Mrs. Buss created these Masks, she chose to represent envy and justice. In many tribal cultures of Africa, masks are made to represent emotion, morals, or an event. In this project think about what emotion you might like to represent, happiness, joy, peace, etc... Think about what shapes or colors might represent those emotions. More geometric, squares, triangles might represent something different from curvilinear or curvy lines. Masks can represent some thing about ourselves, something we want to be, or they can disguise. You can also represent characteristics such as beauty, strength, wisdom, or knowledge. Often masks represent what is desirable or they represent something to avoid. In my examples I chose envy (undesirable) and justice. Have fun with creating your mask. Instructions
![]() Inspiration Traits representing moral values in tribal masks are found in many cultures. Masks from the Senufo people of Ivory Coast, for example, have their eyes half closed, symbolizing a peaceful attitude, self-control, and patience. In Sierra Leone and elsewhere, small eyes and mouth represent humility, and a wide, protruding forehead represents wisdom. In Gabon, large chins and mouths represent authority and strength. The Grebo of the Ivory Coast carve masks with round eyes to represent alertness and anger, with the straight nose representing an unwillingness to retreat.
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![]() Andy Goldsworthy, Rowan Leaves and Hole, 1987. One of my favorite artists that I first learned about from my early college years is Andy Goldsworthy, a born in 1956 in England. I love his impressive use of nature within nature. He uses the brilliance of nature to create a new experience. In many of his works he uses a circular placement of sticks, stones, leaves. In combination with the concept of a mandala we can all embrace what nature has to offer. In gathering things that surround us and rearranging them gives us a sense of beauty and importance. Mandalas have long since been a part of the human experience. From the ancient Minoan labyrinths, navajo mandalas, Tibetan monks, rosette windows of medieval cathedrals, and many other cultures, the placement and design in the round is as old as humankind.
A lot has been written on the subject of mandalas. Search for yourself! These are a few links I found informative:
https://www.invaluable.com/blog/what-is-a-mandala/ http://www.mandalaproject.org/What/Main.html https://artfulparent.com/mandalas-in-nature-mandala-art/ The quilts of Gee's Bend are quilts created by a group of women and their ancestors who live or have lived in the isolated African-American hamlet of Gee's Bend, Alabama along the Alabama River. The quilts of Gee's Bend are among the most important African-American visual and cultural contributions to the history of art within the United States. Arlonzia Pettway, Annie Mae Young and Mary Lee Bendolph are among some of the most notable quilters from Gee's Bend. Many of the residents in the community can trace their ancestry back to slaves from the Pettway Plantation. Arlonzia Pettway can recall her grandmother's stories of her ancestors, specifically of Dinah Miller, who was brought to the United States by slave ship in 1859. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilts_of_Gee%27s_Bend In this project students create four colored collage quilt cards that are 4.5 x 5.5". Students are encouraged to use at least 15 scraps on each card. They are also reminded to consider using a special color palette, Primary, Secondary, Cool, Warm, or perhaps the Color Spectrum.
![]() Inspiration Read Belle, the Last Mule at Gee's Bend. Connections to the famous civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the small town of Gee's Bend are made in this story. In learning the history of this community and the creative spirit that comes from making students can create their own creative color collages through paper scraps. www.amazon.com/Belle-Last-Mule-Gees-Bend/dp/0763687693/ref=asc_df_0763687693/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312089887152&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12247586967805817146&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019332&hvtargid=pla-568008936922&psc=1 Students learned about Harriet Tubman. She led slaves out of slavery during the Underground Railroad in the South before 1865. Harriet was called the “Moses of her time” because she led slaves to freedom. When guiding slaves to freedom, she used the North Star to lead the way much like the Star of Bethlehem led the Magi to Jesus. There were a lot of big ideas, but three main points I led the student to express- -Quilts were commonly made in the 1800s and the star pattern was very popular. Students used the geometric shapes (we discussed squares, rectangles, and triangles in my antique quilt example). Students used parallelograms (diamonds) to make their stars -Students learned about constellations and drew a big and little dipper to locate the North Star -They included an Image of Harriet; students used a provided image or drew her themselves. There were a lot of big ideas and I was honored to lead a discussion about civil rights, inclusiveness, diversity, and adversity. The students were kind and thoughtful in their understanding of these monumental and historical figures during black history month at St. Paul’s. I look forward to more opportunities to make firm connections from our American past to our futures.
