Beauty In Our World

Central Idea:  Artists Can Help Us Find Beauty In Our World

We all find certain things or places beautiful. Whether the place has a home in our imagination or in our reality.
 Have you ever been to a place that you connected with? Somehow it probably touched your senses.  You felt something inside.  For me it was my grandma's house.  I don't know if you can "carefully" look, but I remember looking carefully at the trinkets on her dresser...a little brass bell, an ornate hand mirror, a little black box.  I still think of it often.  As humans we can all connect to places and find them beautiful for whatever reasons feel right at that moment . After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say.   If we choose to, as artists, we can  respond in personal and creative ways.  These are some of the responses to beauty in our world, from Kinder through 5th grade. That's the thing about exploring "big ideas",  it doesn't matter whether you're 6, 16,  or 96, they are a part of that which we call Home.

(Scroll a bit to watch a video of the kids in class!)

Harshini, The Playground

Esther, Kindergarten, The Water-park

Malia, Hawaii

Jude, Kindergarten, My House 

Lauren, Kindergarten, Party City

Julian, Kindergarten The Pool

What Do You See? Imagination With Ink Blots

Ink Blots

Pouring a bit of black ink onto a paper, blowing and seeing what it could be.  Kindergarten, First, and 5th grade tried this challenge.  I noticed the K-1 students were so open to the ink's suggestion of possibilities where as 5th grade found it much harder to see at first.  Although after completing 2 or so they found it much easier. They just had to let go and release what they were accustomed to seeing to find what was right in front of them the whole time.  Interesting... this is one reason why I believe we need to be part of a creative process everyday. What will you see today? What will you create today?

Julissa, Kindergarten

Abihga, Grade One
Me and My Mom Dancing

Ashley, grade 5

Grade One Artwork

Isabella, Grade One

Grade One Artwork

Melanie, Grade One

Alex, Grade One

Name Design

Central Idea:

Artists Can Use Color To Communicate Ideas and Feelings

For the Name Design project the students wrote the letters of their name and the year

they were born in any style they chose. If color could be used to represent a characteristic about themselves, what color would that characteristic be?

I chose yellow to represent the part of me that is shy.  I'm shy when there are new people in my class.  I chose green for the part of me that loves nature, when I'm outside I can explore organisms. Pink is for happiness, like when I'm hanging out with my family and friends.
Grecia

Red represents the part of me that is competitive.  Turquoise is for swimming and green for nature.
Luis

Blue represents a part of me that is a marine life lover.  When I grow up I will be a marine biologist.  Purple is for girly, I love perfume and going shopping.  Magenta stands for creative, I like to think outside the box.
Robin

Fiber Arts: Applique, Stitching and Values

Central Idea: Artists Can Show What They Value Through The Art They Create

Inquiry Into:

• Fiber Arts
• Traditions and Values
• Unity and Variety In Art

This piece is by Kamryn,  his artwork is about Hope

This piece is by Joselin, she would like to start a tradition called Rose Day.  She feels taking care of nature is important.

This piece is by Sofia, she values laughter.

by Jose



by Valerie, she values worship

This piece is by Myar.  She would like to start a tradition where on the new year, her family
goes outside and makes wishes on the moon.  She would call her tradition Dark Shine.

Working With Paper Pulp

There is something wonderful and rewarding about feeling paper pulp in your hands, the water squeezing though your fingers,  feeling the fibers...and then making a form.  

Here we've used paper pulp to make artistic bowls.  We blended torn paper with water in a household blender and used bowls lined with saran wrap for the molds.  The color is purely from the paper,  paint was not added.  The students enjoyed mixing various kinds and colors of paper to come up with unique colors and textures.

(6th-8th grade artwork)

view from top

underside

the student added glitter to the pulp for this piece

the texture is soooooooo beautiful