The Diversity Fair was well represented by song and art work from Hardin County. I'm always amazed by the creativity and talent that some of our students possess and I was certainly not disappointed last evening. The event was well attended for the first Fair, but I do anticipate the event to grow in popularity in the coming years with more displays, performances, and attendees.
Ta-Da! Here is the result of our Cultural Diversity Puzzle which was displayed at the first annual Cultural Diversity Fair. Before the actual event, I knew I liked the results of our colorful, multi-cultural images and so did the students. When an 8th grade boy walks in, stops to look at the work, and then exclaims, "This is awesome!"...you know it's a winner. Other common responses were "Cool", "I like it" and "This is neat!" Several students studied the work to find their "piece of the puzzle" often commenting that they did not see their particular piece. My response was, "Trust me, it's there!" It wasn't long before they or a friend found the "missing piece". By the way, the quote accompanying the puzzle is from one of my 8th grade students. I asked the class to come up with a phrase for the display and I think Gareth's is most appropriate. Good job, Gareth! I mentioned this is an earlier blog post, but if you want to hear a few of the student's comments about their symbols, you can either scan the QR code or click on the Student Files tab under More, which is found at the top-right of this page.
The Diversity Fair was well represented by song and art work from Hardin County. I'm always amazed by the creativity and talent that some of our students possess and I was certainly not disappointed last evening. The event was well attended for the first Fair, but I do anticipate the event to grow in popularity in the coming years with more displays, performances, and attendees.
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The cultural Diversity Foundation sponsored a program in our school district and each school was asked to create a display for this event. I wanted a project that featured several different cultures. As I searched the Internet and my brain, I decided upon a puzzle as the foundation for this project. In my head, I see this colorful display of symbols scattered across the art work. In my mind's eye, it's like a mosaic where each unique cultural symbol is fitly joined together to create one cohesive unit. Now at this very moment, I don't know if my vision is accurate, as the pieces are still being created. However, at the top of this message, you will see some of the student's work. Once the puzzle is complete, I will add that picture to this page. For more information about how I did this project, go to the top task bar and click on the "more" tab and then follow it to the 'Student files".
I do hope you check out the Student Files section, because I now have added audio! I have several people to thank for helping me to get to that stage, especially my principal, Mr. Thomas. The students created short audio files telling about their culture and symbols they created on their puzzle pieces. I used the Audio Memos app and it was easy for everyone to use. Where I ran into trouble was when I tried uploading them to this website and they only used mp3 files. I have not mastered how to convert files, but I'm thankful Mr. Thomas has. He converted the files for me and it was easy to upload to the website. Now, my other big technology achievement came with the use of a Q R code. My original vision for this project was for the viewers who come by the display to be able to scan a code that will take them to the Student Files page with the audio files on them. I used Microsoft Tag and it was very easy to use. I have to admit, I was on cloud nine when I scanned the code and it took me right to that page. Woo hoo! By the way, I used the Scan app for this. Printmaking is another art process in which some students have had very little experience. It is a fun process that uses different tools, techniques, and materials. The essentials of a print are a design, plate, tools, ink, and paper. The 6th grade students used a thin sheet of styrofoam for their printing plate. The plate is the surface on which the student will indent or press their design. The student will first draw their design on paper and then transfer it to the plate. As you can see, the design is transferred in reverse or opposite of the original draw design. The printing process will reverse your design, so you must place the design in reverse on the plate, so it will print correctly. The styrofoam is soft enough that a simple pencil or pen is used to indent the design. The next step is to ink the plate by rolling an inked brayer over the plate. This is one of those times I reference the Goldilocks story of getting just the right amount of ink on the brayer. Too much will fill in the indentions and too little will not show the design. Once the plate is inked, a piece of paper is placed on top. The student will use one hand to hold the paper on the plate, while the other hand presses the ink onto the paper. The final step is to pull the paper off the plate. The next few images show