May the Force (of Art) Be With You

The final hours of May are upon us, and so it’s time for my May blog post. Sure, I could have posted on the thirty days of May before today, but then you wouldn’t feel the sense of suspense and anticipation that you have right now. You’re welcome.

In my defense, it’s been a super busy month around here. I put together a student art show and it came out very well, but it took a lot of work to prepare and install. I sorted roughly two thousand pieces of art, installed more than three hundred pieces in the show, and now I have the…joy…of sorting the two thousand pieces and distributing them to the kids. Oh, and my fourth quarter grades are due tomorrow. Obviously, this is the ideal time to write a blog post.

My students have made some really fun and imaginative creations this year and without further ado, here are some of their springtime creations.

Let’s get things started with some zebras.

We’ll begin with a few pieces of zebra trivia. Did you know that a group of zebras is called a zeal?

How fast can a zebra run? Up to 65 km/hr. 

Their stripes help them to camouflage, but the stripes also act as sunscreen and bug repellant.

And now to the art. Zebras done by third graders:

Zebras drawn by fifth graders:

Next up are some pipe cleaner figures made by the eighth grade. This was a quick assignment but big on fun. The colors are bright, the rules are few, and the results are imaginative and playful.

 

Now we will look at puzzle art made by kids of all ages. I drew and photocopied a blank puzzle template and told the kids they could draw whatever they wanted in their puzzle (using good judgment, of course). Some made abstract designs and some drew their favorite Anime or video game characters. There were rap stars, nature scenes, cityscapes and animals. I love the variety and the kids seemed to like choosing their subjects.

Kindergarten

1st grade

1st grade

1st grade

2nd grade

3rd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

4th grade

5th grade

6th grade

7th grade

8th grade

Last up we have what I called Reflection Art because the shiny silver material we used acts as tiny mirrors. My friends Jeanne and John gave me the material, and I put it into my art supply stash (hoarder’s paradise) to figure out later. One day this spring I came upon it and decided that the kids would cut the material into small shapes (almost like mosaic tesserae) and make some kind of art. Some are abstract and some have a representational subject, but all are creative and unique.

All of the following were made by 5th graders:

When I arrived at 7^th grade last week, the kids were placing a large bucket below a drip coming from the ceiling. The air conditioning was acting up and leaking through the acoustic tiled ceiling. I stood at the laptop ZOOM setup (for distance learners) about a foot away from the drip and joked that I was about to have my Nickelodeon slime moment. As the minutes passed, the saturated ceiling tile sagged lower and lower. I inched away and attempted to teach, but some teens are easily distracted and I could not compete with the drip. Suddenly, the ceiling tile crashed to the (carpeted) floor and broke into pieces. With their layers and dotted texture, they looked like giant, soggy, broken graham crackers. Some kids shrieked. Others jostled for a look. What have I said before? Never dull when you teach teens.

I’m saving one last batch of student art for my June blog post, so stay tuned. I'm ready to stagger over the finish line of the school year, and I’ll share more kiddo creations soon.

Until we blog again, may the force of art be with you. (It’s the only Star Wars reference I know, so I hope you liked it.) 

On this Memorial Day, I thank those who have fallen in service to our country.

To everyone, stay healthy and be safe.