Arts & Activities Magazine December 2016 by Arts & Activities

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CONTENTS V O L U ME 1 6 0 , No . 4

DECEMBER 2016

MAKING THE MOST OF MIXED MEDIA 16 CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS: PAINTINGS WITH FABRIC INSPIRED

BY SHINIQUE SMITH Marcia Beckett

INSPIRING LESSON Amanda Koonlaba

23 RESISTING WAX Paula Guhin 24 LEONARDO DREW AND GRID ASSEMBLAGES: INSPIRATION FOR AN 26 ON THE ART CAREER TRACK: SCI-FI T-SHIRTS Irv Osterer 28 LIGHTHOUSES: SPOTLIGHTING MIXED MEDIA Mary Beggs Bosley

YEARLONG ART II CURRICULUM SERIES 14 WHERE THE TECHNICAL MEETS THE CREATIVE: ART OF ANATOMY Debi West

SPECIAL FEATURES AND COLUMNS 8 STEPPING STONES: LEAP INTO THE FIBER ARTS WORLD Heidi O’Hanley 10 ART IS AT THE CORE: THEORA HAMBLETT Amanda Koonlaba 12 INTEGRATING THE CURRICULUM, QUADRILATERAL NUTCRACKERS:

MATH + ART + HOLIDAYS = FUN LEARNING FOR KIDS! Jenny Knappenberger 31 CLAY TIPS FROM THE GAMBLE STUDIO: SLIP OR VINEGAR? Tracy Payne Gamble 38 TRIED & TRUE TIPS FOR ART TEACHERS: TEXTURES AND MIXED MEDIA Glenda Lubiner

READY-TO-USE CLASSROOM RESOURCES 19 ARTS & ACTIVITIES ART PRINT: LUCY MINGO, BIBLE STORY

Tara Cady Sartorius 37 ARTS & ACTIVITIES STUDY PRINT, TAPESTRY: GREENERY John Henry Deale for Morris & Co.

A&A AT YOUR SERVICE 30 CLAY CORNER 33 MARKETPLACE 36 AD INDEX

DEPARTMENTS 8 EDITOR’S NOTE 34 MEDIA REVIEWS 35 SHOP TALK ON THE COVER

TAPESTRY: GREENERY (detail) Wool and mohair; tapestry weave; 7' x 15.625'. Designed by John Henry Deale for Morris & Co., England. From the collection of MFA, Boston. Image courtesy of Beth Timken. Artwork is in the public domain. See “Study Print,” page 37.

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Arts & Activities® (ISSN 0004-3931) is published monthly, except July and August, by Publishers’ Development Corp., 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128. Subscriptions: one year, $24.95; two years, $39.95; three years, $49.95. Foreign subscriptions, add $35 per year for postage. Single copy, $4. Title to this magazine passes to subscriber only on delivery to his or her address. Change of address requires at least four weeks’ notice. Send old address and new address. Periodical postage paid at San Diego, Calif., and at additional mailing offices. Printing by Democrat Printing, Little Rock, Ark. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Arts & Activities®, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128.

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e d i t o r ’s n o t e

It’s all about making the most of mixed media in this month’s issue, and we have lots of ideas to do just that. In “Creative Collaborations: Paintings with Fabric Inspired by Shinique Smith” (page 16), Marcia Beckett introduced her elementary students to a contemporary artist who “explores personal mythologies and memories tied up in discarded objects and clothes.” They discuss Smith’s influences, motivations and techniques. “Sometimes the meanings of contemporary art can be confusing to kids,” writes Marcia, “but [Smith] is able to clearly explain her artwork in ways children can understand.” Working in teams, with a few “going solo,” the children use paint and fabric to create their own expressive mixed-media artworks, inspired by Shinique Smith.

president

Thomas von Rosen

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

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

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 Mark M. Johnson Director, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama George Székely Senior Professor of Art Education, University of Kentucky, Lexington

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Amanda Koonlaba shares how she blended her

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

personal experience at a museum with her teaching in “Leonardo Drew and Grid Assemblages: Inspiration for an Inspiring Lesson” (page 24). Amanda writes that her lesson “was the result of many awesome circumstances and chance happenings that came together at the right time for me as the teacher.” Viewing close-up photographs Amanda took of Drew’s “Untitled #45” (1995) at the Saint Louis Art Museum, her students observed and discussed the contemporary artist’s work, and made inferences about it. They ultimately applied that knowledge into creating their own found-object, mixed-media assemblages. Along the way, the children analyzed and revised their artworks with the help of peer feedback, and made use of their decision-making skills as their artworks progressed. (By the way … Congratulations to Amanda for being named the “Mississippi Art Education Association Elementary Art Educator of the Year” in November. Great job, Amanda, we are so very proud of you!)

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

“Mixed-media … is my absolute favorite way to approach art lessons,” writes Mary Beggs Bosley. “It allows my groups … to not only experiment with different wet and dry media, but also to ‘build’ their artwork in stages, helping everyone to feel successful.” Mary shares all the details in her “Lighthouses: Spotlighting Mixed Media,” found on page 28.

“Expressive,” “inspiring,” “favorite,” “successful”— all of these words are used in this issue, and bode well for your students. Try some of the lesson ideas in this issue ... they’ll help you make the most of mixed media in your art room!

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

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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

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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.

LEAP INTO THE FIBER ARTS WORLD

BY HEIDI O'HANLEY

n November’s Stepping Stones, I shared my thoughts on how printmaking was one of my most challenging sets of projects, but I had found ways to work with the materials in the environments I taught in. For this month, I would like to share how I work with some of my most favorite materials, textiles! When it comes to fiber arts, I enjoy introducing the concepts and techniques and helping students learn the crafts! Prior to becoming an art educator, I worked in textile restoration. I loved working with historic fabrics and artifacts, while restoring and conserving textiles of history. I loved the pre-Columbian tunics, African headdresses, shibori clothes, Navajo rugs, and old America flags. It was through training interns that I discovered my love for teaching!

FIBER ARTS CAN BE DEFINED AS a style of art that uses

textiles such as fabric, yarn, and natural or synthetic fibers. This unique style of art focuses on the materials and manual labor involved as part of its importance. Fiber art involves the use of fiber and/or textiles and includes countless techniques ranging from quilting, collage, embroidery, weaving, spinning, knitting, felting, crocheting, recycling fabrics, and even paper. I’ve noticed a recent uphill trend in fiber arts materials used in art classes, as if our historic crafts and processes are making a comeback! Thanks to needle-felting, weaving, and embroidery, students are appreciating many of the old techniques mixed in with new ideas! Here’s a bit of advice I’d like to share when incorporating fiber art projects into your curriculum.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY NEW TECHNIQUES. Too

often I hear from teachers that they do not teach the technique because they’ve never learned them or have forgotten the methods. There are plenty of classes and workshops offered at the state and national conferences that fill up quick! It also would not hurt to take a class at a local quilt shop to pick up on a few sewing, quilting, and weaving techniques. You may even know a friend that can teach you how to knit for free! The more techniques you learn, the more you can spruce up your lessons in your classes.

THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY TO CATCH THE STUDENTS’ INTERESTS. Have you ever had a group of students

that frowned when they heard they were weaving? In many cases, I hear from boys that they think the weaving technique is “for their Grandmas.” I enjoy changing their minds. 8

My trick is reminding them about the “Survivorman” shows and how people use weaving to create bedding, roofing, and other survival materials when out in nature. It’s fun to see their eyes light up as if a light bulb went off in their head! Explaining how certain techniques are life skills changes the game. Many times after a project is completed, students bring back paracord bracelets, pot holders, and woven bags they made on their own after taking an interest in a project created in class!

