Collaborative Color Wheel

The collaborative color wheel was my follow up lesson to the color recipe books, and to a bigger discussion about rainbows and color wheels we had during Art Talk.   

Art Talk is a 30 minute period I have with each class once a month where I have time to connect art and literacy in their classroom.  Last month this was a perfect time to read a book called Colors, and have a discussion about rainbows and color wheels.  The children really enjoyed the book and the conversation.

During this time while we were making our recipe books, I asked each child to document their colors on a long strip of paper in the middle of the table.  When a student finished their book I asked them to cut some of the circles out. (This is also great practice with fine motor skills and cutting in general.) 

 

Then when that job was done... finished students began sorting the colors into trays.  

Then each class got two pieces of the color wheel to work with...opposite colors so they had space to work, which of course make them complimentary! They added and overlapped all of the colors they made. 

This amazing color wheel is the collaboration of all 60 second graders and the colors they made for their recipe books.

Color Recipe Books

In Second Grade the students are currently working on poetry in literacy and writing clear equations when working on math problems.  As way to connect them... in the Art Studio we are making Color Recipe Books! 
It is insanely fun!

We began by exploring paint for two classes.  For those two classes the students worked on one large painting with the goal to fill the entire space, and mix at least five invented colors.  The paintings were quite beautiful.

Next, we talked about all the beautiful colors they mixed, and how it can be difficult to remember how you made a certain color.  We decided to make a recipe book with all the colors we love, so we will always know how to make them, and can share the recipes with our friends.

They needed to create three parts to each recipe.
1. A shape where the color would be painted.
2. A clear recipe equation with words that helped us remember how much of each color we used.  For example, a big spoonful of yellow+ a little dab of red + a medium dab of white=
3. A juicy descriptive name for their color. (When writing poetry, they look for juicy words to make a poem more interesting.  And that is what we did with our colors!)  There can be many kinds of orange, but the orange I made is Juicy Peach.

It took four classes to finish their book, including the title page.

I could not have been happier with the results!  The kids had a amazing time!  They did not want this project to end.  "I want to mix colors all day!" Yes, I heard this many times. And I can totally relate ;)

September and Portfolios

September is SO busy! Not only is it the start of work/school, which includes getting back into the swing of things, curriculum nights and lesson planning, but it is also our anniversary month and a serious amount of birthdays. I'm talking birthdays galore! No joke. Which means birthday parties, presents, decorating and cooking.  And of course other things that just come your way each month.  This year that included getting sick, making art, friends having babies (more birthdays!) cleaning out a room for a special surprise, and planning an art opening. (More about the special surprise and art opening soon...) This year I have also changed the grades I teach and have become a middle school adviser, which has been great! Overall it has been a hectic and wild start to the year, but a good one.

The first lesson of the year for me is creating a portfolio, no matter what the age.  This helps us establish routines, explore different materials and gives us a place to keep 2-D work for the rest of the year.

The overarching them for 6th grade is Identity, and in English they began studying the origin of their name.  In art, we transformed the letters of our name to help express parts of our identity. It was a quick lesson that got them engaged and thinking about what makes them special.

Karuna

Leah

George

Can you tell what these three are interested in?  What makes them special?

the Hudson River

Let's start by saying I love the Hudson River.  I love the history, and I have always loved living near it.  It is part of my life, and the beauty of where we live.  Of course I wish it was cleaner...but there are many wonderful people who are contributing to the welfare of the river; preserving, protecting and bringing awareness. 

I had the privilege to teach a class and take a workshop on the Hudson in July.  It was an incredibly  beautiful day, and the whole experience gave me more then I expected! The classroom was the river itself, and in the Kathryn W. Davis RiverWalk Center. This center is an abandoned bathhouse from the 1920's that had recently been renovated into classrooms.  It was lovely.

After teaching the class, a kind woman came up to me to tell me I was incredibly inspiring, that my passion was contagious, and that she was thrilled to have have been in my class.  That comment capped off a truly enriching experience.

Change Collages!

