Arts & Activities Magazine May 2018 by Arts & Activities

5 REASONS

...for you to try a Skutt Wheel

Built in Splash Pan

Easy to Clean

Just twist and lift off the wheel head for full access to the splash pan.

Large 1 Piece Splash Pan

Removable Splash Pan

Holds hours of trimmings. When you are done just pop off the wheel head and carry the whole pan, trimmings and all, to empty. Oh... and no leaks.

Heavy Duty Construction

The shaft, wheel head, base and bearing block are the thickest and heaviest you will find. This wheel was designed by a Big Pot Potter who wanted to ensure stability.

Smooth as Silk

Continuous Duty Motors

Our 1/3 HP motor delivers more torque at the wheel head than the competitions 1 HP motor because it is rated for industrial use. No matter what anyone claims, our wheels will handle more clay.

The SSX controller has an oversized capacitor that allows it to deliver power to the wheel head in a smooth, predictable fashion when you step on the foot pedal. This is particularly helpful when you are throwing at very slow speeds. Each splash pan style is available with your choice of a 1 HP, 1/2 HP or 1/3 HP motor. Visit us at skutt.com for more information

We help you make great things!

CONTENTS VOLUME 163, N o. 4

MAY 2018

85TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 26 A&A: IT WORKS! The Readers of Arts & Activities

14 16 18 23

3D ART, MURALS AND COLLABORATION

RECYCLING RENAISSANCE: ABSTRACT RELIEF SCULPTURE Michael Wade ALIVE AND KICKING: SCULPTURES THAT FIT IN A FOLDER Don Masse FOAM FOSSILS Gary Kohl CREATIVE COLLABORATION: CREATIVE GENIUS MINI-MURALS Elizabeth Carpenter

YEARLONG SECONDARY ADVANCED ART SERIES 12 AN AMPED-UP CURRICULUM, ARTICLE 9 OF 10: POETRY & SONG LYRICS

Debi West

SPECIAL FEATURES AND COLUMNS 6 STEPPING STONES: FITTING SCULPTURE INTO YOUR ART CLASSES Heidi O’Hanley

8 CHOICE-BASED ART: MOTIVATING MIDDLE SCHOOLERS Carol Crosby 38 TRIED & TRUE TIPS FOR ART TEACHERS: WHAT TO DO ... Glenda Lubiner

READY-TO-USE CLASSROOM RESOURCES 19 ARTS & ACTIVITIES ART PRINT: JOHN PUGH, ACADEME Tara Cady Sartorius 37 ARTS & ACTIVITIES STUDY PRINT: LONG STANDING INSTALLATION Rachel Beach

A&A AT YOUR SERVICE 9 MARKETPLACE 36 ADVERTISER INDEX

DEPARTMENTS 4 EDITOR’S NOTE 10 MEDIA REVIEWS 11 SHOP TALK ON THE COVER

ACADEME (detail), 1981. By John Pugh (American; b. 1957). Acrylic on concrete; 20' high x 30' wide. Mural, California State University, Chico. See “Arts & Activities Art Print,” page 19.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: (858) 605-0251; subs@artsandactivities.com. EDITORIAL: (858) 605-0242; ed@artsandactivities.com. AD SALES: (800) 651-7567; amy.tanguay@artsandactivities.com. AD PRODUCTION: production@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.

www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

12 3

e d i t o r ’s n o t e

We are beyond excited this month to be bringing

art teachers across the nation. In September, we invited you to share with us how your projects and lessons have been inspired by material found in the magazine, and the testimonials flowed in, all pointing to the fact that, indeed, Arts & Activities works!

Thomas von Rosen

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

you our 85th Anniversary “A&A: It Works!” feature. Beginning on page 26 is a selection of firsthand accounts of how the magazine is working for

president

a r t d i r e c t o r Niki Ackermann EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

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

Jerome J. Hausman Lecturer, Consultant and Visiting Professor, at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Barbara Herberholz Art Education Consultant, Sacramento, California

Also in this month’s issue are classroom-

George Székely Senior Professor of Art Education, University of Kentucky, Lexington

proven lessons that deal with 3D art, murals and collaboration. But first, if you don’t think your art program has “room” for sculpture, turn to Heidi O’Hanley’s “Stepping Stones” column on page 6, where you will find sugges-

Paula Guhin Art Teacher (Retired), Central HighSchool, Aberdeen, South Dakota

tions for how to make 3D experiences happen in your art room.

Then, check out “Sculptures That Fit in a Folder,” the latest in Don Masse’s popular “Alive and Kicking” series. If you’ve been curious about some of the apps available for making art with your iPad, Don spells it all out. “This activity is inspired by the work done by the designers of the Morphi 3D modeling app, and the work of sculptor Rachel Beach,” he writes. “Since we do not have the time or the space to create large-scale sculptures like Rachel’s, we would create digital sculptures that could then be set in real world spaces around our campus using the Morphi app.” Digital art, augmented reality, 3D printing … it’s all there in Don’s

Wish your students could create a large-scale mural at your school, but don’t have a big enough space, the time or the supplies? Elizabeth Carpenter found herself in that very situation, but she came up with a clever solution. She shares it in “Creative Genius Mini-Murals” (page 23). As you will see, she and her students are well on their way to creating enough collaborative mini-murals to transform the rather “institutional” hallways of their school, allowing them to leave a legacy and contribute to their community. Don’t miss the other 3D projects featured in this issue, as well as the awesome pull-out print featuring an amazing trompe-l’oeil mural.

Arts & Activities works!

Nan E. Hathaway Art Teacher, Crossett Brook Middle School, Duxbury, Vermont Amanda Koonlaba Art Teacher and Arts Integration Resource, Lawhon Elementary School, Tupelo, Mississippi Glenda Lubiner Middle-School Art Teacher, Franklin Academy Charter School, Pembroke Pines, Florida Don Masse Heidi O’Hanley

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

Irv Osterer Department Head – Fine Arts and Technology, Merivale High School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Debi West Art Teacher, Art Education Consultant, Hilton Head, South Carolina

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

a d v e r t i s i n g m a n a g e r Amy Tanguay

article, starting on page 16.

The irrefutable evidence is here:

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

amy.tanguay @ artsandactivities.com 800.826.2216 or 888.651.7567 p r o d u c t i o n d i r e c t o r Kevin Lewis p r o d u c t i o n m a n a g e r Tong Ros production @ artsandactivities.com

HOW TO REACH ARTS & ACTIVITIES Subscription Services To subscribe, renew, change an address or buy single copies,

visit artsandactivities.com, contact subs@artsandactivities.com or call (866) 278-7678.

Letters to the Editor Letters pertaining to magazine content and art education in

general are welcomed. Arts & Activities reserves the right to edit all letters for space and clarity. Send to ed@artsandactivities.com

Manuscripts Subjects dealing with art-education practice at the elementary and secondary levels, teacher education and uses of community resources, are invited. Materials are handled with care; however, publisher assumes no responsibility for loss or damage. Unsolicited material must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For Writer’s Guidelines, visit artsandactivities.com/submit/writers-guidelines/ Address all materials to the attention of the Editor. Simultaneous submissions will not be considered or accepted. Indexes Articles are indexed in January and June issues. Issues of Arts & Activities are available on microfilm and photocopies from: ProQuest Information and Learning, P.O. Box 1346, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. (Issues beginning with January 1977 are available in microfiche.) The full text of Arts & Activities is also available in the electronic versions of the Education Index. Copyright Permissions Reproduction of any portion of this magazine without written

permission is prohibited. Contact the Editor at the address shown below or the email address to the left or contact Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, copyright.com.

The opinions and recommendations expressed by individual authors within this magazine are not necessarily those of Publishers’ Development Corp.

artsandactivities.com

Maryellen Bridge, Editor and Publisher ed@artsandactivities.com Follow us on

12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128 (866) 278-7678. Fax: (858) 605-0249

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

Clean. Precise. Dependable. L&L Kiln’s patented hard ceramic element holders protect your kiln.

• • • • •

Fires Clean Fires Evenly Easy to Program Keeps Working Made for Schools

hotkilns.com/easy-fire KILNS BUILT TO LAST

505 Sharptown Road • Swedesboro, NJ 08085 Phone: 800-750-8350 • Fax: 856.294.0070 Email: sales@hotkilns.com • Web: hotkilns.com

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.

FITTING SCULPTURE INTO YOUR ART CLASSES

BY HEIDI O'HANLEY

hree-dimensional artworks are some of the most fun, yet challenging projects to make in an art class. No matter what material you work with, there are many factors to consider when planning your lessons and creating products that are more than paper or canvas. For this month’s Stepping Stones, I’d like to focus on planning sculpture projects in your classes. If you are a first year teacher or in a new teaching environment, there are factors to consider when planning your lessons and creating successful projects.

KNOW YOUR SPACE. Not everyone teaches in a per-

manent art room. Many are on a cart, travel, or share a space with another teacher. If you do not have a space of your own, this is where you get to be a little more creative with planning. But first, check your space to answer the following questions. Do you have the resources available to work with ceramic or air dry clay? Is there space to work with paper sculptures or papier-mâché projects? Do you have space available to construct a 3D form? Spend some time exploring your space to see if you have the ability to create certain types of sculpture projects.

KNOW YOUR STORAGE. After you judge whether or not your space is a decent place to build 3D forms, plan where you wish to keep the student projects stored during the week. If you’re in your own room, plan to keep labeled bins, boxes, or labeled shelves for stored projects. If you’re on a cart, discuss ways you and the homeroom teacher can store bins or projects away from student hands. If you’re in a temporary space, work with your administrator to find places to store artworks when you’re not at the school.

KNOW YOUR BUDGET. While browsing the art-supply catalogs, you may notice that sculpture materials are some of the expensive items in your supply lists. Although it may be challenging to squeeze clay, glazes or tools into your lists, they are essential items to help a student develop their artistic skills. Moving students from 2D to 3D is a good step to help with their spatial awareness and creative thinking. Sculpture materials may be on the high end of your budget, but find a way to squeeze in what you can. If it’s a struggle to fit sculpture materials into your budget, consider creating a “DonorsChoose” project. A little extra work advocating for 6

materials can really help with supplies for your students!

EXPLORE WITH THE MATERIALS AVAILABLE. No mat-

EXPLORE IDEAS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND BLOGS.

START SMALL. One of the mistakes I made as a first

ter what your budget is, you can find ways to create sculpture projects in your classes. But before you hand students a wire spool and ask them to create a 3D form, practice what you wish to have your students make. Take the time to create the project yourself before sharing it with your students. In doing so, it will help with working out any complications your students may come across when building their own projects.

Are you stuck on what to make for your sculpture lessons? Trying to find an artist to teach your students? There are multiple blogs and projects shared throughout art groups on social media! Teachers are always sharing pictures of projects, along with lesson details to help other teachers interested in taking the projects on with their own students! Some of the most exciting projects made in my class were inspired by other teachers around the globe! If you find a project you like, be sure to pay it forward and share an idea that you design down the road! We all work together to share amazing ideas with our classes!

year teacher was not budgeting the space I had available when student projects had to dry or be stored during the week. While pushing a cart from room to room, I underestimated the amount of space I had available and ended up creating projects that were too big to store. Whether it’s paper or clay, make the judgment call on what space you have available and test out how big or little to make the sculpture projects. After creating a few clay or paper sculptures, you will become aware of what space you have and how much further you can go.