THERE ARE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO INVITE LOCAL ARTISTS. You know whom I invited into my

classes to show off her quilts? My mom! In watching her making so many beautiful quilts throughout the years, I picked up on a love for the craft. Students love to meet local artists and view handmade items in their classroom, plus I show off my Victorian crazy quilt! If you know anyone who lives local to the school and created fiber projects as a hobby, consider inviting them for a day to share their works of art! Another wonderful resource is using Google Hangouts to meet artists around the country! You can easily set up a hangout with your class to ask questions and share works of art over the webcam.

YOU’RE PASSING THE CRAFT TO THE NEXT GENERATION. We may not rely so much on quilting, embroi-

dery, or weaving techniques as much as our ancestors had in the past, but it is important to keep these skills alive and to pass them on. Fiber arts have a very rich history and importance not only in our country, but worldwide. From the brightly colored Kimonos of Japan to the tapestries of Europe, students can appreciate the techniques used in preserving history.

EXPERIMENT WITH WHAT’S APPROPRIATE WITH EACH GRADE LEVEL. You would not want to start introducing

quilting to kindergarten students, but you can introduce lace boards to help with fine motor development! If you are unsure of what type of fiber arts projects to introduce to your grade levels, consider researching your options. Explore blogs, ideas pinned on Pinterest, and social-media PLNs (Personal Learning Networks) to find lessons appropriate for different grade levels and try them out in your own classes! Take the leap into the fiber arts world! You will not be disappointed with your results from your students! n Arts & Activities Contributing Editor, Heidi O’Hanley (NBCT) teaches elementary art for Indian Springs School District #109, in the Greater Chicago Area. Visit her blog at www. talesfromthetravellingartteacher.blogspot.com. d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 • 84 Y E A R S

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Art is at the Core offers tips on integrating for visual art teachers and teachers of other subjects. Arts-integrated lessons offer students the opportunity to meet objectives in art disciplines and other subjects. Arts integration strengthens traditional core classes, but does not replace art-specific courses.

THEORA HAMBLETT

BY AMANDA KOONLABA Theora Hamblett lived in Oxford, Mississippi. Born in 1893, she began her painting career in the 1950s. Upon her death in 1977, she left her body of work to the University of Mississippi. Her works can be found in many notable art museums across the United States. Below are ideas for integrating language arts with the study of Hamblett’s “My Old Home Place,” which can be viewed via A&A Online.

INFERENCING This painting shows a home with two

people standing outside. One is holding the bridle of a horse. Students can make inferences about what is happening in the painting. Be sure to have them justify their inferences with evidence from the image. For instance, students may infer that the person holding the bridle is a visitor to the home because the other person has come outside to greet him. This makes a great introduction to teaching the skill of inferencing with text. Students should be able to look at the details and evidence presented to infer what is not being directly stated or displayed. Have them write about their inference and provide information about the evidence from the painting in their writing.

SETTING, CHARACTERS, AND PLOT Beyond inferenc-

ing, students can identify elements within the painting as if the painting were telling a story. The obvious characters are the two people in the painting and maybe even the horse. The setting is a country home in the early 1900s. Then, they can use their imaginations to identify the plot. Have tem tell each other the story that they see in the painting. Then, have them write it on paper. It will be much easier for the students to think of what to write after they have analyzed this painting as if it were a story. They will all have different ideas about what is taking place. Encourage them to use what they see in the painting, but to also think outside of it. For instance, are there other characters who are essential to the plot that are not shown? Maybe they are in the house. Is this a science fiction story with an alien spaceship about to land? We cannot see the alien spaceship, but a student might feel that is part of the plot. This activity is all about creative writing. It is essential that they first look closely at the painting to know what is actually presented. Doing so helps protect the integrity of the analysis of Hamblett’s work. Once they have taken a good look at what is actually in the work, they can Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources related to this article.

elaborate and think beyond what they actually see. Analysis of evidence and thinking creatively are both important 21stcentury skills. Also, since there is more than one person shown in the painting, students can incorporate dialogue into their writing as well.

SEQUENCING Another comprehension strategy that

ILLUSTRATION Be sure to have the students illustrate

can be introduced with this painting is sequencing. Tell the students this is the ending (or beginning or middle) of a story. Have them identify what else happened. For instance, if this image is the ending of a story, the beginning might be that a traveler was on his way to visit someone but got lost and had to stop by the old country farmhouse for help. The middle of the story might be that the person who lived in the house knew who the traveler was looking for and where he was trying to go. So, the person that lived there fed him lunch and gave him directions. Students have difficulty remembering the beginning, middle, and end of what they read. Letting them practice with visual images and use their imagination to determine what else could be taking place concerning a painting is a good way to help them develop a stronger foundation for using this as a text comprehension strategy.

coordinating images for their language-arts work. For instance, if they use the painting as a prompt to create a piece of writing, have them illustrate another scene. Hamblett’s work is very engaging for students to recreate. They can use thumbprints to create the repetitive dots of leaves on their own work. Pencils with brand new erasers work well also. In fact, repetition is a great art vocabulary word to teach with this part of the lesson. Foreground and background are also important words to teach. Students can be sure to identify that the trees are in the foreground of Hamblett’s work and that the house is in the background. Then, they can recreate that in their own work.

ARTIST STATEMENT Artist statements are a great way to get a double whammy out of these lessons. After the students have written their creative pieces and created their own artwork, have them write an artist statement explaining their process for creating. This gives them two opportunities to write for the work of one creative, arts-integrated lesson! n

Arts & Activities Contributing Editor Amanda Koonlaba, NBCT, teaches at Lawhon Elementary in Tupelo, Miss. Before teaching art, she was a classroom teacher, and used arts integration as the cornerstone for instruction. Visit her blog at www.tinyurl.com/aekoonlaba

The activities described in “Art is at the Core” may encompass Common Core State Standards for Math, the English Language Arts Anchor Standards of Writing, Speaking and Listening, and the Next Generation Science Standards Performance Based Expectations of Science and Engineering Practices for Analyzing and Interpreting Data. They also encompass the National Arts Standards processes of Creating and Responding. Please refer to particular grade-level standards for specifics.—A.K. 10

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INTEGRATING

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Quadrilateral Nutcrackers Math + + Art + + Holidays = = Fun Learning for Kids!

by Jenny Knappenberger

s an art teacher, I am always tr ying to find ways of avoiding the infamous “turkey hands” for our holiday projects, and looking to find ways of integrating art with the core subjects to help support our students’ comprehension whenever possible. One year, I decided to take a popular lesson I had developed on quadrilateral robots and rework it for the holidays. Voilà! Quadrilateral nutcrackers! I thought if math and art were fun, then math, art and the holidays would be even more fun—and it was. The impact these lessons had on the classroom teachers in my school was something I’ll never forget. They were so grateful that I would help our students by reinforcing quadrilaterals through our art projects. I often give my students “challenges” where there are certain rules the children have to Sarahi follow—sort of Sol LeWitt style (he often gave himself boundaries for his work). For this lesson, I set the challenge that students could only use quadrilateral shapes; squares, rectangles, rhombuses, parallelograms, trapezoids and kites to create a two-dimensional holiday nutcracker. For display, I added definitions of quadrilateral shapes in the form of "gifts."

