Summer Mumble: 12 Most Striking Tendencies of Creative People

I got a laugh reading this list of tendencies as I checked off each and every one (except rules, I do enjoy and appreciate some rules)

Click here for an easier read and full list

Random Summer Mumble: Art Teacher Individuality

It's finally July and we have been out of school for a week. As my mind decompresses from a very busy year, I find myself thinking about the many different types of art teachers that I meet and how each of us can be so different. Kind of like the actual subject of art... so vast.

 I know that part of my love for art is how wide of a subject it is. Exploring the subject and getting into the creation of art never gets old for me. Ever since I was a child, I have always enjoyed making things.

In such a wide open subject, I am definitely branded. The wonderful art teachers in my school district all seem to have an area that speaks to them individually. My area, my brand, that I hold close and that seems to speak to me individually is my love of green art, mosaics, collaborative art projects and large scale installations, especially those that have community service aspects tied in. These four areas seem to be my veins in my teaching and in my personal exploration so much of the time. It's what I love and what I share that so far has been uniquely mine.

As an artist/educator, it can be tough to have a unique interest but I find that the dozens of art teachers that I have met and worked with all have separate, individual interests. I respect and admire that. I wonder if musicians have similar feelings.

So as I reflect on the 2012-13 school year and think about 2013-14, I am excited to keep exploring my brand since it never, ever gets old.
I am looking forward to sharing with my students a new piece of green art that I started working on last month utilizing recyclables (of course). Since I started working with recyclables many years ago, I have found that I enjoy the struggle of the materials. I enjoy hunting for what I need and the cumbersome nature and high maintenance side to re-purposing throwaways. 
So, this summer, I will be resting, but I will continue to pursue my interests. What areas of art are you especially inclined towards? Do share!!

Summer Art Challenges!

Summer is almost here! 

Over the break, try out one of the challenges below!!

I will post the pics you email me from the building challenge on this blog so that you can see the cool structures invented!

Please click here to print

Evening of Arts: Thursday, June 13, 2013

Art! Music! Food! 

Free Raffle for kids!

Bear Tavern families, stop over for our Evening of Arts on Thursday between 6:00 and 8:00 pm

Weekend Art: Join me at the TCNJ Opening Reception for Art, Innovation and Ideas!

Opening Reception: Sunday, June 2, 2013 1:00-3:00pm

I am beyond honored to have art work from Bear Tavern in this highly selective exhibit.
Click Here for direct site

Weekend Art: Join Me today at Grounds for Sculpture!

Come on over to the GFS where I will be teaching a family workshop for the annual anniversary party! It's hot outside but the workshop is indoors. Lots of fun stuff going on! I hope to see you there!!

Anniversary Arts Party
Sat., June 1st from 11am - 5pm

Rain or shine!It's time to party and you're invited... It's Grounds For Sculpture's birthday! Come for the kids workshops. Meet working artists and tour the park with them. There will be musical performances throughout the day, free ice cream and cake (supplies are limited), and of course - everyone's favorite - the Peacock Calling Contest! Don't miss this annual blow-out!

For the most current Activity List for this event, please CLICK HERE.

Price: Free with park admission.

GFS website: please CLICK HERE

Interactive Multi Media Mural

Talk about a beast of a project! The Interactive Multi Media mural is nearing completion.
The mural will have 4 iPads load with student created digital books uploaded into them. My part was to create the display for these iPads. Here is part of the IMM mural team (my Principal, the media specialists and choral music teachers, Sam Berk and Ashley Garguilo TCNJ Art Students are not present)
There is a lot more to add to the display but we are glad to have things moving along towards our May 31 unveiling :-)

L-R: Teresa Nakra (TCNJ), Donna Costanzo(BT), John Kuiphoff(TCNJ), me, Ken, Neville, Ron (HVRSD Facilities)

My Special Visitor's...for the Third Time :-)

The art room was graced with the presence of the kindergarten classes today. Since I only teach 1-5 grade, I like to meet the KG students at least once before they are in first grade. Today they came to the art room to complete a painting project that also involved printmaking.

What a joy. The KG students have been to the art room two other times this year for projects. 

The paintings were based on Monet's Poppy Hill.

I really loved having the kids in the room and seeing the younger siblings of my 1-5 graders. Some of the faces are close to identical!

Grade 1: For the Love of Nevelson

Every artist has a process that they go through to create art and materials that they are drawn to. My process, unfortunately, deals with collecting, using difficult materials, bulk and committing my studio environment to the materials in the art making process. Anyone that knows me well knows that I love green art and recyclables, installation art and have a passion for mosaics. 

Codeword=mess.

So I was grumbling to myself as I took out these bulky materials to let my 1st graders dig through and explore to create a found objects sculpture after we discussed Louise Nevelson's work. I knew as I pulled all of these assorted supplies out that they had the potential to end up all over the place and unsorted but that it was all for the love of Nevelson (and a deeper love for my students).