CONSIDER COLLABORATIONS. Sculptures do not have to be individual projects, you can also create collaborative projects that can be installations around your schools! A few years back, the teachers worked together to create a recycled sculpture art walk! Each class created a concept, collected the recycled materials, and created life-sized sculptures that were displayed throughout the school. Have fun exploring with the 3D materials you have! Your students’ imaginations may surprise you! n

Arts & Activities Contributing Editor, Heidi O’Hanley (NBCT), teaches art at Brodnicki Elementary School in Justice, Illinois. Visit her blog at www.talesfromthetravelling artteacher.blogspot.com. m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

LIGHT

For bright, translucent color!

cone 05

TPL-03 Onyx

TPL-05 Quartz

TPL-23 Aquamarine

TPL-27 Zircon

TPL-28 Sapphire

TPL-34 Jasper

TPL-44 Peridot

TPL-45 Emerald

TPL-55 Tanzanite

TPL-59 Ruby

TPL-63 Citrine

TPL-66 Fire Opal

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.

MOTIVATING MIDDLE SCHOOLERS BY CAROL CROSBY

iddle school children are highly social and are going through massive emotional, social and physical changes. Generating their own ideas can be difficult because their minds are on their friends, family, social media, gaming, sports and after school activities. Knowing this about our students, how can we help them become better artists, generate ideas and become productive in the art studio? Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB), delivered via choice-based art, is a way in to the hearts and minds of these young art makers. TAB is student directed and is based on working toward effective studio habits. COLLABORATIVE WORK. Working together on projects and ideas can be empowering for young middle schoolers. Those who are having difficulty coming up with ideas can help each other and take off from other students’ ideas. Artists do not live in a vacuum and neither should we expect students to be original all the time. Work leads to work and collaboration can lead to new ideas and perspectives. Sometimes students will start with a group and then take off on their own with a related idea. Kids at this age are most influenced by their peers so giving them the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other is ver y effective. EXPERIMENTATION. Allowing time for experiments, failures

and exploration of media can lead to ideas. I know that art teachers may fear the use of splatter painting, finger painting, glitter, and a reliance on non-objective work, but if students haven’t had a chance to experiment and play with media they will need time to get it out of their system. Play leads to ideas and a desire to develop skills, as long as students are allowed to select their media of choice. Students want to be “good” at something. Why not give them the chance to be good at something that they are drawn to? Why not allow students a chance to experiment and then dig deeper? DIGGING DEEP FOR IDEAS. There will be those who really can’t find a focus. Allowing students to piggy back on others’ ideas, looking at how professional artists get ideas, letting students work on artistic projects from core subjects, guiding them to elevate a simple idea, allowing craft work, and listening to them talk about their struggle, can help. 8

Sometimes when a student has been unproductive for a period of time, having some starting-off ideas can help. High school TAB teacher Clyde Gaw uses the square to inspire the uninspired, Middle School teacher Nan Hathaway sets up “Art Traps” to spark interest, and other teachers have inspiration corners in their rooms. TIME FOR REFLECTION. Making art might be a low priority especially when students go from one disconnected class to another throughout their day. They have demands coming at them from parents, teachers, coaches and especially peers. In the middle of a project students might need to spend time considering their options and where to go next. I know I certainly do. They might need permission to put away a project and do something less demanding for a while and get a little perspective. When students finish a piece, it is important to reflect back on what they learned, although they don’t always want to. Sometimes the teacher needs to help them with this. In order to keep my focus on my students’ progress, I always try to remember that “Artists learn the skills they need in order to make the art they want to make” (Nan Hathaway). This thought helps me remember that my students are working on their skills even though they might not realize it and that the skills they learn are highly individualized. Personal, one-on-one conversations about skills, techniques, ideas and media choice can be powerful. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked my students what they learned through the making of their piece and they can’t articulate it so they will say, “I didn’t learn anything new.” Go through their process with them and help them by pointing out the skills they showed in their projects and the habits they are developing. In this way, you can help “frame” the learning you have obser ved and make it visible for your students. Collaboration, experimentation, idea generation and reflection are just a few of the ways we can work more effectively with our students in a TAB art studio. When we keep some of these points in mind we can help direct our students to thrive in the studio and understand that they are the artist and their ideas matter. n

Carol Crosby taught visual arts at the elementary and middle level for 20 years in Northern Vermont, prior to her recent retirement. She wrote her master’s thesis on Teaching for Artistic Behavior, implemented a TAB program in 2002, and has been an advocate of choice-based art ever since. An artist in nontraditional sculpture and painting, Carol exhibits regularly in Vermont. m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Blick® Liquid Watercolors

Find even more successful classroomtested lesson plans for your art students from back issues of Arts & Activities. Looking for painting projects? Check out our April issues. Looking for paper and collage ideas? October is when that is the focus. Order online for only $6 per copy, including postage.

I've used Blickrylic for my students for years because of the great prices, easy-to-use pour bottles and paint consistency. I've never found a comparable product anywhere, plus it's difficult to improve perfection! Now retired from teaching, I'm still buying Blickrylic for my exploratory acrylic pouring work, and loving the results. ArtLover, San Diego, CA

artsandactivities.com

dickblick.com (800) 447-8192

Chavant, Inc.

General Pencil

Since 1982, Chavant has produced a wide variety of professional grade, oil based, plastelines. Please order a sample kit and evaluate these superior quality clays and tools. Skilled sculptors agree – the fine art of sculpture begins with the finest clay!

General’s® MultiPastel® Chalk Pencil Set of 36 Colors. Introducing 12 brand new colors in this fresh new set of 36 Vibrant Colors! General’s® MultiPastel® formula is made with pure artist grade pigment. Smooth, Blendable, Acid Free, Oil Free, and Made in the USA.

chavant.com (800) CHAVANT

GeneralPencil.com

marketplace

Arts & Activities Back Issues

Renaissance Graphic Arts, Inc.

Graphic Display Systems American made and proudly serving artists, craftspeople, and schools for 40 years! Versatile and lightweight display panels for use in classrooms, art displays and stage backdrops. Contact us for a free catalog.

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

Graphic Display Systems, 308 S. 1st. Street, Lebanon, PA 17042 graphicdisplaysystems.com (800) 848-3020

Skutt Ceramic Products, Inc.

printmaking-materials.com (888) 833-3398

Tandy Leather

Visit our website and find out why Skutt is the number one brand of kilns used in schools across the USA. You can also download lesson plans, watch videos on how to program your kiln, read an article on how to fuse glass … and a whole lot more.

Tandy Leather is your one-stop shop for everything needed to work with leather. In addition to a huge variety of leather, our 220 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 stores.

skutt.com (503) 774-6000

tandyleather.com

www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

media reviews

BRICK BUILDINGS: Clever and Creative Ideas to Make From Classic LEGO®, by Kevin Hall. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., $13.99. If you have access to this book (and to LEGO® bricks), you can assign any of its 40 architectural sculptures knowing that the child probably can follow its very visual instructions. With no written steps, readers simply view images of every stage from start to finish. Each necessary element is pictured beside the number needed for completion. Two kinds of models are shown: those based on actual buildings and

BOOKS • DVDs • PRINTS • RESOURCES Jerome J. Hausman • Paula Guhin

those founded on fantasy. The egg house, the hollow tree and the flying house exemplify the imaginative constructions. Two of our favorites are the cloud house and the wacky wagon. Some of the micro-buildings are palmsized, and you’ll find cars and trucks as well as several towers: a castle keep, a lighthouse, and a windmill. If not recreated exactly, each project can be used as a rough guide. There’s room for originality using other parts and altered designs. Keep in mind that not only classic 2x4 bricks are recommended, but also slopes, tiles and more. Most of the plans have 12 to 18 steps, so they’re not for the very young. But anyone with a propensity for engineering and planning, any kid (or adult) who loves to build things will be happy

with this book…and will hanker for a new set of LEGOs, too.–P.G. 13 ART MATERIALS CHILDREN SHOULD KNOW, by Narcisa Marchioro. Prestel Publishing, $14.95. To paraphrase the author, whether an artwork is made of gold or of garbage, the important thing is that it’s the creation of an artist who is expressing himself. Paper, clay, metal, glass and fibers are some art materials that come to mind readily. But wood, ivory and bone were among the media used in the first works of art. This excellent edition joins at least six other titles in print in Prestel’s “13” series. It makes an impression from the first large photograph, a carved goat made of reindeer horn. Another large picture, a brilliant scarab-shaped breastplate, is a showstopper. Ms. Marchioro’s comprehensive timeline, running through each page, begins with the Paleolithic era and ends with today. There you’ll find many significant events, birth-and-death dates of key figures, and several more nuggets regarding art materials. Her “Did You Know” morsels are instructive goodies, and six questions further the learning. Tips include two resources (a book title and a website url) as well as other research prompts. The educational material carries on with a sidebar for each topic, providing a “Used since” time period and a list of tool usage with that medium. And that’s not all. Art-making ideas urge youngsters to create Matisse-like collages, “ancient Greek” vases, and deconstructions. 13 Art Materials is sure to be a rewarding read for kids of eight to ten. At present, new and diverse media and explorations have only added to traditional ar t practices. Aren’t we lucky to be ar tists in these days?–P.G.

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

shop talk

Make art class fun with

CelluClay instant paper mache

AMACO U.S.A.-made Sculptamold® combines the best features of clay, plaster and papier-mâché. Furnished in dr y form, add water and cast or model with fingers or tools. Sculptamold does not shrink and adheres to most clean surfaces. Build up relief sculpture with it, or cast in sand, plastic or rubber molds. When dr y, it can be sawed, car ved or nailed. Decorate with paints and finishes.

AVES STUDIO Aves® Paper Maché™ is a multi-purpose, safe and non-hazardous sculpting material, made with virgin paper pulp. Featuring a professional 30-minute set time, this fine-textured maché has a white body, is lightweight, strong, versatile, and cleans up easily. Available in 1-, 5-, 25-, 50-, 100-lb. boxes.

www.avesstudio.com

Just add water! Air dries!

www.ActivaProducts.com 1-800-883-3899

www.amaco.com

PCF STUDIOS Three-dimensional studies are useful for art teachers, illustrators, and classical and digital sculptors, and especially important in helping art students understanding structure. Cast in durable plaster, the 9-inch-tall Male Planes Head from PCF Studios is three-quarter life-size.

WHEREVER you see this symbol, it means there are RESOURCES related to this article AVAILABLE online.

www.pcfstudios.com www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

VISIT artsandactivities.com and click on this button to EXPLORE these TOPICS further.

may 2018

Yearlong Secondary Advanced Art Series | AN AMPed UP CURRICULUM

Poetry & Song Lyrics by Debi West

n last month’s article, I talked about the importance of the art of storytelling. I believe that once our students realize how important it is to create art that has a story behind it, they are hungry for more! A few years ago, I designed a les-

son around poetry and song lyrics to springboard off of their storytelling unit. Not only is this a great lesson in terms of student’s final works, it’s one of their absolute favorites because kids love songs! And when they realize songs are actually a form of poetry, they’re hooked! (And not to mention your language-arts teachers will become your greatest allies!) I BEGIN THIS LESSON by playing a song for my students. As they’re listening to it, I have them quickly sketch in their journals any imagery that might come to mind as they hear the words of the song. The initial images are always simple contour sketches but often become the premise for something spectacular. We have a discussion about the imager y they created and how each student has a unique view of the words they selected to sketch. These advanced art conversations are an

important and rich part of the AP curriculum in that students must be deep thinkers in order to justify their final portfolios. I think the more they discuss their art-thinking, the stronger their works become. They are then charged with finding a song or a poem that has personal meaning to them. This doesn’t take long because students usually have their favorite play list right there with them. I have found it interesting, though, to see them begin to write down the words and then think about them through a new lens. So often their initial song choice changes. They think deeply about the words and begin to sketch areas of the song that will flow with the song. I tell them up front that they’ll present their final works to the class, but instead of talking about their work, they’ll simply play a portion of their song or a reading of their poem and if the class sees

Kimberly

Samantha

Lacey

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

ARTICLE 9 OF 10

Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources related to this article.