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Elementary students will ... • identify quadrilateral shapes. • cut construction paper to create quadrilateral shapes. • design an original nutcracker using only quadrilateral-shaped construction paper. • identify connections between the visual arts and math.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

• • •

CREATING: Conceiving and developing artistic ideas and work. PRESENTING: Interpreting and sharing artistic work. RESPONDING: Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning. • CONNECTING: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.

David Luis

OUR PROJECT I brought to class my collection of actual holi-

day nutcrackers for my students to observe and talk about. We discussed all the things we noticed—shapes (quadrilaterals), colors, lines and even how each nutcracker seemed to have a theme. I used this informal pre-assessment to gauge where each class was with their understanding of quadrilaterals. As we discussed the shapes, I started to draw squares, rectangles, trapezoids, rhombuses, parallelogram and kites onto the white board. I then started to dig deeper to see what they really knew about quadrilaterals beyond simply identifying them. For example, a square has four sides of equal length and each corner is a 90-degree angle. You’ll be shocked how much they know about quadrilaterals—I certainly was. HERE ARE SOME DEFINITIONS that might help out a little bit in the discussions: • Trapezoid: A shape with four sides. It has only one pair of parallel sides. • Kite: A shape with four sides. It has adjacent sides of see

QUAD

on page 18

MATERIALS

•

12" x 18" dark construction paper • Pencils, rulers

•

6" x 9" construction paper in a variety of colors • Glue sticks or white glue, scissors

Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for a list of Common Core Math Standards related to this lesson.

Give students time to work through their design. When they are absolutely sure of their design, they may glue down the pieces.

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Yearlong Art II Curriculum Series | WHERE THE TECHNICAL MEETS THE CREATIVE

LESSON 4 OF 10

Art of Anatomy by Debi West

always love it when science and art meet! This lesson is a perfect melding of the two subjects, in that students are creatively using a plastic skeleton to produce a unique piece of art. This project reiterates the importance of direct observation and teaches our students to look closely, measure and begin to detect the subtle differences seen in the values and shadows found when observing bones. This lesson literally pushes my students to the next level by having them take the traditional seven-tiered value scale, which they are used to applying, to the ninth or 10th level. I begin by setting up our class skeleton popularly known as “Arturo.” I put him on our island in the art room, where “he” can be viewed from all Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources related to this article.

sides. Students are free to move their seats or easels to find a good place to work over the next week. WE DISCUSS THE BONES that we see,

measuring them against one another and finding a common measuring point. We also look at the subtle values found throughout the skeleton, and discuss the negative space that surrounds it. I always have my students draw a minimum of two full-length skeletons as practice, using contour line and simple shading. This sets them up for success relatively early on. I then require three areas of the skeleton to be drawn as realistically as possible. All of these initial drawings are done on white drawing paper using graphite and blending stumps. The fun comes in when we mix up the media and play with size variation! After the initial sketching and drawing, which

generally takes about a week, I add the creative dimension by having them draw a bone using pen and ink, and another using charcoal. If they would like to add more bones using various media, they are free to get as creative as they like. I also want them to consider what their final compositions will look like, so drawing a very large finger bone (or phalange) and a smaller pelvic bone, creates an engaging final artwork.

This project emphasizes direct observation, teaching students to look closely, measure and detect the subtle differences seen in the values and shadows found in bones.

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LESSON 4 OF 10

ART II CURRICULUM SERIES

Art of Anatomy LEARNING OBJECTIVES

MATERIALS

High-school Art II students will ... • learn the importance of drawing from direct observation by drawing from a class skeleton and/or plastic bones (borrowed from the science department or purchased by the art department), creating a measured anatomy work with multiple sketches. • utilize creative mixed media elements, designing an original final piece.

• 9" x 12" white drawing paper, • Plastic bones or skeleton as visual reference • Traditional drawing materials, such as: graphite, charcoal, markers, pen and ink, watercolor and oil pastel • Nontraditional media, such as: string, cardboard, photo transfers and staples

PROCEDURES 1. The teacher will present drawing strategies to the students and have them do a series of sketches from the class skeleton and / or borrowed plastic bones from the science department. 2. Students will use traditional drawing materials to do their sketch series creating interesting textures and utilizing positive

and negative space. 3. Students will take their sketches and lay them out into a creative composition bringing in non-traditional art materials to create a new version of the anatomy studies. 4. Students will display their final pieces in a class display for the community to enjoy.

ASSESSMENT We do in-process critiques using my “2 Glows and a Grow” model: Each student selects a classmate’s work that speaks to him/her and attaches three notes—two with what works, and one with what the artist might want to consider or change. There is also an evaluation form that prompts students to appropriately reflect on the learning at hand and provides space for them to comment on the process and how they feel their final piece turned out. There is also space for me to comment and give them a grade based on their learning and the final work.

ONCE ALL OF THEIR DRAWINGS ARE DONE, they are required to cut or tear

them out, and over several days, create a background that emphasizes the drawings. I give them a lot of freedom with this part, as I don’t have any exact size requirements, any surface requirements or any required method of adhering the bones to their backgrounds. This is when their final pieces become award-winning works of art. I get super excited watching them become the divergent thinkers I know they all are! Some incredible artworks are created when I allow this type of freedom. I love seeing students merge the technical with the creative, pushUsing traditional drawing materials, students create interesting textures and utilize positive and negative space.

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ing their work to the next level. This also prepares them for a more professional portfolio. From staples, to stitcher y, to glue, to tape, the relief, to cardboard, to fabric and paste papers, these works become original and unique. And, this lesson always becomes one of my students’ favorites! Of course, we hang all of the work in a class hallway exhibit, and even add the scientific names of the bones so the display becomes a school-wide teaching tool! Up next: “Still Life Series … Where Life Meets Art History”! n A&A Contributing Editor Debi West, Ed.S, NBCT, is Art Dept. Chair at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Ga. 15

creative COLLABORATION

Paintings with

Fabric Inspired by

Shinique Smith by Marcia Beckett

t is important for art teachers to introduce their students to art from a diverse range of artists from throughout history, as well as artists who are living and working today. Contemporary artist Shinique Smith is an excellent example of a successful female artist who is working in interesting and unique ways. Smith creates in a variety of forms, including installation, painting, collage, murals, sculptural bundles and performance. She explores personal mythologies and memories tied up in discarded objects and clothes. She mixes other people’s cloth with her own personal experiences and ties it all together with large sweeping gestural lines, ribbon or rope. She is influenced by graffiti, Eastern calligraphy, youth experiences, fashion, pattern, what we produce as human beings, and abstraction. Walking through an exhibit of her artwork is a fascinating experience. Bundled and wrapped installations remind us of the consumerist nature of our society and how quickly we are to

Colorful shapes, patterns and bold lines characterize this complex painting by Oliver and Reena. Artwork by Katherine and Hypatia. Note fabric rolled like flowers.

This artwork, by Quinn, shows interesting texture by incorporating fabric cut with fringes.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES Elementary students will … • learn about a contemporary artist and discuss the artist's influences, motivations and techniques. • use paint and fabric to create an abstract mixed-media artwork. • use texture, color, patterns and line to communicate ideas. • arrange artistic elements to create a balanced composition.

Students select fabric, cut out shapes and use glue sticks to add patterned cloth to their paintings.