See exhibit A. 

Exhibit A: Messy table

Louise Nevelson is one of my favorite female artists and one of my very favorite sculptors. I love her use of found objects and the use of monochromatic color. The first art lesson that I ever saw taught on Nevelson was by Donna Cariola, art teacher extraordinaire at our local middle school. She teaches her lesson using a shoebox that the kids build in. Makes sense. Nevelson's sculptures tend to be built inside of square and rectangular structures.

 See exhibit B and C

Exhibit B

Exhibit C... love, love, love.

I wanted to capture just a little of Nevelson without using too much of Mrs. Cariola's project so I decided to have the kids search for objects, mostly all wooden and build with those objects on a piece of small cardboard. Here we are after about 35 minutes of building. The kids had a lot of fun. Next week they will continue to add pieces and then they will select a single color to paint their work. Check back next weekend for results. You will be amazed at how much more the kids add and how a single color unifies the piece.

And the first grade cell phones. 

 A few kids managed to sneak in these cell phones. Little flip phones. My gosh, they were so excited by this simple paper with the little numbers they added to them. 

When I was in 1st grade cell phones didn't even exist. When I was in high school they were just being introduced. Well, as long as they are happy creating!

Art, Innovation and Ideas!

Sunday, June 2, 2013 1:00-3:00pm (this is the new time) is the opening for this new exhibit at TCNJ that two lessons/student work that I submitted will be featured in. So honored to be apart of this. Click here for the direct link 

Artist FAITH RINGOLD will be there!

Grade 4: Annual Grounds for Sculpture Trip

We had a great time this week visiting Grounds for Sculpture for our annual trip. Below are pictures from my trip with Mrs. Miller's class. My other two 4th grade groups will go in a few weeks.

Teacher Appreciation Week: She Made My Day

My students frequently draw me things and I am always touched by this. It's Teacher Appreciation week and I was especially grateful to receive this special note and drawing from a 3rd grader named Lily. She just finished doing a fantastic job on a complicated project. At the start of the period, she did not agree with my compliment of how she rendered the background in her painting. She went back and made adjustments to her liking and was really happy with her results. Perhaps just talking about the background was the support she needed to change it to her liking? I don't know but I was very happy to receive such a thoughtful note from her.

Grouting Rockstars and the Mosaic is Finished!

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE PARENTS WHO CAME OUT YESTERDAY MORNING AND GROUTED THE MOSAIC PANELS. THE 50th ANNIVERSARY MOSAIC IS NOW COMPLETE!!!

I HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL TIME GROUTING, I SURE DID!!

A HUGE THANK YOU TO JESSICA FOR BEING THE AMAZING ARTIST THAT SHE IS! WHAT A JOY!

GROUTING PROS

Each of the five panels has a timeline feel. The middle band of the timeline carries information that pertains to Bear Tavern.... activities, events, all of the wonderful things unique to our school over 50 years!

1960's panel

1970's panel

1980's panel

1990's panel

2000s panel

5 panels

TEAM ROCKSTAR

Grade 5 Art Enrichment

My Art Enrichment class has been working hard all year...coming in before the normal school day for an extra period of art.
I gave them a few weeks to explore a free choice project. They are not quite done but here are a few of their works in progress

Jacquelene

Kelly

Sophie

Natalia

Justin L.

Grade 5: Firebird

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) asked the art and music teachers to participate in a contest this year to design program art for their production of Stravinsky's famous Firebird.

The 5th graders listened to the Firebird Suite during Art and I read them Jane Yolen's book "Firebird". Hey, even 5th graders can set aside 10 minutes for story time!! They also had a lesson presented on Stavinsky's music during music with Mrs. Dominick. The resulting drawings, inspired by the music and story were quite beautiful. 

The PSO received well over 100 entries of art for this contest from elementary schools in HV, Princeton and Trenton. They selected 20 or so finalists of which Paige T. and Zuhayrah S. of Bear Tavern were chosen. Their work was hung at JaZam's in Princeton last month.

Of the 20 wonderful selections, 4 were chosen to be published in the PSO program for Firebird. I am honored to say that Zuhayrah's was chosen and is shining beautifully with other winning entries from area schools. See below:

Front cover. Princeton Schools. How beautiful

Zuhayrah on page 2!

Students from Princeton and Trenton. Really nice job

Zuhayrah S.

Paige T.

Entries from BT. 

2013 Doodle 4 Google

You'll never win if you do not try. No finalists this year for the annual Doodle for Google contest but I still think my kids are awesome. 

Below are a few of the BT entries and information on how to vote for the finalists selected.

It's fun to view and vote for other students and imagine how glad they must feel to have been chosen this year.

View and vote for others by clicking HERE

You have until May 11.

My 3rd grade daughter's entry