I was very excited about this art show. Each year, I develop and implement new projects. Easily bored with projects, I don't mind putting in the extra effort to try something new. The first half of the school year produced a few intriguing projects from across the grades.
Kindergarten
A repeat from last year which involves students practicing writing their names correctly starting with a capital letter followed by lowercase letters.
Media: crayon texture rubbings and paper collage.
First Grade
This was a new project that I'm totally pumped about. Each year, I've started the first graders with a lesson on texture. The end project has involved texture rubbings. Instead I thought it would be fun and much more interesting to do a project with actual texture. This resulted in Assemblage artworks. These are similar to collage but with 3D objects. Picasso was one of the first to create assemblage, but called it a collage sculpture. The artists who really embraced the idea are Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and we particularly looked at Louise Nevelson.
Media: Cardboard, Mixed Media, and Acrylic Paint
A new element that I implemented for this art show is Artist Statements.
2nd Grade
Another new project. The integration is a short unit the teachers do on Friends asking the questions, "What makes a good friend?" and "What does it take to be a good friend?" Being a photographer, I've been trying to implement photography more into my lessons. Our school has a set of iPads which aren't the best for photography, but they are cameras none the less. Each students chose a partner (friend) and thought about a fun thing they could do together. As a class we brainstormed a list of things: play video games, surfing, visit a volcano, parachuting, etc. The students acted out the scene with their partner and took photo of each other. I printed these out and had them ready the next week. The students created a mixed media background and then cut out and glued the photo.
Media: C-print photograph, mixed media
3rd Grade
A recurring hit is the project called Recyclebots. Students create robots out of recycled materials. They have a unit on sustainability and the future which is the inspiration for the project. It's always interesting to see what the kids come up with.
3rd Grade
I actually did this project my first year at Edgemont. It connects with the 3rd grade unit on health. We discussed physical, mental, and emotional health in general. Then we thought how we can be strong, smart and happy at school. Each student chose a category and then an action performed at school that supported that category. For example, a student who chose mental health or being smart might have chosen reading as an action. A life-size silhouette was created performing that action and then the artwork was installed in the space most suitable for reading: the library. Likewise those who chose eating healthy installed their artwork in the cafeteria. The photo above shows the many that chose to install their artwork that represented physical health in the gym.
Media: Black Butcher Paper
4th Grade
Technically this is another repeat project from last year, but totally revamped. These self-portraits have become my favorite project thus far. For once, it felt like we were all creating real art. Yes, as the teacher I chose the project, but it was so open ended that the students really took off with their ideas. I tried to show them a wide variety of ideas to begin with and I think it really paid off.
Media: Mixed Media
I hate to have favorites, but this was definitely one of them. This student generated this idea on his own. I helped with construction, but the idea was all his.
In case you can't tell, this self-portrait is stitched.
5th Grade
Another repeat from last year. The Andy Goldsworthy inspired, Earth Art.
5th Grade
These books take forever to make, but they turn out pretty awesome. I like the integration factor of having the creative process of storyboarding and illustration help inspire depth in writing.
Media: Paper, Drawing materials, Matte board, Thread, Fabric, Glue
6th Grade
The 6th grade masks is a project I may never be rid of no matter how monotonous it becomes for me. After doing this project for only two years, I was getting anxious to mix it up. Originally inspired by Egyptian death masks, this year I decided to expand the project to include all masks. I overhauled my intro powerpoint to inspire an in depth conversation about the concept of a mask. It even included a bit about Batman. Now how cool is that? I really wanted the students to think about this idea of a mask and put that into their project. As I have been doing more and more often, I gave my students a lot of freedom. There were a few really cool ideas, but most were disappointing. I'm already scheming on how to improve for next year.
Media: Plaster of Paris, Mixed Media.
