#mursdvisualart
Video
Sculpting African masks in 8th grade this week! Can't wait to fire these and paint with watercolors and add decoration! #arted #artsed #artseducation #africanmasks #miscoe #miscoehill #miscoeart #mursd #mursdvisualart #clay #ceramics
#ceramics#mursd#mursdvisualart#artseducation#miscoehill#clay#miscoeart#artsed#miscoe#arted#africanmasks
0 notes
Text
Miscoe Hill 5&6 Artists Showcase/Semester One
Miscoe Hill 5&6 Artists Showcase/Semester One
It’s not our art, but our heart that’s on display. – Gary Holland, Contemporary Artist
As most of my readers know, I’m retiring from the Mendon Upton Regional School District in the middle of this month (I’ll write more about that in a separate post). I won’t be fully retiring as I’ve accepted a part time position with Massachusetts College of Art and Design. We just finished up our first…
View On WordPress
#arted#ArtEducation#artsed#artshow#digitalart#iPadsinart#ipadsinarteducation#MiscoeHill#mursd#mursdvisualart#PandemicLife#RemoteLearning
0 notes
Text
Color Me Impressed/Watercolor Painting
“If one says ‘Red’ – the name of color – and there are fifty people listening, it can be expected that there will be fifty reds in their minds. And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different.” – Josef Albers
Claire G
This last project for Semester One took a while to come to fruition thanks to delays in receiving the art supplies I had ordered for my students’ art kits. Although I…
View On WordPress
#arted#ArtEducation#artsed#Artsonia#MiscoeHill#mursd#mursdvisualart#pandemicaccounts#PandemicLife#RemoteLearning
0 notes
Text
Celebrating Youth Art Month 2021
Celebrating Youth Art Month 2021
“Whereas, The arts are an essential component of a basic education and are one of the six core subjects as designated in the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993; and…hereby proclaim March to be, Youth Arts Month…”
So reads the second clause of the Massachusetts Proclamation for March to be known as Youth Arts Month. How exciting! While this proclamation is from 2019, I’m happy to say that…
View On WordPress
#artsed#artshow#Artsonia#digitalart#ipadsinarteducation#MAEA#MiscoeHill#mursd#mursdvisualart#YAM#youthartmonth
0 notes
Text
Let It Snow/NO LIMITS
Let It Snow/NO LIMITS
View On WordPress
#Artsonia#digitalart#ipadsinarteducation#mursdvisualart#NoLimits#pandemicaccounts#PandemicLife#RemoteLearning#snow#thematiclearning
0 notes
Text
The first section of chapter thirty-eight of the General Statutes is hereby amended so as to include Drawing among the branches of learning which are by said section required to be taught in public schools. – Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870
I began posting about the 150th anniversary of the Massachusetts Drawing Act on March 16, 2020, with this post: Drawing Act 150: Let’s Celebrate following a meeting with the Drawing Act Coalition that had been held the week before at the MA State House. That was the week that schools closed because of COVID-19.
Soon after, I began remote teaching my fifth and sixth grade art students. I was committed to making the Drawing Act celebration happen and led the young artists through a series of lessons focused on drawing and the Drawing Act. You can see those lessons that follow the one above here: Light on White and here: Human Made Object.
Needless to say, our focus on celebrating the Drawing Act has been diminished by remote learning and by not being able to hold a school wide art show, where visitors would have been encouraged to make a drawing to be submitted to the state wide celebration. However, everyone can still participate individually (see flyer below), and I expect to lead my students through another drawing unit in the fall, which will culminate in Drawing Act submissions. Until then, I’m still submitting some of the artworks to be included on an electronic display.
Join me in congratulating the following students, whose names are on the artworks below, artworks which are being submitted to the Drawing Act Celebration to be held at the Massachusetts State House and other locations this fall and electronically until then:
(Click on first image to see a slideshow)
Thomas Garefalakis
Grace Sabo
Sean Burchard
Lizzy Scharn
Theo Bates
Ori Murphy
Fionn Fallon
Colt Masters
Anna Labastie
Adam Dubowik
Emma Ramsay
Ben Moon
Bridget Larue
Caelin Flynn
Audrey Gowen
Haydn Flores
Jason Cowen
Max Bennett
Finn Lozeau
Patrick Connolly
Taylor Ferlo
Bryant Corbett
Will Cudmore
Mrs. Gentili
Congratulations to all of these artists! If you would like to submit a drawing to the Drawing Act 150 Celebration, see the flyer here:
NEW 2020 05 Drawing Act Flyer summer edition
Drawing Act 150 Submissions The first section of chapter thirty-eight of the General Statutes is hereby amended so as to include Drawing among the branches of learning which are by said section required to be taught in public schools.
