The Ratner School Art Program

I first want to personally thank you all for your amazing support at the Gala! I was overwhelmed with the generosity of everyone and their enthusiasm for our programs. I appreciate all the comments on the artwork your children create and am glad so many people enjoyed the work at the event. We had a productive week in art despite the morning testing this week. Enjoy the work that is coming home and stay tuned for continued updates.

Kindergarten Art

We are now in week 29 of our arts and humanities program. While the students learned about the life and work of Cesar Chavez in their classrooms, we talked about the possibilities of using natural elements in art like grains, beans, wood, and seeds in art. I showed some examples of mandalas and we revisited the design element of symmetry and radiant design patterns. The students drew their design on board stock and began gluing the various natural elements on the board. They have shown growth in their control of materials, attention to detail and craftsmanship this year.  

1st and 2nd Grade Art

We had a full week of art this week and had a day to have some fun with the photo copies of the portraits we used in our self portrait unit. The students were able to collage, paint, color or cut their copies anyway they wanted. They came up with some creative and fun experiments. The completed before and after self portraits are now hanging in the hallway. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, they show remarkable progress. We began a new project on Wednesday inspired by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe. The students also began working on the stories for the "Monster in a Closet" book in their classroom. I will let you know when the stories for the books are complete and in the library.

3rd and 4th Grade Art

Between the IOWA tests and the field trip, we did not have art class this week for the 3rd and 4th grade. We will continue work on the wood sculptures next week.

5th and 6th Grade Art

We continued our work on the balance sculptures. The students have really progressed with their problem solving skills and have worked through many different versions of their ideas. I believe all the student work will be complete next week. I will display them upstairs in the black boxes for a couple of weeks so everyone can enjoy them before we send them home.

7th and 8th Grade Art

We were finally able to start the glaze process on the Kirk Mangus inspired face jugs. The glazing process is the final step in the project and the students seemed to revisit their work with renewed interest and excitement. It is a process of mystery to apply glaze to ceramics, you never know what the end result will be. If the glaze is not applied evenly, it may not be rich in color. There are times the glaze is layered and some of the undercoat may show through when you may not want it to. We have to embrace the unknown with ceramic work and I am learning along with the students on this medium.

The Ratner School Art Program

This week brought the completion of the landscape painting project, the creation of self portraits, wire stabile/mobiles, wood sculptures and found object explorations. We had a full week of classes with few interruptions and enjoyed creating and making. The students are all excited to showcase their work at the Gala on Sunday and will be waiting to hear what you thought of their work. They are so glad their art is part of the celebration and we are all grateful that The Ratner School and our parents support the art program so strongly. Thank you!

Kindergarten Art 

In week 28 of our Art and Humanities program we looked at the work and life of Louise Nevelson. We talked about found objects and named some objects we may use in making artwork. We discussed the difference between 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional, and discussed how different objects "talk" to each other. Scale, composition, and strong problem solving skills were needed for this project. Each student began work using a cardboard shirt box as the starting point for their piece. They used found maps, sheet music, wrapping paper, paint color samples, and other paper pieces to collage the entire inside of the box. On Thursday they added the 3-dimensional objects to their boxes. I believe they could have built their sculptures for hours more! 

 

1st and 2nd Grade Art

We finished our self portrait unit this week. The work show marked improvement with the practice the students did this week. We used tracing paper on the copies of the photograph portraits so they could recognize the shapes of their facial features. After tracing their features, the information was easier to apply to their portrait drawing. A lesson on watercolor paint mixing and shading helped clarify the possibilities of adding color to their portraits. Look for them hanging in the hallways next week. The "Monster in the Closet" work will be coming home next week as well, I am just waiting for the spring winds to calm down a bit before sending work home!

3rd and 4th Grade Art

We continued work on the wooden sculptures this week and the students have made great progress. They are beginning to see more possibilities with their work and are thinking in more 3-dimensional terms.  We will continue work for at least one more week on this unit, I think they want to keep building for as long as possible! They are being very safe with the tools and it is easy to see the growth in their work.

5th and 6th Grade Art

We are on the final stretch of the stabile/mobile project. This week brought the added hanging elements made from a variety of materials. Brass and aluminum sheet, wood, and wire are just a few of the materials the students are using. They have shown improved skill working with wire and great tenacity getting their work to balance. We should be able to finish the project next week.

One of my favorite Calder stabiles

7th and 8th Grade Art

This was a monumental week. We finished the landscape project! It is unusual to have a firm deadline to complete our projects. I am usually able to let the students work at their own pace to complete their work, but we all wanted the work to be showcased at the Gala, so paint was flying in the art room. The students matted all the work and it is displayed throughout the halls of the school. I am so impressed with the work they all completed. Next week we will begin glazing the face jugs.

 

The Ratner School Art Program

We have had another packed week in school involving sculptures, painting, critiques, circus building, career day and portraits! I had the opportunity to present for Career Day and attend two separate conferences and a professional development class this weekend, so the blog update is a couple of days late this week, my apologies! I enjoyed the chance to talk to the 5th-8th grade students about my personal art and jewelry career outside of being a teacher at The Ratner School. I brought in my jewelry torch and showed them a few techniques and talked about how I built my business. The students had many interesting questions and I truly enjoyed sharing my life outside of teaching with them. We have a lot of work to do this week and several projects to complete, so stay tuned. Make sure you scroll down to see each grade level page on the blog!