Leeg

Allison

the connection, they’re good to go. This adds a new dimension to their thinking and helps them consider how they want to create their pieces. Since we are now deep into our advanced art course, I rarely give my students too many parameters in terms of media and size of surface. This allows them to create very personal works that they again, have full ownership over. I have received so many incredible works via this lesson and have found that by not limiting their materials, they are free to be the creative and

www.ar tsandactivities.com

divergent thinkers we aspire for them to be. This lesson definitely creates art that is music for the soul! Next Up: “Per formance Final/ Capstone.” n A&A Contributing Editor Debi West, Ed.S, NBCT, was an art educator and department chair at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia. She is now involved with her two businesses, WESTpectations Educational Consulting and Crystal Collage Children’s Art Studio in Suwanee.

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

Ana

Henry

RECYCLING

renaissance

Hannah

Abstract Relief SCULPTURES by Michael Wade

f you’re an art teacher, then you are also part hoarder. Let’s be honest, you keep everything! You save every scrap of mat board, cardboard and paper. If you think there is a remote possibility that it might be useful it gets put in a box, labeled and put on the shelf for later. Eventually these boxes overflow with hoarded bits of materials you never use. This is the perfect storm for a great “problem solving” lesson plan. What to do with all those leftover scraps of mat board? They are too small to use as canvas for drawings or paintings and are much too irregular to make a large sculpture. However, they are perfect for layering and a wonderful way to introduce your students to the difficult concept of abstract art!

Kolbey

I’VE SPENT ALL YEAR TEACHING MY STUDENTS the funda-

rather than tr ying to depict life as they see it. Creating “Abstract Relief Sculptures” is a great way to introduce my students to abstract and minimalist work while also using scrap materials I have been saving all year. I find this to be a great end year project that allows their creative juices to flow and lets them be free and fearless with the materials.

mentals of art, such as the elements and principles, as well as good technique with varied mediums. We converse about proportions, light, form and function, then apply these ideas to recreate what we see. What about the more difficult concepts such as emotion, and expressing abstract ideas through visual form? Abstract art seems to be that elusive subject my students just don’t understand. “I don’t get it” or “I can’t do that” are common responses when I introduce my students to the abstract expressionists or the minimalist artists. I challenge my students to create a work that focuses on pattern and movement resulting in a rhythmic design based on an emotional or instinctual response to the materials,

I BEGIN BY INTRODUCING MY STUDENTS to artists such as Kandinsky, Mondrian, Calder and Nevelson. Students make observations about their art and we converse about what abstract art is and how it differs from representational art. We talk about composition and how these artists use both elements and principles of art in their work. We then discuss processes and techniques used for collage and assemblage art. We talk about how incorporating other mediums (such as paint, colored pencils, markers) can give the work further depth and texture. I demonstrate my process and how I would tackle this project, and my approach to the materials.

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

Once my demo is complete, it is time for students to start scavenging through the collected pieces of mat board. They find this to be the most fun part of the project, as they hunt through the seemingly endless pile of colorful mat-board scraps. I encourage them to allow the pieces of mat board they find to influence and dictate what their compositions will be. Students are allowed to cut and alter the pieces to fit their design composition. Many of them comment on how difficult cutting mat board can be, which leads to an important teachable moment: showing them the safe and proper way to use a utility knife with a metal straight edge. BEFORE STUDENTS BEGIN TO ASSEMBLE THEIR SCULPTURES,

Alexis

I suggest using drawing materials and/or paint to add visual texture and design to their pieces of mat board. This step allows students who love to draw and design to really get into a sculptural project. They use hot glue or white glue to construct their relief sculptures, creating several layers. We finish the lesson with a class critique and discussion. I ask the students what their least favorite part of the project was as and what they felt was most successful. To assess their understanding of abstract art at the end of the unit, I have each student write a rationale for his or her work on how the design utilizes the principles of design, such as rhythm, movement and/or see

RELIEF

Jackie

on page 35

LEARNING OBJECTIVES High school students will … • define shape, abstract and collage. • design and organize an abstract composition. • define rhythm and movement in a composition. • demonstrate an understanding of how the communication of their ideas relates to the media, techniques and processes they use.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

• •

CREATING: Generating and conceptualizing artistic ideas and work. RESPONDING: Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning. • CONNECTING: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context. The abstract relief sculptures were constructed by using several layers of mat board, craft/utility knives, metal straight edges and glue.

www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

MATERIALS

•

Mat board or cardboard scraps (or scraps of any stiff material that is easy to cut)

• • •

Hot glue or white glue Craft knives or utility knives Drawing media or paint. 15

ALIVE

and kicking

that Fit in a Folder

by Don Masse

y students create sculptures all the time because I have so much storage in my classroom” … said no elementary art teacher ever. I struggle with sculpture units because Zamorano, where I teach, is such a large school and my storage space is minimal. Fortunately, we have other art teachers (I’m looking at you, Miss Danielle and Miss Kathi) who rock three-dimensional projects as well, and it takes the load off me. That said, you are probably the only art teacher at your school and this digital art project could be a way of offering a sculpture experience without actually creating sculptures —and dealing with where to put them when they are built. This activity is inspired by the work done by the designers of the Morphi 3D modeling app, and the work of sculptor Rachel Beach. I’ve used Rachel’s work in the past as a springboard for student experiments with perspective and value to create the illusion of 3D sculptures in the past, and I love how she has played with concepts of two-dimensional shape and 3D form over the course of her career. For this project, my fourth-graders viewed some of her sculptures, which explored symmetry and the precarious balance of stacked forms. They were fun and engaging, and my students were fascinated with how the forms could be balanced like that and still be structurally sound. I took the energy and questions my students had about Rachel’s work to lead into the hands-on activity. Since we do not have the time or the space to create large-scale sculptures like Rachel’s, we would create digital sculptures that could then be set in real world spaces Here, you get an idea of the size of the printed sculptures.

Students’ designs after being printed on the 3D printer.

around our campus using the Morphi app. Any time I do digital art projects with my students, there is much excitement and buy in, which is wonderful. When I do digital activities with them, they are almost Rachel Beach (Canadian; b.1975). always collaborative, Long Standing Installation, 2013. Oil, acrylic and chalk pastel on plywood; for a couple of reasons. 78" x 24" x 18". Photograph by Cary First, it allows stu- Whittier. See page 37 for a larger dents to help each other image suitable for classroom use. as they work through the ins and outs of the apps we are using. They become teachers for one another and it allows them to take more responsibility with the learning activity. Second, they reinforce social and teamwork skills that students are going to need to master as they move through the academic and then the professional worlds. These collaborative experiences are not meant to be quiet. There should be a lot of talking and dialogue happening—just monitor it to make sure “most” of it is relevant to the activity. BEFORE STUDENTS DIVE INTO CREATING their 3D models, I play a video I put together that demonstrates how to work the features the app has to offer. The Morphi team has put together a wonderfully user-friendly app that even a tech slowpoke like me can have success with it. I ask students to create a design that demonstrates symmetry in at least one direction and that used thin, medium and thick lines for visual variety. The app has a 2D drawing feature—like you are drawing on a blank page and you can turn the symmetry on and off. You can easily change line thicknesses with pencil and eraser tools, and you can clear/ delete the whole thing and try again. I emphasize using that “clear” button. The beauty of digital design with elementary students is that they can start over with the click of a button and the stigma attached to dealing with erasure marks and asking for more paper isn’t there. The failures that are part of anyone’s design process are so less stressful and it encourages students to take more chances and risks when they are experimenting. Once teams have a 2D design they are satisfied with, they hit a “3D” button that turns the design into a 3D solid in a new window. The design appears on a gridded base like graph paper and they can tilt and rotate it in different direcm a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

Tapping on the “3D” button after drawing a design in the Morphi app turns the design into a 3D solid in a new window. Students can tilt and rotate it to see it from different angles, and alter the dimensions of the design. Things get really fun when they tap the "AR” (augmented reality) button, which allows students to import photos from the iPad’s album and position the object in the “real world.” The results are often humorous, and always interesting.

As teams, fifth-graders use the Morphi app to draw a 2D design. At left is the 3D-printed version of the design.

Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources related to this article.

Here, a 3D design is being placed into a photo, creating an example of “AR” (augmented reality).

tions to see what their form looks like from different angles. You can also alter the height, width and length of the design. When students get to this point, they can save their file. THEN THINGS GET REALLY FUN! Students press the “AR” but-

ton (augmented reality) and the app works with the iPad’s camera and you can see your creation in the real world. As students are discovering this, I encourage them to experiment with scale—zooming in and out on the sculpture to make it tiny, life-size or MASSIVE in the setting. I also encourage them to tilt the sculpture to make it fit the perspective of the setting they’re viewing. For this step, they can go outside to the gardens and playgrounds next to my classroom. You could do this on site or take a field trip to a different location— imagine taking them to a museum or gallery! Students then take a screenshot of the sculpture in the setting, crop out the toolbars to make it look as real as see www.ar tsandactivities.com

FOLDER

85 Y E A R S •

on page 34

may 2018

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Elementary students will … • experiment with new digital technology to create original works of art that demonstrate an understanding of symmetry, scale and point of view. • collaborate with a partner and take part in respectful conversation in order to create an original work of art.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

•

CREATING: Brainstorming multiple approaches to a creative art or design problem. • Revising artwork in progress on the basis of insights gained through peer discussion.

MATERIALS

• • •

Examples of artist Rachel Beach’s work iPads or tablets, color printer Morphi app, how-to video 17

FOAM FOSSILS by Gary Kohl

> >

Fish.

Nautilus by Ryan. Prehistoric bird.

was looking for an innovative way to create sculptures with my grade seven class. I knew they had tried clay before, and my budget at this stage of the year could not accommodate plaster. Foam insulation blocks provided an exciting alternative. The 2-inch-thick sheets were inexpensive and easy to break up. Simply score them with a boxcutter, and then break off the desired pieces. The students enjoyed karate-chopping the pieces into smaller sizes. They aligned the score-lines with the edge of a table and—“hi-ya!”—the foam broke into perfect clean-edged pieces. These 2-inch-thick blocks were available to students in sizes ranging from 4" x 4" up to 12" x 12".

ONCE THE CARVINGS WERE COMPLETE, students applied

metallic paint to the surfaces, which provided rocky color options and really made the finished sculptures pop. Some students skewered their carvings then stuck the base into clay or broken-off chunks of foam, for a base support. The finished sculptures were placed in a lit display cabinet, highlighting the metallic paints beautifully. n Gary Kohl teaches sixth- through eighth-grade art, along with eighth-grade drama, English and media, at Unionville Montessori School in Ontario, Canada. 18

Leaf by Gabriel. Sand dollar by Alyssa.

WE THEN VIEWED MAGAZINE PICTURES of fossils in rocks. Students also searched for similar images using Google on their tablets. They sketched ideas in their drawing journals, which they kept in view as reference while they carved. Their sketches showed views from all sides of the sculpture. Skeletal images and fish shapes proved most popular. The softness of the foam allowed most students to carve it with their fingers, while others used scissors. For part of their designs, details such as wings, bones and fins were added using broken skewer sticks and scraps of construction paper. I reminded them that the fossil should contrast with their “rock” or background surface, both in terms of texture and color. Also, reminders were given to ensure that all sides were carved, including bottoms, especially if final work was going to be mounted and visible on all sides.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Middle school students will … • learn about three-dimensional design. • apply textural techniques. • apply elements of line and shape to carvings. • apply color techniques. • understand the importance of perspective.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

• •

CREATING: Conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work. CONNECTING: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.

