Is art important?

"How she made the holocaust a unit for art"--5th grade student responding to "What did you like".

Towards the end of each year, the 5th grade curriculum prompts teachers to focus on the Holocaust, a necessary and important topic.  Every year, I integrate their classroom experience with some sort of art lesson, from illustrating poems written during that era or creating 1,000,000 butterflies in memory of the kids who died durning that time.

Although we were making art and learning aspects of history, there was not a great synergy of the two subjects.  

Until now.

And why it has taken me so long, I can not say.

But.

Until now.

I am guessing...but sometime in the fall, I finally got around to watching "Monuments Men", a movie based on the true story of the special task forced, assembled by President Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II to protect cultural artifacts and artworks being destroyed and/or looted by Nazi forces.  Yes, this was a Hollywood movie but the based of the film prompted me to rethink the end of the year art unit for my 5th grade students.

I thought.....well, I thought a lot of things...BUT I ended up with a discussion about the impact on cultural and world history, and Adolf Hitler's perspective of Modern Art.

With a little (really a lot) of research, I ended up creating a lesson based on "Degenerate Artists".  Along the way, I discovered great resources including

 http://www.monumentsmen.com/

The website address is deceiving.  It is actually a wonderful resource for educators.

In designing and re-designing this art unit, I paused at the enormity of this topic and the relevance in today's world events.  It seemed extremely important to me, for my students to see past their 'school world' and see the rest of the world, good and bad.

The art unit goal was simple:
Recreate an artwork, originally created by an artist labeled "Degenerate" and formulate a reflective response to "Is Art Important?"  (in 4 weeks)

I was really blown away with what my students achieved.  They considered, carefully, what medium would help them achieve the most accurate results, but only after considering their own individualized abilities.  It was liberating and refreshing to let these 5th grade students make their own choices.  Each of them started their piece with a bit hesitation and uncertainty, but by the end, their was nothing but confidence and pride. 
A great feeling by all.

 

Horse in a Landscape, 1910, by the German Expressionist
Franz Marc, denounced by the Nazis as a "degenerate" artist.

JANKEL ADLER, BIRD, 1944

And in the end, we did answer the question.

Yes.

Art is Important.

It's our history, our culture, our world

 that helps us understand 

who we are, 

where we came from 

and 

where we are going.

xoxo, Smock you.

Ordinary to Extraordinary....

The Evolution of a Styrofoam Cup

About a month ago, I came across a Pinterest post (I think) of the DC Sketchers, with the related image of a group of people, gathered around a small table, 

sketching a still life of styrofoam cups.  

I thought, "Oh how fun"!

I then proceeded to think about my students perceptions of common objects and their inherent nature to "know things", just by having some sort of experience with them.  Take the simple styrofoam cup for example.  This simple vessel is used everyday, from the coffee cups at school functions to quenching the thirst of miniature soccer players, to 'pots' that will soon grow beans in our classrooms.  

They are everywhere and by being everywhere, these familiar objects become common and common leads to inattentiveness.

And then I thought, again, "Oh this WILL be fun"!

In preparation for this art unit, I reflected on the numerous art installations I found on Pinterest and Scholastic Art Magazine, created by this very simple object.  With a little 'Googling', I came across Styrogami.  Yes, it's an actual thing and it is AMAZING (Check it out Here)

But my focus was not just to make a really cool sculpture, my focus was to encourage my students to pay attention to details and 'see' how a simple curve can transform something flat into something with volume.  I wanted my students to analyze materials and evaluate their effectiveness when using them.  I wanted my students to see how even simple shapes can be transformed into something bigger and magical.  

I wanted my students to see how something ordinary can become extraordinary, and how something seemingly simple is, in reality, complex.

Throughout this school year, I have been focusing on creating art units that 'test' my students' skills but also demonstrate their growth to them, fostering an understanding for process over product.  After all, how much can we possibly do with a styrofoam cup?  
My overall focus was for students to understand the 'process' of making art, is as important, if not more important than the product.  To illustrate this idea, I referred to the artist Richard Serra.

My speculations were pretty accurate.  To begin the unit, I simply passed out some manilla paper, asked the students to fold it in half, write their name and "Perceptions of Space" on the cover and then draw a styrofoam cup.

With cups already on the table, my confident students took the challenge with full force and began to vigorously draw a styrofoam cup.  I heard, "This is easy" and "I'm done" very often, all the while taking note that the majority of these, very confident, students were not even looking at the cups.  

After stopping them, we took a little gallery walk around the room and evaluated our peers' efforts.  There were a lot of groans.....

My first question was "Does it look like a styrofoam cup?"

The majority offered their responses with a "eeehh...."

Then I asked, "Did you look at the cup?"

The majority offered a "eeeehhhh..."

Then I asked, "Why not?"

"Because it's just a styrofoam cup".

I offered, "Aaaah".

Let's try this again.

The entire instructional sequence spanned 8 weeks (probably more) but you never would have thought it, with all the interest and sheer will to master drawing a cup.  We started with simple line drawings and progressed to larger abstract paintings...to styrofoam cup sculptures...to photography...and back to a simple cup.
All the while building our observational drawings skills, visualization skills, problem solving skills and reflective skills.  
Pretty amazing stuff.




Check out the rest of the snapshots
and the entire Art Unit with "I Can" statements, rubric and discussion sequence!

Follow on our Instagram page:
sanborn_smockroom

xoxo, Smock Room

a trip to Peru with Yianna and Helios

Peru

The adventure of 'traveling' with these two friends continues!  In our last adventure, Yianna and Helios sent us an email from the 'Forgotten City'.  Thankfully, it is no longer forgotten.  

