Fall 2014

 

All School Information:

Welcome to CHS and another year of exciting art experiences! We started off the year with Self-Portraits and learning to really LOOK into the mirror and draw what we see (as opposed to what we imagine in our minds). One student observed, "My eyes are really much bigger than I usually draw them; I usually make dots!"

 

 

   

In the ARTNOTES @ CHS Blog I post information about the Art Program at CHS, photos of our young artists at work, and examples of their artwork.

Throughout the year the art curriculum revolves around:

• Basic art concepts such as line, color, shape, space, texture, etc.
• Experiments with a variety of art materials including oil pastels, colored pencils, watercolor/tempera/acrylic paint, markers, crayons, fabric, yarn, thread, and more
• Experiences with a variety of expressive techniques such as drawing (individual/collaborative, observational/imaginative), painting, collage, mixed-media, clay and sculpture, printing, weaving, stitching and more
• Projects inspired by the classroom curriculum
• Collaborations focused on all-school themes

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This year our all school theme will be The Shadow Box Project: What's in a Name?

We will be making individual “Shadow Boxes.”  These boxes will introduce each of us and invite conversation about our similarities and differences. In addition to the student’s doing this project, several years ago the faculty worked on their own boxes; you may have noticed that the faculty boxes displayed around the school.

In art class, the students will start to make small objects for their own boxes which represent who they are, their family origins, and special interests. As we work on this project, we will talk about the work of artist Joseph Cornell and the boxes he assembled on various themes.

Our first objects will be made from Shrinky-Dinks, a special plastic paper which shrinks when it is baked. Our next activities will include making objects from wire, clay, paper, and a variety of collage materials. Later, the students will bring in a few “found objects” from home and a photo or two if possible. We will then decorate the boxes in a variety of ways, and finally assemble and display them. Everyone will make one.

Here is how you can help:
 

• Have some conversations with your child about the Shadow Box Project.
• Discuss what they have seen around the school in the teacher’s boxes, and what they have been making in art class to put in their own box.
• Discuss the origins of your family and stories about their name (for example: My middle name, Elizabeth, was my grandmother’s name and is my daughter’s middle name. My grandmother was from Wales. My son’s middle name is the same as my fathers, and his initials are the same as his grandfathers, etc…)
• Help them collect 2 or 3 small objects from home that represent their interests, pet toys, stickers, tiny animals, photos (one or two color copies of photos, baby pictures are fun and/or a family photo) that they will cut and glue. Put these in a zip lock bag labeled with their name and grade, and send them to school. Please keep in mind that these objects will be glued into the boxes, so make sure that is OK with you and your child!
• FYI- their boxes will be  7” x  7” x  2 ½” deep

Timeline:  We will be working on the boxes starting in October, so you can send in these labeled items any time in the next two weeks. Thanks in advance for your help and support of this project!

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Information About MOREART Classes:
For those of you interested in MOREART Classes, which are offered to students in K-3rd grade after school on Mondays starting in January, the registration forms will be available in November for both Winter & Spring Classes, as well as Summer Workshops.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions: jbennett@concordhill.org

Jan Bennett

Art Teacher
Concord Hill School

Please visit our website www.concordhill.org

 

 

 

 

Looking Back at the Year in Photos 2013-2014

             To CREATE is to bring your imagination to life!




Southwest Landscape Collage:
Envisioning

Southwest Landscape Collage:
Developing Craft



Southwest Landscape Collage:
Observing

Southwest Landscape Collage:
Engaging & Persisting



Southwest Landscape Collage:
Stretching & Exploring



More 3-D Construction: Envisioning

Color Mixing with Tempera Paint:
Experimenting with Color

Sponge Painting Cherry Blossoms:
Playing with Paint

Weaving in Second Grade:
Engaging & Persisting

Under the Sea Oil Pastel Resist:
Self Expression

 Silk Hoop Painting:
Expanding Your Comfort Zone

 

Working on the All-School Project:
Collaboration

Painting the Snow:
Experimenting with Color

Assembling Portfolios: Accomplishment

Self Portraits:
Learning to Observe

Third Grade Watercolor Preparation:
Learning the Craft

Glazing Ceramics:
Envisioning

Painted Paper Collage:
Working with Space

Working Together:
Inspiring & Being Inspired



Collaboration and Reflection:
Learning Together

 

 

Talking With Young Children About Art: An Opportunity for Meaningful Conversation

      I once saw a cartoon depicting a parent talking with their child about a piece of art the child had created. The parent said, "What is it?" The child looked deflated.  How is it his parent couldn't see what it was... it was so obvious to the artist.  Talking with young children about their artwork can be tricky. Parents often ask me if I have any suggestions for starting meaningful conversations with their young artists.  I think it's helpful to think about what you hope to accomplish in this conversation. Some possibilities include:

• learning more about your children and their motivations 
• understanding how your child thinks 
• helping them feel accomplishment and recognition for their work 
• demonstrating your general interest in their stories and their creative voice
• sharing a bonding experience with them

      These are all wonderful reasons to have a conversation with your children about their art. Over the years I have learned some successful ways to approach young artists about their work.  I focus on their role as the artist and ask them to tell me about their work; "Tell me about your painting."  An additional approach is to focus on specifically on what I see and report my observations:

• I see lot of blue here at the top of your painting, can you tell me about it?
• I see so many different shapes in your drawing, can you tell me about them?
• I notice that tiny dots go all around the entire picture; can you tell me what you were thinking about that?