• • • • •

Foam insulation sheets (hardware or building supply store) Skewer sticks Construction paper scraps Metallic paints (or acrylics) Clay for base support

MATERIALS

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

A&A Art Print: Respond and Connect John Pugh. Academe, 1981.

“I like to play with the mural composition so that the layers will unfold sequentially, creating a multi-dimensional narrative and prompting exploration. I also like to treat the layers as music, composing with color, texture, and form to create melodic overtones and the timbre. Ultimately the goal with the mural is to conjure fresh feelings and perceptions, and evoke a sense of connectivity with the mural, within us, and the world around us.” John Pugh

MAIN VISUAL ART CONCEPTS: Space • Shape • Illusion • Contrast • Value • Scale • Proportion

•

ART STYLE: Trompe L’oeil (pronounced “Tromp LOY”) is French for “Deceive the Eye.” This style of painting can be seen in works by the ancient Greeks, and has evolved over the centuries in subject, content and scale. Academe was so “real” seeming at first that one employee called to ask when the wall would be repaired. Others found themselves in fender benders as they became distracted by their fascination with the image while driving by.

• •

•

HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY: Plato (427–347 BCE) gathered with other philosophers in an olive grove in in Athens, where he established the original Academe. The word “Academe” evolved in English to form words such as Academy and Academic, all referring to places of study and learning. Pugh’s “garden” is a far cry from a peaceful olive grove, but he peels back the 20thcentury architecture to reveal the stable underpinnings of institutional learning.

CONSTRUCTION METHODS: The wall that seems to be breaking away is depicted as concrete, reinforced by steel bars. Ironically, the building (Taylor Hall) was demolished in 2013, thirty-two years after Pugh created the painting. In its place, Chico State University commissioned Pugh to recreate the mural on their new Arts and Humanities building (photo below). Pugh took measurements, color samples, and photographs, and then re-created the work on vinyl panels in his studio before installing them in their new position in 2015.

ARCHITECTURE: The columns come from the Greek Doric order, characterized by simple capitals and a slight tapering from bottom to top.

•

FOCAL POINT: The illusion of sunlight on the columns draws attention to the tall vertical forms revealed through the crumbling concrete wall. The illusion is heightened because the spaces between the columns are so dark, causing the eye to move upward to the gradated ceiling leading to the deeper space behind.

A CAREER IN ART: Pugh was 24 years old and still an undergraduate student at Chico State University when he completed this commissioned piece, it was his first trompe l’oeil mural. It drew such attention that his career was launched. To date he has completed more than 250 murals worldwide. including the one seen below.

PAINT BY NUMBERS: Pugh painted his original Academe as a student in 1981 for $20 and college credit. In 2015, Chico State University paid him $75,000 to recreate the mural in its new location. That’s a 375,000% raise! Current version of Academe. The new Arts and Humanities building blocks the sky immediately above Pugh's mural. The contemporary sculpture, Endless Columns (After Brancusi), establishes a complementary dialogue with Academe. The sculpture is made from repurposed lighting fixtures by glass sculptor/CSUC Professor Robert Herhusky and his students. Photograph © Chico State University. Jason Halley/ University Photographer.

Quetzalcoatl, 2016. The legendary Aztec feathered serpent appears to slither out from the face of a building at Mexico City’s Mexicable Station #4. The mural was commissioned by the government of Mexico. Image courtesy of Johh Pugh.

Wherever you see this symbol, it means there are resources related to this article available online. Visit artsandactivities.com and click on this button to explore these topics further. www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

M AY 2 0 1 8

John Pugh (American; b. 1957). Mural: Academe, 1981. Acrylic on Concrete; 20' high x 30' wide. Taylor Hall (now destroyed), California State University, Chico. Photograph courtesy of the artist (artofjohnpugh.com).

In the Studio: Create and Present Annotations and lessons on these pages by Tara Cady Sartorius, Program Director, Alabama Arts Alliance

GRADES K–6

GRADES 7-12

THE DIGITAL ORDER. These colorful works by fifth-graders combined knowledge of and inspiration from ancient Greek architecture. The students invented their own columns using contemporary media: iPads and digital art applications.

MIXED TAPE. Understanding one- and two-point perspective is a

must for any artist wishing to depict three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. Teacher Jenell Novello wrote a grant and helped her students learn important concepts. Novello explains, “I wanted to develop a Perspective Unit that builds confidence and skill, that was fun and engaging and that would end with a BANG! I was inspired to take on Tape Perspective Murals from other art teachers who had posted their outcomes on the Internet. So, I wrote a grant for the tape and crossed my fingers! Within a month, the murals were on the walls for the entire campus to see!”

Art by fifth-grade students of Michelle Sauer, who teaches at Becky-David Elementary School in Saint Charles, Missouri.

Teacher Michelle Sauer says, “We focused on Greek architecture for this lesson, specifically the Greek columns. We learned the three orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The students chose which order to represent and we completed the image utilizing the Sketchbook app on the iPads. Students experimented with the symmetry tool and the airbrush stroke to create a stylized effect.” Sauer encouraged her students to be inventive with their backgrounds. Some chose to use strong contrast while others selected more analogous combinations. Technology played a big role in the creative process, especially a symmetry tool that helped students stay on track with their assignment. Upon reflection (pun intended), Sauer says, “In the future, I might include more time to research and look at examples of artwork that is more graphic in nature so students can be more deliberate in their design choices.”

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS: Grades K–6 CREATE: Experiment and develop skills in multiple art-making techniques and approaches through practice. CONNECT: Apply formal and conceptual vocabularies of art and design to view surroundings in new ways through art making.

How to use the monthly A&A Art Print: Carefully unbend the staples at the center of the magazine, pull the print up and out of the magazine. Rebend staples to keep magazine intact. Laminate the pulled-out section and use it as a resource in your art room. — Editor

Art by seventh-grade students of Jenell Novello, who teaches at Natomas Charter School – Leading Edge Academy in Sacramento, California.

Seventh-graders are naturally social, so this lesson offers numerous rewards: Students begin their work independently, knowing they will eventually share; they get to work collaboratively to solidify the concepts and artwork; their large-scale pieces are seen on interior walls by the entire school population; and the artwork is easily removed to make room for other works. What other works? Novello describes possible extensions to her lesson, “One enhancement would be to digitally alter the designs to offer a technology extension. To incorporate more math, we could have students create scale drawings that they enlarge using ratios. Offering a variety of tape colors could provide more … creative expression. Even thinking of murals in unconventional places … could bring more appreciation to public art forms on campus.” Novello’s entire lesson plan and rubric can be found on Artsonia. See A&A Online for the link to her lesson and more examples of student work.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS: Grades 7–12 CREATE: Apply visual organizational strategies to design and produce a work of art, design, or media that clearly communicates information or ideas. • Develop criteria to guide making a work of art or design to meet an identified goal. • Demonstrate persistence in developing skills with various materials, methods, and approaches in creating works of art or design.

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

creative COLLABORATION

t is difficult to truly impact a large public building with student art. I have planned a few large-scale murals, but time, talent and/or supplies never seemed to materialize, in order to bring them to fruition. My solution? Install enough minimurals featuring the portraits of creative geniuses that will eventually amass to transform our institutional hallways. They will never have the impact of a large mural, but they’ll have more

impact than a mural never created. So it’s infinitely more than nothing. This project ticks all my boxes. It ... • gets the student art work outside of the classroom (this is my “out of the box” mantra). • allows students to leave a legacy as well as contribute to their community. • maintains high expectation by requiring the work to be “show quality.” • celebrates people for their creativity. • promotes collaborative work in

the studio by grouping students into “design teams.” • avoids the stress that comes with creating a permanent installation. • is inclusive of women and POC. • is engaging and celebrates youth culture. • provides a standards-based lesson. THIS PROJECT comes after studying wheatpaste street artists, in particular, Shepard Fairey, in our community art appreciation class. A class made up of many students who are not as interested in studio arts, as much as they are in the history of community, public and street arts. The art project has to be failsafe, allowing for a range of skills. Which it does! We can create 10 mini-murals in a class of 30 and usually hang eight or nine of them. I also enlist art club members to produce five or so every year, and summer school students create them as well. We are slowly nibbling away at the blank walls.

Eventually, we will install so many minimurals of portraits of creative geniuses, that our boring institutional hallways will be transformed.

Takashi Murakami

Jean-Michel Basquiat

creative genius

mini-murals by Elizabeth Carpenter

www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

Students work in three-person teams to create their mini-murals.

TO CREATE THE MINI-MURALS, I first

Keith Haring

Barbara Kruger

group the students, making sure one of the three has had some color theory/ design background. The groups then brainstorm (or work from a list I provide) as to whom they will do a portrait of. This year, I strongly steered them away from musicians, as those are already well represented in our halls. It’s tricky to balance students’ ideas of who qualifies for “creative genius” status with my ideas, and also to make sure the students are engaged. I did say “no” to a student requesting to do a portrait of a “Transformer”… and also had deep reservations that John Cena should be sharing the walls with Ai Weiwei, Quentin Tarantino and Prince. But you can only nudge them so far. Here come the technical steps. Google an image of your genius, copy it and then open up Photoshop. Open a new file and then paste in your image. Under image, choose mode > gray scale, which changes the image to, you guessed it: gray scale! Remember, you want the students to pick colors based on their significance to their genius and not pick local color. The next step is to choose the filters tab > filter gallery > artistic and then, finally > cutout. You are basically done now. Mess around a bit with how many levels (values) you want—five seems to work best, but I have done four and six, if they work. Students then tape a canvas square on the wall and project the Photoshopped image onto it, labeling the values 1 through 5, as they trace. It’s now a slightly sophisticated paint-by-number! We make ours two feet square, but you could go much larger. Students then make value scales for four of the five values, choosing colors that represent the creative genius. It’s

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

•

CREATING: Collaboratively developing a proposal for an installation, artwork, or space design that transforms the perception and experience of a particular place. • PRESENTING: Evaluating, selecting, and applying methods or processes appropriate to display artwork in a specific place. • RESPONDING: Analyzing how one’s understanding of the world is affected by experiencing visual imagery.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES High school students will … • work cooperatively in groups, delegating design and craft responsibilities. • create art for a specific site. • practice color theory. • make original choices to depict a symbolic likeness of a “creative genius.”

MATERIALS

• • • •

Acrylic paint, paintbrushes, canvas squares Tracing paper, pencils Internet, Photoshop®, computer, projector Scissors, a variety of printed papers and other collage materials (be prepared for sunflower seeds, coffee grounds, used books, maps, plastic flowers, corn husks— and anything else their creativity may conjure up!)

