"Attitude is the mind's paintbrush ..."

Students this week participated in a variety of activities in the art room, from creating props for both Spring Shows (North Park and Hill Street) to creating a May crown for Mary's May crowning and more!

We also prepared for a number of special end-of-year events that are coming up, including the Art on Sedgwick Faces and Places Art Show! Be sure to visit this year's exhibition, detailed below, at which many students from ICSJ will have work on display!

Here are more of the week's events in further detail:


Kindergarten

Kindergarten students learned about Monet and how he started the Impressionism movement!  Students enjoyed a Mike Venezia story explaining how Monet liked to paint outside and use bright colors, unlike other artists who were popular at the time.  Monet especially liked to look at light and water, in examples such as his famous Waterlilies painting.  Students then used oil pastels and watercolors to create their own waterlily-inspired paintings in bright colors.

First Grade

First grade continued discussing the role of art in storytelling, and then they began to create backgrounds for our upcoming Rainbow Fish project, related to the favorite story!  Like last week's kindergarten, first grade enjoyed observing and trying out the "wet on wet" watercolor technique, in which watercolor paint spreads into paths set forth first in water.  The paint can actually travel a path of water to create a shape or design! It can also feather out into a pool of paint.  Early finishers worked on creating a special prop for the Spring Show.

Second Grade

Second Grade students listened to a reading of Sharing Our World, a story about how the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest learned from the animals around them.  They often told stories about the animals, and they created totem poles as one way to tell these stories.  Students then selected an animal to create from construction paper.  They began working on cutting and pasting these animals together.  Later, they will be assembled into 3-D totem poles as students will roll paper into cylinders onto which they will glue their creatures.  Great work, 2nd Grade!

Third Grade

Third Grade extended their lesson from last week, learning about the exhibit Cows on Parade and the many artists who participated, by inventing their own idea for a city-wide art exhibit!  Students had many ideas, such as ice cream cone sculptures, ducks, and more.  Students used concepts of foreground and background by adding the Chicago skyline behind their sculpture drawings.  Students also helped to paint an important prop for the Spring Show.

Fourth Grade

Fourth Graders finished their Alexander Calder lesson from last week, building onto their pipe cleaner and steel wire sculptures.  Early finishers helped create props for the Hill Street Spring Show.

Here is a look back at students' Chicago-inspired folk art to tie into their lesson about Faith Ringgold:

Fifth Grade

Fifth Grade students learned about the time arts such as film and animation with the study of storyboards this week.  Students watched a clip of an informative video about storyboards, with lots of examples from Disney.  We likened this to the writing process in Language Arts.  Students then began drafting their own storyboards, using three columns of a tall paper to write notes, storyboard visuals, and the corresponding audio a filmmaker or animator would include for each frame.

Sixth Grade

Sixth grade enjoyed learning that between our lesson on Pop Art last week, with a special focus on artists Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, and our lesson this week on the same subject, the Art Institute of Chicago received a "landmark" donation of an estimated $400 million worth of Pop Art.  (See article HERE.)  How serendipitous, and what a wonderful addition to our incredible Chicago art museum, which we are so fortunate to have near.  Students then worked in neon colors using highlighters and markers to color in their Pop Art-inspired portraits.  Some also incorporated the drawing of dots as a nod to Lichtenstein.  After Odyssey through the Arts next week, students will paint bubble wrap in neon colors, pieces of which they will paste to these portraits.  Great work, students!

Seventh Grade

Seventh grade worked on painting their Henry Moore style sculptures this week!  (See more detail on the process in last week's post.) Moore stated that all good art has an element of mystery to it, and our sculptures certainly do. 

Eighth Grade

Eighth graders used their skills in art to create a special crown for Mary that will be used in the May crowning that is coming up.  Table groups collaborated and used concepts of math in creating this colorful craft.

Finally, early finishers in grades 4-8 finished the background for our Hill Street bulletin board, expressing the importance of having a positive attitude with a fun art analogy!

April Adventures

Students returned from break appearing well-rested and enthusiastic to learn! In Art, we participated in a variety of activities, detailed below.  Thanks to students for your hard work!