0 notes
Text
“There is strong shadow where there is much light.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
For the past two weeks, we’ve been looking at the way light falls on an object and trying to capture it in a drawing with pencil on paper.
Our focus on drawing is directly influenced by the celebration of the Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870 and the opportunity to submit drawings to a statewide celebration. You can read all about the Drawing Act in this post from March 16, 2020: Drawing Act 150: Let’s Celebrate. At the time of the post, we had just been released from school for what we thought was a two week quarantine due to the rise in incidents of Covid-19. Since then, schools have been closed through the end of the school year. Despite this shift, the Drawing Act Coalition, with the leadership of House Representative Mary Keefe (Worcester) and MassArt Chief of Staff Susana Segat, continues to meet to entertain ways to adapt, revise, and continue the celebration. At this time, entries are still being accepted via email. Because my students have school iPads at home, the Drawing Act unit is still viable. And so we soldier on.
For a couple of weeks, early in the time of remote learning, students copied the drawings of Walter Smith, who (literally) wrote the book on drawing instruction. This is the video I released to students to introduce the lesson and share information about the Drawing Act and Walter Smith: Drawing Instruction
At that point, ALL assignments were optional, so I know not all students participated in the lesson, although many did. Here are a few examples of the work that was submitted:
We took a break from the Drawing Act unit during Week 5 of remote learning – the week before April vacation – to lighten things up with the Make A Chicken project. Once we returned from vacation (staycation) and were energized and ready to get back to the business of drawing, I shared the skill builder lesson video with my students for How to Draw and Shade a Sphere. In teaching remotely, we are limited to the assign/submit method of instruction rather than the casual over-the-shoulder glance at student artwork during class in the physical classroom. We also have limited opportunities for communication. Normally, in a unit such as this one on Drawing, kids would enter the classroom and take sketchbooks from the class bins, read a prompt on the white board and start sketching. This is when those over-the-shoulder glances are so important, both as checks for understanding and as formative assessments. Then we’d move on to direct instruction in the form of a 5 minute demo with the document camera while all looked on. It’s at that point, currently, where remote learning begins, without the benefit of the “bell ringer” or warm up exercise. The video above replaces the 5 minute demo in remote learning, except it isn’t in person AND there’s no “ask me a question” opportunity. Despite the physical disconnect, my students did well with the assignment. Some chose to blend with a tissue or their fingers. Here are two of the 100+ spheres turned in to the Draw and Shade a Sphere assignment:
Irelyn B
Orianna M
During week seven of remote learning, I shared the video Light On White as an introduction to the lesson. The goal was for students to explore the way light falls on a white surface and the grays that are created by multiple geometric planes receiving the light at different angles. As you can see in the video, I offered the idea of folding paper with origami and sketching it, or randomly folding paper and sketching a less organized subject. I wanted it to be open to individual creativity (always) while exposing all students to the concepts of value, shading, and light. As you can see in the artwork below, there is a nice range of organized and random paper foldings. You can also view these artworks on Artsonia here. If you click on one of the photos below, you can view the gallery as a slideshow.
Tyler V
Timothy R
Theo B
Sierra L
Sam C
Roisin W
Quinn G
Molly D
Maxwell B
Max G
Lily T
Kyle R
Kayleigh F
Justin fr
jayden P
Hayden F
Grace S
Emma R
Emma L
Ekakshar B
Drew F
Cormack D
Connor M
Colton K
Colt M
Caelin F
Bridget L
Brady U
Ayden J
Anna L.
Andrew L
Ana T
Alyssa Burdzel
Adam D
During the week that my students were working on this project, I invited them to join me for a half hour virtual class to fold paper with origami. Electives class live sessions are optional in our district, so I was happy to some have kids attend the sessions. Although I originally invited them to make paper cranes or to show me how to make something, I came across an easy way to make Baby Yoda with origami.
