We Rock Cave Art

The craziest thing I ever did in my art room was to make a cave. Why you ask? Because I wasn't gonna crawl under the table. Some of you know where I'm going with this and some of you will just need to keep reading. 
I read an article about art teachers trying to give students the whole Michelangelo experience by having them lie on the floor and do artwork on the bottom of their tables. This gal was not up to the task. Soooooo I went with prehistoric cave painting!

 

 I pulled my cabinets away from the wall and draped fabric from the ceiling to the top of the cabinets. AND I fire proofed all of that fabric before using it.  (I used a spray bottle and spread all the fabric out over my fence.) You can see the entrance to the cave to the very right of the photograph.

One of the classroom teachers suggested we learn about and draw endangered animals in the cave.

Brilliant! I have the book How to Draw 101 Animals, I picked different animals for each grade level to have variety and I had each of the children do a practice drawing before we went into the cave.

 

Since I am all about tying literature into my art program, I brought each class of students into the "cave" and read them the book The Cave Painter of Lascaux by Roberta Angeletti. It was wonderful and so much fun. Students talked about that corner in the room for years afterwards remembering that lesson. 

In the cave I taped up paper for the students to do their art. They worked in oil pastels. Here's some close-ups, And, yes, the penguin was drawn upside down.

 

 

Here is the display I put up in our gallery The Den of Art:

       

This also worked out really well for the for the County Fair as the theme that year was "We Rock". Soooooo

 

I used the practice animals that the students made for the display. Cutting out the animals in circles to make it look like a flash light was shining into the cave on to the art.
What's the craziest lesson you ever did with your students?
Thanks for reading!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation 2009

The third year that I taught art I found out about School Arts Magazine. I wrote my first article for them and it was published in October 2007, titled Rapunzel's Tower. (Eventually, I will figure out how to add a link to it on this blog.)

Anyway, when reading the magazine I came across an article about their Santa Fe Summer Workshops.  Wow, I mean WOW! There were two of them that summer! I signed up for the one titled Pueblo Indian Art and Culture. Nancy Walkup, editor of School Arts Magazine would be leading this opportunity for professional development. WOW! Quick where do I sign?

We met with several Native Americans that shared their art making with us.

 

I made a pinch pot and got to see it fired in the ground.

 

We stopped at this church which looked really familiar.

 

I had just had this poster of Georgia O'Keeffe's painting of Rancho de Taos hanging up outside the art room before school let out. WOW! 
In case you were wondering what the front of the church looked like:

When I returned to school I shared all these photos with my students. And one of them asked me what did the inside of the church look like?  Somewhat embarrassed I had to admit to visiting a nearby Trading Post instead of going inside. Silly me.......


We also had the opportunity to visit Native American sculptor Roxanne Swentzell in her studio Tower Gallery.

  

Where we met and watched Ms. Swentzell work on a commissioned  piece, which I believe was for the convention center. WOW! I have seen Roxanne Swentzell's work when visiting the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. AND her work is featured in the art textbooks that I have in my art room! WOW! And you better believe I returned the following summer to see the finished piece installed. Yes, I returned to take the Folk Art Traditions and Beyond Workshop. More on that another time.

 

These workshops were amazing.  I heard they have evolved and gotten even better over the last few years. It is definitely worth looking into. Email Nancy Walkup  nwalkup@davisart.com for info.

Taking time for professional development is a great way to meet other like minded colleagues from around the country to share resources and good times with! I know I have. What will your plans for next summer be? Thanks for reading!

Hoarder's Heaven

Art teachers recycle. It is a fact of life. We generally have little or no money to work with and need to make the most of it. I am. No. Exception to this rule. Below is a photo of me as the Queen of Recycle.

Here, I am stylishly attired in a garbage bag skirt with a used tablecloth as a banner. My crown consists of a cardboard base with bottle tops. My scepter has been made from an empty wrapping paper tube, topped with a bottle and a rose cap then finished off with pipe cleaners and glitter. Project runway would be proud!  Behind my head on the shelf is some of my stash. And here are a few of my favorite things: (I am singing in my head the song from The Sound of Music)

     

That spider is half of a Dan-animal container adorned with pipe cleaner legs. The snowman is also from a Dan-animal container. Instead of tissue paper for the hat, I now use Model Magic. Activia yogurt container and Model Magic for the penguin, it is glued to a base so it won't topple over.

   

Below is a Hugs drink bottle with model magic and beans.  Then there is the totem pole of coffee containers. And the coffee creamer bobble heads.

    

Vertical blind mobiles, laminating film stained glass and cake top aquarium.

 

Most of the projects are organized with step by step directions. However, many times I have a variety of pieces left over that I just want to get rid of! And I CAN'T just throw them out! That is when I give my students free art. My theory is that the students will take what they have learned and apply it to making a master piece. Hmmmm, well they had fun and I know in my heart that they learned something.

 

There are many more projects that my students have made that are a result of using recycles. I will post more of those sometime in the future. Think about what you can recycle to make art.

Thanks for reading!

Airport Display Inspires Mascot Art

With us artsy types, inspiration comes from many places. Several years ago, can't remember if I was picking up or dropping off someone at the airport, when I came across a display of fiberglass manatees.

     

  There were over 30 different ones that I saw all over the airport by the arrival/departure gates. Apparently part of a program to raise awareness for the "Outdoor Arts Foundation" here in Tampa.

It was amazing! It was wonderful! It was INSPIRING! It would be a great way to introduce the school mascot to my students. I was new to the school and this would be my way to join together and feel like part of a team!  However......... my school mascot was a lion...... oh my.

Wait! I live in modern times! I have the information highway at my fingertips- Okay, back in those days...... I needed my husband's help to pull off anything to do with the computer or the internet or spelling or never mind........ (I've gotten better, he has not helped once with this blog). Anyway, look at what he found for me......

 

  

 I was then able to put together a slide show (it would be years before I would figure out how to do a power point......... baby steps). Anyway, it contained all the photos (some with a front and back view) of the manatees from the airport AND a about a dozen lions my husband snagged from the internet.  

I talked with my students about mascots, their significance and that our mascot was a lion. And here is some of their work. One of the first, of many, mini exhibits in our Den of Art!

 

 

 I think they came out terrific and I was proud to show them off. And, it occurs to me, these students just might be high school seniors this year! Oh my..........

Isn't it wonderful that inspiration is all around us? What will inspire you?
Thanks for reading!