The Art Space is a classroom in the primary building. Students of all classes use the space for special programs and classes. A ceramic firing kiln is available. Funding for the space and the programs comes from the annual "Run for the Hills" event, held every Spring on the Forest Hills campus.
This year in the art space, we hosted one artist in residence who did a family heritage collage with every
class from K-8. It was a mixed media project, which incorporated family photographs. A second grader did the project pictured here.
"Family" by Kalyna, Multiage Class
Classes from K-5 meet in the Art Space for instruction, exploration and for doing projects. The year began with a unit entitled "Exploring Color." The children learned to identify different types of color and how to create any color they can imagine using only the primary colors, plus black and white. This unit involved production of a color wheel, a Design-a-Dot project, and Color Wheel Ice Cream Sundaes. For each project the students were required to apply their knowledge of color and color mixing. The children's books "The Dot," by Peter Reynolds, and "Mouse Paint" by Eileen Stoll Walsh were incorporated into these lessons.
Next came a study of Contour Drawing. There are several types of contour drawing and the children were able to put these into practice. The story "Ish," by Peter Reynolds was used during this lesson, which inspired their "Ish" projects. They practiced -
Students then began a study of Coastal Native American Art. A great collection of Alaskan artifacts, ivory figurines, and masks was borrowed from a Forest Hills grandparent to teach the children a bit about the culture and lifestyle of the Coastal Native Americans with the hopes of giving them a glimpse of the inspirations behind this art genre. Traditional Native American legends and music were shared, as presented by Chief Lewlooska on CD and in his books "Spirit of the Cedar People," and "Echoes of the Elders." Students have learned how wildlife and nature endlessly intrigued and inspired these people and how their art was interweaved with their way of life.
Project 1 - understanding the basic formlines of Coastal Native American art. The children studied "U's" and Ovoids. This study involved both assembling their own animal inspirations from templates with a partner, and drawing their own unique salmon or halibut. The latter was partly a guided drawing and partly the application of the lessons they'd learned previously about formlines to create a realistic replication of this style.
Project 2 - a study of masks. Again, the students saw examples of appropriate masks. The collection of two Inupiat humanoid masks, both beautifully preserved behind glass shadowboxes were shared. Students viewed a slideshow of several different humanoid and animal masks of this genre on the "big screen." From here, they were to find their own inspiration from those things that inspired these peoples. The animals had to be something the tribes would have seen themselves, or it could be the moon or sun, or it could be humanoid. Materials include cardboard and paper, which will be covered in paper mache and finally painted with traditional style formlines.
Project 3- The last project will be an "ivory carving." The kids will again choose their inspiration, perhaps an Eskimo, polar bear, walrus? This will be a ceramics project using the pinch method and kiln firing/glazing.
Our artwork has been displayed at the Cornelius Starbucks in February and March. The annual "Run for the Hills" is our fundraising event for the year and it is set for May 13, 2011.
This art program has given students the opportunity to apply their Leader in Me skills. They take turns being "table captain" each week. They are asked to problem solve, be each other's cheer leaders, take responsibility for listening to and following directions, being proactive to complete projects within a given time constraint, and be open to the possibilities of learning something new without judgement of each other or oneself.
