MIXEDMEDIA

construction problems.

december

❘

www.ar tsa ndacti

determine which are more

to given problems, and

involves attempting unsuccessful solutions multiple before a workable solution is discovered. solutions to any given creative problem.

• learn there are many

STORY

2 0 1 3 • 81 YEARS

in solving aesthetic and

• attempt a variety of solutions

successful and why. • learn that creation frequently

by Lara Klopp

m a y 2 0 1 6 • 83 y e a r s

Keyo

Marques

> Leanna, grade 2. Detail.

www.artsandactivities.com

Lorana

vities.com

MATERIALS

• Copper sheeting, clear acrylic sheets • Duct tape, hot glue, glue sticks • Plywood, paper, cardboard • Fabric, glass beads • Variety of metal hardware • Digital cameras, Adobe and miscellaneous embellishments

NATIONAL STANDARDS

• Understanding and applying • Using knowledge of structuresmedia, techniques, and processes

Photoshop Elements (or similar software) (Lark Books; 2008)

and functions

www.ar tsa ndacti

vities.com

❘

81 Y E A R S • decemb er

• 500 Handmade Books 2013

www.ar tsandactivities.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Midwest’s Educational Products will spark your students’ interest in learning some of the fundamental principles of physics. Whether they are working to understand the dynamics of flight with our Delta Dart Kits or the basics of architecture with one of our Structures Kits, these products are sure to get your kids excited.

National Artcraft Co. is a leader in unusual and hard-to-find art and craft components. See our latest catalog or complete website featuring Craft Supplies, Musical Movements, Clocks and Electrical, Ceramics and Pottery Supplies. Spacious warehouse facilities allow for a huge inventory with a high fill rate and shipping within 2 working days on most orders.

www.midwestproducts.com (800) 348-3497

www.nationalartcraft.com (888) 937-2723 sales@nationalartcraft.com

Renaissance Graphic Arts, Inc.

Runyan Pottery Supply, Inc.

Full Line Supplier of Traditional Printmaking Materials 69 Steamwhistle Dr. Ivyland, PA 18974

One of the largest “FAST/SHIP” factory outlets in the USA for clay, glaze, tools, ceramic equipment and thousands of supplies. TEACHERS: Call for our 100page catalog and technical help on kiln and equipment repair parts and new purchase guidance on kilns and wheels. Talk to real people! See our CATALOG on our WEBSITE below.

www.printmaking-materials.com (888) 833-3398

www.runyanpotterysupply.com (810) 686-CLAY (2529)

Skutt Ceramic Products, Inc.

SCAD Educator Forum Create and collaborate with peers from all over the world in the midst of a lively arts scene at SCAD. During a week of educational and recreational events, you will participate in hands-on workshops, creative discussions, local field trips and networking with fellow art educators. Hong Kong: July 3–8, 2016 Savannah: July 10–15, 2016

Ceramic and Glass Kilns • Potter's Wheels. In the market for new pottery or glass-fusing equipment? Contact Skutt for a FREE catalog today and find out why Skutt is the number-one choice for classroom equipment with schools around the country. You can go online to order your Ceramic Kiln, Glass Kiln or Potter’s Wheel catalog.

www.scad.edu/sef

www.skutt.com (503) 774-6000

Tandy Leather

TRIARCO® Arts & Crafts Since 1946, Triarco's® Arts & Crafts catalog has established the tradition and reputation of quality merchandise at competitive pricing, guaranteed satisfaction, and pride in customer service. The 2016 catalog offers an array of products that will perform for you, and at the same time keep you within your budget. Order online or call for a free catalog.

Tandy Leather is your one-stop shop for everything needed to work with leather. In addition to a huge variety of leather, our 188 page Buyers’ Guide offers all the tools and other supplies needed to work with this fascinating medium. Visit our website to browse our offerings or stop by one of our 111 stores.

www.eTriarco.com (800) 328-3360

www.tandyleather.com

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To receive FREE product news, catalogs and samples from some of our Advertisers, visit Reader Service at www.artsandactivities.com. Once on the Reader Service page, click on the appropriate month, and then click on the companies whose products or services interest you. You will be instantly linked to their websites, where you may obtain more information. If you do not have Internet access, please call (858)605-0248 for more information.

ADVERTISers

IMAGINE

How much you would save if your kiln lasted 20 years. L&L Easy-Fire Kilns durability means much longer kiln life. Hard ceramic element holders, protected thermocouples, superstrong stands, solid peephole plugs, automatic zone control, pull-down panel, easy-to-change elements, and unparalleled tech support. with L&L Patented Hard Ceramic Element Holders

hotkilns.com/easy-fire

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AMACO/brent 6–7

Giffin Grip

ACMI 33

L & L Kiln Mfg., Inc.

Arts & Activities Magazine

Lightfoot/Cartoon Supplies

Aves Studio LLC

Nasco Arts & Crafts

Blick Art Materials

Paragon Industries, L.P.

Cress Mfg. Co.

Royalwood Ltd.

General Pencil Co.

Skutt Ceramic Products

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National Artcraft Co.

Blick Art Materials

Renaissance Graphic Arts, Inc.

Chavant, Inc.

Runyan Pottery Supply Inc.

Crystal Productions

Savannah College of Art & Design

General Pencil Co.

