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!

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

The students finished their work on coloring the black and white prints and I wanted to introduce the technique of shading to the 1st and 2nd grade classes. While it is unusually early to introduce this technique to students this age, they are a particularly skilled group with great skills in art, so I wanted to see if they could understand the technique. They, as usual, did not disappoint! They enjoyed the technique so much they wanted to spend both classes working on practicing their skills. Several students wanted they practice work displayed, so it is hanging in the second floor at the top of the main stairs. I love seeing their enthusiasm and pride in their work. The 3rd grade students were fully engaged in finishing their statement art for their printed frames and that work was completed this week as well. The pieces are displayed in the 2nd floor hallways. 

 

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

We still had a few students not finished with the tessellation coloring process, so those students completed their work at the beginning of the class this week. The students that had completed their work last week had a lesson on shading techniques. The 4th and 5th grade students drew a circle and then shaded the shape to give the illusion of dimension using the shading techniques. I have encouraged them to practice shading as often as possible as it is a technique that requires many hours of practice to improve. I am pleased to report that the 6th grade birdhouse project is finally complete! The students were proud of their work and wanted to take the houses home right away. I hope many birds find the houses agreeable.

7th and 8th Grade Art

We had a flurry of printmaking last week in art. Several students have experience and experimented with printmaking for many years with me and I wanted to try and come up with a new approach to pulling a print. We had several plywood block of wood that were donated to us through MOCA, so we decided to try a wood block print. Because the wood was plywood, we could not use the traditional printmaking tools, so we decided to make the images by hammering and wood burning the designs into the wood. It was an experiment and the students seemed to really enjoy the process. 

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

We finished several projects this week, despite missing one day of instruction. New work is displayed throughout the school, I hope you have the opportunity to view the work in the building. I am looking forward to having several uninterrupted weeks of class and hope to begin our clay unit as soon as the kiln can be installed. Work continues on the loom in the art room and I have introduced various weaving projects across the levels in the school. I am still not sure what the final weaving on the large floor loom will be used for, but I am excited to take the work off the loom and see what all the students have woven.