Hard at Work

We are entering our 3rd full week of school and adjusting to life on our new schedule with an 8-day rotation.  All classes (academics and specials) rotate times during these 8 days to allow students the opportunity to experience all classes at different times of day.  I love that I get to see my students at various times throughout the week and I can clearly see a difference in their motivation and focus depending on when they meet.  Now, I just need to find a way to remember when I have them!

Another benefit of our new schedule is longer classes!  Hooray!  What a wonderful moment is was this week to say to my 6th graders, "Take your time, relax and enjoy the process of making art- we have our 70 minute class today!"  Now that doesn't' happen every class, as we still have two 50 minute classes in 5th and 6th and one in 7th, but when they do, life is good!

So let me share a bit about what each class is working on to start off the year.  Our fifth graders are embarking on a new, collaborative project called The Ofrenda Project.  Art, music, Spanish and world cultural geography are working together to explore the culture and traditions of Mexico, culminating with the students creating an installation artwork to be displayed at the Latino Arts, Inc. gallery (part of the United Community Center) in Milwaukee as part of their annual “Ofrendas” exhibit. As the first part of the installation, students have selected a deceased family member, group of individuals, or a famous role model to honor through an individual box ofrenda. Students are using paint, paper, glue, scissors, modeling clay, model magic, photographs and other personal items brought from home, and arranging them in an interesting and pleasing composition, while trying to apply their best craftsmanship. Meanwhile, our fabulous new theater director, Mr. Woods, and his awesome stage craft class, are building Mexican facades that will hold each student's personal ofrenda. We chose to do the building to symbolize our interconnectedness, sense of community, and strong strong foundation. Our hope is that each viewer will have an intimate look into the lives of those being honored as they peer into each individual window. This is a HUGE undertaking, and so far, all is coming along nicely. We are still brainstorming how to see the windows that are above our eye level, however!

Our sixth graders started the year with a wonderful project creating hand-built clay bowls for the Milwaukee Empty Bowls Project.  This annual event is a fabulous way to share our talents with the community and support an ongoing challenge of hunger in Milwaukee. We worked with a visiting artist, Vicki Samolyk, learning how to drape a clay slab onto a mold, add texture, and glaze.  The bowls will be picked up tomorrow and added to the thousands of bowls that can be purchased on October 12th at the Kern Center.  I'll post more details about the event as the date gets closer, but please consider attending and supporting this amazing cause!

Sixth graders are also exploring the fauvist style of Henri Matisse as they capture the USM landscape in some beautiful ink paintings.  We were planning on doing some plein air painting, but the Wisconsin weather got the best of us and we were forced to work in our art room using images taken on our iPads.  Just like the real plein air painters, we are limited by the elements!  This week, we will finish adding our bold and wild colors, so look for these paintings around the school walls in the coming weeks!

Finally, our 7th graders were introduced to the differences between realistic, abstract and non-objective art.  After some group detective work and a bit of online research, students gained a greater understanding of these 3 categories of art and used the style of non-objective art as the inspiration for their first major project.  Students had one class period to prepare a plexi-glass plate with monoprinting inks focusing on color, composition, line, shape and texture.  The plates were then printed the following class period using our printing press.  We also spent one class providing feedback to our peers in order to come up with powerful and purposeful titles for our monoprints.  I always love the spontaneity of this project.  It's a great way to start the year!  We are now moving on to a sculpture project working with plaster strips and the symbol of the hand- an icon that transcends all movements of art!  This week, students write up a proposal and complete thumbnail sketches before beginning the act of plastering.  I can't wait to see what these creative minds produce!