After creating a drawing of a mythical creature using at least three characteristics of living creatures, let's create a fabric story of this creature. Using felt squares and fabric scraps collage a picture of your creature to tell a fabric story.
Inspiration We look to two examples of how stories can be told through fabric. The Unicorn Tapestries (1495-1505), Metropolitan Museum of art. In tapestry threads are woven to make the structure and picture. Faith Ringgold 1930- Ringgold is an American painter, writer, mixed media sculptor and performance artist, best known for her narrative quilts. Her artistic practice is extremely varied – from painting to quilts, from sculptures and performance art to children's books. As an educator, she taught in both the New York City Public school system and at college level. In 1973, she quit teaching public school to devote herself to creating art full-time. In her work of the story quilts we see that fabric is sewn together to make the structure. This week students in the upper grades, 6-8th grade, worked with linoleum and lino-cut printing. We learned about safety and using sharp tools. A few finished their carving and printed their work on paper with ink. In the lower grades we learned about the artist, Piet Mondrian. He was an abstract artist and titled many of his works “Composition”(s). Students learned that a composition is the arrangement of objects or shapes in a picture and that abstract art represents an idea or feeling. In kindergarten-1st grade, students made “stained glass” with contact paper and tissue paper inspired by Mondrian in primary colors, red, blue, and yellow. In our drawings students learned about secondary, orange, green, and purple, and primary colors. Students chose one set of colors to use in designing a drawing in the style of Mondrian. Check out the display of the “stained glass” in the church entrance and see how the work of the students, inspired by Mondrian, illuminates the space!
My children and I decided to have an art date. It works well because I can get some teaching experience and I have to admit with the heat we were all a bit squirrelly. I didn't spend half the time explaining how awesome Mr. Matisse is and why. We did however accomplish the project with success. In this project the kids create their own paper by painting tempera paint on the paper. It was allowed to dry while they were instructed to make a silhouette of a figure, which I ended up compromising, as long as it had a body and limbs. (I can't and I'm done, two of my least favorite phrases ever uttered by child or student, because it simply is never true) After the silhouette was made we collaged the background with our dry painted papers cut into shapes. Some shapes geometric some shapes organic. Materials Pencil White paper Tempera Paint Brushes Water Black Paper Scissors Glue/Glue Stick ![]() Inspiration In the late 1940s, Henri Matisse turned almost exclusively to cut paper as his primary medium, and scissors as his chief implement, introducing a radically new operation that came to be called a cut-out. Matisse would cut painted sheets into forms of varying shapes and sizes—from the vegetal to the abstract—which he then arranged into lively compositions, striking for their play with color and contrast, their exploitation of decorative strategies, and their economy of means. Initially, these compositions were of modest size but, over time, their scale grew along with Matisse’s ambitions for them, expanding into mural or room-size works. A brilliant final chapter in Matisse’s long career, the cut-outs reflect both a renewed commitment to form and color and an inventiveness directed to the status of the work of art, whether as a unique object, environment, ornament, or a hybrid of all of these. https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1429#:~:text=In%20the%20late%201940s%2C%20Henri,be%20called%20a%20cut%2Dout.&text=Henri%20Matisse%3A%20The%20Cut%2DOuts%20is%20a%20groundbreaking%20reassessment%20of,this%20important%20body%20of%20work. Probably one of my favorite switch-em-up projects. I collect all the broken bits, discarded trinkets, junk drawer items. I also send a call out to have such items donated. I also ask for boxes, wooden, cigar, jewelry... We look to the artist, another favorite, Joseph Cornell. Students will glean from a collection of "junk" or are encouraged to bring their own. The narratives that the students may come up with might be as simple as similar shapes or colors, or the items they choose can tell a story. Students use glue to make these box sculptures. Issac Nielsen, 5th Grade Materials Boxes, wooden, cigar, jewelry Trinkets, game pieces, broken items, etc Glue, Hot/Tacky Joseph Cornell 1903-1972