Kindergarten Art

We are now in week 27 of our art and Humanities program and we spent the week studying the fantastic work of Alexander Calder. While the students learned about his life and work in their classrooms, in art we focused on the wire circus sculptures he created. We talked about how the wire can be used like a 3-dimensional line drawing, learned how we could created form and mass with wire and became engineers building standing poles and trapeze swings. They showed great improvement with their problem solving skills, asked a lot of "what if" questions and created some wonderful circus scenes. I have added a link to the Alexander Calder page (upper right hand under "pages")if you would like to learn more about his work. If you are in the school, look at the work by Mishy and Jen's room, the art looks wonderful all together.

1st and 2nd Grade Art

We had our critique about the "Monster in a Closet" project that is currently hanging in the gallery. The students were constructive and insightful with their comments and it is clear that they are all developing skills being clear and concise while talking about art. After our gallery talk, we began a new project focusing on self portraits. Each student is creating two portraits. One portrait is drawn from their memory, often using set symbols for their facial features. The next portrait is drawn through observation, looking in a mirror and using a photograph of themselves as a reference. We question the symbols used in the first portrait and an awareness of the facial proportions begin to be formed. It is always an interesting process and a great foundation practice in art for years to come.

3rd and 4th Grade Art

We had an exciting week in art! One of the tools the 3rd grade students get to use as they improve with their fine motor and listening skills is a hot glue gun. They all work toward this common goal and know that I can not move forward with presenting this new tool until they are all ready. It is a wonderful tool to learn to use and we approach the lesson with excitement and caution with our mind on safety. The students are constructing abstract wooden sculptures, looking at different connections, the form in space and craftsmanship. They are showing good problem solving skills and safe and 

appropriate use of the tools.

  

5th and 6th Grade Art

We began a new project this week. I had a request from several students to work with wire and hand tools, so I developed a new sculpture unit to try. Based on the "stabile" sculptures of Alexander Calder, the students began with a thick wood base and a steel wire. They straitened out a coat hanger for the main wire and bent it to create the main pole for the sculpture. Loops and jump ring connectors were made to begin making the balance features for the sculpture. We had a lot of problem solving happening in art this week! After the basic forms are complete, the hanging elements will be designed and made. 

7th and 8th Grade Art

The landscapes are looking amazing! This is our last week for this project as they will be hanging in the gallery for the Kaleidoscope Gala on Sunday the 24th of April. We lost one day of art this for the students to participate in Career Day. I was glad to be a presenter and show them a glimpse into my life as a jeweler. It was an enjoyable day for everyone who participated.

 

The Ratner School Art Program

Welcome back to everyone! After a spring break filled with travel and adventures, we all returned ready to get back to work with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. All the students were well focused and created another full rack of paintings,prints and drawings. We have many projects in the works and have so many much more to create. If you happen to be in the building, take time to walk around and look at all the work hanging in the halls on both floors. It changes often and while the faculty and students get to enjoy everyone's work, you all often miss seeing the progress. We are making several pieces for the Ratner Gala on April 26th, and we hope to see you there.

Kindergarten Art

Week 25 and 26 brought the study of Hans Christian Anderson and the study of Pablo Picasso. We looked at traditional paper cutting for our unit study before spring break. We talked about symmetry and complimentary colors. They folded and cut two pieces of paper to create a design and glued the pieces on a larger white background. For the Picasso unit, we looked at his later line drawings and created a face with wire. They did a fantastic job with this project and could not wait to bring them home to show you.

  

 

1st and 2nd Grade Art

We completed the Monster in the Closet this week. The room environments were drawn, painted, pastel colored and the doors to the closet were built. I will finish binding the book this weekend and the students can begin to write their stories for the monsters. The work is hanging in the gallery, so if you are in the building, try to stop by and see the work. We will go into the gallery Monday and talk about the work and have a "critique." I love to hear the comments about the work and they often show me new ways to look at their work. 

3rd and 4th Grade Art

We had a printing festival in art this week. We printed the creature plates using colored ink and colored paper. The students were amazed at the difference the color made with the images. Some students had around 20 prints and experimented with several different techniques and papers. I could barely keep up with all the art that was being made! I heard from several students your reaction to the ceramic boxes that came home this week. I am glad you all enjoyed their work. We are going to begin a sculpture project next week so stay tuned.....

5th and 6th Grade Art

I hope you all enjoyed the bobble heads that came home this week. I love the willingness of this class to try a new project and be willing to risk failing while learning. This time the experiment worked spectacularly! We finished the landscape project this week and everyone seemed pleased with the results. It was great to see the use of several different techniques and material use with this unit. Look for the work hanging in the school hallways. 

A few of the bobble heads.

Finished!

7th and 8th Grade Art

We continue to work on the color mixing landscape project. The paintings are starting to take shape and the students have a new focus on their work now that the color mixing is becoming easier. Many students are beginning to add details and textures, and are adding new brushwork techniques to their skill set. I am so pleased with the progress they are making.