“I don't know why people kill...”

Weapons, weaponry, violent action drawings – these are subjects and themes that frequently appear in middle school art – usually boy art. My colleague Clyde Gaw writes extensively about this in “The Secret Art of Boys” (in The Learner Directed Classroom, 2012, Jaquith &Hathaway Eds.)

By "J" - Grade 6

When students choose to make art about guns or violence there is an opportunity to talk through these themes and gain insight into why some young artists find these ideas compelling.

Often a student will say: “I made this because guns are cool.” or simply “I like guns.” Fascination with weapons is not unusual. Social commentary about guns, at this age, is. So I was very interested in a recent mixed media piece (pictured above) titled “Y the Violence?” The artist's statement created for the display of this piece reads: “I don't know why people kill (that's the "IDK"). "LOL" is that I think killers might think it's funny.”

Artist's Statement

 

This interested me – the artist used materials in an interesting and deliberate way, created meaning, communicated an idea, and put their work “out there” for others to see and respond.

I have a reproduction of sculpture by Marvin Bartel pinned to the wall in the Sculpture Center – a piece I greatly admire. It was made in 1968 and depicts a rifle with a long site, hanging broken from a coarse noose – a lynched rifle. I asked my student if he ever noticed that photo, (he did not). Together we looked at it, commented on the artist's possible intentions, speculated about the year it was made (1968) and what might have been going on during that time. I told the student that 1968 was the year Martin Luther King was assassinated and Robert Kennedy – Was Bartel "assassinating" the rifle? Killing violence? Calling for an end to the shootings?

I know that in some schools, depicting weapons is disallowed. And while it is sometimes unsettling to see young students drawing and building weapons, their interest in these provides an entry point to speak about complex topics that hold relevance to this generation - conversations which might otherwise be silenced.

The artwork of three students will represent CBMS at the STUDENT ART SHOW 

at 

Helen Day Art Center in Stowe Vermont.

The opening reception is May 3, 3:00-7:00 PM.

The show runs through May 26th 

and includes the work of 11 area schools.

Congratulations to Amber, Reily and Amaya!

 Sun/Moon, Encaustic by Reily and Amaya

Thunder Lightening Rainbow  Tempera Painting by Amber (one of a series of 5 paintings)

Hurray for Clay!

The Clay Center opened today for Grade 5. Hurray! The "ware shelf" is filling up with bowls and plaques and animals and all manner of objects created by eager hands grateful for the wonders clay holds.

"When will it be dry?" "Can we paint it?" "Will it be ready for Mothers Day?" The clay center is a rich area for learning in the art studio - lots of science and physics plus all those aesthetic choices to make. The esoteric vocabulary is fun to learn and use, there are interesting tools to test, and nothing beats the fun of having shaping something from nothing.
Welcome back clay center - I've missed you these last two weeks!

Poster Contests in the Learner-Directed Classroom

Common Yellow Throat by "J," Grade 7

Art teaches are frequently solicited to have students participate in Poster Contests. I get requests for everything from "Responsible Finance" to "Fire Safety." Organizations are eager to have community involvement in their cause, to raise visibility of their good work, and to educate children on a wide range of issues, all through poster design contests. Rather than picking and choosing which, if any,  contests to spend our valuable art time pursing, I offer the option to students and let them choose whether or not they wish to design & contribute artwork for these causes. 

 7th Grader "J" did a beautiful job this week for the North Branch Nature Center's Bird Drawing Contest.  She combined a colored-pencil drawing with glossy magazine colors & textures for a unique interpretation of a Common Yellow Throat in its natural habitat. Now we cross our fingers and wait for the awards announcement on June 1st to see if her mixed media entry is a winner! It's a winner in my book already!

Innovation in the Art Studio

Encaustic painting has been a choice in the studio for some time now. The process involves melting wax and pigment (in our case, crayons) and painting with a special encaustic brush (we have tried little paint brushes, Q-tips and have settled on pipe cleaners). Students paint on railroad board donated from a puzzle company. Some paintings are on a single board, others spill over onto two or three or more boards, fitting together, coincidentally, like a puzzle. 

Two artists working together recently made a series of 5 paintings that fit together. They then mounted them the paintings onto a board, and continued their painting on the back board, which created a multilevel effect. 

"Sun & Moon"

                                          Click to play!

Today a 6^th grader made a creative break through and started painting “UP.” Her process reminded me of how a 3-D printer works – building up thin layers to create a three dimensional object a little at a time. 

Painting or sculpture?

When students can return time and again to a process or medium or an idea, they gain greater and greater facility with materials and techniques and enjoy the opportunity to fine-tune ideas. Over time there is a deeper understanding of what the medium can do and how to make it one's own. That is when innovation can occur.

Animation Preparations

 8^th Graders are starting to make a cast of characters for a stop-action claymation project. Teams are forming and plot lines are being rehearsed. Props and backdrops are being created. Musical accompaniment is being considered. Stay tuned for next steps as they emerge...

Over Under Over Under

Weaving takes time and patience. Few students demonstrate the ability to “Engage & Persist” (one of the 8 studio habits we engage in as artists in the studio). Below is a good start by a fiber artist who was inspired by the video Weaving on a Cardboard Loom, available on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbtKnvc_9No

  Students make their looms from recycled cardboard and warp them with string or yarn. We have lots of donated yarn, for the weft, thanks to our supportive CBMS community.