Dorothea Lange, Migrant Woman

5th graders studied the work of Dorothea Lange and her role in telling the story of those who suffered during The Great Depression.  We chose to focus on her most famous and iconic photograph called Migrant Woman.  After brainstorming about what the students thought was happening in the photo, each person was assigned a portion of the photo.  The students then used enlarging techniques as well as  sketching tools to create areas of dark, medium and light value.  These tools could also be used to add detail and areas that are smooth or textural.  It was really amazing to piece each section together and complete the puzzle.  We concluded that the finished product reminded us of Picasso!

At the end of this unit each student participated in an exercise called Freeze Tag Tableau.  We acted out Migrant Woman and the students were able to verbalize their knowledge, and ask any questions they had that were not answered from viewing or discussing the photograph.
If you would like to view their work, the display for this project is located at the top of the stairs on the second floor of the school.

Vincent Van Gogh Inspired Still Life Flowers!

1st, 2nd & 3rd graders leaned about the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh.  We focused on his particular painting style and studied his series of sunflowers.  The students noticed that his flowers were very floppy, and that he layered his paint on the canvas in a very thick manor.  We used Van Gogh's sunflowers as inspiration to create our own still life vase of flowers.  Each student learned how to draw the vase and table in perspective, and then one by one, they sketched loose and floppy flowers to complete their images.  The next step was color application!  These images were completed with oil pastel and watercolor paint.  Some students added details and patterns to create more interest.  I think Van Gogh would be proud!  You will find them displayed in the school lobby and in the auditorium.

The Last Remnant of Summer!

Early in the school year our 3rd 4th and 5th grade students took on a sketching challenge.  I brought in all the peach pits left over from my family's summer peach eating.  These fruits have disappeared from the grocery shelves, but the peach pits remain and that is what the students focused their attention on.  They examined these little seeds and took notice of their textural surface and oval shape as well as how the light impacted the cast shadow.  I was very impressed with the results!  They are hanging in the school lobby.

Kindergarten Line Collage!

Kindergarten students started off the the school year with a bang!  They have been learning about all types of line!  I was very impressed with how quickly they learned the difference between horizontal, diagonal and vertical lines.  They were even able to create wavy and zig zag horizontal, diagonal and vertical lines.  Each student used the color paper that was provided to create line collages that demonstrated what they had learned.  The really used their fine motor skills to cut and shape all of their line types.  You will find them hanging near the Kindergarten pod and in the auditorium!

Corcoran Family Worshop

You might like this! 
On Saturday June 18th from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., The Corcoran Gallery of Art is hosting a family workshop called "Sculpt It."  The price is $8 per child for Corcoran members, and $10 per child for non-members. The children can explore a variety of materials, both traditional and non-traditional to create three-demensional art! 

Art Museum Links

Summer is almost here and I wanted to share a few links that you may enjoy visiting with your children throughout summer vacation.  Some of the websites have sections that are just for kids.  Also, if you happen to be in the Boston area over the summer, there is a wonderful exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston called "Chihuly, Through The Looking Glass."  It will be there until August 7th!

Museum of Modern Art

www.moma.org/

National Gallery of Art

www.nga.gov/

San Francisco Museum of Art

http://www.sfmoma.org/

The Corcoran Gallery of Art

http://www.corcoran.org/

National Museum of African Art

www.nmafa.si.edu/index2.html

The Guggenheim Museum

www.guggenheim.org/new_york_index.shtml

J. Paul Getty Museum

http://www.getty.edu/

The Metropolitan Museum

http://www.metmuseum.org/

Smithsonian American Art Museum

http://www.americanart.si.edu/

The Louve (In English)

http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?brnlocale=en

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

http://www.mfa.org/

Oh Georgia!

Flowers are in bloom and second and third grade students are creating Georgia O'keefe inspired abstracted flowers!  We studied the life and work of Georgia O'keefe with a particular focus on her series of flowers.  Each student chose an actual flower to guide them in this project.  Using a view finder, they could "zoom-in" to their flowers to create a pleasing composition.  When the students decided on a composition, they sketched their flower images onto paper.  The students applied color using oil pastel, and then chose a complementary color for the background.  These are currently on display in the school lobby!