      Children often respond to these statements with information about their thought process while making the art. They tell me stories about what the blue meant to them, why it is there, and maybe even what it represents. A three year old might tell me that the blue is there because the sky fell down in the picture, or that the blue is a huge dragon who is swimming. One story can lead to another and pretty soon we are engaged in conversation.

      Another approach for continuing a conversation is to offer some feedback, not just what you see, but how you respond to it---but only if it seems to be appreciated by the artist! These comments are a bit more teacherly, in that you are starting to discuss elements of art with your child (color, line, shape, form, etc), and how their art might be viewed by others:

• I notice how you made these lines go all the way across the page; it makes the painting look so tall. What were you thinking about when you decided to do that?
• The circles over here are such a contrast to those sharp lines, it makes me feel excited and I wonder what you were thinking about.
• This part of your painting has a dreamy quality. Is there a story behind this?
• Your painting looks like it's coming off the page, what did you do with the paint to make it look like that?

      Once your artist starts telling you stories about their piece of art, you can begin to ask some more direct questions. But I tend to back off if the response isn't very enthusiastic. There are times when kids just don't want to talk about their work. I make a mental note, and try to return to the conversation at a later time. I might say something like, "Remember when you were making your tree collage? I noticed something you did with the leaves that I thought was interesting. You figured out a way to make them 3-D. I was wondering if you could tell me about that?" With a question like this you are helping them reflect back on their thought process and make connections.

 

      More direct questions and comments might include something like this:

• What were you thinking about when you painted this?
• What tools did you use to apply the paint?
• Can you tell me about what is happening in your drawing?
• What is your favorite part of this painting?
• Tell me about how you made this collage.

      I hope you find some of these approaches helpful the next time you start a conversation with your young artist! An additional resource for talking with kids about art (the art of others...in museums and galleries, etc), can be found if you follow this link:

http://tinkerlab.com/five-easy-steps-for-talking-with-children-about-art/

Spring ARTNOTES 2014

 

 

 

 

General Art News:

We are starting to work on our School-Wide Art Project. In our celebration of our year's theme, Nature, we are creating a Collaborative Art Installation using recycled materials. We will be weaving on old DVD's and CD's and then attaching them together. One small section might look like this:
You can help by sending in old DVD's and CD's. You can also send in the plastic mesh that is used for packaging clementine's in addition to clear plastic egg cartons. Many Thanks in advance for your donations!

Preprimary & Primary Art Classes:

  

The art students in Primary and Preprimary have been busy making art this spring. The Preprimary students now come to the art room, and Primary makes art in their classroom. In Preprimary art class the students have explored different kinds of paint, color-mixing, sculpture, clay and weaving.

 

Have you seen the wonderful drawings, paintings and ceramic models of the woodland creatures in the Primary Class Hallway? They were created by students in the classroom with their classroom teachers.

Kindergarten Art Students:

 

The Kindergarten art students have been exploring a variety of different mediums in art this spring. In addition to weaving, which you can see in the photo above, they have worked in mixed-media sculpture, observational drawing, and painting (including the snow!). Weaving in Kindergarten is quite an accomplishment and they succeed because of the support they give each other. Each student has a "Weaving Buddy". The Buddies have two jobs: the first is to watch their partner weave a row and offer encouragement. The second job is to help each other out with the technical aspects of weaving (i.e. which direction to proceed, over or under?). They have done a phenomenal job this year!

 

 

 

First Grade Art Students have continued to create art from around the world inspired by their Social Studies curriculum. Most recently they took a quick trip to Ireland and created silk hoops with Celtic Designs. Earlier in the spring they made Dream Paintings and Ceramic Boomerangs inspired by Australia, and Japanese Kimonos. Their next stops will include Mexico (weaving) and Africa (printing).

 

 



 

 Second Grade Artists are also weaving and painting, sculpting and drawing. They have frecently enjoyed creating ceramic Native American Fetishes inspired by images of work by Zuni artists.

  

 

Third Grade Artists are continuing to Think Like Artists! In addition to observational drawings, they have explored painting, self-portraits, weaving (plaid design), mixed-media projects and ceramics.

 

 

 

Coming Up in ART: If your student is one of those kids who just can't get enough art in their lives, they might want to join a MOREART class after school, or during the summer. These classes are available for students in K-3rd grade. The after school class (on Mondays) is run as an open studio time with a variety of activities set up and choices made by the students. The summer class is based on several continuing projects focused around a particular theme. Each summer session is one week long from 10-1:00. Contact me if you have any questions: jbennett@concordhill.org