Skutt Ceramic Products

Mayco Colors

Tandy Leather Factory, Inc.

Midwest Products

Triarco Arts & Crafts, Inc.

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Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

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Blick Art Materials

Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

Crystal Productions

m a y 2 0 1 6 • 83 y e a r s

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Jim Bachor (American; b. 1965). Single Scoop Ice Cream Cone, 2015. Pothole mosaic. Located at Kauppakatu 2, 40100 Jyväskylä, Finland. Image courtesy of Jim Bachor (www.bachor.com).

STUDY PRINT

“When something is new to us, we treat it as an experience. We feel that our senses are awake and clear. We are alive.” — Jasper Johns

t is almost the end of the school year and now is a great time for us to start cleaning up our rooms. It is also a great time to use all of our “stuff” to create some very expressive threedimensional art pieces. May is also a wonderful time to make 3-D art so that you will not have to store it in your room throughout the year. If you do your annual art show in May or June, you can display these worthy pieces and then send them home. Another idea is to hang these 3-D art pieces from the ceiling in your lobby so that the school is decorated throughout the summer months. Enjoy these thoughtful tips.

tip #1

To Light or Not to Light Lark Kee-

ler from St. Andrews Lower School in Boca Raton, Fla., uses packing tape to create 3-D sculptures. Small or big, they have a glass-like effect and every-

tip #3

Recycled Materials Add Beauty to Nature In the gardens of the Dali

Museum in St. Petersburg, Fla., the trees are decorated with recycled admission wristbands. Hundreds of them are tied closely together in the branches of the trees, which illuminate them with bright neon colors. It makes for a beautiful and colorful exhibit. The wristbands are waterproof so they do not disintegrate in the weather. A great way to augment the landscape architecture at your school would be to decorate the trees. Doing this as an instillation would mean that it would be a temporary exhibit. Laminated leftover painted paper scraps; acrylic-painted or permanent-maker colored fabric would be great to use for this project.

tip #4

THREE is Better than FOUR! Miami Springs Senior High School teacher Beth Goldstein suggests that three legs are always better than four when

Glenda L

ubiner

tip #6

Don’t Crack Me Up? S-cracks are cracks in pottery that appear in the maturation firing. They usually occur at the bottom center of a thrown piece of art. That is because the base is not as compressed as the rest of the vessel. Beth makes sure her students compress their clay when throwing a pot to prevent s-cracks in their clay.

tip #7

Chairs with a Flair Nadia Earl from

3-D Projects one will want to touch them. Lark sometimes adds small LED lights inside of the sculptures to enhance their beauty.

tip #2

The Snowbirds Have Arrived As

many of us know, some of the southern states welcome our northern friends, affectionately called “Snowbirds,” in the winter months. Lark has collaborated with the fourth-grade teachers in her school who were teaching about bird migration and had her students make 3-D snowbirds. They used heavy watercolor paper and watercolor pencils to make these sculptures.

ATTENTION READERS If you would like to share some of your teaching tips, email them to: triedandtrue@artsandactivities.com

building 3-D sculptures. When using three legs, all legs are always touching the base surface no matter how uneven the round/base is. When using four legs, they all have to be even or it will wobble. You will definitely have a better-balanced piece of work and more stability with three legs.

tip #5

North Hialeah Elementary School in Hialeah, Fla., uses recyclables such as discarded cardboard, foam-core board, toilet-paper tubes, and Popsicle sticks to construct a miniature chairs using small pieces of clear tape. To do this, pre-cut cardboard and foam-core board into small pieces. Make sure to discuss ergonomics and chair design/diagram. Add discarded pieces of packaging foam and carpet samples for cushions as a finishing touch. Your students can Gesso or plaster the final design or leave in the assembled state. Their choice!

Glue Crew Needed Beth also suggests

that you should pay attention to your medium when choosing your adhesive. Not all adhesives will bond to all materials. Be mindful of the materials and have your students do some investigating before you start your projects. You need to know if your materials are porous or non-porous, will it adsorb or reflect and you must remember that more often than not when making three dimensional art you are dealing with gravity. Her big take away…hot glue guns are not always the answer!

Happy birthday to Keith Haring (May 3, 1958), Georges Braque (May 12, 1882), Jasper Johns (May 15, 1930), Franz Kline (May 23, 1910) and Mary Cassatt (May 25, 1844). Thank you Lark, Beth and Nadia for your helpful tips. n

Arts & Activities Contributing Editor Glenda Lubiner (NBCT) teaches art at Franklin Academy Charter School in Pembroke Pines, Fla. She is also an adjunct professor at Broward College.

m a y 2 0 1 6 • 83 y e a r s

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AA1605

Face Book Lesson Plan for Grades 3-12

Step 1: Press Fast Mache into a mask form in an even layer about 1/2” thick. Allow to dry.

Step 2: Glue to book or journal cover. Personalize by adding Blick Modeling Paste. Allow to dry.

Step 3: Customize even further by adding Blick Studio Acrylics.

Create your own high-relief “face book” for a sketchbook or journal A simple papier mâché face becomes very personal when customized with modeling paste and paints and attached to a journal, sketchbook, or recycled hardcover book. spring

2016

DickBlick.com/lesson-plans/face-book

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