Inspired by the first grade concept Change, and the Eric Carle author study happening in the classroom, each first grader made two "Eric Carle Inspired" collages during art class. These collages were created with hand painted paper, made by the entire first grade community.  They were based on a change each student found important; thinking about what it looked like before and after the change occurred. After the collages were complete, they wrote about this change in the classroom. It was a lot of thoughtful and fun work! Read the descriptions...seriously. I am particularly fond of the pencil.

2012 SUMMER CAMP

SUMMER CAMP on the SUN PORCH
Register Now for the finest Visual Arts camp this summer!
June 25-29  (Mon-Fri)   9:30am-1:30pm
July 9-13     (Mon-Fri)   9:30am-1:30pm
July 16-20   (Mon-Fri)   9:30am-1:30pm

Summer Camp on the Sun Porch offers quality art instruction to children ages 5-12 through an exploration of a rich variety of art techniques and processes. From the ancient art of Japanese brush painting to modern recycled wood sculpture, students will learn about influential artists and the materials and styles that made them famous. Inspired by the artists and materials introduced throughout the week, students will build artistic knowledge through creative, age appropriate learning experiences.

Sun Porch Studio’s art instructors are experienced professional Columbia University graduates. As dedicated full-time art educators in K-12 private schools, Eleana and Mary Jo are passionate about teaching and strive to create a comfortable, creative environment where children feel confident and eager to explore various art mediums and techniques. Both Eleana and Mary Jo have studied overseas at the world-renowned preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and experienced first-hand how language, environment and access to tools can empower children to become life-long learners.
To successfully make each day a meaningful experience for young artists, students are organized into two age groups: ages 5-8 and 9-12. Young Explorers (ages 5-8) and Creativity Seekers (ages 9-12) engage in separate developmentally appropriate art activities during studio time and art history, and join together for morning welcome, lunch, athletics, and reflective activities at the end of the day.  Summer Camp on the Sun Porch will be a memorable experience for any child interested in the visual arts.
Below is a brief explanation of daily activities as well as an example schedule. View our Pinterest board for a sneak peak into our creative plans.
Art History: Weekly and daily activities are centered around art mediums, techniques and professional artists. Students discuss the life and style of artists and create works of art inspired by their style or art technique.
Nature Drawing: Each day all students engage in nature drawing to build strong observational drawing skills and to promote awareness of the natural beauty outdoors and how art and science often go hand in hand. Students may have the opportunity to visit local nature preserves or outdoor landmarks for on-location nature drawing/painting. Parents are welcome to visit students at work and enjoy the scenic art setting.
Athletics: Each day all ages take part in athletics to promote physical wellness, cooperation and coordination.
Studio Time: All ages engage in studio time everyday. Students will be immersed in a variety of art techniques and mediums such as drawing/painting, sculpture, collage, recycled art, printmaking and fiber arts.
Friday Art Exhibition: Each Friday, students work together to create an art display of their art creations. An Exhibition is held at 1pm for parents and friends to view the creativity and learning that transpired throughout the week.

                   




Below is an example schedule of an artful day on the Sun Porch:
Creativity Seekers Ages 9-12:

9:30 am	Morning welcome and daily nature drawing
9:50 am	Art history and exploratory art technique
10:50 am	snack and art games
11 am	Art studio time/art theme experience
12 pm	Walk to the beach, athletics
12:30 pm	Lunch/walk back to Sun Porch
1pm	Portfolio prep and daily reflective activity
1:30 pm	Dismissal

Young Explorers Ages 5-8:

9:30 am	Morning welcome and daily nature drawing
9:50 am	Art history, story and exploratory art
10:50 am	snack and art games
11 am	Art studio time/art theme experience
12 pm	Walk to the beach, athletics
12:30 pm	Lunch/walk back to Sun Porch
1pm	Functional crafts and reflective activity
1:30 pm	Dismissal

Summer Camp on the Sun Porch will be held at 18 Hillside Road, Stony Brook, NY 11790.
One Week Session: $250.00. Siblings receive %10 discount (All materials and snacks included. Students are responsible for a brown bag lunch.)
To register and for more information, email Mary Jo at sunporchartstudio@gmail.com or call 631.379.8068

