Alexander Calder Workshop

On Wednesday, a few other elementary art teachers and I attended a workshop at the Peabody Essex Museum. The focus was on the Alexander Calder exhibit http://pem.org/exhibitions/167-calder_and_abstraction_from_avant-garde_to_iconic . I have to say this was one of the most interesting and thought out exhibitions I have ever seen. The shadows on his artwork and movement throughout his pieces were amazing! This was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Calder or not! The show is on view until January 4, 2015.

At the workshop, we first started by looking at the sculpture art of Kristin Reynolds http://www.kirstenreynolds.com/ . She explained how to use scale to create large sculpture works as Alexander Calder did. We then made our own sculptures and took a picture of them in front of a city scene to see what they would look like in real scale. This opened up my eyes to new possibilities for my own art classroom projects. Check out the pictures below!

Its not even as tall as my pencil!

 

Kindergarten Primary Color Starry Night Landscapes

This week in art, kindergarteners explored the three primary colors. We read "Mouse Paint" and talked about different color combinations that create the secondary colors.

After, we tested out some watercolors to make our own version of "Starry Night" landscapes. The stars you see in the sky were made by sprinkling salt on top of the watercolor. Students loved seeing their papers turn into a science experiment =) Here are the results below!

3rd and 4th Grade Exploring Textures with Pastels and Watercolors

This week in the art room my 3rd and 4th graders are making covers for their sketchbooks. They had fun completing texture rubbings with pastels on white paper. We talked about how to show variety and add different designs. Some students even decided to overlap textures on top of each other to create a different effect.

  

After we completed our texture drawings, we then used metallic watercolors on top to create a resist painting. Students loved these new watercolors and saw their texture drawings underneath!

 Here are some results below!

How many Heartprints will you leave today?

This week in art I read the book Heartprints by K.P. Hallinan to each grade. A "Heartprint" is defined as the impression left behind by a deliberate act of kindness. 

 We talked about how each student can leave Heartprints at Byam throuhgout the day. Several students gave me examples such as using kind words, including others in a game, and thinking about others before yourself.

Then, we created a handprint and added different line designs using pencil and sharpie. On the back, each student wrote a way they can leave a Heartprint at Byam Elementary. I was very impressed by the answers! Without knowing it, Byam students have already left heartprints all around the school.