some of the steps I just mentioned, along with Emily holding up one of her prints. Emily is showing you her print she just printed. If you notice, Emily has two colors on her print. She first printed with the pink ink. Emily then washed and dried her plate before adding more indented designs to the plate. She followed up with using blue ink and pressing it onto the pink print. This is known as reduction printmaking. By the way, at the bottom of this picture, you will see some of the printmaker’s tools…the tubes of ink, and the brayers which roll the ink onto the plate. Pastels! I wanted my 6th grade students to have this wonderful experience and boy did they ever. Many students never had the opportunity to use pastels before and most of them enjoyed the ability to layer different colors on top of each other to blend them into a new color. By the way, I just adore Emiley's colorful cat with its cool head and warm body! Doesn't it really make for great contrast?! Pastels! For me, it's a love/hate relationship. I just love pastels for their color and ability to blend. Hate is such a strong word, but I "dislike" pastels for...I bet you were thinking messiness? Oh yeah, they are messy, just check out Montana's picture below......but I dislike a pastels need for having to be fixed. If I don't spray them with a fixative, the beautiful, blended colors will go right down the hallway on the person who was just a bit too close to the bulletin board display. From my experience, all good fixatives lay down a barrier over the pastels which does put the chalk in its place, but it also dulls the color or causes it to somewhat disappear....now that I REALLY dislike. I tried a new workable fixative this year that did not change the color much at all, but it sure didn't do a great of keeping the chalk from smearing. :( Here's the picture of Montana I made mention of earlier. You can certainly see how much Montana was into his work...or should I say how much of the work was on Montana! :) At any rate, his smile tells me that pastels are a good thing.
Below, you should find more images of the students at work on their abstract animal pastel work. If you want to see all of the work, it can be found at the address at the bottom of this paragraph. With a little luck, you might be able to click on the address and it will take you there. If not, please copy and paste in your web browser...or click on the Artsonia tab at the top of this webpage. Enjoy! http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=588896 The students have been eager to show off their acting skills to demonstrate some of the techniques they have used when creating their clay projects. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have enjoyed making them. I want to say thank you to the actors, actresses, and assistant. Enjoy! This is Ashton showing how to roll out a slab of clay. These slabs were used by the seventh grade students to make their clay houses. I have fired most of the clay houses, but we have been in delay mode since the heating elements went out on the kiln. It's taken several emails and phone calls, but the elements are now at West Hardin and I'm waiting for the electrician to come to install them. We sure hope he makes time for us real soon! It will be the end of the semester before you see the clay houses on Artsonia, but I promise they will be worth the wait. Ashley shows us how to add details to her clay house. The additive method is one of the ways to create details in clay. Kassidy shares with us the other method of creating details in clay...the subtractive method. Joshua shares how he adds decorations to his clay house. I just love how Kassidy did the "Take #" with the wood sticks we use to roll out the slabs. We had various interruptions during the filming of Joshua's video and we needed three takes. I just love middle school creativity! Last, but not least is Timothy and his assistant, Jonathan, showing how the sixth grade students made pinch pots. These pots were added together to create the body of their clay animal.
Tomorrow will wrap up our time of creating our ceramic items. All the classes have done well and I can hardly wait until they are fired, glazed, and fired again to show them off. Trust me when I say, there are some amazing ones! Some of my students have expressed interest in being able to study several days for a test. When we return from Fall Break, we will review in class for our test over ceramics and will take the test on Tuesday. I have created a couple of study guide opportunities. One is a file that you can view or print out and the other is on Quizlet.com. My Quizlet login name is KYart and I only have the one test (Ceramics) uploaded as of now. There are several ways in which to study on the site: Flashcards, Scatter (matching the word with the definition), as well as a test to see how well you know the material. I'm going to attempt to create a link for you to directly access the website, but if that doesn't work out, just go to quizlet.com and type in my login name of KYart to find my ceramic test. Good luck in studying! Oh, by the way, I completed the Scatter game on Quizlet in 22.7 seconds. Beat that! ;)
CERAMICS!