Kehendi Wiley

Frida Kahlo

You want nice even steps in the change from one value to another. THE OTHER VALUE. Students

easy enough when you are doing a visual artist, but writers and musicians require more effort in coming up with symbolic colors. I have students use their cell phones to take a picture of the value scale and then convert it to black and white to see if their colors are really dark or light enough to work for the values. www.ar tsandactivities.com

must have at least one nonpainted value/section. This becomes their “collage value.” In the past, students have filled these with lyrics, text, copies of sketchbooks, glitter, buttons (Coco Chanel), corn husks (Stephen King), moss (Frida Kahlo), and so on. In the student groups of three, usually two are painting and one is working on cutting out the collage parts, which they do after using tracing paper to make a pattern/template of the shapes for the collaged value. I try and get the students to not use the background for collage, but instead to use one of the values as their collage element. Sometimes it requires coaxing. For example, with

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

Bob Marley, they didn’t want to put sand on their teeth … but then really, who does? If time and creativity allow, we add another element to the border. Early finishers are expected to help other groups or wire the canvases for hanging. Nobody is idle in this project! WE HAVE PLEASANTLY EXPERIENCED

lots of positive feedback. I am continually asked by our administrators and others to purchase them, but I have held firm, as the mini-murals are to adorn OUR walls, not theirs. I created a few to be auctioned off for a good cause; but the others can be seen in the third floor D hallway between the drinking fountain and the math rooms … outside the IMC/library … on the first floor by the counselors’ offices … You get the picture! n Elizabeth Carpenter is an art teacher and Department Chair at Beloit Memorial High School in Beloit Wisconsin. 25

It Works! 85th ANNIVERSARY

“A&A: It Works!” was announced in this past September’s

lesson plans and resources found in Arts & Activities.

issue, launching our 85th Anniversary celebration. We were

The original articles that inspired the following accounts

exhilarated when the testimonials started coming in from

are available on our website. Visit our home page at

around the nation.

artsandactivities.com, click on the 85th Anniversary “A&A: It

Our hearts were warmed by the comments and we were thrilled with the response from the young generation of art

Works” icon, and a veritable treasure of successful ideas and lessons will be yours.

teachers who use the magazine daily in their art rooms. We enjoyed reading their stories of how they are using the ideas,

Hands On

Sumi-e Samurais BY DAVID LAUX

— Maryellen Bridge, Editor and Publisher

| JANUARY 2014

BY IRV OSTERER

| SEPTEMBER 2017

he January 2014 issue of Arts & Activities is one of my favorites. I was really drawn to the images in David Laux’s article, Sumi-e Samurais. I remember leaving that article open on my desk for weeks, just so I could see those images every day. I was so inspired by it, that I reached out to Adopt-a-Classroom for sumi-e brushes. I’d had a difficult time finding the right projects to engage my fifth-graders that year. This one was the key. They loved the whole concept of working on samurais and learning about the history. They also felt it was super special to have the new sumi-e brushes. One student in particular, who had never liked to create art, ended up having his samurai displayed at our local art museum! His whole family came to see it. It was a big deal.

he article that inspired this project was in the September 2017 issue, Hands On, by Irv Osterer. I made a short slide presentation about how artists can use their work to send a message. I started with Edvard Munch and Pablo Picasso, showed Barbara Kroger’s work, and ended with the street artist, JR. This coincided with the publicity about JR’s current work on the border wall between Mexico and California. I played an audio interview from National Public Radio with the slide show. This proved to be powerful because it brought current issues into the mix and the students seemed to respond to it with interest. The way that JR describes the work was open ended and personal. The question I asked to prompt my students was, “How can you use the imagery of hands to send a message with your artwork?” Submitted by Hallie Levine Art Teacher Pickney Community High School Pickney, Michigan

Submitted by Amanda Koonlaba Visual Art Specialist Lawhon Elementary School Tupelo, Mississippi

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

Celebrating Diversity with Kindergarten and Grade 1 Self-Portraits BY MERED “PIDGIE” LAWSON

| OCTOBER 2009

was so excited when I read this article, because we have so many different nationalities in our rural school district. I have used this lesson several times over the years. To start, I read a story to my students, What I Like About Me!, by Allia Zobel-Nolan. After adding colored patterns on 18" x 24" paper with crayons, my students chose the color of paper that best represented their skin type, and used a template to trace an oval head onto it. This was the perfect time to use wallpaper samples to make a shirt. Students added their facial features with construction paper, or chose to draw and color them with a black marker and crayons. Some students added teeth with the construction paper. Students added hair by rolling cut or torn pieces

Klee Creature Landscapes

BY CASEY POLCZYNSKI

around a pencil for curls. Others just tore or cut pieces for straight hair. Students had the option to add hands with the same skin-tone paper. Several students asked for buttons to embellish their shirts. Students are always proud of their finished projects as they view

their work displayed in the hallways of our school, celebrating being different is what makes us special! Submitted by Gigi D’Ambrosio, Art Teacher, Inman Elementary School Inman, South Carolina

| OCTOBER 2006

was super excited to choose one of the many articles that completely inspired me to share here in “A&A: It Works!” This was no small task: I have issues dating back to 1987!! In Klee Creature Landscapes, Casey Polczynski explained three important concepts that I was looking for: storytelling, watercolor painting and printing. The printing aspect piqued my interest, so I decided to put several techniques together. I ended up teaching my students about soap prints, mark making and Wassily Kandinsky—and they loved it! Soap prints are as simple as 1, 2, 3. Students block off printing areas on their tables with masking tape, then blend primary-colored watercolors, a bar of soap and water, and paint into their blocked area, again, directly on the table. Finally, they lay their drawing paper on top, burnish and pull a cool textured print! The following class I brought in some storytelling fun and discussed Kandinsky’s art. Students were intrigued with his unique style of abstracting art and his love of music. So, the final part of this lesson had students placing graphite paper over their prints, and drawing the lines and shapes they heard while listening to Beethoven’s Symphony #9 in D minor. When they pulled the paper away, their lightly drawn lines and shapes became a wonderful mark-making experience! To complete these works, students went over these lines with Sharpies, colored pencils and oil pastels. Their final works were inspired by Kandinsky and this project made for a great learning activity with beautiful results for my students! Thanks Casey and Arts & Activities! Submitted by Debi West, Art Educator, Gwinnett County (Georgia) Public Schools (retired). Now an Art Ed Consultant, Hilton Head, South Carolina

www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

Alive and Kicking: Round and Round BY DON MASSE

Autumn Leaves: An Experiment in Cubism

| DECEMBER 2015

BY PAULA SLEMMER

ound and Round is an example of how art teachers can incorporate modern, living artists within our classroom walls. The article focuses on artist Matt Moore from Maine. While Masse teaches a younger group, the project was easily transferred to my seventh-graders. My students examined Moore’s website and narrowed in on his more organic murals. We focused on the same mural Masse did with his students—a colorful piece painted in Portland in 2010. We reviewed vocabular y like symmetr y, shape, line, space, overlapping, murals and collaboration.

| OCTOBER, 1992

Students layered the circles the same way as shown in the article. Students used Sharpie® and marker to color symmetrically. The work was displayed on bulletin boards in the hall. Students, teachers, administration and parents have all commented on how beautiful the work is and how they love the display of the work together. Submitted by Kerri Waller Art Teacher, Simpson Middle School Marietta, Georgia

A&A Art Prints and more EVERY ISSUE OF ARTS & ACTIVITIES

have been a subscriber to Arts & Activities for the last 20 years (and a writer for the past six), and I still use the pull-out Art Prints with my students. I started using them as an elementary teacher and now, as a middle school teacher, I use them even more … and not just the current ones! I always start my students on clay around the beginning of February, thinking that it will be about a onemonth project. Not! My students love working with clay—as most do—and my one clay project usually turns into three or four more. I pulled out two magazines—the May 2011 issue and Februar y 2000. (Yes, I have them all categorized by month and years in several bind28

ers.) My students were working on 3D clay gargoyles (from the Feb. 2000 issue). I showed them the Ar t Print from May 2011—a 3.3cm Japanese netsuke (miniature sculpture), depicting a monkey with her baby. The gargoyles that we were making were small, but not as small as the 3.3 cm netsuke. While analyzing the print, we discussed miniature figurative sculptures (scale), texture, and form.

his project was a starting point for numerous variations on cubist leaves. The first time I taught it, we used colored marker on plain white copy paper. We followed the same directions as in the article, but used 4 or 5 leaf shapes. They looked very colorful, but seemed to need another step. The next time I taught the lesson, we added another layer of leaves in contour lines with black Sharpie®. Students who had time went “off the paper” onto another paper. This version looked much more finished. We have also sprayed the colored marker lightly with water to make the colors bleed for yet another look. This past fall, we added salt to the wet markers to add some texture.

Submitted by Glenda Lubiner Art Teacher, Franklin Academy Pembroke Pines, Florida

Submitted by Donna Staten, Art Specialist, Gattis Elementary School, Round Rock, Texas

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

Choice-Based Art: Diving Deep BY JULIE TOOLE

| MAY 2016

Assorted Henri Rousseau-Inspired Lessons, Art Prints, etc. T 1990s TO PRESENT

have enjoyed many of Arts & Activities’ Henri Rousseau lessons and resources dating back as far as the early 1990s. What I’ve done with all the project ideas is incorporate them into my two schools—where I teach students, aged 5 to 26, with severe multiple impairments and autism spectrum disorder—as a collaborative project focusing on animals in Rousseau’s paintings, and in the rainforest. Each school was assigned different animal groupings. We have a combination of cut paper, 3D, texture rubbings and paint, markers and stamping! Submitted by Lori Reuben, Art Teacher–Special Needs Lincoln Development Center and Pine Grove Learning Center Grand Rapids Public Schools, Michigan

he idea of providing “time, space and support” to students who choose to spend time with a process, idea, technique or medium, can transform art class into an authentic art-studio experience. Following Julie Toole’s example, I allow my students to decide how long to stay with an artwork or line of thinking and making, and to continue working until “done.” This attitude supports the development of individual style, the creation of series of works, (which can span years), encourages a connection between school and home, and nurtures productive collaborations between likeminded learners. Win-win-win! Submitted by Nan Hathaway Art Teacher, Crossett Brook Middle School, Duxbury, Vermont

Old-School Inspiration BY ANNE HOFFMAN

| MARCH 2017

tried this wonderful lesson by Anne Hoffman in the March 2017 issue, on the artist WRDSMTH. I never heard of this artist before, and I was intrigued by his work. I thought it would be a great way to spread some kindness in our middle school, the way WRDSMTH does, with his positive messages of hope and perseverance. I contacted Anne, and she was so gracious and generously gave me her PowerPoint, her typewriter printout, links to the stencils she uses, and lots of encouragement. I followed her format, and with fantastic results! The students loved this project not only for the power of the quote they chose, but also because they were so successful with every aspect of the project. Submitted by Stephanie Stamm, Art Teacher Boyertown West Middle School, Boyertown, Pennsylvania www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

Integrating the Curriculum: Quadrilateral Nutcrackers: Math+Art+Holidays= Fun Learning for Kids! BY JENNY KNAPPENBERGER

| DECEMBER 2016

y third-graders took part in a “Quadrilateral Nutcracker” lesson similar to the one in the December 2016 article by Jenny Knappenberger. They created a tiny version as an ornament! The students used quadrilaterals from cut paper for their symmetrical nutcrackers, added symmetrical details with black Sharpie® markers and white charcoal pencils, and then modpodged the ornaments. Fake fur or yarn was added for hair, and a ribbon was taped to the back for ornament hanging. All of them were successful and had fun personalities! Submitted by Vicky Siegel, Art Teacher Electa Quinney Elementary, Kaukauna, Wisconsin

Artful Inclusion: Rainsticks BY ROCKY TOMASCOFF

fter reading Rocky Tomascoff’s article in the Januar y 2017 edition, I was inspired to make beautiful rainsticks with my fifth-grade students. While my students didn’t have the same range of impairments as Rocky’s students, the project allowed for all ability levels within my classroom to produce a successful finished product. I particularly liked all of the choices that Rocky offered his students (nail sizes and types of materials to put inside

| JANUARY 2017

the rainsticks) because it mirrored how I teach. I always prefer to have a set lesson plan and specific learning goals in addition to a whole menu of choices that appeal to all the different types of individuals in my classroom. Although we put together the rainsticks as Rocky suggested, we did vary how the rainsticks were decorated. My students first papier-mâchéd newsprint strips to cover the tube and nails, and then used colored tissue paper (the non-bleeding type works best) with a second coat of papiermâché glue. The finished results were just spectacular—the colors so vibrant and rich! As a finishing touch, I incorporated one of my favorite art styles from the Aboriginal Australians. I taught my students about dot painting and showed them how to create unique patterns and designs using acrylic paint and the ends of paintbrushes. Some students chose to do that style of dot painting, while other students chose to adorn their rainsticks with yarn in order to add a bit of texture. When the rainsticks were completed, all of my students were super proud of their wonderful art projects, especially because they could use them as musical instruments. Thanks, Rocky! Submitted by Anne M. Hoffman, Art Teacher Shabonee Elementary School, Northbrook, Illinois

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

Art Class Can Be Monkey Business BY MARY WEED

| DECEMBER 1990

Integrating the Curriculum: Sonia Delaunay’s Circles BY ROBERT GRAFF

oung children can relate to the lively, inquisitive nature of monkeys. My firstgraders enjoyed making tempera paintings of them while learning about a wonderful young artist. At an early age, Wang Yani of China was introduced to painting by her father, a professional artist. He entertained his daughter by allowing her to paint freely in his studio. She quickly proved to be a prodigy, having a solo exhibition by age 4, and work featured on a postage stamp by age 8. We began by painting three to five orange monkey face shapes on 12" x 24" white paper. Next we used a fine-point brush and black tempera to add facial features. Palettes of brown and black paint were used to paint bellies, limbs, toes and tails. Students were encouraged to paint a variety of playful poses—tumbling, jumping, hanging upside down, and more.