That option met with universal approval. We had a lot of laughs and bantered back and forth, yet made some pretty sweet Baby Yodas!
DrawingAct150/Light on White/Wk 7 Remote Learning "There is strong shadow where there is much light." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe For the past two weeks, we've been looking at the way light falls on an object and trying to capture it in a drawing with pencil on paper.
#arted#ArtEducation#artsed#Artsonia#DrawingAct150#MiscoeHill#MonaLisaLivesHere#mursd#mursdvisualart#RemoteLearning
0 notes
Text
“The most sophisticated people I know – inside they are all children.” – Jim Henson
The photo above is of me and a whole bunch of cardboard on October 8, 2019 as I waited to introduce our Cardboard Creature project to an incoming class. It was all down hill from there!
Here’s how we did it:
I introduced this unit by showing Caine’s Arcade, a film by Nirvan Mullick. I’ve been showing this video to students for years, but this is the first time we’ve followed it up by working with cardboard. And I’m so glad we did!
Students started by responding to a bell ringer prompt in their sketchbooks: Design a figure you could make 3D. This prompt is purposely vague and open-ended, allowing for creativity and active imagination. It also initiates first consideration of thinking in 3D. This was a great opportunity to differentiate between creative drawing and scientific diagrams, although they both require creative thinking. These are a couple of the responses:
After sharing designs with the students at their table, groups were formed by students based on friendship, like-mindedness, and similarity of creature design. I encouraged groups of three, and when necessary due to class size, groups of two or four were formed. During their first group meeting, students compared designs and discussed possibilities for a design that either combined individual drawings or elaborated on one of the drawings.
Together we also looked at the cardboard artwork of artist Justin King:
Cardboard Animals By Justin King
And after a couple of classes as an inspiration boost, we also looked at the work of Monami Ohno:
Cardboard Sculptures By Monami Ohno
I also shared these three attachment attachments with the students through Google Classroom. We went over the various ways to construct 3D forms with cardboard so it becomes a mechanical endeavor, well thought out and conceived for prime support and bonding.
Students then began the design process with one person sketching for each group. I asked students to show me their plan for mobility for the figure and for attachments.
This went very well. Clearly there is no shortage of imagination in the 5/6 art classes! Here is a slideshow of some of the group drawings:
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
The Creative Constraints for this project were:
Attachments must be made with attachment techniques and hot glue
Creatures must be self supporting and have mobility
Finished creature width and depth must fit within the designated box
Checking the size of the creature against the designated “size checker” box
Groups were able to start building as soon as their design was approved by me. We were using Canary Cardboard cutters and scissors, glue guns, yarn, and brass fasteners. No tape. We discovered along the way that fishing line was helpful for Phase Two: Stop Motion/Green Screen (shared in a separate post). A couple of groups also used sand for ballast on top-heavy models.
The cutters were arranged in little “toolkits” with 4 cutters and one scissor in each, enough for one toolkit at each table. At the end of every class students returned the tool kits and the glue guns (also one per table) to the supply table. I took a quick inventory to make sure they were all accounted for as I didn’t want these tools to leave the classroom.
I was thorough in going over the potential hazards of the cutters and glue guns. Early on there were five or six minor cuts and about the same amount of minor burns, for which band-aids and/or cold water soothed all. Fortunately, nothing was serious, and the accidents tapered to zero after a couple of classes. Experience and confidence seemed to build resistance to injury.
Here are some photos of the cardboard artists at work:
Checking the size of the cardboard part against the designated “size checker” box
Dedication!
And a video of one group explaining their project as they put it (her) together:
I teach nine different classes over two days. Classes are 50 minutes long. It took most groups between five and six classes to make their cardboard creature. As groups finished, they started Phase Two – Stop Motion/Green Screen, for which I had demonstrated the apps and process around the fourth class as some groups neared completion of their build. By October 30, most groups were finished building and we took a break from building/filming so I could show them Phase Three – 3D Design (shared in a separate post); how to design for 3D using Morphi App. I was also concerned about working with hot glue and cutters while the kids were wearing costumes on Halloween; I know my own costume was too “drapey” to be messing around with hot or sharp things.
