The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

This is my last blog post for the 2019-2020 school year. I know things have been different this year, but we creatives thrive with different. I hope your child found one or two projects that informed them in a new way, taught them to see something they had not seen before or even found entertainment in creating. While I will take working in person with all my students over anything on a computer screen, I am grateful for the technology to connect during this pandemic. I thank you all for your kind support, helping your child navigate creating and finding materials for projects at home and for sending me pictures and videos of their art. I appreciate you all and look forward to seeing you all again when we return. 

Kindergarten Art 

VIDEO

Elementary I Art (1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade) 

VIDEO

Elementary II Art (4th, 5th and 6th Grade) 

VIDEO

7th and 8th Grade Art 

VIDEO

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

I had a great time preparing the video lessons this week. I have presented several lessons over the past couple of months and am getting better and learning more each time I adapt. It is really interesting to present lessons in a new format after 16 years! I worked inside school last week shutting down the art room and packing up student work for return. Every student had art work at school to be picked up, I tried to protect the work as best as I could with the available materials. The Elementary I students have the most work returning as I had saved all their work for the Art and Music Extravaganza. I know you all value the creative work your child creates and I am glad to know that you will discuss the work together and hopefully display the art in your home for a while. Next week will be the final set of art videos for the year. 

This is the art produced from 1 class!

 

Kindergarten Art 

VIDEO

Elementary I Art (1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade) 

VIDEO

Elementary II  Art (4th, 5th and 6th Grade) 

VIDEO

7th and 8th Grade Art 

VIDEO

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

This week has moved quickly for me. I appreciate that the change of my regular schedule has now become my new normal. I find comfort in having a system to follow and I admit it took some time for me to find my rhythm in doing the video lessons. I hope everyone is still finding them useful and that it offers your children a sense of "normal" and the opportunity to create each week. I will try to post the lessons on Wednesday next week as I will be going into school to pack up the art work for you to all pick up. I hope you all take time to look at the work together and talk together about the work. It is an exciting time of the year when the work of the students goes home to be enjoyed. As always, thank you all so much for your photos, videos and emails sharing the art work that is being created.

Daffodil Hill, Lakeview Cemetery photo by Don Iannone

                                          

Kindergarten Art

Elementary I (1st,2nd and 3rd Grade) 

VIDEO

Kandinsky  Color Study. Squares with Concentric Circles 1913

Elementary II (4th,5th,6th Grade) 

VIDEO

7th and 8th Grade Art 

VIDEO

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program 

Video Lessons

Just when I thought the weather was going to cooperate to get outside for some plein air paintings, we hit the monsoon season in Northeast Ohio. I have posted a few simple and colorful lessons for the students that should be enjoyable and uses materials easily found around the home. I appreciate everyone who has been encouraging your child to create at least one thing each day, when I say I could not do my job without you, I truly cannot now! Your support means so much to me and I am thankful that the creative arts are integral to the Ratner School education. 

Kindergarten Art 

VIDEO

Elementary I Art (1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade) 

VIDEO

Elementary II Art(4th,5th and 6th Grade)

VIDEO

7th and 8th Grade Art

Video

Keep an eye out for #6 recycle code plastic for a fun project next week

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

VIDEO LESSONS

Just when I thought I was getting the hang of videotaping lessons and finding time in the bandwidth use in my house, I hit a snag. I apologize for the day late posting of the videos, I am still learning! I can't tell you all how much I enjoy seeing the photos and videos of your child creating and the amazing work they continue to do. I know art is important to the students, you are just so wonderful supporting the projects at home and I can not thank you enough.  

I wanted to let you know about an opportunity to participate in a statewide art display. The Ohio Department of Health will display any artwork created by students during the quarantine. It does not have to be health related.  I have attached the information below.

Kindergarten Art

Video

Elementary I Art (1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade) 

VIDEO

Elementary II Art (4th, 5th and 6th Grade)

Contour drawing by Picasso

Contour drawing by Matisse 

7th and 8th Grade Art

VIDEO

Graphite drawing by Hector Gonzales

Graphite drawing by Adonna Khare

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

Video Lessons

Welcome to week four of our remote art instruction! Thank you all for your steadfast support of the art curriculum in your child's day. I know you all have so much to juggle and I truly appreciate the number of photos, emails and videos of the work you and your child are creating.  I am glad you realize that while the projects are not mandatory work, you see the value in creative work. If for any reason at all you would rather NOT receive the weekly reminder of the blog posts, please let me know and I can easily remove you from the list. I post new lessons every Thursday. Thank you!

Kindergarten Art

VIDEO

Sketch of my Living room by Ms. Fields

"Harmony in Red" by Henri Matisse

"The Bedroom" by Vincent Van Gogh

Elementary I Art (1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade)

VIDEO

Elementary II  Art(4th, 5th and 6th Grade)

VIDEO

"Window of the Poet" by Pyotr Konchalovsky

"Drawing through my stairwell window" by Ms.Fields

"Paris through the Window" by Marc Chagall

"The Human Condition" by Rene Magritte

7th and 8th Grade 

VIDEO

My spinning top collection

Bathroom door knob

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

Video Edition

Welcome to the next edition of the video adventure! Thanks to all the parents and students who have emailed me photos of the art your children are creating, I truly appreciate the effort! Again, please know that no art project is a required project, I just want to offer opportunities as needed! I know several of the students could not go a day without creating and do not need reminders to make art, I just love to get them thinking and seeing in different ways. While nothing can replace actual contact and instruction, I will continue to muddle through the videos as long as they are helpful (or at least entertaining!)

