Congratulations on completing six weeks of Distance Learning! Miss Helen will be catching up on Seesaw Posts in the next few days, so continue to look out for comments. I have been truly amazed by the level of engagement from our dedicated artists throughout this time. Thank you to parents for your on-going support. It has been a heart-warming experience, as we pull together as a community. Thank you to everyone.
During our Distance Learning time, AAS Elementary School Artists joined thousands of children, in creating Rainbow Art to share with their community. The Rainbow Art movement originated in Italy and Spain, and soon picked up in the United Kingdom and USA. The children’s art, posted in windows, are a symbol of hope during the testing times of Covid19, and also a sign of appreciation and gratitude for Health Workers, who risk so much on behalf of all of us. Thank you to ES Art Students for bringing, light, love and care to our AAS Community. Stay home. Stay Safe. And ‘Keep on being Creative’.
I am posting this here, in order to avoid the need to post it on daily slides every week. Thank you.
The 20 minute time allocated for art is the minimum requirement. As this is little time, please know that any art activity started on the first lesson of the week, can carry over to the last one. Students may use two art times to work on one piece. In fact I would encourage this. The nature of our art program means that students are free to work at their own rate – some will use all the allocated time on one piece of work. Some will do several things in one week.
They should upload to Seesaw on the second art lesson of the week.
The majority of our AAS students really do love art and will want to spend more time. If this is your child, I recommend that you save art to be the last activity for the day, so that they may spend as much time as they like (with your permission of course) on being creative.
A quick thank you for the support you are providing students with Distance Learning. A very large number of artists have been actively engaged. This is great to see. Let the motivation continue! Grades 1,2,3 have submitted some wonderful Rainbow art this week, demonstrating a great variety of creativity and approaches to the idea of bringing light and love to our community through their art. This idea has been inspired by a current trend in the UK and some parts of the USA where children are posting Rainbows in their windows. See here for news article. Grades 4 and 5 will be asked to contribute next week (Deadline will be Friday 10 April), after they have completed their transdisciplinary work (Unit of Inquiry related Art). We hope to put these together, to form one large community artwork (or slide show) for our end year ‘virtual’ closing ceremony. Therefore, good clear photos, with no text boxes are encouraged for this work. Stay home, stay safe, and keep on being creative!
This Cycle, Grades 2-4 have begun thinking about a new W.O.W piece. It was quite amusing yesterday as Second Grade entered the room and saw the above slide on the Smart Board, and one student exclaimed “WOW! Wait…. but we already did a WOW piece!” Yes, and it is time to start another, and another and another, until we reach Grade 12 and beyond! As students become increasingly familiar with this, and thinking/behaving like artists, they will work at different rates, and make this move, more independently.
Now that we are in our second semester of our choice based program it is great to see students increasingly independent in their understanding of our essential questions “What do artists do?” and “Where do ideas come from?” During the first semester, the focus was very much on self management of the environment (our studio) and time. Organisation has been the key. In order to simply allow them to gain confidence, those who wanted, were allowed to copy from images. This semester we are focusing more on the word ‘original’ in ‘wonderful original work of art – WOW’. Some may still feel the need, and this is ok – however students now encounter questions of “where is the creativity?” , “What are YOU bringing to this work?” and/or “Why/How is this important to you?” as a means of making that closer, personal connection to their art.
As the year has progressed, planning documents have grown, as students now have access to four stations, ie. Art Forms: Drawing, Painting, Collage and Printmaking. Students are encouraged to think about which is their favourite art form – one which they feel most passionate about, and incorporate this, into their ‘WOW’ piece. Fourth grades are taking things a step further by considering combining two art forms, or two skills, which they will later be expected to discuss in their artist’s statement.
We look forward to the results of our second round of WOW projects. (Example of Planning Document below).
We are very excited to announce the arrival of our brand new, art shirts, designed for ES Artists! They are of course supplied to protect student clothes from art materials (as best possible).
However, the design is especially important, as it reinforces the student’s sense of identity, as an artist, and our ongoing mantra “You are the artist, and this is your studio“. We have choices of blue, green, red and yellow. Yes! Color is very important!
All students are expected to wear them over their clothes during art. The majority of students gladly accept this. However there are just one or two who do not want to wear them. Students will be highly encouraged, but not pushed, to wear the art shirts.
Please enjoy these fun photos of the first set of students to wear our very cool art shirts!
