March Newsletter

Studio 220 Newsletter: March 2010

Happy March! This is an exciting month in the studio and spring is almost here! I hope to meet you all during conference night. I will be in the art room, 220, for the entire afternoon and evening sessions. Feel free to stop by and see what is happening. Here is a glimpse at the month:

First Grade: First graders are finishing a printmaking unit. We are exploring different types of stamping and how we can create our own stamps. We are making a cityscape out of different stamped shapes and working on collaboration! Next, students will help each other to make large portraits of what they will be in 30 years. We will be working on the floor in the classroom to explore scale and the use of different materials together.

Second Grade: Second grade artists are starting a ceramics unit. We will explore the origins of clay vessels and their uses. Each student will create a pot using the coil method. We will also be learning about warm and cool colors. Students will be mixing these, as well as creating tints.

Third Grade: Third graders are working on a painting unit. We are focusing on how colors can express a mood or a memory of a mood. Students will be looking at the work of a variety of contemporary landscape artists including Ornulf Opdahl, David Hockney and Peter Doig. We will be experimenting with how different colors can remind us of certain experiences.

Fourth Grade: Fourth graders are working on a weaving unit. We will be studying traditional weaving, as well as weaving in the fine arts. We will look at the work of Sheila Hicks to inspire small weavings. We will also be taking a field trip to the Textile Arts Center to work on their floor looms. Can’t wait!

Fifth Grade: Fifth graders are working on clay sculptures of food. We are looking at all types of artwork to try and figure out why food is such a popular subject in art. Students will also look at the work of Claes Oldenburg to explore art of food in three dimensions. We will each make a “dish” that will include the ceramic serving piece and the food.

February Newsletter

Studio 220 Newsletter: February 2010

Here is what is happening this month in ART:

First Grade: First graders are working on a printmaking unit. We are exploring different types of stamping and how we can create our own stamps. We will be making a cityscape out of different stamped shapes and begin to work on collaboration!

Second Grade: Second graders are creating a neighborhood scene with cut paper collage. Artists used paint to resemble the color and texture of buildings. Next, we will use collage to create large buildings and a busy neighborhood scene. We will be exploring the work of Melanie Hope Greenberg and Red Grooms. Second graders will also participate in a special bookmaking project inspired my visiting illustrator/author Maira Kalman.

Third Grade: Third graders are creating relief sculptures of gargoyles. We are exploring what gargoyles were used for historically and are creating our own protection creature. Students will also work on exploring additive and subtractive sculpting processes and creating value with paint. We will look at gargoyles of all types, as well as sculptures by contemporary artist Elliot Earls.

Fourth Grade: (After months of being covered in glue,) Fourth graders continue to work on are finishing their sculpture project!!! This has been a long process, but the results are amazing! We are looking at the work of AJ Fosik and creating large animal heads out of papier mache and cut paper. We are thinking about how Native Americans believed that animals represented and had personality traits. Each student will choose an animal whose “personality” is similar to his or her own. They will then create a relief sculpture to represent their animal.

Fifth Grade: Fifth graders are completing their tunnel books inspired by the work of Tim Burton. Next, we will move on to clay to create sculptures of our favorite foods. We will look at artists whose subject is food such as Claes Oldenburg to explore the vast possibilities of the subject.

Have a great break!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!

I have so many things to update on the blog! I promise to post this week about the 2nd grade Kandinsky trip, 4th grade sculpture projects, 5th grade characters and more!! Until then, here is the newsletter for the month of January.  I am very excited about the visiting artist project that we have going this month.  Thanks to Bee Ladd and the 4Fives for getting it going!

Studio 220 Newsletter: January 2010

 

Happy New Year! We have a lot going on in the studio this month in addition to our regular curriculum.  One very exciting project is called the Scroll-A-Thon.  I am super excited about this collaborative project because it involves all students in grades 1 to 5.  Two Brooklyn artists, Steven and William Ladd (brothers of Bee) will be coming in throughout the next three weeks to work with every class.  The Scroll-A-Thon will incorporate drawings, text, photographs and sculpture.  Steven and William will be working with the students to think about how one artist can influence and collaborate with another.  The finished project will include a multi-media installation and an artist book.  I am thrilled to be working with all of the students on this! Check out Steven and William’s website to see some of their work.  Or, if you want to see it in person, take a walk down to The Invisible Dog gallery on Bergen Street and check out the chandelier that they created as a permanent installation in the space.  It will be great!

 

In addition to the Scroll-A-Thon, here is what we are also working on:

First Grade: First graders are finishing up their clay pots.  They created pinch pots with animal-head lids.  We have sculpted them, and just need to complete painting.  Keep your eyes out for an exhibition in the lobby at the end of the month.

 

Second Grade: Second graders are continuing to build 3D forms from paper.  They are using paper to create a three dimensional sculpture of their own play-space.  For inspiration, check out one of my favorite blogs: playgrounddesigns.blogspot.com.

 

Third Grade: Third graders will begin a painting unit.  We will work on experimenting with watercolor paints and watercolor resist.  Students will then create work from their imagination and from life.

 

Fourth Grade: Fourth graders continue to work on their sculpture project.  We are looking at the work of AJ Fosik and creating large animal heads out of papier mache and cut paper.  We are thinking about how Native Americans believed that animals represented and had personality traits.  Each student will choose an animal whose “personality” is similar to his or her own.  They will then create a relief sculpture to represent their animal.

 

Fifth Grade: Fifth graders will be visited by another artist this month in addition to Steven and William. We will work on an abstraction project with painter Collette Taber. Fifth graders also continue to develop their imaginary characters and are working on creating Tunnel Books.

 

More on the Scroll-A-Thon as it develops!

