The Ratner School Art Program

Forgive the lack of a blog update last week, our week was shortened because of conferences and we were finishing up the ceramic work. I enjoyed beginning work on the rain barrels with the students and they have already made great progress on the considerable work left to do. I know they will be wonderful when completed. I also received the printed cards last week and they are beautiful! Many thanks to Sydnia T. for all her help with this project. I will keep you updated on how to purchase or order the cards as soon as I figure it all out. 

1st and 2nd Grade Cards

Kindergarten Cards

    

3rd and 4th Grade Cards

5th and 6th Grade Cards

7th and 8th Grade Cards

Kindergarten Art

We finished the Statue of Liberty project and the work looks fantastic. This was the first year the students used newspaper collage as a background and I am pleased with the added level of detail in the work. We began the unit focusing on Ohio and looked at the work of Cincinnati artist and graphic designer, Charley Harper. Harper's work was based on geometric shapes simplified to create recognizable plants and animals. The students looked at his bird designs, paying close attention to the design of the Ohio state bird, the cardinal. They had to decide what shapes to cut to create the their bird, draw the shape, decide the scale and piece together their work on watercolor paper. To show scale, they could construct a smaller bird as well. The next step of the project was to create a setting for their bird drawing trees, clouds or a scene of their choice. We will paint the scene with watercolor as the final step. 

1st and 2nd Grade Art

The students in 1st and 2nd Grade were the first class to begin painting the rain barrels for the upcoming Gala. They were so thrilled to get to add their personal touch to the projects. If you have ever wondered about the level of excitement art creates, come visit the art room when young students get to paint huge rain barrels! They had a great time and I appreciated having some of the 5th and 6th grade class in as special teachers for the day. Their help and guidance was another added bonus to the project. 

 

                                                                                                               

3rd and 4th Grade Art

This is my final class building their clay work. The project they are working on is a raised lidded vessel with a shaped knob and four "legs". The basic form was constructed using the pinch pot method, the legs and knob will be shaped, scored and slipped on the vessel form. They should all finish the construction of their work this week and the work will begin the dry out over spring break. All the students are progressing well with their work and I am excited to see how the project shapes up.

5th and 6th Grade Art

The students are working on glazing their super hero pieces. We had a successful firing of all the work with no casualties. Because the students sculpted their forms with wonderful fine detail, the glazing is very challenging. It is difficult to control the glaze and the students have to slow down their process to apply with precision. I expect all the glazing to be complete this week and I will fire the kiln over spring break. 

7th and 8th Grade Art

The teapots are all being glazed and they are reflecting the diverse styles and aesthetic differences of the students. Some teapots are whimsical, others are very bold and graphic. I believe the students will finish the glazing process this week and we will have our tea party after spring break. I think all the teapots will function well, but the tea party will be the test. As the teapots were being fired in the kiln, the students began working on painting the designs on the rain barrels that will be part of the Ratner Gala on May 1st. We are just at the beginning stage of work on the barrels, but they are coming along nicely.