Welcome back to school and Happy New Year! We hope you had an enjoyable and restful holiday. For those who have not been able to visit school, and view our very large exhibition, both in the ES Lobby, and also upstairs, outside the Art Studio, we have a Youtube Video, which shares much of it. Just before the break, some classes had the opportunity to view all, and document their favorites on Seesaw.
For any new families, welcome! And please see below the video, the notice which was sent out in our ES Newsletter in December, which reviews the first semester of our Choice Based Art Program. Enjoy!
This Semester ES Art Students have been introduced to a different approach to art education. Choice Based Art and Teaching for Artistic Behaviours (TAB) places the student at the centre of everything, allowing for greater agency and personalised learning. Through a choice based approach, and continuing to apply the mantra “You are the artist, and this is your studio”, we believe all students will be more invested, engaged and inspired, as this will appeal even more so, to their natural curiosity and personal interests. Through allowing choice, and providing more of a ‘workshop’ environment, students can work at their own pace, and with increased independence, whilst still meeting curricular objectives.
Throughout the year, we shall focus on the understanding, or Central Idea, that ‘Artists practise a series of behaviours, which lead them through a process, resulting in an art work which conveys personal meaning to them’. We will continue to ask ourselves “What do artists do?” and “Where do ideas come from?”
This semester, students have focused on developing their sense of ownership over their artistic experience and environment by practising exploration of materials and tools, organisation of workspace, and the generation of ideas. Students are entirely responsible for thoughtfully planning for, and selecting materials and tools in order to initiate exploration/experimentation, observational and/or imaginative work. Emphasis is also placed on the documentation of achievements, via Seesaw. All pieces are kept, as they provide opportunity for reflection, and are valuable evidence of process.
As we work through the transition to a full choice based program, students are beginning to become familiar with the Studio Habits of Mind (http://www.pz.harvard.edu/projects/the-studio-thinking-project) which can be directly linked to the National Core Art Standards, PYP learning outcomes and Learner Profile. These are early days, and the depth of exposure and understanding, is dependent on individuals and Grade level. The Studio Habits of Mind can be found at the foot of this notice.
To end the Semester, students have been busy producing a W.O.W piece of art. Please view our ES bulletin boards which are currently being adorned with Wonderful Original Works of Art. A W.O.W art work is one which students have committed two to three lessons to, one which they have carefully thought through, planned, gathered feedback, perfected and persevered until the end. With such personal investment in these pieces, students are experiencing a sense of pride in their efforts and learning process. Please take time to enjoy our W.O.W Gallery and subscribe to the ES Art Blog in order to follow our journey through Choice Based Art, in the new year.
Studio Habits of Mind & PYP Attributes
Develop Craft: Learning to use tools, materials, artistic conventions, and learning to care for tools, materials and space (PYP Caring and Knowledgeable)
Envision: Learning to picture mentally, what cannot be directly observed, and imagine possible next steps in making a piece (PYP Inquirer)
Express: Learning to create works that convey an idea, a feeling, or a personal meaning (PYP Communicator)
Stretch & Explore: Learning to reach beyond one’s capacities, to explore playfully without a preconceived plan, and to embrace the opportunity to learn from mistakes (PYP Risk Taker)
Observe: Learning to attend to visual contexts more closely than ordinary ‘looking’ requires, and thereby to see things that otherwise might not be seen (PYP Inquirer)
Reflect: Learning to think and talk with others about an aspect of one’s work or working process, and learning to judge one’s own work and working process, and the work of others (PYP Reflective)
Engage & Persist: Learning to embrace problems of relevance within the art world/or of personal importance, to develop focus conducive to working and persevering at tasks (PYP Open Minded)
Understand (Arts) Community: Learning to interact as an artist with other artists (i.e. in classrooms, in local arts organizations, and across the art field)
During their final lesson this semester students have been reflecting on our original questions of “What do artists do?” and “Where do ideas come from?” Using teacher questions as guidance, students have written their Artist Statements to share with their audience, their understanding of art form, subject matter, and identify the origin of their ideas. Herewith, a few excellent examples by Fifth Grade Students. Please do visit our W.O.W Gallery in the ES Lobby Area and around the Art Room Area.