Submitted by Valerie Taggart, Art Teacher (now retired) Livingston Manor Central School, New York

| MARCH 2014

was greatly inspired by Robert Graff’s March 2014 article about Sonia Delaunay’s Circles. I wanted my students to practice using a ruler. There is a fine motor skill aspect to using a ruler, and they needed practice with that. I also needed a lesson that could be completed in one class period, or about 50 minutes. So, I turned the lesson from this article into what I like to call a “mini lesson.” I had the students use oil pastels instead of markers because that was what we had on hand. The art work turned out beautifully. We ended up putting some baby oil on the oil pastel, which made it a bit transparent, and we taped them to the windows of the classroom door for the light to shine through. Submitted by Amanda Koonlaba, Art Teacher, Lawhon Elementary School, Tupelo, Mississippi

Abstract Painting: Be Your Own Captain of Creativity BY DEBBI BOVIO

| APRIL 2017

ne of the exciting things about teaching elementary art is that students are open and excited about learning. Younger children display less inhibition, which encourages an openness to new experiences. Therefore, I never hesitate to modify lessons intended for older grades. Keeping that youthful spontaneity is essential when lesson planning, but it can also be challenging. Children can display anxiety over colors smearing or mixing when creating a painting. This prompted me to teach students a new method using a more abstract approach. Sticking with the limited color palette, secondgraders were given two shades of blue, two shades of green, and yellow. Students were given a brush and paper towel, but no water. Excess paint could be wiped on the paper towel, though the idea was to let colors mix. The final guideline was to paint quickly, no more than 20–25 minutes. The results were stunning! Submitted by Jody Reynolds, Art Teacher Shenandoah Valley Elementary, Chesterfield, Mo.

www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

Fantastic Chagall BY JOAN STERLING

| APRIL 2007

Building Unity ... and Variety BY DON MASSE

| SEPTEMBER 2015

ecently, when classes changed and I was given my new group of sixth-graders, I looked at my plans for the semester, and knew I wanted to shake things up. I found the perfect lesson in the September 2015 issue: Don Masse’s Building Unity … and Variety. Not only was it collaborative, I could teach it as an opening lesson to the elements and principles of art. The circles we used were 10 inches in diameter—a little larger than the circles Don’s students used. I added in radial symmetry to show students how, when shapes are repeated, they become a pattern. I also gave them an introduction to color theory. Don had his students design on colored paper and glue it down on white paper; my students designed on white and glued onto black. This was a project where all students—regardless of ability level—were successful. Submitted by Kerri Waller Simpson Middle School Marietta, Georgia 32

ike most art teachers, I keep resources on file—sometimes for a long time. As I was looking through some older issues of Arts & Activities, I found an article I had marked several years ago: Fantastic Chagall. It really inspired me since Marc Chagall is one of my favorite artists. I was able to modify the lesson, making it simpler for my first- and second-graders, and more challenging for my fifth- and sixth-graders. We all began by discussing dreams. Some things in dreams aren’t real—like people flying, animals talking and time going really fast. The students focused on a dream or a real event that made them happy. All compositions included at least one person from the dream or event, at least one building or structure, and one “prop” or thing that could convey the way the student felt during the dream or event. They were encouraged to have people floating or flying, animals and things with human qualities, and anything that would make their compositions fantasy-like. The children used oil pastels, being sure that everything in their compositions had soft edges—no outlines. When the finished work was displayed in our main hall, everyone remarked how they loved the “Fantastic Chagall-like” art. Submitted by Tara Meleones St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School Long Beach, Mississippi

Drawing with Scissors BY LAUREN SAPOCH

| OCTOBER 2016

he idea for this project came from Lauren Sapoch’s article, Drawing with Scissors. I used it to teach organic shapes, which traditionally has been a hard concept for my students. It really helped. The children also enjoyed working with the bright papers. I remember watching them work together on where to place the shapes. They were talking it out, deciding how the shapes should be arranged. “We need a larger shape in this top corner because there is a larger shape in this bottom corner. I want it to balance,” was just one of the comments I heard. This was a quick lesson that packed a big punch! Submitted by Amanda Koonlaba Visual Art Specialist, Lawhon Elementary School Tupelo, Mississippi m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

Goldfish Bowls ... Inspired by Matisse BY KAREN EVANS

| OCTOBER 2001

was inspired by Karen Evans’ Matisse “Goldfish” lesson, but I worked with my elementary students to create goldfish bowls with a “mid-century twist.” We used construction paper, printed paper, glitter, markers, watercolor paints and crayons. Salt was added to the watercolor for a splashy, saltwater tank look. My youngest student had a penchant for lava lamps, which inspired even more modernism into an already modern subject. Submitted by Barbara Jean Hanson Lockwood Elementary School Eaton Rapids, Michigan

Who’s This? ... Torn Paper People Collage BY ROBIN CERISE TERRY

| MARCH 1990

adapted this lesson to make mixed-media self-portraits with my first-graders. It was one of my favorite lessons—a little messy, but well worth it. The resulting art was absolutely delightful! The torn-paper edges created a sense of movement and whimsy that couldn’t be achieved with hard-edged scissor cuts. We began by tearing a circular head from colored construction paper that matched each child’s skin tone (multicultural paper assortments worked great for this). Tearing paper can be frustrating at first, but the kids learned to grasp the paper between their thumbs and index fingers to guide the tears into the desired shape. We added a rectangular neck, gluing both pieces down on 12" x 18" paper. Small bits of construction paper were then used to make the facial features. Colored tissue paper was torn to create clothing, followed by more torn construction paper for arms, hands, legs, hair and shoes. In our second class, we continued the collage process, adding torn-paper buttons, hats, purses, baseball mitts, pets, kites, skateboards, and more. I applied a coat of Mod Podge to the figures before the next class. During the third class, we used Sharpie markers to add linear details and, time permitting, rubbed soft pastels into the paper for background color. These charming self-portraits would grace the hallway of the primary wing, bringing a smile to all who passed by. Submitted by Valerie Taggart, Art Teacher (now retired) Livingston Manor Central School, New York

www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

Lively Jack-O’-Lantern Still Life BY CHRISTY SANZARO

| OCTOBER 2010

earning to draw through observation teaches children to draw what they see, and helps them understand how a 3D object is translated to a 2D drawing. A simplified version of this still-life project with an autumnal spin was a great way for my K–3 students to hone their observational skills. I focused this lesson on the common element of ellipses found in each of the containers I set out for display. I pointed out that the bottoms and tops of these containers were curved rather than straight, which would also make for a more three-dimensional drawing. Chalk pastels and charcoal shadows added color and depth to their permanent-marker drawings and brightly colored watercolor-washed backgrounds made for the perfect finishing touches to their still lifes. Submitted by Mary Beggs Bosley Private Art Instructor Seal Beach, California 33

Visit our website and find even more inspiration ... Frog World Fu n k y

student work.