Students started by painting with black acrylic paint on poster boards.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

•

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

MATERIALS

• Poster board or thick paper • Tempera or acrylic paints • Scissors • Fabric scraps • Glue sticks and liquid school glue Inspired by the work of contemporary artist Shinique Smith, fourth- and fifth-graders work together to make decisions about their mixed-media paintings.

discard clothing and other things. The clothes themselves hold their own stories, myster y, wonder and histor y. She is able to make something beautiful out of used, discarded objects. I BEGAN THIS MIXED-MEDIA ART UNIT

by showing students two short videos about Shinique Smith’s artwork, which I found online. Sometimes the meanings of contemporary art can be confusing to kids, but she is able to clearly explain her artwork in ways children can understand. At one point in the video, she described one of her abstract mixedmedia paintings as a kind of selfportrait. My students understood the definition of a self-portrait as being a picture of the artist’s face, so some chuckled and expressed disbelief. We stopped the video and talked about why she may have called this artwork a self-portrait. One of the students theorized that she used some of

Painting by Kate L. and Sophie.

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A mixed-media painting made by two girls who love sports—Azara and Kate A.

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her own clothing. Others suggested that she used colors and patterns that she liked. In the video, she said her painting was like a self-portrait because she could very much see her hand coming out of it and it being things that describe her. MY STUDENTS USED ELEMENTS of ges-

tural, bold lines and discarded fabrics to create these beautiful abstract artworks. Students had the option to collaborate with others or work on their own. They started by painting with black acrylic paint on poster boards. We talked about keeping our arms loose and making sweeping or swirling lines to divide the space. Letters or words could also be incorporated into the design. After the lines dried overnight, the students chose colors of tempera and acr ylic to paint within the spaces. Boxes of donated fabrics from families were available for the children to sort through. Students who worked with partners needed to discuss and agree upon color schemes, designs, fabric see

SMITH

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equal length. • Parallelogram: A continued from page 12 shape with four sides. Its opposite sides are of equal length, and parallel, and its opposite angles are the same. • Rhombus: A shape with four sides of equal length. Its opposite sides are parallel and its opposite angles are the same. • Rectangle: A shape with four sides. It has opposite sides of equal length and opposite sides that are parallel. Each corner is a right angle (90 degrees). • Square: A shape with four sides of equal length. Its opposite sides are parallel and each corner is a right angle.

QUAD

CREATING THEIR ARTWORK! Each stu-

dent received a 12" x 18" sheet of dark purple construction paper for their background, so the colors of their nutcracker could really “pop” off the page. I then provided each group of students with a variety of colored construction paper (don’t get tempted to pre-cut the shapes). If you want, you can choose a color scheme for the nutcrackers. For example, the nutcrackers could be created of only primary colors or they could use only secondary colors. If you are working with older students then, of course, you could make the color scheme more complex—or let them choose. Some students liked to draw the quadrilateral shapes with a pencil first and then cut them out and others liked to cut the shapes directly out from the paper. One issue that always comes up during this lesson is proportions. Students quickly learn that if they make the first shape of their nutcracker really large then the entire design will be large—possibly too large to fit the paper and vice versa if the first shape is too small. Hold off on giving out the glue—

you don’t want students to glue until they’ve had some time to play around and design their quadrilateral nutcrackers. Give them plenty of time to work through their design with some planning and thought. When they are absolutely sure of their design, they can start gluing down the pieces. I always walk around and talk with my students as they create their art. This lesson is really neat because when students realize that their art teacher also knows a bit about math they are pretty surprised—a great real-world example of art integration at work! As I walk around I asked deep thinking questions like, “Is a rectangle a square?” Then I just walked away and let them discuss this as they worked. BENDING THE RULES JUST A LITTLE … I was a stickler for the rules of the

“challenge” for this project—only using quadrilateral shapes to create the nutcracker. However, I did bend a little on the hair of the nutcracker because it’s so distinct. I couldn’t help it—the kids begged me! You know how that goes. ENHANCEMENT To help make this les-

son even more memorable, I played a recording of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” while the students made their art. A few of my kids recognized this from their music class, which enabled a whole new line of relevant conversation. I hope your students enjoy this as much as mine did. Children love to make connections between art and their core subjects. n Jenny Knappenberger has taught art to middle school, elementary and gifted children in Virginia and Arizona. Visit her website at www.jennyknappenberger.com. follow us on

choices and composition, while students who worked alone were able to independently plan and create their own designs meaningful to them. It was interesting how students approached this project. Some pairs divided up the tasks so one student painted while the other found and cut out fabric pieces. Other pairs worked together and came to agreements about all aspects of the process. How they used the fabric in their artwork was also varied and unique. A few students rolled up and twisted fabric to create three-dimensional flowerlike rolls. Others cut out fabric scraps and quickly pasted down pieces in random places. Some of the fabric shapes were deliberately and carefully cut to fit within the painted black shapes. Others used fringed pieces or fabric crumpled into little balls. The fabric pieces were glued with regular white glue or glue sticks. One group included their love of sports in their collage by creating a soccer ball and basketball from fabric and markers. Other students wrote words that were meaningful to them, such as their name, “California dream” and “el amor.”

SMITH

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THIS UNIT CAN BE TAKEN IN MANY DIRECTIONS. Personal ar tist state-

ments could be written to explain their choices of colors, fabrics and imager y. Students can be tasked with bringing in fabric and their own old clothes from home to use in their ar twork. Other collage elements such as product packaging of favorite items, candy wrappers or old greeting cards can be brought into the mixed-media paintings. This project could be tied to the study of reusing and recycling. as well as Earth Day. Sculptures or hanging mobiles could be made by wrapping bundles of fabric like Shinique Smith creates. Encourage your students to come up with their own ideas after being inspired by this contemporary artist. n Marcia Beckett is a K–6 art teacher at EAGLE School of Madison, Wisconsin. Visit her website: artisbasic.com.

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A&A Art Print: Respond and Connect Lucy Mingo. Bible Story, c. 1979.

“Quilting in my family went way back because my mama’s mama was a quilter. My mama taught me how to make quilts, but I got my quilting on my own. I could look at things and see how it was done and do it myself. My mother, you know, they go house to house. I think it was 10 of them. They quilt four and five quilts a day, helping people. They didn’t quilt like we did. They quilt them little bitty rows, about the size of my finger, with that old thread.” Lucy Mingo*

MAIN VISUAL ART CONCEPTS: Color • Pattern • Rhythm • Contrast • Syncopation TECHNIQUES: Fiber Art, Collage, Quilting, Piecing

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DESIGN THINKING: Syncopation is the practice of changing a predictable, steady rhythm by adding in an unexpected offbeat. The fluid, off-square quality of Mingo’s quilt is what adds life and charm to her work.

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LANGUAGE ARTS: Mingo says there is a story to every quilt: “It looks like they have songs to them. You could tell stories about this piece, you could tell stories about that piece… They have songs to them.” Assign your students to write a story about this or another quilt they “know.”

QUILT COMPOSITION and MUSIC: There’s piecing and there’s quilting. Piecing, the colorful top part of the quilt, is done by an individual. Quilting is the process of securing the batting to the back of the quilt with small stitching. Although machines can do that now, Gee’s Bend women still gather to help each other hand-quilt. It is a social and spiritual time, as much as a community effort. They often sing gospel music as they work.

AMERICAN HISTORY: The history of Gee’s Bend (also known as Boykin, Alabama) is a near model of civil rights abuses and victories. In the 1960s and 70s, Lucy Mingo participated in the Freedom Quilting Bee. She also marched, in 1965, from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, with Martin Luther King in support of voting rights for African Americans.

