An AMAZING art gift for the studio

Look what “L” brought to us today! A twelve-foot hand-lettered banner. She made it at her Grandma’s house. “How in the world did you get it here?” “I brought it in pieces!”

I am a speechless, overwhelmed art teacher. Thank you “L!”

Not Enough Looms

We have been trying to get a “Fabrics and Fibers” center established in the CBMS art studio. I found four nice wooden looms in the supply closet. One of our families donated a sewing machine. I ordered a good assortment of yarn and brought my thread rack in from home. Our new center is starting to look good.
Interest was so high when I brought out a box of fabric scraps that we now have supply-and-demand problems. Not enough fabric. Not enough looms. Not enough sewing needles. We love our sewing machine, but competition is keen for it, and we could really use a second.

 

5th graders co-sewing

So I wrote a grant. We are waiting to hear if it will be successful. 
In the mean time, fabric artists are learning to make cardboard looms. Would-be sewing machine operators are practicing hand-sewing techniques, and students are starting to bring in fabric scraps from home.
Artists are very resourceful people.

Graph Paper at the Kitchen Table

 A 7^th grader wandered in the other day to show me his collection of “wallpapers.” From a two-pocket folder he began to produce drawing after drawing, all made on graph paper – I think there were 100 of them. They looked like tessellations, or fractal designs. He told me he has been doing these since he was 5 years old, with his mother, at the kitchen table. His mother learned how from her mother, and when he has kids, he told me, he would teach them.

I was so impressed by these intricate, carefully constructed geometric designs that I asked “C” to come and show my 8^th grade class, because they were sure to be impressed and might even become inspired to try to make some of their own. “C” commanded the attention of my first block class like I never have. He said that between his mother and him, they have over 900 designs. When they get to 1000, they are going to make a book. Three books, actually, one with his designs, one with hers and a third of their combined efforts.

“C” came back at the end of the day to present his work to another group of 8^th graders, and offered to stick around and get them started, if they wanted to practice a little. He came back the next day too, leaving a starter design for me to try (I think it was a test – he chose the tiniest graph paper and a tricky design).

Some of the designs are pure pattern – others are geometric abstractions inspired by objects or ideas that surround “C” - a vase in has kitchen, his father's military insignia, a video game character. Older designs are on larger grid graph paper, many of these he colored in – newer ones are on smaller grids and drawn in pencil but finished in ink. He uses a special pen, one that doesn't bleed through the paper, and he prefers a mechanical pencil – the quality of the line is more uniform.

After looking at these beautiful drawings, trying to grasp how they were made, and listening to “C's" story, I had many questions, but my last one was “do you have a T.V.?” I'm sure you can guess the answer.

District Art Show

Crossett Brook student artwork is on display at the Red Hen Bakery to celebrate Student Art Month.

Each art teacher in the Washington West Supervisory Union was invited to contribute five student pieces to the display.  CBMS artwork includes; two clay pieces, one relief print, one colored pencil drawing and a mixed media painting, representing a nice cross-section of current work.

New Life Form?

Photograph by Loek van der Klis (http://www.kliski.com/ ) used by permission

 I showed a short video clip of Theo Jansen's "Strandbeests" to students last week. Some asked for the link, so click http://www.youtube.com/embed/HSKyHmjyrkA  to view. You will be amazed, as were we.

For those who want to see and learn more, please visit Mr. Jansen's web page: www.strandbeest.com/ 
Jansen also appeared on a  TED (Technology Education and Design) talk in 2007. In this 8 minute clip the artist/engineer describes more about his work: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/theo_jansen_creates_new_creatures.html

When to say yes when you want to say no

Two 8th grade boys suffered through my “5 minute demo” (this is the time at the start of class when I introduce a new technique, raise a topic of interest, highlight an artist or art movement or follow-up on issues suggested by previous student work). The two were half listening and half flipping pages in a book at the drawing center.
Twice I asked them to close the book. They couldn’t. The book was too compelling (or at least more compelling than whatever it was I was harping on!) When the class was (finally) invited to begin their work, one of these boys asked if he could take pictures – outside. I said yes – but INSIDE (it was about 15 degrees out). He said “never mind – there’s nothing to take pictures of inside, only people.” He slumped away. Then I made the connection – the book he was interested in was a book of photographs, and he was suddenly inspired to take some Vermont winter shots OUTSIDE.

                                          Photo by "A" - Grade 8
So I reversed my “no” to a “yes” and the two photographers headed out. It was agreed that they would stay on the driveway and in my sight from the art studio windows. They checked back once to ask if they could leave the driveway and go up the hill. “It’s in your line of sight” they informed me.
They returned (partially frozen), downloaded their images and started to manipulate them in iphoto. I’m pretty glad I said yes.

                                               Photo by "A" - 8th grade             

Caught Red Handed (in Learning) (originally posted in Dec 2010)

It’s usually just a matter of time: Students exploring the possibilities in the paint center will eventually paint their hands. Hand painting must be the forbidden fruit in school art rooms –scorned and banned, but inexplicably appealing.

Oh, and it’s also contagious. There has been a rash of hand-painting in the studio recently, spreading virally from student to student and class to class. In one class, the fever spread from hands to feet, and then something unusual happened. After a day of experiencing and experimenting, one student declared “today was a practice day. Tomorrow we will do the real one.” This crew came in the next day, pulled off their shoes, organized themselves and started in.

Before long, a new plan emerged: they would use this new painting method to paint a large American flag as a welcome home banner for one student’s dad who is soon returning from Afghanistan.

Click to view video!

This plan was executed over two days before it was abandoned, perhaps because their ideas grew beyond their skill and control, or perhaps because the result was not up to their standards. They changed media again, adding large cut out letters to a hand-print background, in effect combining printmaking with collage. The cut out letters provided the attractive appearance they were after, while the hand-printed background preserved evidence of their original joy.

What was fascinating to their art teacher was the process from experimentation to clear intent. Students’ ideas shifted from play to care, as Professor John Crowe of Massachusetts College of Art and Design would say. Through discovery learning, students applied their new-found knowledge to a purposeful use of media and technique – a technique they themselves invented.