Yarn Bombing at GLOBE December 16-20!!

The end of the semester is coming soon, and what better way to end it than with a bang?

Next week (starting December 9) all grades will begin our final art project inspired by Yarn Bombing! Yarn bombing is a form of guerrilla art (or "street art") that involves the artist leaving some sort of fiber art (knitting, crochet, weaving, etc.) in a public place. It is suspected to have originated in Texas in 2005, when a group of fiber artists used knitting scraps to decorate their city. While other forms of guerrilla art sometimes incorporate messages that call for political/social change, yarn bombing is often used as a colorful way for artists to beautify spaces in their community that are bare, sterile, and/or unsightly. Since its beginnings in 2005, yarn bombing has spread worldwide, and it has even been done here in Atlanta! 

Here are some examples of some amazing yarn bombings:

Next week, in all grades, we will be learning a simple  finger weaving technique. We will create finger weavings in class that will be used to Yarn Bomb GLOBE on the week of  December 16-20!! These finger weavings will be dedicated to a teacher or staff member at GLOBE whom your child loves and appreciates, so these will serve almost as "thank-you's." I really want this project to give us an opportunity to create a ton of positive vibes before holiday break, so here's how you can help:

1. I would love some yarn donations in the next few weeks! If you have any extra lying around at home, this would be a great time to use it!

2. Create a finger-weaving (or many!) at home with your child (here is the tutorial) to dedicate to a special teacher or staff member at GLOBE whom you want to show appreciation for! I would suggest writing a note and hole-punching it, then stinging the finger weaving through. This could also be a great way to distribute holiday cards to your child's teacher! (And if you have special knitting or crocheting skills, you could even create small gestures of appreciation, such as pins, scarves, etc.)

3. Bring your yarn pieces to school during the week of December 16-20 for our Yarn Bombing event!! Decorate the front office, your homeroom teacher's door, etc. with your lovely yarn creations. I will request that our teachers and custodial staff leave the yarn bombings up throughout the week so I can document the transformation. 

Let's make this school explode with positive energy and appreciation in time for the holidays! Please let me know if you have any questions!

Current Projects

Hi, families!

What a busy week it has been at GLOBE! We have been continuing our projects started two weeks ago, and here are some updates!

Last week in Kindergarten, we looked at The Birthday by Marc Chagall. This is one of my favorite paintings because it shows so much emotion! We talked about how Chagall painted this artwork after his wife surprised him on his birthday with flowers, and how we was so happy and in love that he felt as if he was floating. The kids then drew their own happy memories using black oil pastels, and this week we started painting over these drawings using watercolors! These are looking amazing so far!

In 1st Grade, the students finished up a weaving project that we started last week, in which we wove strips of paper together that we had previously painted. This week, we talked about how artists use symbols to communicate an idea. Then we thought of symbols we could use to represent what we are thankful for. This was a long project, and you can tell how much work they put into it!

This student was thankful for Mr. Sanders :)

The 2nd Grade artists have been hard at work as well! Last week, we discussed the art of Jerry Pinkney, an artist/illustrator whose work is currently being shown at the High Museum. We looked at a few of the book covers he has designed and talked about why book covers are important. Now, the students are working on designing brand-new book covers for their favorite stories! After some careful planning in their sketchbooks, these illustrators are off to a great start! Pictures to come!

The 3rd Graders have started a big Guerrilla Art unit and are working on investigating current issues that are important to them. They brought in research with facts, and after sharing our research, we talked about how we can use posters to inform people about these important issues. The final posters will include a fact about their issue, as well as a possible solution to the problem. Here are some images of the artists in the planning stages of the process.

Look for upcoming posts featuring updates about grade-specific projects!

3rd Grade Updates - Guerrilla Girls Q&A December 12 at 11AM!!!

Hello 3rd Grade Families!

This Guerrilla Art unit is off to a great start, and I want to give you all a few updates about how we will move forward with these projects in the next few weeks. Last week, the students were asked to bring in research about their topic of interest that included facts about their issue and images, which were optional. In class, we shared our research topics and started planning our poster designs.

I was so pleased to see such a wide range of research topics - everything from global warming to bullying to animal rights! I will post pictures next week as the students are finishing their posters.

I also want to share with you all some INCREDIBLE news that really speaks to the work that your children are doing. A few weeks ago, I decided to send an email to the Guerrilla Girls to tell them all about the 3rd grade project and gush about how interested the students were becoming in these huge issues. (I have never written an email to such well-known artists, but I figured, "Why not?"). I invited them to visit the school, just in case they were planning on visiting Atlanta in the near future.

Then something wonderful happened... the Guerrilla Girls responded! They won't be able to come visit the school, but they do want to do a Skype Q&A with our 3rd graders!!! This will take place on Thursday, December 12th at 11AM (during Art for Ms. Morgan's class). I would like as many 3rd graders to attend this as possible, so I will write to the 3rd grade teachers and other specials teachers to inform them of this amazing opportunity. I will send a letter home this week with more information, but I would love to have a few parent volunteers to videotape and take photos of this event! Please email me at sgill@theglobeacademy.net if you are interested!

Thank you, Rhame Family Foundation!!!!

Thanks to The Rhame Family Foundation, we now have a full class set of 22 outdoor easels! A few weeks ago, my 2nd graders got to do some outdoor painting with the easels, and we had so much fun! I have re-posted the pictures below, as well as some of the lovely thank-you notes the students wrote to express their appreciation for this amazing gift. I am so grateful for the support of The Rhame Family Foundation; this donation will give our students a chance to make outdoor art for many years to come!

As you can see, the kids are just as excited about the easels as I am! Here are just a few of our thank-you letters:

Upcoming Projects: 3rd Grade Posters inspired by the Guerrilla Girls

Hello, 3rd grade parents!

This week will mark the beginning of an exciting unit about guerrilla art! Guerrilla art, also known as "street art," involves the artist leaving his or her art work in public places. This unit will focus on the ways in which contemporary artists interact with their communities through various art forms.

The first lesson in this unit will focus on the ways in which artists use text-based art to incite social change. We will look at the art of the Guerrilla Girls, a group of contemporary women artists who are famous for their posters that critique the lack of diversity in the art world. In 1985, the Guerrilla Girls began putting posters up around New York City that called attention to the fact that very few women artists and artists of color were being represented by museums and galleries. For those of you who are familiar with their art, you probably know that they can be quite controversial (here is the official GG website) - however, I will only be showing the students a selected number of images, included below:

From this discussion, students will think of a local, nationwide, or worldwide issue that is important to them and create a poster that calls attention to this issue and offers a solution. They will need to do research this week and bring their information to next week's art class (Nov. 18 - Nov. 22)! 

I can't wait to hear your artists' ideas and see their final products! As always, please let me know if you have any questions!

Learning about Diwali: the Festival of Lights

Happy Sunday!

I hope you all have had a restful long weekend! You may have noticed your artists coming home last week with brightly painted clay pots and candles, and even though I'm positive that they told you all about them and their significance, I thought I would explain them in a bit more detail.

This week, our students at GLOBE learned about Diwali, a 5-day Hindu festival also known as the Festival of Lights. The students had lots of fun discussing the traditions of Diwali (good food, gathering with family and friends, and fireworks!) and comparing it to their favorite holidays. They also painted their own clay lamps called diyas, which are lit during the celebration. Thanks so much to the families who purchased these diyas for the school and shared their information and resources; this was definitely a rich and fun learning experience for everyone!

Here are some of the final products!

Look at those details!

Click here if you want to learn more about Diwali!