Seussical the Musical: Set Design

I work at an amazing school!  One thing to certainly experience here is IPW, also known as Integrated Projects Week.  Kids get to propose topics they would like to engulf themselves in for one week before spring break.  Teachers look through the list and plan accordingly.  Kids vote, teachers group and away it goes!  It is certainly a lot of work, but more importantly, it is an amazing opportunity for both kids and teachers. It truly gives everyone the rare opportunity to really get into something they are curious or passionate about. To learn new things and have new experiences.  I have taught such week long projects such as: Cooking Healthy, Express Yourself, Central Park Leaders, Harry Potters, Museum Madness, Locks of Love..and this year Set Design for the 8th grade musical, The Seussical. For three classes before IPW week all 8th grade students researched set design, Dr. Seuss books, and drew out plans for what they thought the backdrops and props should look like.  The Friday before, they voted.  During the week of IPW 8th grade is practicing the play, the songs, the choreography, the staging, and also, making the set.  It was quite an eventful week!

After the winner sketched the idea on four large canvas backdrops Monday morning, students came in during their down time to paint.  They began with the background colors, which were inspired by the Dr. Seuss book The Lorax.

I loved how it looked before the color too!

 Then they moved into the color of the Truffula Trees.  These moments were filled with excited 8th graders who felt extremely successful!..and lots of singing!

 The final backdrop.  WOW!

The Pillberry Bush, and making the Clover Field.

There were many things I did not photograph yet, including the Bathtub, the Circus Train, The Circus Flags, The Fish and Horton's Tree, Nest and Egg. The performance is in April, and I will post the rest then!

Altered Books!

Waves

For the first time this year I am teaching 8th grade elective courses.  The first up was a class called Altered Books.  I had the most fun researching, learning and being inspired by the concept of Altered Books, as well as looking at artists who work in this medium.  I had never really given them much thought, but as always, teaching something to others allows you to understand it in a deeper and more meaningful way.  We began by looking at a number of exciting examples and talking about the process of getting there.  For example, do you want to work conceptually or sculpturally?  What do you want to say with your book?  Is about about a social justice issue, something personal, or do you want to focus on artistic form?  What outside materials would assist you in this journey?  What shape, size and book content will you choose to work with?..and what happened after that was just amazing!

Paper Wonderland

Pixie Hollow

 Remember, the fun and learning, no matter what the activity, is in the process.  As an artist and an art teacher I am more focused on the experience then I am with the product...The funny thing is when you teach and work that way, you often get a product you are proud of.

Vanishing Acts

 The books were mostly donated, discarded books from libraries. I had enough varying books for all students to have a choice.  Large, small, hard, soft, thick, thin, fiction, non-fiction, children's books..you name it and it was there!  Many things informed their choice, including the title, the shape, the content, the weight, etc.  Like I mentioned in the Vision Board post, you can allow the book to call to you, and many did that, using that calling as inspiration.  Others looked for a very specific kind of book for their journey.  This course ended with an Artist Statement about their work, and a gallery showcase where all the 8th grade students and teachers were able to come and see their finished work.

Deeper then the Dead: Behind the Scenes

Printed Portraits!

I love a good self portrait lesson.  I love when children need to really think about who they are and how they feel.  When they have to look closely at how they see themselves on the inside, and then how they want others to view them on the outside.  I come from an expressive arts background.  My philosophy of Art Education has always been revolved around helping children develop a deep awareness of self.  Allowing them to reach their full potential through self expression and community.  Creating a safe space where each child uses a variety of art materials to explore, create and understand.  
To make sense of their world.  

 
Today I would like to share some portraits that my students just finished.  



They worked so hard from the planning stages until our final critique.  There was SO much learning during this unit and so much fun!  Aside from the clear awareness of self, they learned how to use the carving tools safely, printing effectively and combining colors in the most interesting ways. 

We looked at a number of adult printed portraits and discussed how their facial expression, body gesture, background and use of space expressed who they are and how they want others to see them.
Then each child thought about how to best express themselves..the results were outstanding!

They even got into some serious experimentation!

 

When it was all over we had a final critique where they got to share their work and compliment others. We looked at each piece individually and then as a series of work. Amazing!