was an American artist and filmmaker, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage. Influenced by the Surrealists, he was also an avant-garde experimental filmmaker. He was largely self-taught in his artistic efforts, and improvised his own original style incorporating cast-off and discarded artifacts. He lived most of his life in relative physical isolation, caring for his mother and his disabled brother at home, but remained aware of and in contact with other contemporary artists. With the use of contact paper and tissue paper the results were whimsical. This is a lesson I taught to adults all the way down to kindergarteners. In the kindergarten classes through 3rd grade, the children were introduced to the work of Marc Chagall. We looked to his famous stained glass windows for inspiration, although children were encouraged to create their own unique designs. Many of them had no problem with putting their creative hats on. Earlier this year I was invited to teach art to incarcerated women. The interesting thing about teaching in a jail you have to plan around really specific regulations. It's a challenge to come up with new and creative projects that can engage, excite, or to be a positive outlet for them. Some of the bummers are no scissors, or anything metal of course not sharp, no string or anything in "length", no toxic substances, no rulers, etc. So on our first day I brought the "Stained Glass" project. I precut all of the contact paper, thin cut strips of black paper for borders and divisions, some smaller cut pieces of tissue paper, however that could be torn, if needed. The women embraced the project. They were able to have some time together making, talking (keeping it positive), and being creative. They encouraged each other and also helped each other. They were proud of their creations. I am a strong believer that art isn't a reward (although, it is often used as punishment when it is "taken away"). Art is a challenging way to express one self. Exercising self control and refinement in order to communicate emotions, feelings, or thoughts are extremely important skills in life. Materials Sketchbook Pencil Colored Pencils Contact paper Colored Tissue Paper Black Construction Paper Scissors Black Permanent Marker ![]() Inspiration
In this lesson the students combine observation, collage, and drawing. The students first create a collage of black and white print on which they draw a linear portrait in the style of Picasso. The collaged black and white print creates background in the style of the cubist movement. Students reference and look at portraits Picasso painted in his later works. They will observe that the faces he paints become a collection of shapes that represent facial features. After their portraits are drawn in black permanent marker, the facial planes are filled in with colorful oil pastel. Materials Heavy weight paper Scissors Newspaper Glue/Glue sticks Permanent Black Marker Oil Pastel ![]() Inspiration Pablo Picasso 1881-1973 Picasso displayed an interest in subject matter of every kind. Picasso was exceptionally prolific throughout his long lifetime. The total number of artworks he produced has been estimated at 50,000, comprising 1,885 paintings; 1,228 sculptures; 2,880 ceramics, roughly 12,000 drawings, many thousands of prints, and numerous tapestries and rugs. Picasso's early sculptures were carved from wood or modeled in wax or clay. Picasso abandoned modeling and instead made sculptural constructions using unconventional materials. Although his Cubist works approach abstraction, objects of the real world as subject matter were never completely unrecognizable. Prominent in his Cubist paintings are forms easily recognized as guitars, violins, and bottles. Picasso painted mostly from imagination or memory. In his paintings, Picasso used color as an expressive element, but relied on drawing rather than subtleties of color to create form and space. Picasso transformed the semiology (the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation) of painting and sculpture, expanding the way words, shapes, and objects could interact. He put ordinary objects in new situations that changed their nature. Many of his portraits are |
AuthorI have a passion for the visual arts and love sharing it with others. I have enjoyed teaching all ages and love to incorporate art history and traditional disciplines as well as innovative ideas. Art is vital to who I am as a creator and educator. Archives
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