species are a that many 200 on their frogs, is the fact approximately a matt finish least of which to experts, available. those wishing since 1980. According zes was also applied. For disappeared endangered. diluted acrylic of undergla aware of completely were well frogs have similar selection using watercolor and/or paint remained species of my studentsrenaissance RECYCLING ns could as the n populatio science studies, A third option, ated. As long l texture s From their in amphibia also demonstr the wonderfu this decline planet’s ecosystem paint, was many layers, nces to the the fact that applied in le conseque uncompromised. of their frog thin and was LEARNING OBJECTIVES lead to irreversib surface remained only the eyes an of the clay Lower-elementary students and to humans. chose to glaze will… which produced viewed a PowerSome students matt color, • learn to see the art-making possibilities in everyday class first of the rest with WOrK, the different kinds • be able to repurpose objects into finished pieces objects and finished of ideas BeFOre sTarTING that profiled many colors and lar fusion by g visual effect. Tammie ion • learn and participate in the papermaking process.of artwork. Clark shapes, spectacu a frog the interestin l bullPoint presentat frogs were examining s whimsica • create a sculpture. frogs to large spent time The resulting by David Gilhooly’ special place— smallest tree oks, frogs, then own nature and d with the in their sketchbo ■ inspired by frogs had their drawings textures associate a collector several of odd items (hoarder, some say); The students’ made am NATIONAL ART STANDARDS clay. art show. ourBIrD-HOUse from universe. I see forTHe frogs. Students on the POsT was made from one potential art projects formsmundane infrog the most folded sheet their hands the objects pond, created y, at (trash, of newspaper, which yet another problematic area of • CREATING: Conceiving and developing new artistic to create before getting Technologinto before a some say). So, was the process. scrunched and when a friend a tube-like shape ideas and work. told sme e Arts pinch technique about some birdhouse and folded an PRESENTING: their sculpture • Head–Fin I then and Interpreting out attached nt We used a and sharing artistic work. the posts to the cartons with hot in half. ThisCanada, ideashollowing she saw in a craft magazine, I knew is Departme glue. Stue clay, Ontario, double thickness helped add I could develop Irv Osterer dent volunteers helped by holding a strength in Ottawa, to the posts. white stonewar birdhouse the kiln. the posts in the glue until project for my shown a variHigh School students. be placed in it set. Each student was then given ing Editor. students were Beginning they could at the fold, students tightly wrapped a shiny Merivale firing, To kick Contribut his things or her off, milk I asked bisque wanted carton, students Activities masking rst MATERIALS to rinseArts who out & and save tape around their posts, which they held upside down—to After the fi their milks.cartons For those carefully pulling and scrunching in the newsprevent any glue dripping from lunchand technique (I also collected some extras paper • Milk cartons chosen on them—until it dried completely for additional strength. They wrapped • Newspapers, foam board ety of finishing for the glazes were For materials, “unexpected”). the tape about • White drawing paper my second- and thirdappropriate or cardboard Students then used acrylic paint half way down so it resembled finish, the graders would use these half-pint to cover the posts, being • Double-stick, masking and a crude feather milk cartons, • Hot-glue gun and glue sure to paint a bit of the fanned-out duster when finished. The biggest duct tape newspaper, masking tape and foam portion at the base as • Acrylic paint, watercolors, brushes challenge board to create well. Watercolor was used to paint • Wool felts, towels, sponges students had with post-making decorative birdhouses. the paper-wrapped carDeckles/molds, drying screens • VES was wrapping • Green paper scraps tons. Short pieces of drinking straws G OBJECTI the masking tape tight enough. • Blender, dish tubs Instead of using papier-mâché LEARNIN were hot-glued to the to cover the • Clothespins ... birdhouses to serve as perches, • Straws, black circles Students then pulled and fanned cartons, I precut 10" x 4.75" and black paper-punched students will d WITH white drawing out the High school of endangere circles glued above became the ERED SPECIES loose newspaper so the bottoms paper, which we would wrap around more aware entry “holes.” to participate ENDANG of their are invited the car• become focusing on frogs. SAVING their students 10th annual posts would lay as closely as possible Birdhouses prior tons, creating smooth, blank canvases. apply color species, part of the teachers and clay frogs, to the an integral high school and create to painting. base. I told them if it wiggled like TO MaKe THe “Grass” to middle- and To do this, each student completely Art Contest, • Design , glaze or paint. May 15, 2015. cover a joystick, of the Elementary, opened Species Youth celebrated with underglaze is a celebration Endangered it wouldn’t hold the milk carton the bases, we cleaned out my scraphis or her carton’s top, then placed to which will be Species Day up correctly. in the Saving a length of The pulp was d Species Day, Endangered with an opportunity RDS They placed the fanned-out newspaper paper box of all the green, and made double-sided tape vertically along national Endangere by the U.S. Congress, provides K–12 students through artwork. the center poured into a tub ART STANDA on and support Started in 2006 wild places. The contest NATIONAL their foam board, securing their of one of the sides. One edge paper. My students were amazed knowledge schooled and and of the white and developing of water and a are home express their are also nation’s wildlife : Conceiving species and Children who post to the base with paper was then laid on the tape, at the process. The green paper in youth groups endangered contrast • CREATING deckle and mold and work. natural LEARNING OBJECTIVES All rights reserved. the ideas learn about who participate their art. Employing Species Coalition. four strips of masknew artistic then wrapped around the and sharing was torn into small bits, soaked the Endangered Imagito submit elementary students Interpreting colors, stucourtesy of horses. were both dipped G: cool hiseligible and with Photographs done warm had will ... Marc between ing tape. milk carton (be sure they • PRESENTIN in water and made into a pulp in on more at use • learn about Impressionism, illustrated by Sue Shields work.color family to underneath the g also be drawnLearn ing and which artistic ciesday.or dents chose Claude Monet and explored Jenkins and native patterns could It worked best Understandto use crease the paper at the a blender (about two thirds water • learn to see the simple ngeredspe Vincent van Gogh. y fifth-grade students unique 2001). water’s www.enda and which RESPONDING: surface shapes in the objects to add creative, convey meaning. cool col- (Candlewick, for their• chameleons, • understand good composition. for the masking how the arts corners). being drawn. to one-third paper bits).What a sketching the chameleons Another the world of warm and evaluating outlined artistic ideas and then pulled • be Next, students began The children then ING: Relating introduced to pointillism/stipp for the backgrounds. tape to be placed Chameleons.” piece of doublefun (and wet) way to recycle! paper, as details. meaning fromand • CONNECT ors by creating “Colorful coming ling and how to straight up, letting the pulp chameleons on white with black, permanent this method. light with personal settle on the deckle/mold shade using right next to the base of With the worksource by looking at their and stick tape is used create their sketches as the We began the activity water drained. • learn about watercolor about how they could think about what sorted their pastels context. children the post, pulling the maskmarkers and began to above, the external techniques and color Blue Horses we talked to secure the loose themes. Franz Marc’s The Large and impact in their pictures began coloring The deckle and mold were flipped to explore. ing tape tightly across the upside down onto a piece from light to dark and used cool colors emphasis edge of the paper to Franz colors they wanted of their (1911), to see how he the reptiles large, as of wool felt (I found an old army blanket the topALS fanned-out newspaper and the lightest value atMATERI and cut it up). A sponge for the back- by drawing the milk carton. oil pastels values for his horses and warm darker was pencils, used to remove more water andNATIONAL s, colored around to the bottom of the compress theART reptiles. Progressively how artists STANDARDS fibers. After students kiln way • Sketchbook ground. We then discussed clay,their The deckle was removed • CreatInG: work. as they worked andConceiving base. It should look like David then theand were added Gilhooly’s mold. The felts balance, drama, carefully refolded tools a • White stoneware the from new artistic ideas glaze, clay PresentInG: Interpreting developing • top use color to create were then stacked on Oils,pastels and by artist and work. in of the• bodies. one Underglaze nature tic-tac-toe another, down work. paint by and wrapped board their the 13 sharing in when in tops a towel acrylic finof drawings artistic work. their be used for contrast and beauty and compressed even further to of ideas inspired could did several sea Turtle. family and Watercolor getting their students ished. If the masking tape is remove more water (I stand the book, opposite •color were a fusion Kemp’s ridley milk cartons, ks before I Our frogs I then read to the class on the bodies on the towel). The paper was then Brushes grade 4, Zaharis their sketchboo not right next to the base of emphasis•of small details removed from the felts ariz. Hailey Boiarsky, written by Martin secured on the clay. them at the hands school, Mesa, and click on Chameleons are Cool, 015 and 2 placed y r on wished. a ties.com screens elementary to dry flat. (I acquired old window > febru the post, it will act like a joystick, if the students Go to artsandactivi top edge with hot ears • and links related > 7, screens from a thrift store for this ❘ 82 y for resources com Litynski, grade > this button vities. purpose.)MATERIAL Taylor glue, d a c t i clothespins using Ocelot. Brenna tsan Bryanna led, Maryland. I hung the felts •from to this article. www.ar 9" xa12" Macie clothes-drying home-schoo drawing paperrack and reused to hold them closed while 1, 2015. Mackenzie i v i t i e s . c o m • Black, fine-tip them when dry. I made • Heavy ndact my9.5" ownx 12.5" deckles RKED BY MarCH watercolor and molds .artsa the glue hardened. from markers permanent paper BE POSTMA ❘ www foam meat trays by simply ears • 82 y cutting rectangle from don’t mix, and ENTRIES MUST 16-color • the y 2015 Jumbo pencils, atape cen- watercolor sets februar Oil and water truly ter of two trays and•duct-taping versaa are faspastels Oil plastic screening to Paintbot• the trays, paintbrushes this technique in action each student seeing tom of one tray for the deckle (also tile material for children created a unique acquired from the thrift They enjoyed cinated the students! 12 store screens). The mold dictates the shape of the paper, in to use. They offer brilliant and personal the watercolors bead up on watching this case, a rectangle. Both trays and sculpture. are upside down, with the color, blend easily, their chameleons. mold being placed on top of the enjoyed deckle. allow for beautiful valueThe children thoroughly In my test-run, I tried white glue overand craft glue but, in the shading as students pleased and proud this project and were end, hot glue worked best to adhere lap the colors. the “grass” to the bases. were impressed of their results. They The end products were whimsical, turned Once their chamefun, and the colorful the projects students were so proud of their colored, with how were by Sarah Hemendinger leons birdhouses. From the to compliment each or out and were quick other students in the school, we primarily with warm heard, “How come we pieces. other on their finished didn’t get to make those?” I think and warm cool pastels, students of this recycling world effort Exploring the their is worth a repeat! Miranda prepared to paint a great way to experi■ abbey > Nathan the cool colors is families, backgrounds with Mckenzie Kirsten with contrasting color Tammie Clark (NBCT) is an art teacher 24 They wet their ment watercolors at Somerville Road opposite color group. using oil pastels and and Decatur Elementary Schools in may 2015 • 82 years LEARNING OBJECTIVES and sponges in and of conDecatur, Alabama. ❘ www.ar tsandactivities.com the importance papers with water the design principle of www.ar tsandactivi projects with reinforces n ties.com students will… ❘ 82 years • may 2015 filling the paper. Upper-elementary order to complete their through materials. If warm and cool colors watercolor tech- trast, 25 • explore the use of create contrast and their drawings the “wet on wet” are in their artwork to wet paint on the art at too small, it would nique. Applying the Hemendinger teaches balance. in them to explore Sarah be more difficult resist properties of Elementary School wet paper allowed to • experiment with the pastels. by Holly Stanek paints Hopkins Hill watercolor and stipblending the watercolor watercolors and oil think a challenge Coventry, Rhode Island. for teachers is to and dark values ple later on. We develop or find lessons together in a new way. • create light, medium, that are successful also neers who started for using oil pastels. discuss enlarging gives room to challenge all of our students. A lesson that with the artwork of a movement that your most gifted • familiarize themselves a single flower as create an opportunity students as well or Franz Marc. showcased their for all ability levels having several in to have success. This project has a been a staple in unique styles and composition. These my third-grade lum, and I have curricu- ways always felt satisfied of painting. I NATIONAL ART STANDARDS could be the same with the results. past, I approached In the realized that the project thinking applying media, all of type or a group my students would be more successful • Understanding and of if I kept it simple, my simplification techniques and processes. different flowers. with fewer options. I figured, this gave assessing the them less to think was actually creat• Reflecting upon andmerits of their work I suggest changabout, which would lead to better results. characteristics and ing an atmosphere ing the angle of Sunflowers were a and the work of others. that was hindering always the subject between visual arts flower or to show simple shapes, because of their • Making connections and students find my students’ abilities them easy to draw. different stages— and other disciplines. color scheme was to explore their The unique with warm colors in ideas and to be their style and approach. the background from buds to fully opened—to create colors in the foreground, and cool more interest. the freedom they or vice versa. Less We discuss making now have to express flowers different easier, and more to think about, the MATERIALS their individuality. heights and sizes. successful, right? At the start of the WHILe I sTILL The stems could straight, bent over Use MONeT aND project students Then I started be examine a variety VaN GOGH in Marc’s, The Large silk flowers, noting or wavy. Students to think about now emphasize the intro, I of flowers to • Reproduction of Franz the shapes of their the Impressionist might overlap the two artists’ ers such as Vincent create more depth, the petals, their centers, paint- approaches unique styles and the stems and leaves. van Gogh and Claude Blue Horses (1911) or have their flowers fearless to their work. I the paper, letting We then practice featured in the Monet, who are go off make sure students a viewer’s drawing the flowers. introduction to • White 12" x 18" paper is no doubt in know there this project. They markers, oil pastels, They consider whether imagination finish the rest. were pio- to challenge my mind that they can handle what • Pencils, permanent IN THe NeXT their compositions 34 CLass, I DIsPLay I am about them with. They be in of an watercolors flowers outdoor a variety of well-composed will are always quite setting, in a vase flower pictures, water excited about and we talk about inside, a collage, tern, or windblown Morgan • Sponges, brushes, composition. Because a pat17 april 2015 in a specific direction, dents sometimes • 82 y e a r stu- lot to think have a tendency s • Visuals of chameleons and so on. With x www.ar tsandact about, they start to draw small, I a ivities.co emphasize their final drawings. june 2014 m m x 81 y e a r s • (This was www.ar tsa activities.co ndactiviti www.ar tsand es.com see IMPRESS on com x 82 y e a r s • a p r i l ndactivities. page 42 Makayla 2015 x www.ar tsa years j u n e 2 0 1 4 • 81

by Irv Osterer

ago, any years while a student Colat the Ontario in Toronto, lege of Art by a lecture I attended David Gilhooly ceramicist of a product (1943–2013), funk ceramics the California student work. of the 1960s. talk movement a spirited Gilhooly gave “Frog was and his His work he created. about ceramics Queen ceramic universe in her 100th Year as the World,” FrogVictoria s.onlinemac.com/ outstanding—withmy favorites (www.site ria.jpg). (1976), among joie de FrogVicto spirit and ythhisjpg/ Gilhooly’s at cchang/fm remembered ceramics course to I have always to teach a homage I was asked project in frog a do vivre, so when to I knew I had our school, meanfrogs are connection, David Gilhooly. not the Gilhooly the reasons, of other Aside from for a number ingful subjects ART

possible. Students then turn in their iPads, so I can print color copies to exhibit and return to the teachers—another great feature of digital projects is that both collaborators can have copies of their work.

