4th, 5th and 6th Grade Art

We are wrapping up the sewing project this week and the students have definitely shown improvement with their work. Their stitches have gotten straighter, smaller and more accurate and I have handed out fewer band-aids as they have gained better control of the needle! Several students have already stuffed their creatures and sewn the last stitches to complete their work. I have enjoyed this project and they seem to be proud of their work. Keep some fabric scraps, needle and thread around the house this summer and see if they want to continue working on their sewing skills. There are also a few places around Cleveland that offer sewing classes for children. Bolt and Spool, Praxis Fiber and Studio How-To all offer student aged classes. 

                                     

7th and 8th Grade Art

The students all completed their 4 sections of the wire quilt work and I am now trying to engineer a way to lash them all together and hang them in a window. We had a thought of hanging them in the gym egress to try to stop the birds from flying into the windows or the final piece may hang in the art room window. I imagine we will figure out where to display the work as it is completed.  Currently the classes are working on their final project of the year. We always end the art year working on their visual representation of their final history project. This is a great way to wrap up the year as the projects are all different and pull in all the skills and techniques they have learned to create an independent piece. We have some students sculpting, some are painting canvases, others are creating posters. I enjoy seeing their big ideas, watching the process of choosing materials and formulating a plan to create their work. The projects are presented in Mr. Persanyi's class at the end of the year and are displayed in the black box cases throughout the summer and into the next school year. 

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

It has been an interesting week in my world. I mysteriously lost my voice on Tuesday, even though I felt perfectly fine. I am blaming it on springtime allergies, although it may have something to do with age and the machine of my voice running thin. The students were lovely and equally quiet, whispering their responses to my diminutive voice. It made for an interesting lesson on attention and awareness! Art goes on and each class continued independently creating and moving forward with their individual projects. I am enjoying creating art outside when the weather permits and am always shocked to realize that spring means school is drawing to the end of another fast year.   I appreciate all your kind comments about the students work on the Gala horses, I have let them know the comments as I hear them. They are quite proud of their work and are glad others appreciate their efforts.

Artwork created by Andy Goldsworthy

                               

Kindergarten Art

I felt that the Kindergarten students were ready for a more intensive and longer term project, so I presented a sculpture project to them last week. This is normally a project I reserve for older students, but this is such a strong group of artists that I knew they could be successful with the process. Each student had several Styrofoam geometric solid of various shapes and sizes, different wooden sticks and plaster gauze.  The students connected the shapes into a balanced and visually interesting composition, taking time to view the sculpture from many different points of view. Once they were satisfied with their abstract composition, the application of the plaster gauze began. Every surface has to be covered with the material to prepare the surface for painting. This requires advanced fine motor skills, patience and the ability to follow several steps during the process. The work is very dynamic and enjoyable for the students. We will finish the final coat of plaster this week and begin painting next week. I really enjoy teaching this group of students!

1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade Art

We had a wonderful exploration last week of the work of the living British sculptor, Andy Goldsworthy.  I showed the class a few videos of his temporary landscape art installations made of natural material found in the outside environment.  We talked about the respect he shows to the environment that he builds his work in, the mathematical precision he uses when building and the rate of failure as he patiently builds his work. The following class we went outside on a material hunt. The students gathered dried grasses, twigs, leaves and rocks to begin work on their own Goldsworthy inspired installations. Unfortunately yesterday I had lost my voice and did not feel safe taking a group of students outside, so we created small constructions inside the art room using mulch, sand, rocks and various plant life. The students enjoyed the quick work and I plan on continuing the outside installation today if the weather co-operates.

4th, 5th and 6th Grade Art

Work continues on the sewing projects. The students are getting better at choosing the correct size needle, able to thread the needle quicker, tie the end knot and run a smaller stitch than they were able to a week ago.  All the creatures are taking shape nicely and the students are beginning to think more creatively with their work now that they feel more comfortable with the mechanics of the sewing process. I had mysteriously lost my voice for a day of classes and the class was very quiet and mostly well focused while sewing. They made a lot of progress this week with their work and I am excited to see the finished project as I have never tried this approach before. I believe we will have one more week of sewing until the pieces are completed.