MK

December in Studio 220

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First Grade: First graders are working with clay! The ceramics unit is a very exciting time of year. We will be exploring where clay comes from, what you can do with it, and what happens once it dries. The students will be working on a texture exploration to see what happens when clay is imprinted with different materials. Each student will create a pinch pot that is textured with the materials of their choice. We will then paint our work in a way that highlights the textures we create.

Second Grade: Second graders are beginning a sculpture unit. We will be studying the job of playground designers. We will look at different interpretations of playgrounds from around the world. Each student will imagine his or her ideal playground. They will use paper to create a three dimensional sculpture of their own play-space. For inspiration, check out one of my favorite blogs: http://playgrounddesigns.blogspot.com.

Third Grade: Third grade artists are working on the art of shadow play, a traditional art form first invented in China over a thousand years ago. We will be creating many different shadow puppets (pi ying) based on animals, creatures, monsters and ourselves. We will be learning about how using positive and negative space affects how the puppet looks when lit. We will also be exploring how artists can add sound and movement to their work.

Fourth Grade: Fourth graders are working on a relief sculpture unit. We are looking at the work of AJ Fosik and creating large animal heads out of papier mache and cut paper. We are thinking about how Native Americans believed that animals represented and had personality traits. Each student will choose an animal whose “personality” is similar to his or her own. They will then create a relief sculpture to represent their animal. Please send in cereal boxes, newspaper and cardboard tubes!

Fifth Grade: Fifth graders have been working on creating realistic drawings and paintings for the past few weeks. Taking a break from this, we will be exploring how artists create characters from their imaginations. We will look at many different artists who create fantasy characters, including Tim Burton, who now has an exhibition at MoMA. Each student will use pen and ink, watercolor and clay to create an imaginary character.

October Newsletter

Here is a brief newsletter for October. We are still working on a lot of what we started in September.

Studio 220 Newsletter: October 2009

We are off to a great start this year. Here is a glimpse of what we are doing in October:

First Grade Printmaking: This month, first graders will be working on collograph printing. We will be exploring this form of printmaking and all of the new tools and procedures that go with it.

Second Grade: Second graders are continuing with a painting exploration inspired by the work of Wassily Kandinsky. As there is currently an exhibition of his work at the Guggenheim Museum, we will be focusing on how music and emotion are a part of his painting process. PS 58 parent and visiting artist Brogan Ganley will be working with us as well. This unit will wrap up with a visit to the Guggenheim exhibition.

Third Grade: Third grade artists will be exploring the work of Elizabeth Murray. We will discover how her paintings take on sculptural forms and create our own mixed media collages and paintings.

Fourth Grade: Fourth grade artists continue to work on their collaborations for the Gowanus Canal Exhibition. The show will go up on October 17^th. After this, we will reflect on the exhibition process and begin a painting unit.

Fifth Grade: Fifth graders continue to work on drawing and painting from observation. We are learning about value and creating an underpainting. We are also doing many different exercises that help us to see our subject.

Artist of the Month: The Artist of the Month for October is Denyse Schmidt. She is a contemporary quilt maker who works in an exciting “improvisational” way.

September Curriculum Newsletter

Below is what you will find in our September Art Newsletter:

Studio 220 Newsletter: September 2009

 

Welcome Back! I am so excited to be here again and working with your children!

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Megan Kimball (formerly Driscoll).  This year I am teaching grades one through five.  Each time they have art, they will come to the art studio, room 220.

 

In Studio 220, we will work on a variety of art and design projects.  All of the children will work with a variety of media as mandated by the Blueprint for the Arts: drawing, painting, printmaking, arts in technology, design, collage and sculpture.  These units, spread throughout the year, will cover a variety of topics, often linked to the learning that is happening in their classroom.  I am thrilled to be incorporating technology into the art studio more this year with the addition of a Smartboard, Desktop computer and two digital cameras for student use.  This year we will be incorporating artist visits, as well.  At some point during the year, each grade with have an artist from outside of the school who we will partner with on a unit.  If anyone knows an artist who might be interested in working with us, let me know.

 

Here is a glimpse of what we are doing in September:

 

First Grade: All first graders have art twice a week with Danielle and/or me. First graders are working on an introduction to printmaking.  We will be learning about what a print is and making monoprints.  We will use these monoprints and add collage and craypa to create animals inspired by the artist Charley Harper.  We will explore color mixing and line with this unit. 

First graders will then be creating paintings of their families inspired by the work of Carmen Lomas Garza.

 

Second Grade: Second graders are working on paintings of animals that use line and gesture to show movement.  We will be exploring the work of Keith Haring as an example of using line to show movement.  We will explore different ways to apply paint and reinforce what we know about color mixing including making colors lighter and darker.

 

Third Grade: In this two-part unit, students will first create a creature inspired by Uglydolls.  In this part of the unit, we will be exploring symmetry and collage.  Third graders will then create a dream world for their creature with paint.  We will look at the work of Marc Chagall as an example of dreamlike imagery and compositions.  

 

Fourth Grade: Big News! Fourth graders are working on a unit creating art about the Gowanus Canal.  We will be meeting artists who are part of AGAST (http://agastbrooklyn.com/) and our work will be shown in a gallery stop during their studio tour.  We are working collaboratively with paint and collage.  I will send home more information about the gallery show soon.

 

Fifth Grade: Fifth graders are working on drawing and painting from observation.  We are going to be exploring zooming in and creating big paintings of tiny things.  We looked at the work of Wayne Thiebaud at the end of last year, so we will start there and move on to other artists who create still life paintings.

 

Artist of the Month: The Artist of the Month for September and October is Denyse Schmidt.  She is a contemporary quilt maker who works in an exciting “improvisational” way. 

 

Most Importantly: Check out the Studio 220 blog! We will be posting tons of information about what we are working on.

www.megankimball.blogspot.com