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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Annual Elementary Art Exhibit -Opening Reception

Well, it has been a while since I posted student projects because the Art Show has consumed my life for the past few weeks.  Well worth it though!  March 22 was our opening reception for the Annual Elementary Art Exhibit.  It was a fabulous evening!  Thank you to all of the parents, grandparents, students, teachers and community members for coming out to support our children and the arts.

I would guess that we had over 400 people come through the exhibit.  Our fundraiser for the permanent art collection went very well also.  My colleagues designed an awesome t-shirt featuring replicas of famous works (altered a bit of course).  Students and parents could pre-order the shirts at the openings.  Shirts will be delivered in school and the students will have an opportunity to hand-color their shirts with fabric markers.  I can't wait to see how each child colors his/her shirt.  All will be so different and wonderful.  I will post pictures of those once we have them of course.

With my recent posts I have really been focused on the issues concerning the state budget and furloughs.  As this continues to stress me and my colleagues and news comes out daily about our surrounding districts cutting programs and teachers I can't help but think about a comment my sister made to me.  In response to the exhibit she said, "Holy moley the turn out was huge!!! Very nice show!!! Well done!!! How in the world can schools start cutting art when you look at all that and how many proud parents came to see their children's work???"

I hope that parents, children and community members will recall the joy and pride that the students experienced when they came to show off their art work.   Even some of the students who act as though art isn't cool or it is not something they are interested in were proud to show off what they had created.  Art, music, library --all of these so called "extras" help our children become well rounded, creative, diverse individuals who in turn become outstanding, productive citizens. Please help keep the arts in our schools!  Visit the following link and tell our leaders how important art is to you and your children:

http://www.artsusa.org/get_involved/advocate.asp

The following links give additional information about how the arts help promote academics, staying in school and  thinking outside of the box.

http://www.artsusa.org/pdf/get_involved/advocacy/research/2010/artsed_involvement2010.pdf

http://www.artsusa.org/pdf/get_involved/advocacy/research/2010/artsed_cogdev2010.pdf

http://www.artsusa.org/pdf/get_involved/advocacy/research/2010/ready_innovate2010.pdf

Here are some photos of the reception and the art work.  Enjoy!


















Thursday, March 10, 2011

Art Advocacy

I posted the Ten Lessons the Arts Teach yesterday.  As each day brings devastating news regarding the state budget and funding I continue to worry.  Perhaps as art teachers we need to learn to be better advocates of the arts. 

Within my classroom I try on a daily basis to emphasize the importance of the arts and make connections to other subject areas.  I wonder if our students understand the importance of the arts and how it touches their lives on a daily basis?  I'm not just talking about the visual arts but performing arts as well. 

Every thing we use on a daily basis is touched by an artist.  Every product you purchase is created by an artist. Your shampoo bottle, your towels, your furniture, your clothing, your jewelry, your Wii games.....  Someone out there is the creative person who has spent time designing and creating all of the things. Imagine a movie, a television show, a PSP game that didn't have music.We need art and music in our classrooms and  in our schools.  Children need art. 

I was a child who struggled in academics.  I always did well but it was with extra effort and time.  I am grateful for the dedication of my parents and teachers for pushing me, encouraging me and helping me.  Art was my creative outlet;  it was the reason I went to school.  I knew that if I made it through my other classes that I could spend some time painting, drawing, throwing pots.  Without my art classes I wonder how well I would have done in school. 

For more information on Art Education please visit:
http://www.artsusa.org/networks/arts_education/arts_education_001.asp

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Ten Lessons the Arts Teach

In honor of Youth Art Month and with the reductions in the state budget I'd like to take the opportunity to emphasize how important the arts are to children and education.  Please show your support for the arts.

Here are the "Ten Lessons the Arts Teach" compiled by Elliot Eisner, one of the country's leading art educators.

  • The arts teach children to make good judgements about qualitative relationships. Unlike much of the curriculum which correct answers and rules prevail, in the arts it is judgment rather than rules that prevail

  • The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer.

  • The arts celebrate multiple perspectives. One of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.

  • The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving, purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstances and opportunity. Learning in the arts requires the ability and willingness to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds.

  • The arts make vivid the fact that words do not, in their literal form or number, exhaust what we can know. The limits of our language do not define the limits of our cognition.

  • The arts teach students that small differences can have large effects. The arts traffic in subtlety.

  • The arts teach students to think through and within a material. All art forms employ some means through which images become real.

  • The arts help children to say what cannot be said. When children are invited to disclose what a work of art helps them feel, they must reach into their poetic capacities to find the words that will do the job.

  • The arts enable us to have experience we can have from no other source and through such experience to discover the range and variety of what we are capable of feeling.

  • The arts' important position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults believe is important.

Elliot Eisner is a professor in Education and Art at Stanford University in California. This article was published in the Arts in Education Council of BC Newsletter.

 http://www.oregonfoto.org/subroutines/eisner.html

For additional information on why the arts are so important:
http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development 

Monday, March 7, 2011

Youth Art Month

March is Youth Art Month.  

"Youth Art Month is an annual observance each March to emphasize the value of art education for all children and to encourage support for quality school art programs.  Established in 1961, YAM provides a forum for acknowledging skills that are not possible in other subjects.  The Council for Art Education, a sponsor of Youth Art Month, adopted a theme, "Art Shapes the World!"  Art education develops self-esteem, appreciation of the work of others, self-expression, cooperation with others and critical thinking skills.  All of these skills are vital to the success of our future leaders- our children." (SchoolArts Magazine-March Issue, pg. 38)

If you are interested in helping to support YAM you can check out the link below and become a sponsor.  Please visit www.acminet.org/cfae.htm

Friday, March 4, 2011

Elementary Art Show


Annual Elementary Art Show



I am pleased to announce the Third Annual Elementary Art Show-March 21-25, 2011.

The exhibit will feature art work from all three schools in our district.  For that reason, not every student will be represented in the show.  That would be almost 3,000 pieces of art that we would have to hang in one day!  Yikes, that is a lot of art work.  Although I wish that we could feature each student and each school individually; it is simply not possible.

What we (the elementary art teachers) have decided to do is to include each student in 1st grade.  At some point in each child's elementary experience he or she will have something on display.  Next year will we include all students in 1st grade and all students in 4th grade. 

Every year we fund raise to help support our elementary art collections.  This year one of the art teachers in our district has designed a t-shirt.  It features replicas of famous works of art in black printed on a white shirt.  This is an interactive project.  Students and parents may pre-order the t-shirt during the art show and I will deliver the shirts to the students in class.  When the shirts are delivered, students will have a chance to hand color the images using fabric markers.  Each shirt will be $10.00 and can only be ordered at the art show.  I will have examples of the shirts on display in my classroom next week for each child to see. 

Invitations and fliers about the art shirt will go home with students in the next week or two.  I hope that parents and students will come out and support the elementary art program. 

(Photos are from last year)

















Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Haring Inspired Designs


Haring Inspired Designs



2nd Grade looked at examples of art by Keith Haring.  Haring was known for his bright colors and images of people and dogs.  His art work has a fun, expressive energy.  This lesson was designed by my student teacher (Miss Jones) last year.  It was so well done that I have continued it this year.

For more about Keith Haring check out the following website:

 http://www.haringkids.com/index.html