The Ratner School Art Program

Thanks for your patience in waiting for the art blog, I think I am now back in the groove of setting up the classroom, prepping for a new unit across all grade levels and recovering from snow days.

Over the winter break, the art department received a generous donation of 350 pounds of terracotta clay from MOCA! We are so thankful for the donation and have been working across all the grades creating clay sculptures, bowls, banks and jugs. For those parents who know me well, you understand that clay is not my medium of choice. I am often learning along with the students, but had the opportunity to have a private class with one of Cleveland's remarkable ceramicists, Lynne Lofton. She helped me develop several new projects and taught me many techniques to help the students. I am grateful for her assistance and for the school supporting my ongoing clay education. 

If you happen to be in the University Circle area in the next 2 weeks, stop by CIA (Cleveland Institute of Art) to view the Scholastic Art Awards. I am very proud of all the 7th and 8th grade students who entered the competition and am impressed with the level of work they created. Congratulations to Meg, Simon, Forest, Allison and Vlad E. for their awards.

A beautiful winter scene captured by Nadia Vinogradov-Carek

Kindergarten Art

After several missed classes, the Kindergarten students finally had art again. We finished up the Chagall project and the work is now on display in the Montessori hallways. The students have shown great improvement on focus, control of materials and knowing the expectations of the art program. 

I did not want the youngest students to miss the opportunity to create with clay, so I adapted the curriculum to include a clay bowl project. They learned how to form, shape, score and slip discs together to create a nice sized bowl. The work will be fired in the kiln and the students will glaze the bowls with a food safe glaze. They are excited to make a piece of art they can use. Pat Carey-Bell and I checked all the work for any holes and found very few pieces that needed adjustment. I am so proud of the work they have created. 

On a separate note, your child will have a roll of artwork coming home today (Monday). This is a collection of several pieces created this year.  I have found that packing up and labeling student work is one of the hardest parts of being an art teacher. Thank you all for your patience in receiving their work.

1st and 2nd Grade Art

The students had the choice of several different projects to create in art, we took a vote and landed on one of my favorites, the bird in a nest. The students began by creating a pinch pot bowl from a 1 pound ball of clay. They had to stretch the bowl out to resemble a nest and then added textures by scratching the outside of the form. They created small birds to rest either on the rim of the nest or inside the form. Several students added eggs to their sculpture as well. They enjoyed the process and because they moved so efficiently through the project, scored a free build day with clay as well. After the pieces are fired, we will glaze the pieces.

3rd and 4th Grade Art

This group of students are creating small pinch pots based on the Native American pottery of the Southwest region. I have several examples of pottery that I shared with the students so they could get a clear understanding of the craftsmanship, design and scale of the pieces. I also happen to have a nice collection of arrowheads from my home in North Carolina that I shared with the students. Seeing and holding the artifacts truly helps with the understanding of both the material and purpose of the objects. I am impressed with the work the students created last week and we will be adding the designs to the clay pots using the sgraffito technique this week in class. 

My Southwest pottery collection

5th and 6th Grade Art

The students decided to make banks for their clay project this year. They have had lessons on clay hollow form construction including pinch pots, slab build and reductive forms. They have sketches that they are working from and the pieces are beginning to take shape. Most students seem to enjoy the process and we are trying to pace the work so the clay does not dry out before they are finished construction of their forms. 

A hollow cube form. Not so easy to build in clay!

7th and 8th Grade Art

The 7th and 8th grade students are studying the face jugs of the southern region of the United States. The face jugs have a mysterious history that is not well documented as far as their use or why they were created, but many examples are available for study along with the ancient face jugs of Greece and the Renaissance era.  Students also looked at examples from an Ohio ceramicist named Kurt Mangus who was inspired by the folk art face jugs. 

The students chose how to construct the beginning form, either through coil construction or pinch pot method. The scale of the jugs is currently the challenge, getting the thickness of the clay consistent and not opening up the shape of the jug too quickly. They are progressing steadily with their work.

Example board of various face jugs