What's Going On In There?
Art Room Updates from Ms. Kuntz
Answers
If you ask your kids what's happening in art, it may seem like new projects are few and far between. I like to take a studio approach as much as possible, and you will find that several concepts are layered into a large project. Often there are different media involved in the each layer of the project. We talk about ways to proceed, like large to small, general to specific, and background to foreground. Sometimes with only an 50 minutes or an hour a week, managing content as well as supplies can be a challenge. I think, however, that it is important to have projects that we work on over a period of time, that we have opportunities to review, reflect, and sometimes regroup. This is especially true in world where instant access prevails.
1st grade monsters
Andy Golds- worthy Style (4th grade)
6th grade graffiti
3rd
6th
4th
Updates
* First graders are assembling their mixed media monsters. We have been investigating how different media work and why artists might choose a particular one over another----is it water resistant?…does it show on a dark background?….does it layer or blend?
*Second graders are designing their letterhead creatures with a look at design choices for balance and unity, as well as monochromatic color.
* Third graders are investigating color, pattern, and unity through nature themes that range from the surreal (and funny) to the cultural traditions of the Australian Aborigines.
*Fourth grade has delved into geometric and organic shapes, that challenged them by designing with only two shapes and two kinds of line. Here is where we focus on size, direction, repetition, and the creation of unexpected shapes in the negative spaces. Currently we are using the same concepts to design a mask filled with symbols about ourselves. Do these self designed shapes give information to a broad audience?….Is it secret code? ….do they stand for "things we can't touch"?
*Fifth grade started the year with Art from the world of the early explorers of the Americas. We began with our name in Mayan Glyphs using analogous colors, and are currently working on our Day of the Dead project, which looks at traditions from a particular culture hundreds of years later.
*Sixth graders have been doing a great deal with faces. We began with proportional drawing in charcoal then went into an enlarged sharpie graffiti face. (very graphic)
Currently we are finishing up our collaged hero / villain faces that are based on a fear we had as a small child. ( Surely you realize that I WILL go down the drain if you let the water out of the tub while I am in it! )
Be On the Lookout
Sixth graders on the set crew as well as some students from other grades assist with the production of the play's scenery.
*Weekend work sessions after Spring Break, for plaster masks in 6th grade. (Optional, not obligatory)
*Grand Affair, Thursday May 12, 7:00PM.
Susan Kuntz
Email: kuntz.susan@oakwoodschools.org
Location: 735 Harman Avenue, Dayton, OH, United States
Phone: (937) 297-5338