Michael 5BL
Hi, I’m Michael and this is my art piece of a forest and a deer lost in the woods. I got this Idea from a memory in the summer when my cousin and I were riding in the woods on our bikes when we saw a deer. I used pencils paint brushes and acrylic paint on a canvas. the hardest part was drawing the deer because I am not good at drawing animal legs, but I kept going because I knew this was one of the main things in my painting. So I knew I had to draw the deer. I feel really proud of my work and I hope you are too.
Rosalie 5PL
This is my abstract art piece. The art piece represents my love of fall. I used all different kinds of colors to represent the fall. I used acrylic paint on a canvas. I also used the technique of blending because I have all these colors and if I had no blending it would look like random colors on a canvas. the hard part was to know which colors I had to use because my plan disappeared so I had to use different kinds of colors. I did not give up because my best friend Eva said that it was all right and it did not matter. I am really happy with my work because I worked on it for a long time and it turned our really nice.
Laura 5PL
This is a painting with a girl that has water wings flying. I got the idea from one of my favorite TV shows, Steven Universe. When I saw a character that has water wings, it gave me an idea for this painting. To make the water wings, I blended white and blue together. To make the sunset, I used orange and yellow and blended them together. To make the clouds, I patted a paint brush with white paint on the canvas. Finally, to make the birds, I stroked black into their shape. The hardest part was to make the mountains because they turned see through really easily. I ended up putting a lot of black paint onto it. I am really proud of my artwork though.
Aran 5FS
This is a painting of a fish as an island. I got this idea from a photo book . When I saw the photo I thought it was so creative because islands are a place where people and fish live side by side . I used acrylic paint on canvas and a variety of brushes. I used the technique of blending colors . The hard part was making the clouds because it was difficult to make them as I imagined them in my head. I am very happy with this work.
Unless specifically requested, appointments are not made beforehand. The large studio (3006) will be open for students who choose to show their parents the room and their portfolio. If students choose to bring parents to the art room, they are expected to discuss, as well as show their work. They should be speaking to you about topics along the lines of – from where I found my inspiration, new discoveries, and the process of creating it, reflections on successes, lessons learned from mistakes, the current stage of their work, and how they envision it when finished.
If you specifically would like to meet with me, please email me before 8 am Thursday. Alternatively, write your name on the waiting list which will be posted in the room (3006). It shall be a matter of first come first served. Please be respectful that others may be waiting, and therefore keep to a ten minute meeting approx. All parents/students are welcome to enter the room, even if there appears to be a parent conference taking place at the time. For any more confidential discussions, we have the small room next door, available to us.
W.O.W – Stage Two
Below are some photos of First (1DE) and Fourth Graders (4SC) working on the second stage of their W.O.W artwork (see previous blog post), thinking about quality, gathering feedback, and working on ways improve and perfect a work to completion. Also, with the aim of meeting a deadline – the end of our next art lesson. Demonstrating stamina to engage and persist when challenges are met, are being practised by all.
You may have noticed three large paintings (1.5m square, each), recently hung near to the ES Office. Sofiya Shiyan (Class of 2020) led Grade 4-5 students, and some Grade 9 student assistants, in creating this artwork to mark the 70th Anniversary of AAS.
The three colors represent our three divisions – Elementary, Middle, and High School. The variety of shades/tints and shapes represent the 60+ nationalities of students, who attend AAS. Please enjoy the photos below, of student involvement in this permanent artwork.
Grades 1,2,4 and 5 have started work on their W.O.W artwork. AAS Artists will tell you, that W.O.W, stands for Wonderful Original Work of Art.
After weeks of practising studio navigation, setting up their work space, exploration of various media, ways to research and generate ideas, artists are ready to demonstrate what they know and can do, by creating a final piece which they would feel proud to display in a public space.
The criteria for the W.O.W piece, is as follows:
I have thought about it for a while and made a plan
I spent at least three lessons on it
I have fixed, improved, perfected it
It looks ready to hang on the wall
It might have been frustrating to create but I stuck with it!
I have shown it to others for feedback
It has enough personal meaning for me to write about it in an artist statement
It came from my heart
I found satisfaction and interest in creating it
It happened through experimentation in the studio
The above criteria is expected to be fully met by Grades 4 and 5, and lower grades are specifically working on the ability to engage and persist with an idea, and work to refine a piece, to a point of completion, over a number of lessons.
We have three full lessons before the December break, so the timing is perfect. A wide variety of artworks are emerging as students make choices about subject matter, format, and art form. (Current options are painting, drawing, and collage only)