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MATH: At the center of Lucy Mingo’s quilt is a “9-patch” square in red and yellow. Here’s the beginning of a formula for creating 9-patch quilt squares: Cut two contrasting squares equal to the finished size of the 9-patch block, plus 1.5 inches. Divide this number by 3. We’ll call it the “cutting number.” For a 4.5-inch finished 9-patch, the calculation is 4.5" + 1.5" = 6". Cut one 6-inch square from each of two contrasting fabrics. To calculate the cutting number, divide 6 by 3, which equals 2. Got that?

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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: On the back of this quilt is something curious: A hand-written note in black marker that says: “Bible Story made by: Polly Raymond.” According to the owner of the quilt, William Volkering, there is a reason it says that, even though Lucy Mingo actually made the quilt. Look to A&A Online to find out why.

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DESIGN THINKING: This quilt has two main quiltdesign characteristics: the “9-patch” in the center and the “pig in a pen” or “pig pen” or “housetop” overall design where the 9-patch is surrounded by concentric squares. In this case, each side of each square is composed of colorful bars.

GEOGRAPHY: The area of Gee’s Bend is so called because of the hairpin turn in the Alabama River that surrounds Boykin Alabama on three sides. In the 1960s, ferry service was stopped as an attempt to isolate this mostly African-American community. The women continued their quilting in near-isolation. How has geography significantly affected the history of other parts of the world?

* www.soulsgrowdeep.org 19

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Lucy Mingo (American; b. 1931). Geeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bend, Alabama. Bible Story, c. 1979. Courtesy of Bill Volckening, from his collection.

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

GRADES K–6

GRADES 7–12

MOST OF THE COLLAGES below have intentional symmetr y.

ARRANGING GEOMETRICAL SHAPES to give the impression of motion brings to mind the work of Yaacov Agam (Israeli; b. 1928). His Op Art compositions seem somehow visually connected to Lucy Mingo’s quilt. The work below, Complex Vision, is 30' x 30' and one of Agam’s largest outdoor sculptures. It comprises 69 panels, and each weighs around 50 pounds. The appearance of the work changes as one moves past it, due to the var ying painted designs in conjunction with the accordion-shaped structure of the panels. Ironically, some people label this piece “kinetic.” Actually, it is the viewer who is in motion, and not the art at all.

Most of them (as in the center horizontal row) begin with a focus design element in the center of the square, and match elements top and bottom, side to side, or both. Although most Gee’s Bend quilts do not have such an obvious structure, they convey power and strength through asymmetrical balance. Note the differences in the secondgrade pieces Paper collages by second-graders at Del Sur Elementary between the School in San Diego, California. symmetrical and asymmetrical designs. Children have a great way of understanding balance in their compositions. For young students, designing symmetrical pieces is enough. For older students, ask them to invent three symmetrical designs using a maximum of three colors, then ask Upper-elementary students might be asked to invent, in drawing and them to use those same three colors painting, their own symmetrical to create inventthree asymmetrical and asymmetrical designs. designs, and then three designs that are part symmetrical and part asymmetrical. They will end up with nine squares they can put together in their own 9-Patch arrangement. Collages by ver y young students might have certain freshness due to the children’s inexperience with scissors. It is difficult to achieve this kind of looseness once one knows how to cut accurately. If you want your cut shapes to appear looser, tr y cutting with your non-dominant hand.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS: Grades K–6 CREATE: Experiment with various materials and tools to explore personal interests in a work of art or design PRESENT: Distinguish between different materials or artistic techniques for preparing artwork for presentation. Essential Question: Why do people value objects, artifacts, and artworks, and select them for presentation?

Yaacov Agam (Israeli; b. 1928). Complex Vision. University of Alabama at Birmingham. The sculpture, originally installed in 1976, was taken down for restoration in April 2014, and reinstalled in late March 2015.

There are numerous lesson plans and other ideas that can be used for creating “Agamographs” on accordion-folded paper. What they all have in common is the concept that the appearance of a work of art can change as one changes one’s point of view. The more intriguing solutions produce three or more fully resolved compositions. How fun to have an entire genre of art lessons based on one’s name! Even saying it three times fast sets up a musical rhythm: agamograph, agamograph, agamograph!

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS: Grades 7–12 How to use the A&A Monthly 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

CREATE: Develop criteria to guide making a work of art or design to meet an identified goal. CREATE: Apply relevant criteria from traditional and contemporary cultural contexts to examine, reflect on, and plan revisions for works of art and design in progress.

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. .. Resisting Wax .

by Paula Guhin

BEGIN BY SHOWING THE CLASS some examples you’ve made beforehand— both in-progress and finished. Discuss the way you preserved the white or the near-white of the original fabric. Explain that you painted or applied a resist material wherever you wanted the design to be light. You can talk about traditional batik methods and the cultures that have used them throughout history, too. Each student needs a piece of cloth. Muslin works well if it’s free of wrinkles. (Some teachers provide large cardboard squares and ask the kids to tape or pin the material to the heavy cardboard, but my classes did a fine job with loose, wrinkle-free fabric.) Cover the work area with newspapers. If students are using clear blue glue, they can squeeze it directly from the glue bottle. If using clear tar gel, dilute

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Middle-school students will … • design a composition and create a work of art with negative lines and shapes. • understand the use and meaning of the term “resist.” • gain experience in painting on fabric.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

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MATERIALS

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Pre-washed cotton or cotton/poly fabric (rectangle about 8" x 10" or larger) • Thinned tar gel in small containers, or washable clear blue glue

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Watercolors, diluted tempera paint or thinned acrylic paint • Paintbrushes, water containers • Paint shirts or aprons to protect clothing • Protective covering for desks

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Blue gel glue and thinned airbrush acrylics. The glue was washed out after the acrylic paint dried.

here are a number of methods for decorating textiles, of course, including tie-dye and batik. Love the latter but, hot wax in my classroom? No way! I came up with two alternatives that are far more safe and smoke-free. One of these options is way more economical than cold wax, and the other can be cheaper, as well. These resist techniques adapt to many different grade levels. They are clear tar gel and washable clear blue gel glue.

> >

Diluted liquid acrylic paints over washable blue glue. Clear tar gel is permanent when dry. This example was done with diluted tempera paint.

it first and pour into small, individual containers. Add just enough water so it can be brushed on easily. Since it’s a very viscous material, it can even be dribbled from a spoon! When the resist designs are finished, carefully set them aside to dry overnight. Don’t pour acrylic mediums—even diluted ones—down the drain. Save in a lidded jar to use another day. Wash brushes well with soap and water after using acrylic mediums. FOR THE NEXT STEP, I like diluted liquid acrylics or liquid fab-

ric dyes best, but any water-based paint will suffice. Brushing paint onto the dry cloth may create streaks, so you might suggest wetting it first for easier blending. Paint shirts or aprons are recommended, as well as desk coverings. Remind students to choose colors that are dark enough to contrast with their designs, which will be light. If your students employed the tar-gel method, their pieces are finished when they’ve been painted and allowed to dry. Those done with clear blue glue and acrylics (not tempera or watercolors), however, can be made to stand out even better after the paint is dry. Rinse in lukewarm water while rubbing the design with your hands to remove the washable glue. The design will be ver y distinctive against the permanent acr ylic paint. Up with the resistance—without melted wax! n A&A Contributing Editor, Paula Guhin, taught high-school art in Aberdeen, S.D. She is now busy with her art, photography and writing. Visit her blog: mixedmediamanic.blogspot.com. 23

