Hello Everyone!
I hope this post finds you rested and ready for the last quarter of the school year. I have enjoyed my break doing not much of anything - spending time with my family, taking advantage of time off to work on projects, and of course sleeping in.
When we return from break, there will be one week left of the 3rd quarter. The 6th and 7th grade students will leave art and start a new encore class for 4th quarter. I always miss my outgoing students - I really love being a teacher and forming relationships with my students.
In the art room 6th grade is working on their final project for the quarter - Picasso Superheroes. Students are able to choose their own Marvel or DC superhero and redraw the hero in a cubism style. The faces are distorted and sometimes rearranged, but the hero's distinctive traits are still used (for example costumes, masks, symbols, and hair). These drawings are transferred onto a canvas and then painted. This unit also focuses on color theory, students learn about hues, tints, tones, and shades. They also learn how to mix their own colors using "recipes." The clay emojis were also glazed and made it safely out of the kiln. They turned out wonderful, here is a small sample of student work....
7th grade-who knew destroying technology could be so fun? The last project 7th grade is a science fiction based piece called "I Robot." It is a multi-media project using cardboard, paint, aluminum foil, wire, copper foil, and recycled technology parts. Students start with a picture of themselves and turn it into a robot version of themselves. All of the coil pots created earlier in the quarter have been fired for the first time and are waiting to be glazed.
For 8th grade art is a semester long class, they have been busy working with metal creating a 3 dimensional mask. Students are able to create their own mask design and use embossing tools to add texture to the metal. The masks are wiped with India ink and burnished with steel wool to enhance the texture and line designs. Then fun embellishments are added, for example feathers, yarn, beads, mustaches, wire glasses, silk flowers, sequins, and glitter. A lot of creativity is happening! The Dragon Eyes are on display in the halls of BMS. Small, colorful masterpieces!
Finally, the Art Club sponsored the March dance on the 10th. Club members were responsible for collecting admission money, selling concessions, and cleaning up after the dance. In return, we were able to raise money for our club. It was a very successful dance and we raised plenty of money, this will be used to purchase art materials for the club and pay for a field trip this spring. Members decided to sell Rice Krispy treats at the dance - thank you to the F.A.C.S. class for making them for us. Students cut and wrapped treats before the dance, filling the art room with laughter, stories, creativity, and pizza!
On Friday, March 31st, I will be taking some art students to the Wisconsin State Youth Art Month Show at the state capitol. Bartels Middle School has three talented students participating. Congratulations to Morgan Fimreite, Abby Doro, and Annabelle Luschei. I am one proud teacher!
Your Enthusiastic Art Teacher,
Mrs. Doro
