On Display at MHA

Color Groups  Red, orange & yellow are warm colors. Artists will often use them to portray scenes of warm weather.  Green, blue & violet are cool colors. Artists will often use them to portray cool weather.
The 4th and 5th graders created temperature based landscapes that are currently on display in the elementary wing of the school.

Bryony Petch from the Dixon Gallery and Gardens came to visit our 4th and 5th graders today to discuss the work of Brian Selznick. She read us a few pages from The Boy of A Thousand Faces, about a boy who liked to change his face every day with paper masks. She then tught us how to make 3-D paper masks of our own.  Click on this link to enjoy the show! http://youtu.be/ZrriCIKLFNo

Dixon Day at MHA

Yesterday the second and third graders were visited by Bryony Petch from the Dixon Gallery and Gardens. She taught us about Brian Selsnick and we talked about Dinosaurs and Mosaics. We learned how to make Dinosaur Mosaics of our own. Enjoy the show!

Our Trip to the Brooks Museum

Last week the fourth and fifth graders enjoyed a trip to the Brooks Museum.   We were taken through the galleries, where we focused on several pieces as we learned about the elements of art.  After the tour we went down to the studio to do a project with Miss Jenny.  She gave each of us a secret picture of an abstract painting, and we had to write a description of that picture using the elements of art.  We traded descriptions with our partner and without seeing he pictures, we had to make our own pastel drawing based on the written description.  Here is a short video of our trip.  Enjoy the show!

  

On Display at MHA

 

The Margolin Cave

Art from the Stone Age was known as Paleolithic Art.  In Prehistoric times, people would find shelter in caves and would “decorate” the rock surfaces of these caves with carvings and paintings.  No one knows exactly why these paintings were done,  historians have come up with some Theories about them.  One theory is that the paintings served as some form of magic.  For example, the “hunting” pictures often depicted the animals already pierced with spears.  The hunters believed that if they drew the animals on the wall, then they captured his spirit. If they pierced the animal’s sprit on the wall with a spear, then the animal’s spirit would die and the real animal would put up little resistance when, the caveman went to hunt it.  Of course, we know this is not true.  However, a primitive man going out to hunt would probably have a lot more confidence if he thought the animal wouldn’t put up much of a fight.  Since the paintings were created deep within the caves, away from bad weather and future generations, many of them are still well preserved.  There are also many small carved objects and stone paintings found within these caves.  All though primitive, these renderings of everyday life are full of energy and clearly depict the images that they are trying to portray.  The 6th - 8th grade art students created some cave drawings of their own depicting paleolithic life.  You can visit our Margolin Cave in the hallway just oustside the Junior High wing.

On Display @ MHA! TeenyTiny Art

Artist’s Trading Cards are miniature works of art that come from all artistic disciplines and are created and traded by everyone from quilters to crafters to painters to jewelry designers. The only way you can get an ATC is by giving one of your own.  From as early as the fifteenth century, artists have made miniatures of their work for sale or promotion. But modern day Artist Trading Cards are not about sales at all – they are art for art’s sake. They also include the social aspect of trading (kinda like trading Olympic pins or baseball cards). But in the case of today’s ATCs they were inspired by, of all things, hockey.

Swiss performance artist m. vanci stirnemann is credited as the originator of the Artist Trading Card movement. He got the idea after watching enthusiastic fans trade hockey cards. He was inspired by the social interaction that resulted from the act of trading, and wanted to create a similar experience with handmade art. There are few but important rules about ATCs.  They MUST be 2-1/2” by 3-1/2”, They are never sold, only traded, They usually have your name and contact information on the back.  We made some ATCs and they are currently on display in the MHA Gallery just outside the library.  Stop by and have a look!

Our Impression

Our trip to the Brooks Museum of art was fantastic!   We were taken through the Impressionist exhibit in three different groups so that our Docents could give us our tour in small groups.  The Impressionists changed the way the world saw art.  At a time when the Salon was dictating what was and was not acceptable works of art, these pioneers dared to think outside the box in a very literal sense.  Taking their paints and brushes to the outdoors they captured how sunlight and weather can affect and change the colors that we see.  Here are a few photos from our trip.  Enjoy!

Seize The Clay Comes To MHA!!!

Today the kindergarten and first graders were treated to a visit from the staff at Seize The Clay.  They had a wonderful time learning the basics of building with clay as they created bud vases out of leaf shapes.  They cut the shapes out of large slabs of clay and then engraved them using tooth picks.  They learned how to score two pieces of clay and attach them together with slip “mud” as they glued their tube to their base and then decorated the tube using the remaining three shapes.   These adorable vases will be on display at the Fall Festival.  Enjoy the pics!

Did you know that you can take a virtual tour of many world famouse museums at http://www.googleartproject.com/.  So take a virtual vacation and enjoy.

Artist in Training

I often like to refer to my preliminary art students as my artists in training.  The Kindergarten and first graders visit the art room each week to embark on a new adventure.   

Each lesson introduces the children to a different artist.  We begin by playing Art Detective as we explore a new painting and try to determine the type of work, the subject and the colors that the artist may have had on his pallet.  Then we begin the project at hand, discussing the supplies and process and how it relates to the artist of the week. 

The students work on the projects at their own pace.  Those that finish before the session in over are encouraged to visit the other centers in the art room.  Our Museum Center features books and ARTifacts related to the project of the week and art related games and toys.  The Drawing Center has markers, plain white paper and coloring sheets related to the current topic.  The Architect table hosts a rotation building toys every week for our students to design the cities of our future.  Visiting the centers allows the students to integrate what they have just learned into projects that they create for themselves with the materials provided for them.

As they go through this two year process of training, they becoming comfortable with the layout of the art room, they learn to master the use of the various supplies, and gain an understanding of the basic concepts of art.  They begin to think for themselvesand start to creatively interpret directions when given a project to produce.   They come to view the art room as an idea center, where they can become the artists of our future.

The Eye Journal

 

In the MHA art room, where everyone is an artist, the Art Journal is an important tool for each student to rely on.  It is the go to book for notes on class discussions, ideas and plans for projects and a testing ground for new ideas.

Being that each journal is a personal tool, every student begins the year decorating their journal to his or her personal taste.  They dig in to the store of countless old books and magazines seeking images that speak to them and inspire creativity.  Then they plunder through the collage collections adding, buttons. Stones, jewels, feathers or whatever catches their imagination.  When the journals are done each one is a work of art ready to collect a year of artistic adventures.