The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

We have completed 99% of the work on the Gala horses and are all so excited to have you all see the work. The students were so engaged in the process and their enthusiasm shows in the completed work. I believe the horses will all be displayed in the front lobby after the break, I know the students will love to hear your feedback on their designs. I hope you will all enjoy the time with your children over break, it is my pleasure to get to teach them each week. I look forward to hearing about their adventures and travels when they return. 

Photograph by Mohamed Elteir

Kindergarten Art

I trust that all the clay bowls arrived home safely. The work was beautiful and I marvel at the artistically strong group of Kindergarten students we have this year. They are consistently working at a higher level and they have learned so much this year. Please let the students use their bowls to eat out of, the glazes are food safe and they are so excited to use the work they created.  Last week we worked on individual collages for the Gala horse project. The students looked at example of Gee's Bend quilts and we talked about the use of warm and cool colors and the various design elements used in the patterns. They had 4 different sized squares to build their collages on and used a variety of beautiful Japanese papers to create their designs. Each collage was pieced together on the horse form to complete the design. I love the final piece, it is really lovely. 

Kindergarten (side 1)

Kindergarten (side 2)

1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade Art

This grade level worked so wonderfully on the horse designs and were very patient waiting for their turn to work. It is very challenging to do collaborative art work at any grade level, but especially difficult for the younger students. They are very proud of their work and all feel a strong sense of ownership with their creations. It is a difficult concept to share designs and creative ideas and work together for one common art piece. Because the scale of the horse cut-outs only allowed for 2 students at a time to work on the piece, we had a rotating schedule for every student to be involved in creating on the horse. While the students were waiting for their turn, they worked on a South American molas design to tie into their study in their core classroom. They looked at several samples of traditional molas, making note of the color choices, design and use of native animals. They drew a native South American animal with white pencil onto black paper and colored the piece using oil pastels. They also created their name using the same techniques. I apologize for not having the work hung in the hallways before the South American celebration, I have Gala horses on my brain!

1st grade (side 1)

1st grade (side 2)

2nd grade (side 1)

2nd grade (side 2)

3rd grade (side 1)

3rd grade (side 2)

4th, 5th and 6th Grade Art

The students worked with great enthusiasm on the Gala horse project and they all had so many ideas and input on the design and implementation. I was so glad to see the students work together and be respectful of everyone's ideas, input and work. While some students were working on the Gala project, other students helped create a series of square designs to display on the bulletin boards outside the Spanish and Technology rooms. They could use any material they wanted to create their work and seemed to enjoy exploring different mark making methods. The empty bulletin boards were visually bothering us as it looked like the school was not in session! I appreciated their help in designing a visual display.

The Elementary II students also had the privilege of meeting a visiting artist from Japan on Monday. His name is Shoki Kobuchi and he is currently a guest in my home while he studies English language at Case Western Reserve University. Shoki translated every name to Japanese for the students and they all had an opportunity to learn some basic Japanese calligraphy. We used Japanese ink on washi paper with soft brushes to explore the visual elements of the calligraphy. I appreciated their attention and they greeted our guest with grace and politeness. 

     

6th grade (side 1)

              

6th grade (side 2)

5th grade (side 2)

5th grade (side 1)

4th grade (side 2)

                       
          

4th grade (side 1)

7th and 8th Grade Art

I have appreciated the level of work and interest the older students have held for the work on the Gala horses. They have added so much of their personality and interests to the individual elements for each horse and have enjoyed working on the project. The 7th and 8th grade classes are the only classes I have that are mixed grades, so we have two 7th and 8th grade combined horses. They are each distinct in their design, similar in the skill level and both are wonderful sculptures. 

This group also had the distinct experience of having a visiting artist come into our class to give a lesson. My husband and I are hosting a Japanese college student who is studying English at Case Western Reserve University. His name is Shoki Kobuchi and he is working towards his degree as an English teacher in Japan. He was gracious enough to take a day off his studies to teach the students Japanese calligraphy (shodo). The students were very polite, engaged and appreciated his translations of all their names and various words and phrases. I was very grateful for his time and I enjoyed learning a new artistic method as well. 

7/8 group Y (side 1)

7/8 group Y (side 2)

7/8 group Z (side 1)

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

We have had a couple of truncated weeks in the art program, but still manage to keep the program and projects moving at a steady pace. We are adjusting our work cycles in art to create a series of horses for the upcoming Gala. Each grade level has worked on a design, voted on the elements and approach for each horse and has begun to execute the designs. The horses are 24" wood shapes that the students are painting, building and creating in art. I love seeing the different focus for each grade level and I am so thrilled for every student to be a part of creating art for the event. Look for more details from the Gala committee on how you can place a bet on the horses and possibly bid on the sculptures at Gala, May 5th.  

                         

 

Kindergarten Art

We had a whirlwind of activity while learning the printmaking process. The artists each pulled several prints and could track how their work improved the more prints they created. I love the excitement and focus the students showed and they were very pleased with the work they created. We also glazed the ceramic bowls they had created and I will fire their work in the kiln first. I am waiting for the temperature outside to rise a bit, as the kiln is outside and does not fire correctly in frigid temperatures. I will send the work home as soon as possible! The glaze used is food safe, dishwasher and microwave safe as well. I hope the students will use their bowls, it is really great to eat out of a dish you created and they are excited to make their art part of their daily routine. 

Kindergarten students use a LOT of glaze

1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade Art

All the glazing has been completed for the clay work and the students are anxious to see the long awaited final results of their work. As our kiln is outside, I have to wait until the temperature rises to a balmy 30 degrees before I can do any of the glaze firings. After the glazing was completed, they began working on the designs for the Gala horses. I enjoyed seeing all the creative ideas, listening to them compromise on the final design and hearing them kindly debate why one design would be better visually than another design. It is always great to see students collaborate and work together so well. 

Because we cannot have a dozen artists working on one piece at the same time, they are also creating a small South American molas design with black paper and oil pastel to tie into their class study of South America. The work should be completed this week. 

4th, 5th and 6th Grade Art

We have had a couple of busy weeks in art sorting through hundreds of prints, glazing the ceramic work, designing the horses for the Gala and working on design challenges and projects. The students all worked diligently on the designs for the horses and are working well together. Group projects are tricky in art because the creations are personal and students feel a strong sense of ownership with their work. It is a great skill to learn how to compromise and adapt ideas for a group project and the students have been working towards creating the best design possible using everyone's input and ideas. They are enjoying working on the horses and look forward to displaying them at the Gala. 

7th and 8th Grade Art

We had a couple of short weeks in art where the group only had art one time in the week. We finished up all the glazing of the geometric solid projects, worked on the design for the Gala project and mounted the best prints out of the series for display. The prints are displayed in the front foyer of the school, I hope you will take some time during conferences to see the work.