Notorious Ruth Bader Gentili with the cardboard creatures
As the Cardboard Creatures were completed, they graciously posed for photos before being herded to the school lobby for display there. As two students and I were finishing up the display near the end of the block, students were pouring into the hallways for lunch and recess. We were mobbed with excited kids looking for their creatures.
Above photo credit: Jennifer Mannion
And now (drum roll, please) here are some of the Cardboard Creatures:
Reflection:
If I could bottle the energy the kids brought into the classroom for this project, I would apply it to some of the traditional art projects that cause some kids to check out, disengage, and mutter, “I’m not good at art”. Everyone was at home with this project. It was so different and challenging we all knew and accepted failure as part of the process. The class atmosphere was truly one of discovery, exploration, and true collaboration.
And if I had a nickel for every time a student asked, “Can we just stay here and do this all day?” I could pay for all of the glue sticks we consumed. Kidding not kidding. We went through about 200 glue sticks, necessitating a next day Amazon order in the middle of things to keep us in business. That’s completely my fault. Working groups can get away from you quickly. While you’re helping one group sort out structural issues, another group is using the glue to fasten one edge to another, which intuitively seems like it would work, but doesn’t. Cardboard is heavy and one bead of glue along the edge doesn’t support the weight. Mini-demos about this popped up in the middle of classes as I saw the mountains of glue on certain pieces. What’s the alternative? Tabs, flanges, and Lacing:
Much has been written about the important role of play in child development. This felt like play for all of us. As the teacher, my job was to facilitate the project and interactions. I would intervene with building help or smoothing group dynamics as needed. With group work, certain students struggle to maintain the balance between leading and being led. That’s where the teacher has a role in defining possible tasks within a project and helping groups to either separate out a little to make sure all are busy with defined jobs or to go all-in on one task. For instance, early on, EVERYONE wants to use the glue gun, and the teacher helps ensure that everyone has a chance.
Over the past few years I implemented group projects in November. The past few years, my fifth grade classes were engaged in the WeRMakers Product Design unit and the sixth grade classes incorporated 3D printing in the Game Makers unit. Typically we would have accomplished the important first tasks of creating a portfolio folder, making sketchbooks with covers that are also artworks, learning to photograph art and upload it to Google Classroom and our online gallery, Artsonia, as well as completing at least one additional independent art lesson before moving on to group work.
This year I shook it up a little, going from portfolio folder to sketchbook with cover artwork right into the Cardboard Creature group project. One reason is because at the end of the last school year, when I took inventory of my supplies, I also took a look at the materials I had collected through the years. I had an abundance of cardboard, including large sheets from the packaging of white boards throughout the school. As the project took shape in my mind, I reached out to my colleagues for more. It turns out Gary, a custodian at my school, is the keeper of the boxes from food deliveries, and there is a pretty good assortment in a space right outside the school kitchen. He kept us in cardboard throughout the project. Thank you, Gary!
I liked this scheduling shift a lot, as it tuns out. The group work enabled classes to get to know each other more quickly. This is especially important for my fifth grade students who come together from two different schools when they get to middle school. It also helped them to know me as a teacher earlier in the year – to learn that I value originality over sameness, exploration over duplication, and that when I get their attention, I say what I have to share and then get out of the way. This is a nice foundation to have established as we go forward into the school year.
Lastly, for me personally, I learned a lot about constructing with cardboard. I learned a lot about my students as individuals: the natural leaders, the forceful, the followers, the easy-going, the always helpful, the determined, the rays of sunshine. I enjoyed being in the art space with students, all 200 of them. No school day or cardboard creature was the same. It was fun.
Holden waves “hello”
Brandon’s Mini-Mona Lisa
My demo for how to make a rounded form ends up as a hat/helmet, of course…
And it was magical. When I would lock up at the end of the day, I’d glance back thinking I might catch all these little creatures coming to life for the night. And when I opened the door in the morning and threw the lights on, I could feel a shift in energy, as if they had suddenly become still…the secret life of Cardboard Creatures.
Cardboard Creature Project – Phase One – Build "The most sophisticated people I know - inside they are all children." - Jim Henson The photo above is of me and a whole bunch of cardboard on October 8, 2019 as I waited to introduce our Cardboard Creature project to an incoming class.
