Welcome Back!

It's so good to see you all again.
We are looking forward to a wonderful year of creativity, time to find out who we are and how to express ourselves to the world. Sixth grade will be examinging art cultures from around the world, and looking at how we express our culture and ourselves through art. Seventh grade will be looking at how art is a reaction to literature and society around us by examining American artists and art styles in the 19th and 20th centuries. Ceramics will be examining the techniques of hand clay building, as well as learning to express our thoughts and feelings through the medium of clay. Again, welcome! We love our subject, and hope you will love it as much as we do.

Final Project- grade 7

the 7th grade is working with clay, converting what they know about proportions and faces into 3D. They are to imagine they are casting directors, producing a new movie. What will it be? A comedy, a tragedy, a romantic comedy, a hero adventure?
They must figure out what assumptions people make about these type of characters so that they can cast an actor for the part. How do we think someone evil looks? Or someone funny? By using what they know about proportions,beauty thorugh the ages and styles of art, they will adapt a face design to clay. Students will create characters that will play the main part in their movies. It is up to them to create a character that the audience will instantly react to.

Open House This Thursday- May 15th

Open House is Thursday Night. Come see artwork from the entire year decorating the school. We have artwork everywhere. This is our opportunity to have a school wide art show. Come see what's new!

Arts Fest 2008

What a wonderful showing at the artsfest 2008. Hundreds of pictures and sculptures lined the walls and panels from one side of Main St. to the other at the High School. We were able to show all the fine work from Parker Middle School as well as track what some of our best artists were now doing in High School. As a viewer, it was fantastic to see the level and quality of the work these students produce. As an art teacher, it was a thrill to see what the other art teachers were doing in town. We shared ideas and built on lessons already produced. It was such a joy to spend time among all this work. And the music! How awesome to have a jazz ensemble playing while you look at art. The programs from elementary through High School were superb. We really appreciated all the rehersal work that students did to put on such fine performances.
For another look at the day, see the Superintendent's Blog http://superintendentblog.blogspot.com/ for a great understanding of why the arts are important in all our lives.

***ART SHOW ****ART SHOW***ART SHOW***

The district wide art show will be held at the high school on April 30th from 5-8, May 1st from 5-8 and May 2nd from 5-9.

Hope you can all make it.

Art from Elementary through High School will be on display.

Rather than give everyone notices about what artwork is in the show, we will try to get in as many art pieces as possible. Please check this out. With the art show on for three evenings, we should be able to have everyone attend.

Report Cards

Report cards are out. Don't forget to look on edline to see your grades.

My it's been a long time....

Time is just flying by.... What has been happening in class?

6th grade is working on Egyptian parodies ( mimicing the style of an artist or culture to make a joke) by putting a modern subject in an Egyptian setting. Egyptians had very strict rules of art, which is why we can recognise the art so readily as Egyptian. They must choose five of the ten rules we studied in class, to make their parodies . It's interesting to see what they find funny.

7th grade is working on proportions of the face in self-portraits. They took a test to see what style of art their own art preferences was closest to, and are creating self-portraits in that particular style of art. Some styles, like surrealism, may only show a small portion of their face and use symbols to tell the rest of the story. But all of them will reflect some statement or aspect about themselves. Students are choosing from Realism, Impressionism, NeoClassicism, Romanticism, Cubism, Post-Impresssionism, Expressionism and Surrealism.

Sculpture Classes are working on paper mache sculptures. By building an armature first, they give substance to the sculpture that will hold up the flimsy paper mache. By layering it many times, they give strength to their sculptures. They are working with action in their projects, as action gives interest to a sculpture and makes us look a bit longer to figure out what is happening.

ABC 6th grade have finished self-portrait pencil drawings and are working on learning to weave.

ABC 7th grade have finished their drawings and paintings and are reading to start individual contracted projects, in preparation for next year's independence in art.

ABC 8th grade continue to work on individual projects, but are also doing some group work with two wall murals going up in the art wing and repainting a display table for the art show, as well as several of the table legs on the desks in the art room. All of this work will stay at the school.