*Also, thank you to our classroom volunteers, Mrs. Russell and Mrs. Harrison! As always, your presence was a special treat for our class, and we are grateful you were able to make it.  Parents, you are always welcome if your schedule permits.*

Important note for grades 5-8: A letter went home this week inviting students and families to participate in the Art on Sedgwick program this year to be held at Franklin Fine Arts Center and pairing with the Simple Good program.  This art show and celebration is a wonderful opportunity for students to use their art to grow community and help others.  This year it will be held May 7 from 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m (open house style).  

If you and your family are interested in attending or participating (your child's art may be displayed with your permission, even if you cannot attend), please return the slip provided to Mrs. Musick as soon as possible.  We are looking to display student portraits done at school or outside of school (some suggested ideas: 5th grade portraits in profile, 6th grade hand castings, 6th grade mixed media self portraits, 7th grade Chuck Close portraits, 8th grade blind contour portraits). These portraits and others will reflect our community pride, identity, and the "Simple Good" of our neighborhood.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten students shared their prior knowledge about the season of Spring and what it brings with it: usually lots of rain, mud, and puddles for splashing!  Keeping with this theme, students listened to poems about Springtime before learning about the wet-on-wet watercolor technique.  In this technique, students placed water on their heavy-duty watercolor paper first before then placing watercolor, which would next feather out, on top.  Students also learned how to set down a "path" of water before adding watercolor, which then spread out to follow the path!  Students thrilled to see this process.  Next, they drew umbrellas, with guidance, on the back side of their paper before cutting it out and pasting it onto construction paper.  Great work, Kindergarten!

First Grade

First grade students reviewed their knowledge of May Day (May 1st) and its festivities before creating crowns that they will wear in their upcoming celebration of this holiday for Music!  Students either traced "tracers" shaped as flowers or drew their own.  Then, they had them hole-punched and chose different colored pipe cleaners on which to string the colors and twist into crowns.  We can't wait for May Day!

Second Grade

Second grade concluded their illustration related to their fairy tale in Writing Workshop.  Students learned to apply colored pencil in one direction only and to begin lightly, adding color more heavily, gradually.  They also learned that drawing edges darker and blending inward can give the effect of volume or dimension.  Finally, they learned to layer analogous colors next to each other on the color wheel for additional depth and richness.  Their illustrations were very lively and entertaining! Small groups worked on painting a special prop for the Spring Show.

Third Grade

Third graders learned about art in Chicago, from a review of the modern architects who created the Sears (Willis) Tower to the many artists who participated in the "Cows on Parade" exhibit dating back to the previous century (hard to believe, isn't it?  See background HERE.). In small groups, students painted a Chicago-inspired artwork that will revealed later as a prop in the Spring Show.  At their seats, students invented new ideas for Cows on Parade, were it to be displayed now.  A popular choice: Chicago style hot dogs painted on cows.

Here are some of last week's Chihuly bowls:

Fourth Grade

For their study of contemporary artists, fourth grade learned about Alexander Calder and were captivated by THIS video on TeacherTube.com, featuring Calder's circus-inspired kinetic art.  They also looked at examples from our own city's collection at the MCA.  Then, students sketched ideas for their own wire sculptures to be completed in steel wire, just like Calder, and pipe cleaners.  Finally, they began to experiment with the media and start on their own creations.

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade concluded their nature and man paintings in watercolor.  Early finishers contributed to our bulletin board, to be revealed soon, featuring an inspiring quotation about the power of a positive attitude.

Sixth Grade

Sixth grade learned all about Pop Art, from its definition to its most famous artists to its time period and place of origin (Britain, 1950s).  Students learned that the Pop Artists wanted to have a bit of fun and lighten up from the intensity of the previous art movement, Abstract Expressionism. Pop Artists used bright colors and repetition to signify the idea of mass production of widely consumed products (Andy Warhol), as well as a cartoon style (Roy Lichtenstein).  Students then began Lichtenstein style portraits to be completed with highlighters and bubble wrap painted with neon colors! Early finishers will create "Handy Andys," or multiple prints of their hands on brightly colored paper in an Andy Warhol style.

Seventh Grade

Seventh grade continued their unit in Modern Western artists, examining the work and ideas of Henry Moore.  Henry Moore said, "To be an artist is to believe in life."  What a beautiful way of summing up the work that we do in class!  All our students showed their own enthusiasm and contagious energy as they worked hard and shared in laughter creating sculptures with wire hangers, styrofoam squares and, of all materials, stockings, after reviewing safety precautions for using wire.  Next week, we will paint these unique creations.