Leonardo Drew and Grid Assemblages:

Inspiration for an Inspiring Lesson

by Amanda Koonlaba

y family took a summer trip to Saint Louis in 2013. We’d spent a very hot morning at the zoo, and everyone was desperate for a cooler afternoon activity. My family members are not usually keen on spending a great deal of time at art museums, but I took a chance and suggested we visit the Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) anyway. To my surprise, everyone was happy to go. Looking back, I am so glad we did! The SLAM had incredible works, but one in particular really struck me. I’ll never forget walking into that large, white room with a wallmounted sculpture. I’d never seen it before and was unfamiliar with the artist. Honestly, it looked like stacks of stuff that had been found on an episode of “Hoarders,” but it was beautiful. It turns out that the artist’s name was Leonardo Drew, who is actually quite well known,

This girl brought the monogram from a dress she wore in her cousin’s wedding to incorporate into her assemblage.

but had never landed on my radar. I photographed the work and brought the images home for study. In the summer of 2015, I was taking an online professional development course that required me to research artistic processes. I bounced around on several different websites, ending up on the always-incredible Art 21 site. There is an informative video there about Leonardo Drew. The clip that most stood out to me was where he takes a trip to Piet Mondrian’s grave. He talks about all of the grids in Mondrian’s work and how he has been inspired by them. I ended up developing this lesson for my fourth-graders because they had studied Mondrian with me when they 24

Students brought old books, shoelaces, curtains, and other incredibly random objects, to use in their work. The children loved being able to bring materials from home, which helped them connect emotionally to the project.

were in third grade. So, this lesson was the result of many awesome circumstances and chance happenings that came together at the right time for me as the teacher. THE PROJECT We began by reviewing Piet Mondrian, taking a quick look back at the presentation I’d used with them in third grade. I then let them talk to each other to describe and reminisce about the work they’d created. d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 • 84 Y E A R S

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The use of a grid for their art introduced the math concept students would be learning later in the year.

Materials were layered to create a stacked dimensional feel, similar to Leonardo Drew’s work.

I like to build “talk time” into my lessons because focused discussion strengthens what I’m teaching and meets Speaking and Listening standards. Next, I introduced students to Leonardo Drew. I showed them the Art 21 video of him talking about Mondrian and pointing out all of the grids. I also showed them photos I’d taken while at SLAM. Some of the photos had members of my family in them. The children really liked those because it helped them make a connection to the work. They understood that I’d seen it in real-life. It also helped them understand how large it was. I showed them close-ups that I’d taken, which detailed the materials Drew used. We talked about those materials: feathers, fabric, string and other discarded objects. I gave them “talk time” to discuss the grids that were visible in the work. The artistic concept of a grid was valuable to this lesson because it was a firm introduction to the math concept they would need later on in the year. I knew from working with their math teachers that they would be using grids as coordinate planes. A letter was sent home with students, asking them to bring in materials that we could use to create an assemblage. Since they’d seen Drew’s work up close from my photos, they understood what sorts of discarded objects would work for this project. Students brought old books, shoelaces, curtains, and other incredibly random things. Some students brought in keepsakes that they wanted to incorporate into their work. One student brought the monogram from a dress she wore in her cousin’s wedding. I showed the students how to fold a 12" x 18" sheet of tagboard into a grid. I showed them how to fold the paper to create a grid of 4, 6, 8 and 12 spaces. I allowed them to select the size grid they felt appropriate to their vision for the work and their skill level. Next, students selected what they wanted to use for their work. They cut the materials to fit into their grids, and layered them to create a stacked dimensional feel similar to Drew’s work. They were required to lay their materials onto the grid before affixing anything to their tagboard to be sure see www.ar tsandactivities.com

DREW

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES Elementary students will … • explore and create assemblages using found objects and a variety of media. • revise artwork according to peer feedback and using guidelines for decision-making. • observe artwork by Leonardo Drew and make inferences about his work.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

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CREATING: Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches. • CREATING: Revise artwork in progress on the basis of insights gained through peer discussion. • CONNECTING: Through observation, infer information about time, place, and culture in which a work of art was created.

MATERIALS

• Tagboard • Found materials (beads,

buttons, etc.)

• Fabric and paper scraps • Scissors • Staples, glue

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Details of Leonardo Drew’s sculpture at the Saint Louis Art Museum. 25

on the

ART CAREER TRACK

SCI-FI T-SHIRTS by Irv Osterer

Emily D. Kelsey

xperiential learning and reach-ahead opportunities are an integral part of our visual art program at Merivale High. While YouTube videos provide great tools to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of silkscreening, offset lithography and letterpress printing technologies, working with industry, and printing a real job provides the most effective learning experience. Each year, our Communication and Design FOCUS/ SHSM group chooses a theme and designs a limited-edition T-shirt, which we have professionally printed at The SAM Group, a local screen-printing and design shop. Together with their graphic designer, Robert Way, the class participates in every step of the production process. This particular class had a large contingent of comicbook aficionados and Sci-fi geeks, so it was unanimous that each student portrait would take on a fantasy motif.

their own drawing style and not be overly influenced by manga, Mar vel and DC characters. As all artwork was to be created in black and white, drawings were completed using markers, brush pens and black acr ylic paint. Students were cautioned about the inclusion of any continuous tone notes and ver y fine lines, but were advised on how tonal areas could be easily simulated using lines and dots. Emily N.’s very successful portrait (right) featured a wide variety of line and is connected to the Star Wars universe, while Emily D.’s impressive figure (left) would not seem out of place in the film, Coraline. Kelsey’s Star Trek character (above left) seems to have her phaser ready, but is also ready to do some serious damage on the curling ice. EACH STUDENT WORK WAS SCANNED, edited and saved on a separate layer in Photoshop, then reduced to fit into composite image files created for the front and back of the shirt. These high-resolution files were then imported into Adobe Illustrator, where typographic elements and a

WHILE SIMPLE SILKSCREEN EXERCISES

are not uncommon in our schools, preparing artwork for production is another matter. Textile projects for clients typically involve issues of image clarity, registration and color fidelity, which graphic designers have to manage. Students are introduced to the complexities of screen printing, and how the process is only able to manage one solid color at a time. In class, sample screens are used to demonstrate the process using easy-to-clean water-based inks. Students were encouraged to use 26

From designing the artwork, preparing the screen, working the ink in with a squeegee, drying the ink, to showing off their finished T-Shirts—students had a real-world experience of the production process. d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 • 84 Y E A R S

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The final Sci-Fi T-shirts design.