One of my most favorite grades (don't tell the others) is 3rd grade.  Third grade students still have that wonder and amazement that makes teaching them exciting.  They also start to 'know stuff'--just enough stuff to have really great discussions about art, history and just a little mystery.  

Well, back in November, as the sunshine seemed to disappear over Chicago, 'our friends', Yianna and Helios shared their exploration of a very sunny place...Peru.  This was a very exciting country for me, as a life long dream is to visit the ancient ruins of the Incas and imagine to be Indiana Jones exploring Machu Picchu.
Our focus for this adventure was to investigate the meaning and symbolism of the sun, as represented, not only in Inca artifacts, but celebrated once a year in this ancient city. 

video introduction to Peru

I first developed this art unit while on sabbatical in Argentina on a Fulbright.  I connected with an Argentinean classroom teacher and focused on integrating art into a social studies unit.  Luckily, they were studying their ancient histories and landed me, well on my way to developing a lesson that has crossed curricula and grade levels.
Something I call fabulous.

This time, I did things a little different.  With the talk, trend and evolution of teaching kids, assessing kids and developing creative peoples, I thought to give my students an opportunity to take the reins.  After reading them the email from Yianna and Helios, exploring Peru, taking notes in our passports and spinning the globes (literally-they love it), I gave them one direction:  You have 10 minutes to make the sun.
And I left the room.
There was a sense of panic.
Students scrambling around the room, and asking each other questions.
I listened from outside.
How the students monitored each other, helped with problems and stayed focused made me proud.
This was their formative assessment.  WoW- the big "F" word.:)

preliminary drawing: 10 minute sun

This art adventure slowly evolved to 'just making' something to learning about different beliefs, diversities in cultures, artistic variations and the joy of yoga:)

student group analysis of two different images

We had a few connecting goals, relating to "the sun".  

First, each student was commissioned by the king of Machu Picchu to design a great pendant, made from the finest clay in the art room:)

Second, the CBS program "Sunday Morning" sent notice that they are in need of some new and creative representations of 'the sun'.

students doing some "sun salutations"

We sketched, we designed, we constructed, we fixed, we painted...we evaluated...
we did a lot.

My students enthusiasm for discovering new places and faces has increased.  They simply can't wait for their next message from 
Yianna and Helios.

I learned that 3rd grade students are not as flexible as I thought.
We are still doing sun salutations until we can touch our toes.

students taking a gallery tour of preliminary drawing

Check out the snapshots!

And click here for
 power point and lesson plan.

Here are some additional resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dufODjUHzxM (cartoon of boy in the Andes) http://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/?s=films_details&pg=33&id=2886 (cartoon, cultural video of Peru)
My students analyzing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMPiEH56jRw

xoxo, SMocK you.

Pi Day.....

a delicious celebration

I really could not resist today:)

As I sip on coffee and indulge in a little sweet treat of the day, I thought to the beloved artist Wayne Thiebaud and his delicious renditions of pies (and cakes).

 I think it is something about how Thiebaud sculpts with paint that really makes me love him.  

Whitney Collection

So indulge a little today and celebrate with a little pie or Pi.     

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_QJ5D9Qm8

          

http://www.nga.gov/kids/interactive/cake.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QwWpvxQ3ls

Wayne Thiebaud art lesson.

Hani's Cake...click on the picture for Instagram feed

xoxo, SMocK you.

                                

4th grade...Jasper Johns

Re-thinking Symbols

Purpose and Process

Jasper Johns's, Flag

Scholastic Art Magazine

Close to the end of last school year (spring, sometime), I worked with my 4th grade students on a lesson to be published in Scholastic Art Magazine.  The focus for this issue was Jasper Johns and 'Working with Symbols", on new stands today!  

I wanted to take this opportunity to challenge my students' perceptions and ideas on the various interpretations of classic, often popular, imagery, by creating a dialogue,  re-think symbols and alter a familiar symbol's connotation.

The Stop sign.

Our discussion began with an introduction and overview to the art and life of Jasper Johns.  In researching, anything and everything about Jasper Johns, what really caught my attention was how great the impact of "Flag" was in society.  We see this encaustic, big representation of the United States flag and think nothing of it.  As art teachers, we may think, "Great, let's make Jasper Johns flags for Memorial Day."  But this was not the sentiments in 1955 when the work was created (and perhaps this is something we miss about teaching art).  

Alfred Barr, critic and curator, of the Museum of Modern Art wanted to purchase "Flag" but worried that it might be seen as unpatriotic by his board, so he arranged for someone else to buy it and later donate it to the museum.

I questioned why someone would go to such lengths to avoid scrutiny.  This notion led the class discussion on altering the viewer's perceptions of symbols.

One, amazing, moment was when a debate ensued among my students, defending the work to be art....and insulting.

As we moved forward, our focus steered towards another common, universal image...the STOP sign.
I chose the stop sign to stimulate my students' individualized ideas and use Johns' work as inspiration, not mimic what he did. 

 Our goal was to use the hexagon and S T O P, as the platform for creating an art work that makes you look twice, exploring with layers and stenciling.  At first glance, "Flag" looks like a flag.  On closer examination, "Flag" has embedded images, making the viewer to a closer look and re-think its representation and what the artwork is communicating.

Take a closer look....
http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=78805
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Johns
Google Slide Presenation/Lesson Plan
Scholastic ART Magazine: Jasper Johns Issue

Thanks to Scholastic ART Magazine for publishing this lesson and for the great resources and teacher materials they have created to support arts education!

xoxo, SMocK you.