Art Enrichment: Visit to the Princeton Art Museum

Last week on Tuesday, we visited the Princeton University Art Museum. It was a fantastic and fun trip for the forty of us! We had nice, small group tours with the knowledgeable docents when we arrived. We viewed the American art collection and saw European art by Monet and VanGogh. In my group, our docent Martine Elefson, was so warm and kind. She asked really great questions about art production and inspiration. Here we are looking at Monet's "Japanese Bridge/Water Lily Pond". I was thrilled to see this painting and many students could identify it from our 1st grade Monet projects!

Andy Warhol was the first American painter who we viewed work from. My group was interested to hear about how Warhol had so many people creating his artwork for him. Everyone had seen Marilyn's famous face before.

The brushstroke on Monet's poplars required further inspection. I enjoyed inspecting the gorgeous frames that were around all of the paintings.

Here's our lovely docent Martine showing the 5th graders the Japanese Bridge painted during different seasons. Monet painted over 20!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was stopping by the Fountain of Freedom before heading off to House of Cupcakes for a treat. Look at these kids-aren't they great? I'm trying not to think about how much I'll miss them next year since it's only October... But I will!! It's a cycle I am learning to deal with teaching on the elementary level. Teach them, love them, cry when they go. This is my 6th year on the elementary level so hopefully I'm getting better? Hardly.

And one last picture from the morning tour looking at American sculpture.

The Princeton University Art Museum is a gem. If you're local to Princeton and have time to stop by, it's really a great place to visit. 

Thank you to all of the chaperones who made this trip possible- you're incredible!!

Basquiat & Sneakers at The Brooklyn Museum

I finally made it! On my list of exhibits to see since written about in the NY Times this past spring, I've been wanting to head out to The Brooklyn Museum to check out Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks.

The exhibit was inspiring but not as full as I had hoped.

I love the limited color palette that Basquiat used and his iconic organization of drawings and writings.

And, well, of course just being in Brooklyn is inspiration in itself. Visiting family in Williamsburg and Park Slope is always a fun journey. The rooftop gardens, the colorful graffiti, lovely outdoor restaurants and pop up street fairs. It's so easy to get lost in the warm feeling of being on the block.

Just as much (if not moreso) as the Basquiat exhibit, I really liked The Rise of Sneaker Culture exhibit. 

It was... Well, COOL.

Looking at my own kicks, I felt that I could use a slight upgrade as these sneakers were quite a piece of art in themselves.

The Basquiat exhibit has now concluded but the sneakers will be at the museum until October 4.

Can't wait to tell you about both when school starts in a couple of weeks.

Mrs. Johnson

Review: Van Gogh Exhibit @ The Philadelphia Museum of Art and a fun day in Philly

Van Gogh has been a long running favorite artist of mine and quite likely my favorite "Master" artist.
I had attempted to see the exhibit several weeks ago, had a tough time parking and did not pre-purchase tickets. Result: my family was in a long line and ended up at the nearby Franklin Institute instead.

Yesterday, refusing to pay an extra $3.50 per ticket to buy ticket in advance, we purchased tickets in person at the museum (10:30 this time) for a later afternoon tour. *Great*

We explored Philly for most of the afternoon in the Rittenhouse area and ate at a great restaurant called Marathon. The weather was beautiful and Philly was fairly quiet but with a comfortable bustle.
St. Patrick's Day the day before was most likely the culprit.

The Van Gogh: Up Close exhibit was incredible. Showcased were paintings focusing on landscapes that he created over a four year period.
His famous 'Sunflowers' took a backseat to numerous other paintings that were so alive with color and his incredible brushstrokes. The paint on those canvasses was so thick in places I wish that I could have seen him painting them.

Here's the personal bonus: My FAVORITE Asian artist, HIROSHIGE, had several of his woodcuts on display inside the Van Gogh exhibit because Van Gogh was a collector of his work. Oh my, they were soooo beautiful!

2nd Grade Assignment: "Genius of Little Things"

All Second grade classes:

From the time you receive your brown paper assignment bag in art class until the due date listed below, it is your job to collect 50-100 "little things" from everyday life. You will select ONE type of item and then collect 50-100 of the exact same item. (Small variations in the item are okay)

Tara Donovan is a Sculptor that creates huge sculptures using everyday objects in an interesting way. Because she uses tons of the exact same object to create her sculptures, the sculptures are very interesting and help you to appreciate the everyday "little things" better. 


"It's not about how many, it's what they come together to create"

Some examples of items you can collect in your bag are: pencils, pens, buttons, paper clips, hair ties, little caps, straws, ....you name it. Think about a tiny everyday object that you come across a lot. If you collected 50-100 of them, will they ALL be small enough to fit in your bag? Can you alter the size so that they do fit??

Would the object be interesting to create a sculpture out of?

You will be using your "little things" in art to create a fantastic sculpture that will be simply "genius"

See below for more information on Tara Donovan! 

P.S. If you can find "little things" that you would normally throw away, save the environment and use those "little things" in this art project!

Tara Donovan, Genius of Little Things

Styrofoam Cups!

Person standing UNDER styrofoam cups installation! They look like hornet nests, or hives don't they?

Tara Donovan is an inventive young sculptor whose installations bring wonder to the most common objects of everyday life. Donovan’s site-specific, sculptural works transform ordinary accumulated materials into intriguing visual and physical installations. Choosing a single object – such as a transparent drinking straw, scotch tape, a Styrofoam cup, or a paper clip – Donovan experiments with assembling it in different ways. Sensitive to the specific needs of her materials and the nature of her exhibit spaces, her installations are often arranged in ways reminiscent of geological or biological forms.

Pencils!!

Thank you to....

Eve. A fabulous 2nd grade artist who inspired this grade level project when she recently 
shared a Tara Donovan inspired project with me that she created at The Met.


START COLLECTING NOW- you have a little over one month!


Due Dates by Homeroom Teacher:
2 Dippery: Monday, 1/9/2011
2 Drake: Thursday, 1/12/2011
2 McCarty: Friday, 1/13/2011
2 Booz: Wednesday, 1/11/2011

Iron Pour

Last week I posted that Grounds for Sculpture was having an Iron Pour. It was incredible!
Witnessing sculptors of heavy duty and industrial materials work is amazing and I have a tremendous amount of respect for these sculptors.
Think about it... melted metals like iron being poured to create incredibly large and/or intricately small works.


Leading the pour was local Sculptor Rory Mahon. See the pictures below of the funace, the molten hot iron being poured into molds and other images. In the museum building @ GFS, Rory and others have iron work on display along with some sketches I really loved of Steve Tobins' Aerial Roots.

Steve Tobin working on a roots sculpture

Coal to heat furnace

furnace... boy does it get hot!

Rory's wife, Ayami Aoyama who sculpts from stone like heavy duty granite was also there along with a whole gang of incredible sculptors. A fantastic day.

Liquid iron being poured into mold

The scratch molds. Nice designs!

Rory Mahon, Sculptor.
Look @ all of his protective clothing!

LOVE this Sumi-E sketch by Tobin

My Tots on Tour group checking out Aerial Roots

Random, un-assembled sculpture on Johnson Atelier property. Large sculptures are created in pieces that join together. Makes transporting and creating them easier

THIS SATURDAY Nov. 5th!!!!

An AMAZING opportunity to watch a LIVE IRON POUR!

See below and hope to see you there!