Summertime - American--style Art
We began this project by looking at reproductions of famous American artwork. Cityscape I by Richard Diebenkorn, The Source of Country Music by Thomas Hart Benton, Cover Illustration for the Last of the Mohicans by N.C. Wyeth, The Veteran in a New Field by Winslow Homer, Valley of the Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt to name a few. All of the visuals used were beautiful posters of these works given to us as part of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts last year. We discussed that all of these works were inspired by what the artists saw, heard or read. Then I asked students to create a work of art that showed something they had seen, heard or read this summer. Students used crayons, colored pencils and markers and were encouraged to cover all graphite pencil lines used to lay in the preliminary sketch and also to blend colors, just like the famous artists had. As students worked we listened to music by American composer Aaron Copeland. Many of these drawings can be seen in our lunchroom and many others are being kept for display in the annual Art Show in May.
Paintings in the style of American artist Jackson Pollock
With our Kent State student teacher, Miss Gray, students learned about the Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock and his "Action Paintings" as well as being introduced to the concept of analogous colors. Then students tried their hand at creating a painting like this American master while listening to Jazz music just like Pollock did as he splattered, dripped and dribbled paint! We had many of them on display in the lunchroom, but they recently came down to make room for the next project. We are keeping the paintings in case students decide they want them for inclusion in the annual Art Show this spring.
Romare Bearden-style Collages/Harlem Renaissance Art
With our Kent State student teacher students learned about the Harlem Renaissance artists Remare Bearden, William H. Johnson, Aaron Douglas and Jacob Lawrence (some of who's art is currently on view at the Akron Art Museum! http://www.akronartmuseum.org/exhibitions/details.php?unid=1272). Then students were asked to create a collage that described something from their everyday lives while they listened to Jazz and Big Band music that was popular in New York during the Harlem Renaissance. A number of these can be seen in the lunchroom and more are being kept for the upcoming Art Show in the spring.
Pre-Columbian Pottery
After discussing where and when Pre-Columbian cultures like the Maya, Olmec, Toltec, Inca and Aztec lived we looked at a power point presentation showing clay vessels they created that were both functional and sculptural(see Pre-Columbian Pwr. Pt.). The presentation then showed that even today our society sometimes manufactures wares that are both functional and sculptural, but not usually. I told students to sketch an idea for a clay pot that is both functional and sculptural. Their homework was to bring to class anything they needed as visual reference for this: a photo of a family pet, hot wheel car, stuffed animal, etc. Then I taught the kids how to build their idea using the coil method. This project will take some time to finish. I ask students to bring paint shirts each week, but many do not have one. When done I will fire all work in the kiln then we will glaze and re-fire. them.