#ArtEducation#artsed#CainesArcade#CardboardChallenge#CardboardCreatures#collaboration#creativity#MiscoeHill#MonaLisaLivesHere#mursd#mursdvisualart#weRmakers#MakerEd
0 notes
Text
The Printed Image: Student Artwork On Display
The Printed Image: Student Artwork On Display
2019 Miscoe Hill “The Printed Image” Artists
The following students will have their artwork on display in the Massachusetts Art Education Association exhibit The Printed Image from September 30 – November 15 at the MA State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, Boston. The artwork in the exhibit is curated by middle and high school art educators throughout Massachusetts.
In choosing work for…
View On WordPress
#ArtEducation#artshow#Artsonia#digitalart#ipadsinarteducation#MAEA#MiscoeHill#mursdvisualart#ThePrintedImage#ipads
0 notes
Text
Summer Learning 8: Clay Is Fun/Clay Is Hard
Summer Learning 8: Clay Is Fun/Clay Is Hard
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison
I spent most of my summer getting dirty and looking like this:
And it was glorious! I would spend the early morning hours getting stuff done around the house, writing, or reading. Around 9am I would change into these clay clothes and go on up to the pottery studio, not…
View On WordPress
#2019SummerPD#3Dprinter#3Dprinting#ArtEducation#artsed#backtoschool#Clay#clayisfun#Clayishard#creativity#MiscoeHill#mursd#mursdvisualart#ProfessionalDevelopment#SummerLearning#SelfExpression
0 notes
Text
Sketchbooks and Artsonia
Here it is Friday already and as I look back on the week I think two things: 1. busy 2. hot Sketchbooks We began the week by making sketchbooks with 23″ x 35″ text paper and 15.5″ x 11.5″ cover stock. Students painted their covers last week using watered-down tempera paint applied with straws (blowing), dripping, splattering, with combs for texture and paper towels for daubing over solid white…
View On WordPress
1 note
·
View note
Text
Digital Snow Figures On Display at M.E.S.S.
Digital Snow Figures On Display at M.E.S.S.
Digital drawings will be on display at the Art Show at the Miscoe Elective Student Showcase (M.E.S.S.). This one is by Linara M:
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
2017 Youth Art Month Artists
2017 Youth Art Month Artists
It is that time of year once again when we celebrate Art Education with the Youth Art Month Art Exhibit in Boston! Sponsored by the Massachusetts Art Education Association and Sargent Art, the exhibit will display artwork by 900+ Massachusetts students in grades K – 12. Art educators in the Mendon-Upton Regional School District have chosen six pieces each to submit to the exhibit. You can read…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
The 5/6 Miscoe Hill Art Show Has Been Updated
The 5/6 Miscoe Hill Art Show Has Been Updated
“The artist’s job is to be a witness to her/his time in history.” – Robert Rauschenberg
The Miscoe Hill 5/6 virtual art show has been updated! I’m always proud to share the creative work of our young artists with our school and greater community. I’m especially proud to be able to share the work created by my students through remote learning in this virtual art show. Click on the photo to enter…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
Stop Motion Animation/Wk11 Remote Learning
Stop Motion Animation/Wk11 Remote Learning
“Animators can only draw from their own experiences of pain and shock and emotions.” – Hayao Miyazaki
We’re nearing the end of remote learning for this school year. The final assignment, Stop Motion Animation, is meant to introduce many of my students to creating animation to harness their emotions and creativity through story telling. The posted lesson:
🎬MUST: Watch the videowhich explains the…
View On WordPress
#ArtEducation#artsed#creativity#iPadsinart#ipadsinarteducation#MiscoeHill#mursd#mursdvisualart#RemoteLearning#stopmotion
0 notes
Text
Presenting Photography/Wk10 Remote Learning
Presenting Photography/Wk10 Remote Learning
“My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.” — Steve McCurry
When we wrapped up our focus on drawing during week eight of remote learning, it was time for something completely different. Photography. Specifically, a look at photographic composition based on the work of photographer Steve McCurry. I chose Steve’s work for us to study because his…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
createwebaironline
What is Inventory Management?
uliromeo
Romeo LR
lumbermiddle7
The Love of Wynn 318
kikkawas
freedom