Thank you all.

Kindergarten Art

VIDEO

Elementary I (1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade)

VIDEO

    

Elementary II (4th,5th and 6th Grade)

VIDEO

Middle School Art (7th and 8th Grade)

VIDEO

The Ratner School Montessori School Art Program

I wanted to post a video for each group of students so they could feel a bit more connected.  It is a really big learning curve for me and I am now navigating the world of YouTube video!  If you feel so inclined, please show your child the video post. Each level has an art project that loosely follows our sculptural curriculum that we were beginning. I tried to keep in mind limited supplies, please adapt as needed. I really miss all the students and would truly love any photos or emails about their artwork. Thank you all for all you are having to adapt to. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know, even if we are rolling into Spring Break week.  pfields@theratnerschool.org.

Kindergarten Art

Video

Elementary I Art (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade)

VIDEO

Elementary II (4th, 5th and 6th Grade) 

VIDEO

7th and 8th Grade Art

 VIDEO

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

I miss all the students already! I have not wanted to overwhelm any parent with more to think about with this extended break but definitely want to check in and give you any support you need. 

 Art is the most amazing way to learn, explore, entertain and collaborate together and I hope you will find relief and connection through this break. 

 I have gathered a few resource sites for you all to peruse if you feel that you need ideas. I have found that the students are infinitely interested in creating work that they "invent", so if you supply them with a variety of materials, they will amaze you with their creativity. 

Please send me pictures of their artwork, I will respond to everyone I see! pfields@theratnerschool.org.

Sorry this is so blurry, I cannot find the original post!

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

I apologize for missing a couple of weeks with the blog posts, report cards always throw my schedule off a bit! Work continued on technical drawing techniques in the upper grades and all the students have been busy creating cards for the upcoming Gala. Each level of student will have a collaborative piece available for bids at the auction. I am very excited about the work they are creating and see a bidding war for the work occurring at the event.  I know the student artwork is much anticipated each year at the Gala and I am glad to have a part in the guidance of the projects. We have such a creative group of students, they make the task easy! 

Kindergarten Art

The students had such a wonderful time creating their "quilts" for our study of Gee's Bend quilters. They all created wonderful weavings and then painted a background quilt pattern to place their weaving square on top of. Each student chose where their weaving would be attached and the results are whimsical and beautiful. This was the first time I approached this project with these materials and techniques and I am so pleased with the results. All the work is hanging in the hallway and I hope you have the opportunity to view your child's work. We are going to begin work today on the Gala playing card project. Each student will create a collaged playing card to be joined together in a quilt inspired collage piece that will be available at the Gala for bids. I am sure the work will be beautiful!

Elementary I (1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade)

Following our printing fest, the Elementary I teachers asked if I could collaborate with them on creating some visual pieces for the Friendship Store the students are building. The students created a type of  visual exchange unit using the symbols of a band-aid, sun, lightbulb and heart. Each symbol represents a different act of kindness. Along with the symbol work, the students created a large banner for the store. Following the work on the store, we began work on the Gala playing card art. I let the students experiment with a variety of materials and set them free to create. Out of the hundreds of cards they created, each student will be represented in a final card collage to be auctioned off at the upcoming Gala. We have not collaged the final piece yet, but they created several beautiful examples to choose from! 

Elementary II (4th, 5th and 6th Grade)

Work was finally completed across the grades on the tesselations and the bird houses, so we quickly moved on to working on more technical drawing skills. For several of the new students, one point perspective was a new process and proved to be challenging. We worked for two class going step by step working on following the process. The majority of the students were successful with the perspective drawing and all of the 4th and 5th grade students became proficient with shading techniques. Moving on from the technical lessons, we began the looser and openly creative playing card project. This groups focus is creating two sets of art: one set is based on scratch art and the other set is colored and collaged. I am really pleased with the scratch art cards, they are visually beautiful. I am working on how to present the collection for the Gala and am very excited to see the pieces come together. 

 

7th and 8th Grade Art

We have had a productive couple of weeks in Middle School art. After completing the printing project, I re-introduced more technical processes for the students in preparation for advanced art in high school. We worked on shading, perspective drawing and figure drawing. This was really a refresher unit for most students and they retained the majority of the skills from a year or two ago. Last week was dedicated to working on the Gala playing card project. The students could create any card art they wanted and then I asked them to "sculpt" the cards, cutting and changing them into a shallow 3-D design. I am excited to see how the individual art comes together for the Gala donation. 

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

We have completed the print making projects in all the grade levels and will start on new units next week. The students all created vastly different work using the same process and I always marvel at the work they create. I will try to get all the prints displayed soon so everyone can enjoy the work. 

Kindergarten Art

We had a printing festival in the art room last week! The students completely enjoyed the process and pulled several lovely prints. Each student had at least three prints and all students had the option of printing on colored paper or found maps to continue the work. They were wonder-filled at the process and I am so glad to be able to introduce printmaking at such a young age. We are beginning a project today based on the art of the quilts of Gee's Bend. I have attached a video on the blog that you may want to watch with your child to learn more about the amazing work. More on this project next week!
I have wrapped up several pieces of artwork from the Kindergarten class, I apologize for taking so very long getting their work sent home to you. It is a goal of mine to get more efficient at sending the work home in a more timely manner. I hope you enjoy the work as much as I do!