2nd-5th grade artists have been working on some exciting new projects since the lantern parade! Here is what we are doing in each grade:
2nd graders have started a self portrait unit. We started by looking at different examples of self portraits, and we discussed their similarities and differences. We also talked about how the artists' representations of themselves revealed their personalities as well as their physical characteristics.
The students have also been exploring how to draw self portraits in their sketchbooks using a mirror. This week we looked more deeply at Frida Kahlo's self portraits and discussed her use of symbolism and imaginative imagery, and now the students are adding symbols to their self portraits and experimenting with different ways of representing themselves!
3rd graders have been learning about Alebrijes (spirit animal sculptures from Mexico). They were invented in 1936 by the artist Pedro Linares, who had fallen ill and had vivid dreams of colorful mythical creatures. When he recovered, Linares began to make papier mache versions of these creatures and held workshops so other artists could make them as well. They are now a significant part of the arts in Mexico, primarily the Oaxaca region.
The 3rd graders have been designing their own Alebrijes by combining the physical characteristics of animals that represent different parts of their personality. We are now starting our sculptures of these Alebrijes using newspaper, aluminum foil, and masking tape. Next week we will use Art Paste (gluten-free and nontoxic) to attach strips of newspaper to the surface for a paper mache effect. They are looking great so far!
In 4th grade, we watched a video about a group of contemporary Native American artists whose work, while inspired by their heritage, seeks to move beyond the stereotypical view of Native American art and culture. We had really great discussions of what we assume about Native American art versus the kinds of art we saw in the video. We also talked about ways in which contemporary artists can be inspired by their cultural heritage in different ways, utilizing different media, techniques, and subject matter.
The students have begun researching their own cultural heritage (including but not limited to: ancestors, religion, family or cultural history, forms of art made by traditional or contemporary artists from their culture, current events from their countries of origin, symbolism, etc.) and will create a work of art inspired by what they discover. This is a very open-ended project, so you may get (or may have already gotten) seemingly random questions about your family's heritage or history! The students will be creating an artwork or series of artworks based on what they are most passionate about in terms of their heritage, so I am really looking forward to seeing them come together soon!5th graders looked at two images portraying Native Americans and discussed the idea of power as it related to each of the images. We had a really rich conversation about how prevalent certain stereotypes are and how they are still present in popular culture and the media (represented in the first image). The students discussed how the second image felt less stereotypical and represented a Native American subject in a more powerful light.
Jolene Yazzie is the artist who created the second image, which is actually a comic character inspired by her mother, who fought for women's rights. We talked about how we can create our own comic book characters inspired by everyday or unlikely heroes, and the students are working on designing and developing their characters. They are looking great so far!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions about our projects! You can reach me at still@theglobeacademy.net. Keep checking this page for more updates in the coming weeks!