Eighth Grade

Eighth grade shared ideas from their film study of "Food, Inc.," a documentary film examining our food and how it is created.  We shared in a discussion of how film can express ideas or investigate topics to help others develop a new understanding of these topics.  Several students posed ideas for potential films of their own: What is the life of a student really like?  or How can we be good friends and bystanders in the event of bullying?   Students will have the option to pursue these ideas further when we begin our independent project to end the year after the Odyssey through the Arts presentation that is coming up soon.

Have a Healthy and Safe Spring Break!

Happy Easter break!  I hope you and your family are happy and healthy for this special time.

*Special thank you to Mrs. Stevens for volunteering in our art room this week!  We really enjoyed having you with us!*

Kindergarten

Only the Wednesday Kindergarten class met because of the shortened week, and we celebrated the upcoming Easter holiday by creating "crumple painting" Easter eggs.  Students crumpled paper and applied watercolor before uncrumpling, recrumpling, and painting again until finished creating a colorful and textured work of art.  Students then flipped the paper and traced the shape of Easter eggs of various sizes.  Next, students cut out the eggs as well as strips of green paper to create a grass base on which their Easter eggs rested -- perfect for an Easter egg hunt.  Great work, Kindergarten!

First Grade

First grade finished their mouse puppets related to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.  Students cut and pasted the heads of their mce first, and then they added other details to personalize their mice.  These puppets were a great deal of fun -- have your student share this wonderful story with you!

Second Grade

Second graders chose a frame from their storyboard to illustrate or created a new illustration related to their fractured fairy tales in writing workshop this week.  Students examined a video of a children's book illustrator at work to observe the process before creating their own.  It is great for us to use our art to support our writing!

Third Grade

Third graders learned about glass artist Don Chihuly before creating Chihuly-style bowls with coffee filters.  This was a fun process that tied into our science knowledge of states of matter, as glass artists melt the solid glass into liquid to form their artwork.  Then, they let it cool into a stunning bowl, sculpture, or more!  Students drew on coffee filters, sprayed them with water to let the color run, and finally placed them over cups that they covered in spray starch.  The starch solidified our artwork into "bowls" that we will take home next time.  Great work, 3rd grade!

Fourth Grade

Fourth graders concluded their folk art cityscapes or participated in early finisher activities.  Many students elected to create "crumple paper" paintings that will form the base of our new art bulletin board -- check back next week to see the finished work complete with a special quotation about the importance of having a positive attitude.

Fifth Grade

Fifth graders had a minilesson in the proper application of watercolor before continuing their landscapes inspired by Early American Artists.  We will spend one more week on this activity.

Sixth Grade

Having concluded their mixed media self-portraits, students were ready to learn about the process of art critique!  After a discussion about purposeful criticism rather than offensive criticism, students were ready to begin.  First, students described what they saw, avoiding any opinions or interpretations -- simply sticking to the observable facts.  Then, students analyzed how parts worked together or emphasized one another.  Next, students were ready to interpret meaning or emotion from artworks.  Finally, students judged what was effective or ineffective and discussed where the artwork could best be displayed.  We related art criticism both to modern masters and to our own work. Great work, 6th grade!

Seventh Grade

Seventh grade had a "crazy salad" art day, choosing their own seats and also choosing their activity after a minilesson and analysis of contemporary artist Frank Bear.  Students finished their Chuck Close portraits, created new drawings inspired by Frank Bear, added to our "crumple paper" bulletin board, finished last week's early finisher activity, or free drew.  Some students even continued our "Starry Night over Chicago" painting!

Eighth Grade

Eighth grade concluded their Careers in the Arts presentations and moved onto Film Study.  After a short lesson reviewing concepts of cinematography students learned last year, students watched clips of "Food, Inc." to tie into their learning in Language Arts, in which students read the book Omnivore's Dilemma.  Students responded to Language Arts questions and also noticed types of shots and angles used in filming.  Next week, students will reflect upon the bigger picture of how arts such as films help us to explore contemporary issues and make a statement of opinion related to culture at large.