FRONT

BACK

vector image of the school crest were added. In keeping with the theme, the Star Trek Future and Stan Lee fonts were used for the text. It is important to remember that fonts used in an Illustrator document must be converted to “outlines” before exporting to PDF. Converting to outlines changes the font information to vector art, Emily N.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES High-school students will ... • learn how to prepare artwork for silkscreen printing. • explore all aspects of screen preparation. • print their own garment and understand the use of a catalytic dryer for curing ink. • understand the relevance of silkscreen printing and will understand why it is used for the manufacture of textiles, as well as for reproduction on a wide variety of three-dimensional surfaces.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

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MATERIALS

• Pilot Hi-Tech markers, Pentel Brush pens, and/or black acrylic paint • White card stock www.ar tsandactivities.com

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which can no longer be edited, but will resolve on all computers with a PDF reader. If one does not convert to outlines, any party opening the document without the fonts in question installed in their system, will find a message on their computer indicating a missing font or a font substitution. AT THE SAM GROUP, THE CLASS TOURED THE PLANT and saw how our job was resolved on

Lorenzo their computer, and then exported to a special vellum substrate used to burn the photosensitive screens. After taking part in the screen-preparation exercise, students moved to the printing floor, where the centrifugal T-shirt printer was ready for production. The class was given a short demonstration on the proper use of the squeegee, and then positioned their own shirts on the platen for printing. Each student then printed the front portion of his or her shirt, and processed the T-shirt through the catalytic dr yer before repositioning the garment on the production line to print the design on the back. The entire exercise was experiential learning at its finest! Students were able to explore all phases of production, gain an appreciation for the screen-printing process and its place in the communication and design industr y, and have a hand in the manufacture of their own customdesigned garment. n

Arts & Activities Contributing Editor Irv Osterer is Department Head – Fine Arts and Technology at Merivale High School in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 27

By building the seascapes in stages, the concepts of foreground, middle ground, and background were emphasized.

Spotlighting Mixed Media by Mary Beggs Bosley

ixed-media collage is my absolute favorite way to approach art lessons. It allows my groups, of 5- through 10-year-olds, to not only experiment with different wet and dr y media, but also to “build” their artwork in stages, helping ever yone to feel successful. The late English artist, Mary Fedden, described the collage process as “lovely to do, almost like doing a jigsaw 28

puzzle.” I concur with her observation. Lighthouses, with nighttime seascapes, would be a unique way to introduce the concepts of foreground, middle ground, and background to my young students. I illustrated this in a basic way on the whiteboard. We began by discussing the purpose of lighthouses as navigational aids, and their function in warning boats of dangerous areas, before the advancement

of our modern maritime technology. Several of my students shared their stories of visiting lighthouses. STARTING WITH THEIR BACKGROUNDS FIRST, a light pencil line was drawn

toward the middle of their paper, creating horizon lines. When asked, several of my students were quick to chime in that “a horizon line is where the sky and earth meet.” Moody, night

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

MATERIALS

Elementary students will ... • make use of mixed media and different drawing and painting techniques to enhance artwork. • use the elements of art and principles of design to communicate ideas. • learn, understand and implement the concepts of foreground, middle ground, and background. • understand a basic level of perspective as it pertains to objects becoming smaller as their distance increases. • arrange all artistic elements to create a balanced composition.

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11" x 17" watercolor paper Reference photos of lighthouses Pencils, charcoal, permanent markers, chalk pastels, red oil pastels and highlighter markers • Watercolors, acrylic paint, large and small paintbrushes • Brown grocery bags or construction paper • Scissors and glue

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

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CREATING: Conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work. • PRESENTING: Interpreting and sharing artistic work. • RESPONDING: Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning. • CONNECTING: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.

skies were accomplished with the weton-wet watercolor technique, in black, blue, purple and pink. For the sea, we switched to acrylic paint—in blues and greens—painting below the horizon line, down to the bottom of their paper. These were put up to dry, and we turned our attention to creating the lighthouses. I shared a variety of lighthouse photographs, discussing how their heights, designs and materials were different, according to their climate and location. Before leading the children in a basic directed line drawing lesson, I encouraged them to change aspects of their lighthouse designs, to make them their own. Through a series of straight, slanted and curved lines, the children created their lighthouses in pencil, and then, permanent marker. I pointed out that making their horizontal lines slightly curved, rather than straight, helps to create a 3-D effect. Oil pastels were then used, to add the signature red stripes. Florescent highlighters were a fun option to make their beacons of light, warning far-off ships. Last, they shaded one side of their lighthouse lightly with charcoal, to create a shadow. I instructed them to make this shadow on the opposite side of where they planned to paint the moon, illustrating this point on the white board. www.ar tsandactivities.com

Reflections of moonlight could be added, using small brushes.

Since our lighthouses were to be positioned on rocky clif fs, I handed out squares cut from brown grocer y bags. The kids got a kick out of this unexpected material. Many excited voices piped, “I got Trader Joe’s!” ... “I got Ralphs!” (Brown construction paper would be a natural alternative, for larger groups.) After ripping one side of their paper, to create a jagged or smoother sea clif f, they used chalk pastels and charcoal to add texture and depth, blending with their fingers. On day two, the children added finishing touches to their backgrounds. Full moons rose above the lighthouses in white acrylic paint, with students noting which side of their lighthouses had shadows, remembering to paint the moons on the opposite side. Moonlight reflections could be added to their oceans, using small brushes and narrow horizontal strokes, beneath their moons. Stars could be created, by making dot prints, using the opposite end of these brushes. For added drama, the children had the option of painting a small silhouette, of a rocky coastline, on one side of their horizon line.

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By building their seascapes in stages, the concepts of foreground, middle ground, and background were becoming clearer. It was now time to collage components to their painted backgrounds. Rocky cliffs were glued first, trimming any extra paper, followed by their cut lighthouses. Some children added simple collaged sailboats, using scraps of painted paper. As I collected each finished masterpiece, I individually held up the students’ work, so we could “ooo” and “aah,” and discuss aspects of what we admired in each piece. I find that this is a nice time to discuss things we’ve learned from the lesson and, moreover, for each child to take pride in his or her art. MANY ADAPTATIONS could be made for this lesson. Children could have the opportunity to choose between a daytime or nighttime setting. Any number of materials could be used, interchangeably, according to what is on hand or most feasible. This project could be broken down into stages for shorter time constraints. Older children could reference lighthouse photographs, creating them on their own, by obser ving shapes and lines. n

Mary Beggs Bosley has a background in fine arts and graphic design, and teaches private children’s art classes in Orange County, California. Visit her blog at marymaking.blogspot.com 29

that their work was visually interesting and appealing. They were asked to think about a focal point for their work. Having them lay everything out first helped them to do that. They also gave feedback to each other on the arrangement. Once they were happy with the way their work would look, they stapled and glued ever ything to the tagboard. In between classes, we put all of the materials into a plastic bag with their name written on it. This was the critical classroom management element to this project, which made it easy to distribute their individual materials.

DREW

MAKE TRIMMING FUN!

continued from page 25

REFLECTION The assemblages were quite heavy. Next time, I will use a stronger base for the grid than medium-weight tagboard. I would also like to have students use sunlight to fade paper and maybe even leave some materials outside overnight to collect dew or frost. The weathering of the materials would be truer to Leonardo Drew’s actual process. This was one of those projects my students talked about all year. It was engaging to them because they were able to make connections between Drew and Mondrian. It bridged their learning in my art classroom between third and fourth grades. I think that connectedness helped them value the work and the learning. They also loved being able to bring materials from home, which helped them connect emotionally to the project. My students enjoy learning about artwork they know I’ve actually seen. One child told me when we were looking at the photos of Drew’s work that he loved hearing my stories about the artwork and seeing my photographs because, “you know how to show us the work in a way that photographs on the Internet cannot.” So, there were many reasons this project was engaging to my specific students, but it really is a great project for any elementary art classroom that provides a home-school connection and teaches about an incredible artist, Leonardo Drew. n

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

Paragon introduces a new touch screen controller

fter subjecting the new Sentinel Smart Touch controller to ruthless testing, we are proud to add this to our family of kilns. Easy to install

The Sentinel is optional on most digital Paragon kilns. The Sentinel can replace the Sentry 12-key controller in minutes on existing Paragon kilns. Continuous voltage and amperage readout

New Paragon kilns equipped with the Sentinel give a continuous amperage and circuit voltage readout during firings. You will know at a glance if the voltage drops and when to replace elements. Easy-to-use touch screen

Easy-to-follow screen descriptions simplify programming. Give a title to each custom program. Use up to 32 segments per program. The novice mode is ingeniously simple, with questions that help you program each step.

