Artist~Teacher... tishalou

I have been so far behind on posting and not sure where to start! So thanks to Phyl at There's a Dragon in My Artroom for starting the topic of District-wide art shows.

Here are posts about last year's Art Festival in my county.

Each year in Fauquier County we have a county wide show where art teachers from our 11 Elementary Schools, 5 Middle Schools and 3 High Schools display work they have chosen. It is billed as an Arts Festival so it also includes music and choral performances. I think these are on a volunteer basis of the music teachers. Each art teacher is tasked at bringing cookies, crackers and Ginger Ale for punch.

For the past three years that I have been in the county the show has been at Kettle Run HS because it was just built and the county wanted to show it off. It is also where our 'lead art teacher' works. We also have a traveling art show where each teacher brings 6 pieces of artwork and it gets divided into 3 different shows. These shows travel to different schools throughout the year to showcase work from around the county. All 3 shows come back and are displayed at the Art Festival as well.

Since I started I have been of the opinion that each school should showcase their program and keep their school's work all together in one place. Currently each teacher mounts their work and then it gets hung anywhere within the main hall or gym of the HS. The HS Art students help hang the work - so a lot of times even the art teacher that brought the work does not know where the work is hung. This causes problems when the student and their whole family come to see the work and it cannot be found. In the past it was done this way so that parents would look at all the work and not just their child's. I don't think you can force people to look - and they are there to see and support their child's work and school.

Here are pictures of my display all in one place on 1/2 inch foam core boards.

One of our veteran HS teachers posed some tough questions after our show this year. Should we still do it? Has it gotten too big? Where should it be held? things like that...
I will be interested in the discussion it leads to at our final meeting of the year.

My students have been working on the Doodle 4 Google contest. I had all 5th graders working on it as a grade in class. They could fill out all the paperwork to have me send it in to the contest if they wanted to enter. 3rd and 4th graders could take the template and do one on their own. The theme this year is What I'd Like to do Someday...
Each entry must have a supporting paragraph to go along with it. I just love reading student's writing, it gives me more insight to their personalities.
Here are some of my favorites:
5th Grade:

There will be no shortage of teachers or veterinarians in our future! Students really enjoyed this project and I think they had a real connection to it as well. I showed them the winner from last year and explained she was a 3rd grader. I was disappointed to hear a few say - well I'm not going to enter mine won't win anyway so I emphasized that the winner was not the best drawn or most skilled artist - that it was a combination of the statement and the execution of the idea.
I can't wait to see the winners!

• >Writing out the steps on the board - which I usually do, but have the students read them.
• >List out clean up jobs and assign students to be in charge. (seems really DUH! as I write it but I am usually barking out orders at clean up time - this runs so much smoother!)
• >Had students take turns reading Camille and the Sunflowers to intro 2nd grades sunflower paintings.
• >Gave myself persmission to show an art video (the I Can Fly Kids & Creativity series) while I saved my voice and prepped materials for upcoming classes.
• >Show colored tounge depressors to call table colors for dissmissal.

A little update of what is going on in my room:
5th grade gargoyles are almost ready to be fired - one more class needs to finish.

4th grade - elongated portraits a la Modigliani. Adapted from Kathy's blog Art Projects for Kids http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/2008/09/modigliana-portraits.html They are adding a textured tissue paper background with mod podge.

3rd grade - not all classes are on the same day of the lesson thanks to these funky snow days but they are all enjoying painting hearts and learning about Jim Dine and Pop Art.

2nd grade is printing their Styrofoam plates to make some great radial symmetry designs. Inspired by the this lesson from Art. Paper. Scissors. Glue! http://art-paper-scissors.blogspot.com/2011/01/radial-symmetry-prints.html They are turning out great but I have found that I need to print with them in small groups or it is a disaster. I have four kids around the back table and ink the plate for them and then they line it up on their paper.


Kindergarten is taking a little break from art and PE while they rehearse for their big music performance next week.

This lesson is adapted from a VAEA session I went to taught by Sarah Matthews at J.B. Watkins Elem, Midlothian, VA and Heather Levet at Elizabeth Scott Elem, Chester, VA.

Here are the best from this year:












I taught this lesson for the third year in a row and it just didn't have the excitiment for me anymore. The kids really enjoy picking and drawing an instrument - most choose an electric