In other words, CLAY SEASON is open at West Hardin! Are you wondering right now, just what exactly is clay season? We'll, it's the time of the year when... - just about every student is thoroughly excited to begin a new project - a lump of clay is transformed into a recognizable object - students walk out of the room with clay smudges on their faces and clothes - clay dust is on every square inch of the art room and proceeds out the door in a path of foot prints - the janitor endures graciously the couple of weeks of extra mess (thanks Joyce!) - most of all, magic happens and lasting memories are created. I always tell the students that this is likely the only art project that will outlast them. When I heat their clay project in the kiln to 2000 degrees, it will go through a chemical change and is no longer affected by water. Of course, force will always cause damage, but with some care, this clay creation will be a testament to them for generations to come. I encourage them to sign and date their work. I tell them that one of these days, their parents will call them and tell them to come get this box of their stuff. Inside could be this clay project and once they see the date, they will suddenly be reminded of their middle school days at WHMS. I often have former students....some of which are now parents of my current students....to tell me that they still have a project they did while in my class, and many times, it is a clay project. That always makes me feel good to know that they treasure their art work. As we enter the last days of our time for creating their clay projects, I'm eager to see the final results. To be honest, I'm also taking a deep breath to ready myself for the numerous questions, problem solving issues, etc. I love working in clay, but it sure can takes its toll on my energy level. One day last week, as the sixth group of students to work in clay left and before the seventh group entered a few minutes later, I made a dash to my kiln room to take big gulps of my latest caffeine laden drink. IF I were a gas tank at that time, my gauge would have registered right at empty. I was summoning all the strength I could muster for round seven. About the time I took the second drink, I was interrupted by a melodious rapping on my desk. I open the door to see one of my 8th grade students, Cameron. I wish I had taken a picture, as his eyes were bright and excitement radiated out of him as he said, "Ms. Perkins, I've been waiting for this class all day!" Wow! In that millisecond, I realized that it didn't matter how tired I felt after working with the previous 150 students. I had to be geared up to give my last class the very best I had, as some of them were ready to give me their very best. And you know, Cameron did not disappoint me. By the end of the period, he already had taken a lump of clay and formed it into the head of a beagle. Thanks Cameron for reminding me to be the very best I can be each and every period....because it may be the sixth time that I've worked in clay today, but for each new group of students, it is their first. Take a look at what the classes have been up to this past week! It's none other than 1 point perspective! For sure, we've about wore out the rulers in room 125 this week.
If you are not familiar with perspective, let me tell you a bit about it. Perspective is this neat technique that uses this little dot, called a vanishing point, to help us draw what our eyes see. In Ashley's work to the left, her vanishing point is on the back wall...now conveniently tucked away behind the bed post. Smart thinking, Ashley! By the way, have you ever noticed that a long stretch of road ahead of you seems to get smaller as it nears the horizon line? You know that it does not actually get smaller, but our eyes make us think that's the way it is. Artists often create art to imitate what they see in real life. When an artist draws items that go back into space, lined up toward this dot, it causes things in the back to get smaller. Therefore, it creates the illusion of 3-dimenisons on a flat piece of paper. As one of my student's commented to me, "You know, it's really amazing what lines can do!" Jonathan, I can't agree with you more. I've included a sampling here, but there are many more on West Hardin's page at Artsonia for you to check out. Just click on the Artsonia tab at the top of this page for more information. This week all the classes have been learning about the Principles of Art....they are also known as the Principles of Design. Basically, the principles are the rules and guidelines of how to best use the elements of art. Knowledge of the elements and principles is crucial to the development of better art. If you need a reminder of the principles, please check out the study guide below. We know that real form is found in practically everything...you, a water bottle, and the computer monitor you are looking at right now. However, an artist can make you believe that you are seeing form...just like in Mason's drawing to the left. Be sure to check out the video of Steven telling how he made his cone project. The students discovered that lines and value, which are also elements of art, play a big part in making this transformation of a 3-D appearance on a 2-D surface. The sixth grade classes are taking a circle and making it appear to be a sphere. Also check out the video of Kaila, Kaitlyn, and Leilani as they show that process. I do hope the videos work properly. This is my first attempt at filming students in action, editing, and uploading to You Tube. I know that comes as no surprise to you professionals, but I'm rather proud of what we've done this week. I do know that several other students are eager to receive their 15 seconds of fame...so keep an eye out for more videos and pictures. This summer for VBS, I painted a large pencil onto foam board. I brought it to school so the students could see an example of how light, medium, and dark values can create a 3-D like appearance. Plus, it's also a great decoration for an art room.
This picture shows Cade, Peter, Hunter, and Austin showing off that pencil. |