Paragon tested the Sentinel Smart Touch controller under grueling conditions for months before releasing it.

are available even from distant lands like Australia. Easy on your budget

For more details on the exciting Sentinel Smart Touch, please visit our website or call 800-876-4328. The controller you’ve dreamed of costs a lot less than you dreamed.

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WiFi updates

As long as you have WiFi access, you can update the controller when new features

® The widest range of colorful dinnerware safe glazes. Available everywhere.

A&A Contributing Editor Amanda Koonlaba, NBCT, teaches at Lahon Elementary School in Tupelo, Mississippi. 30

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Clay Tips from the Gamble Studio

Tracy Payne Gamble and David L. Gamble share a renovated church studio and home in Plainfield, Indiana. They have 50 years of experience between them, and teach clay workshops throughout the country.

Slip or Vinegar? I

like to use vinegar in my studio because I work with all kinds of clay bodies. The clay you use for slip needs to be the same clay body you are “making” with. That means I would have containers of slip all over the place in my studio. Another reason I use vinegar is because I like the way it works for connections; walls, floors, handles, feet and decorations. I use white distilled vinegar because it has a gentler odor than other kinds of vinegar. I put it in a small container and brush on the vinegar to scored/scratched areas that are being connected. Any kind of brush will work. Rough or smooth bristles and short or long handle brushes all work fine. In the classroom, I recommend small, inexpensive, plastic handle brushes. That kind of brush will get a small amount of vinegar on the clay. Slip works as glue, too. If you want to make some slip, place bits of moist clay (scraps, trimmings, small pieces) into a container. The amount of slip you need to

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by Tracy Payne Gamble

prepare will vary with the number of students, types of clay projects, number of clay projects and how often you want to make your slip. Put in water to cover about a third of the clay in the container. Let sit overnight or at least a few hours. Stir slip until you have a consistency that is between pudding and heavy cream. When I use slip, this is the consistency that works for me. Find what works in your classroom and use what works best!

Whether to use slip (right) or vinegar to join clay is simply a question of preference.

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Encourage your Students to Explore and Learn ...

Each month, Arts & Activities magazine provides you with lots of inspirationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all in one place! Benefit right away from the art educators who share their experience, tips and classroomtested lesson plans on the pages of Arts & Activities!

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Do you have art-teaching tips to share with other teachers? Send them to Glenda at:

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december 2016

STUDY PRINT

of Art in New York. Image courtesy of Beth Timken. Artwork is in the public domain.

tapestry weave; 7' x 15.625'. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Similar tapestry is in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum

Tapestry: Greenery, 1892. Designed by John Henry Dearle (1860â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1932), for Morris & Co., England. Wool and mohair;

“Tell your own story, and you will be interesting.” — Louise Bourgeois

appy December! I know that we are all ready for our winter break to celebrate, and relax, rejuvenate, and start planning some great lessons for the new year. This month we will focus on textures, mixed media, and fiber arts. Knowing that fibers and fabrics have always had a purpose in every culture, we can look at all the different cultures around the world and learn some incredible lessons. From the Adinkra cloth of Ghana to the phenomenal quilts of Gee’s Bend, Alabama (see this month’s Art Print), to the contemporary fiber art of Nick Cave, here are some ideas and tips to use in your classroom that cross the curriculum. There are so many wonderful art projects that you can do with all the “stuff” in your art room to make some amazing pieces of art.

tip 1 #

NO GUILT QUILT Story quilts in the style of textile artist Faith Ringgold is one way to honor Black History Month in

together (I would also suggest putting a backing on it) then have the students paint their stories. Let them write their own stories to go with their paintings. Story quilts can also be connected with the quilts of Gee’s Bend. The women told stories through their quilts and used any fabric that was available to complete their process. All of these lessons connect with math, social studies and language arts.

Glenda L

tip 2

ubiner

TIE IT, DYE IT, AND WEAR IT! Tie-dye is always project, and all students love it. Shibori (another way to tie-dye) is a Japanese dyeing technique. Many Shibori fabrics are dyed with indigocolored dye, but modern Shibori uses other colors as well. Many techniques, such as folding your fabric and clamping it with tight bulldog clips or wrapping your fabric around a piece of PVC piping, tying it tightly with sting and bunching it up close together, is another way to produce great designs. An additional way to tie-dye is to actually stitch your fabric … and you can even put a piece

Don’t forget to add another of cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. And the most important part … do not wash this garment with other garments for the first wash … just in case!

tip #3

MIXED-MEDIA COLLAGE Collage has

been around since the early 1900s, but it’s time to put a different twist on it. Tr y a monochromatic collage on newspaper—add fabric, paint and chalk. Make a 3-D collage on a canvas or piece of scrap wood (you can

Textures and Mixed Media February. Ringgold’s book, Tar Beach, is a great way to start this project. You can use burlap, cotton or felt. Students have also used fabric crayons on white paper, as they love to watch the transfer process from paper to fabric. For older students, take out that acrylic paint and let them go for it! Sewing machines are not a necessity for this project. It you have an iron and a small budget you can have amazing results. You can use fusible iron-on tape, which can be found, at any store that sells fabric. Iron the quilt pieces

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

of rice on your fabric and stitch around it. Make sure that, if you are stitching, you pull your thread tightly so that you can get a beautiful resist. Just a few tips before you get started. Make sure to prewash your fabric, as some fabrics have sizing in them. If you are using multiple colors, use squeeze bottles so the colors can stay pure—unless you want them to bleed. Let your dye sit on the fabric for about 24 hours. Leaving it in a plastic bag is a good way not to get the dye on anything else. Fill a large bucket halfway with white vinegar and fill the rest of the bucket with cold water, leaving a few inches at the top. Let your garment sit in the bucket for about 30 minutes so that the vinegar can set the dye. Rinse, and then wash in the washing machine with cold water and ½ cup of table salt.

sometimes get these free at hardware stores) and add wire, pieces of plastic, yarn, wallpaper, newspaper, photos, and/or Pariscraft. Other mixed mediums you can use are monoprints, leaves, pieces of books, modeling paste, corrugated cardboard and alcohol inks—the sky’s the limit! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Georges Seurat

(Dec 2, 1858); Otto Dix (Dec. 2, 1891); Wassily Kandinsky (Dec 4, 1866); Friedensreich Hundertwasser (Dec. 15, 1928); Paul Klee (Dec. 19, 1879); JeanMichel Basquiat (Dec. 22, 1960); and Louise Bourgeois (Dec. 25, 1911). 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.

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Cast-Tissue Tiles

Lesson Plan for Grades 2–8

Perfect for making holiday ornaments!

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A simple way to create embossed paper designs — with the color built right in! Create cast papier mâché designs using colorful tissue paper and a textured rubbing plate. Make tiles, ornaments, valentines, and more. DickBlick.com/lesson-plans/cast-tissue-tiles fall 2016

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