FOLDER continued from page 17

THIS YEAR, THOSE FOURTH-GRADERS

are creating 3D models using the Morphi app and we are turning those designs into actual 3D prints. (Since doing the project last year, I have added a couple 3D printers to my classroom.) They are working independently, since most are now somewhat familiar with the app tools. I do show the how-to video at the beginning of the lesson as a refresher. As these designs are created, we can transfer them as STL files that

these Wat erc olo rs make Quite an Imp res sIon

$2 each

Order Individual Articles

artsandactivities.com/issues/article-archives

(Includes Postage)

Purchase Back Issues

artsandactivities.com/issues/back-issues

artsandactivities.com 34

The 3D printer in action.

are read and sliced by the printer software, so that an actual sculpture can be created from their design. The kids are thrilled to experiment with this new technology and, as a bonus for us teachers, the printed designs are only a few inches tall! I can store a bunch of these designs for upcoming student exhibit opportunities and I can make multiple copies, so that the student can take their design home as well! I know many have reservations about introducing digital art experiences into their elementary art curriculum, but I firmly believe that it’s important that we find ways to include these opportunities in our programs. These activities should not replace traditional media and concepts—they are simply an enriching and engaging addition. n Arts & Activities Contributing Editor, Don Masse, is a K–5 visual arts teacher at Zamorano Fine Arts Academy in San Diego, California. At the recent NAEA national convention, Don was named the 2018 Pacific Region Elementary Art Educator of the Year.

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

balance. Students also present their compositions and rationale to their classmates. “These sculptures really say something about who we are,” says Hannah, one of my senior Studio Art students. She observed that each student’s tendencies and personalities really come out in how the works of art are composed.

RELIEF

The TnF-27-3 comes with a heavy duty rolling stand and locking casters. Dry greenware on the lower shelf during firing. Speed production by pre-drying your ware.

continued from page 15

THIS LESSON, WHICH TAKES ABOUT FOUR 45-minute sessions, is an easy

way to contrast a unit on obser vational drawings. The students will love the opportunity to be creative without tr ying to represent their subject so obviously. One student, Jackie, expresses that she, “loves the process and specific parameters,” in which she must work.

... student’s tendencies and personalities really come out in how the works of art are composed. She likes having step-by-step directions, which help direct her creativity. Aside from using up leftover materials, this is a great project to start off a unit about abstract art or relief art. I generally use this project with my advanced classes so that we can really dive into the depths of abstract art, but I have used this assignment with grades 7–12. At the lower levels, we focus our conversation around geometric shapes versus organic shapes and the use of pattern and balance to create fun compositions. With older students, you can introduce more concepts and restrictions to increase the depth of learning. For cross-curricular ideas, I add math and geometry concepts to the lesson, as well as a writing component with the written rationale. As with any lesson, this can have its fair share of difficulties and challenges, but, as I tell my students, “It is in failure that we learn and overcome challenges that we succeed as artists.” n

Why limit yourself to the standard blue kiln? At no extra charge, choose jade, navy, hot pink, turquoise, berry, black or purple paint. Have the most colorful kiln in your district!

The short, easy to load Paragon TnF-27-3 For teachers who have difficulty loading a studio kiln, Paragon has an answer: the TnF-27-3. This studio kiln is as short as a hobby kiln. Yet the 12-sided interior is a massive 8.11 cubic feet, slightly larger than a typical 10-sided 29” deep studio kiln. Paragon’s LiteLid spring counter-balance reduces lid weight to several pounds of pressure. The LiteLid prolongs sidewall brick life by eliminating wall flex. The top row of brick is 2” high and without element grooves. It is less susceptible to damage during loading than a grooved brick.

within easy reach. Operate it from a comfortable position. You will marvel at the heat uniformity in the TnF-27-3. Elements are tuned to pour extra heat into the top and bottom. A full-formed galvanized steel plate supports the 3” brick bottom. The stand has a solid top that fully supports the kiln bottom. The TnF-27-3 uses 3” thick firebrick throughout instead of the standard 2 ½”. For more details on the exciting TnF-27-3, see your nearest Paragon dealer. Or call for a free catalog.

Hinged at the bottom, the switch box opens forward. A folding support arm holds the box open for easier maintenance.

2011 South Town East Blvd. Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122 800-876-4328 / 972-288-7557 www.paragonweb.com info@paragonweb.com

The Sentry digital controller is mounted at the top of the switch box

Michael Wade teaches art at Beckman Jr./Sr. High School in Dyersville, Iowa. www.ar tsandactivities.com

85 Y E A R S •

may 2018

Save Money advertiser index Save Time Save your Brushes! ADVERTISERS

MADE IN THE USA

GeneralPencil.com Clay Tools & Reference Materials

New Book Figure Sculpting

Company Page

Activa Products, Inc.

General Pencil Co.

AMACO/brent 7

L & L Kiln Mfg., Inc.

Arts & Activities

Lightfoot/Cartoon Supplies

Aves Studio LLC

Paragon Industries, L.P.

Bailey Ceramic Supply

PCF Studios, Inc.

Blick Art Materials

Royalwood Ltd.

Cress Mfg. Co.

Skutt Ceramic Products

Volume 2: Gesture & Drapery Techniques by P & C Faraut

$54.95 + Shipping

PCF

MARKETPLACE

Studios.com

PO Box 722 Honeoye, NY 14471

Company Page

Arts & Activities

Graphic Display Systems

Blick Art Materials

Renaissance Graphic Arts, Inc.

Chavant, Inc.

Skutt Ceramic Products

General Pencil Co.

Tandy Leather Factory, Inc.

585-229-2976

www.philippefaraut.com

You can START or RENEW your subscription right NOW ...

The companies listed above show their

support for art education by advertising in this magazine. Send a message of appreciation ...

tell them you found them in Arts & Activities .

MEDIA REVIEWS/SHOP TALK

www.artsandactivities.com 36

Company Page

AMACO 11

PCF Studios, Inc.

Aves Studio LLC

Prestel Publishing

Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

m a y 2 0 1 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

STUDY PRINT

Rachel Beach (Canadian; b.1975). Long Standing Installation (from left to right): Link, Husk, Tide, Buttress, 2013. Oil, acrylic and chalk pastel on plywood; 78" x 24" x 18" (each). Photography by Cary Whittier. Courtesy of the artist (rachelbeach.com).

“Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic.”—Keith Haring

ay has arrived and it is soon the end of another wonderful school year. This month there is so much to celebrate. Besides Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, in May we celebrate AsianPacific American Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, and of course National Teacher Appreciation Week. This month we will focus on 3D designs, murals, and collaborative projects.

tip 1 #

3D WHITE FOAM INSTALLATIONS. Jen-

nifer Pulliam, graphic design middle school teacher from Franklin Academy in Pembroke Pines, Florida, had many white foam cups hanging around her room, so she decided that she needed to have some kind of installation hanging in the school. She introduced her students to Cheeming Boey and his

or paint. Emily Deacon, also of Franklin Academy, had her fourth-graders paint bright backgrounds on paper plates with tempera. When dr y, they cut slits around the edges of the plates about an inch deep. These slits were where the yarn went for the warp of the weaving. They then did a circular weaving using bright colored yarn. A great way to display the weavings is by hanging them in a square or rectangle very close to each other. It makes for a beautiful mural. You can have your students make theirs even more three dimensional by weaving in branches, beads or buttons. Instead of painting the background, students can do a black and white Zentangle design and then weave with black, white and one primary color. There are many great combinations or themes you could use to make a cohesive mural/installation.

tip #3

tip #2

ACHIEVE THE WEAVE. As we get to the end of the year, we want to start using up scraps of ever ything we have. Here is a great project for any grade level. All you need is paper plates and yarn, ribbon, pipe cleaners (or anything you can weave), and some markers

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

ubiner

Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources and links mentioned in this article.

about the artist and their experience working on the project.

tip #4

JUNK? NOT IN THE ART ROOM. We all

know that nothing in the art room is junk. We keep everything because we might need it for a project we are going

What to Do ... art cups. The kids went crazy with this idea and made superb designs using Sharpie® markers of all colors. When they were completed, she strung four or five together and hung them from the ceiling. She had about 30 lines of cups hanging at different levels.

Glenda L

to do 20 years from now! A few years ago, I came upon a box of wood pieces, toilet paper and paper towel rolls, and shoe boxes. They were taking up too much space in my very small storage room. Hmm ... what to do? For about three weeks, I had my students bring in anything that was small and made from cardboard or wood. I received small jewelr y boxes, clothes pins, old wooden toys, and an assortment of odds and ends. At the time I was working with elementar y students, so I decided that I would spray paint all the items black. Do you see what I see? But, of course: A giant Louise Nevelson sculpture! I had students glue pieces in any box they wanted. The final product, which they were very proud of, was about 4' x 5'. We stapled and glued all the boxes together and displayed them in the main hallway of our school. The students also worked in groups to write

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR TEACHER LOOKS LIKE? To celebrate Teacher

Appreciation Week, May, 7–11, divide your class into several groups and have each draw a picture together of their homeroom teacher. This is always a great gift to the teachers, even if they don’t look quite like them.

tip #5

BOTTLE CAPS. Another great mural idea is to create a picture using different color and size bottle/jar caps. This is a ver y easy project to do. The students can come up with an idea/ theme for the project and then draw it on either a foam board or a thin piece of plywood (I recommend the plywood). Then they just glue the caps on to “paint” the picture. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Keith Haring (May 4, 1958), Salvador Dalí (May 11, 1904), Laura Wheeler Waring (May 16, 1877), and Mary Cassatt (May 22, 1844). Thank you, Jennifer and Emily, for your thoughtful project ideas. 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 8 • 85 Y E A R S

www.ar tsandactivities.com

Nothing beats a Bailey!

Check out our Special Winter Deals and Packages! Bailey has it all. Best Selection! Best Products! Best Service!

www.baileypottery.com 1

month 2015 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ar tsandactivities.com x

85 Y E A R S â&#x20AC;˘

may 2018

Constructed Reed Sculpture Lesson Plan for Grades 5–12

Step 1: Insert one end of a reed into a corrugated plastic panel.

Step 2: Insert the other end of the reed into another channel opening. Repeat and rearrange as desired to form a 3-D composition.

Step 3: Reeds can be dyed before creating the sculpture, or painted after the sculpture has been formed. Beads, fibers, or wires can also be added to create a mixed media piece.

Shape supple reed into sculpture with the help of corrugated connectors An inexpensive and easy-to-use medium, reed offers diverse possibilities. For young artists experimenting and problem solving in a 3-D space, this project allows the freedom to change their minds and rearrange their sculptures. DickBlick.com/lessonplans/constructed-reed-sculpture FREE lesson plans and video workshops at DickBlick.com/lessonplans. For students of all ages!

BLICK ®

Alliance for Young Artists Writers

800•447•8192 DickBlick.com

Request a FREE catalog! DickBlick.com/requests/bigbook