Improvising at Lee: a-last-day-of-school anti-craft!

We unexpectedly had to work in a new space our last day before break. It was a classroom of desks with little space for supplies. Schedules were off because of a fabulous, gifty- celebration for the kids before they left on vacation - so printmaking was definitely out. Thankfully, the afterschool program had a bunch of "crafty" materials (pipecleaners, glitter glue, foam shapes, beads, buttons, wikistix) that were beautifully organized by artists a few weeks earlier. So I set up a "buffet" of as much stuff that could be used somehow for a hanging ornament. I am THRILLED that this group didn't bat an eyelash when I said, "use the materials however you want. See if you can have an idea no one else has had. If you want to, use a hole punch so that what you make can be hung up, on a tree, or a window, or whatever. Also, a starting point might be cutting a shape from this thick paper." I had a stash of "mirror sticker sheets" and created a bunch of sheets of cardstock with a shiny side for them to use. They made the coolest, strangest stuff. Again, a sign of success. 

I'm sure some of the parents were looking at these off the wall objects, wishing for a candy-cane shaped ornament or a snowman card. If so, I appreciate the patience. Please, when you see these things, or when kids have nothing at all to show from "art class" - it's because they are learning to be creative. They are learning to experiment, to problem solve, to be courageous, to focus, to think for themselves, to think "out of the box", to recognize and appreciate their uniqueness, to imagine, to deal with failure, and define success for themselves. They are learning to find joy in what they do, besides doing things for the approval of others. This program aims to nurture parts of a child's self that doesn't get much space to grow in a packed school day. 

                                                                                                                   I hope you will support our work, and your young artist, by asking them questions that show you are interested in them as a one-of-a-kind creative genius! What are they doing? What materials are they using? What's their favorite? Why? What do they find difficult? Having a quick conversation like that with a child can have a HUGE impact - I get to see that myself every week, and I hope you do too!

Printmaking at Holmes!

 

Today at the achieve after school, we learned printmaking and made our own designs for Christmas cards. Also we did have lots of fun. My name is Fransico.

My name is Devontae. To make a print,you have to get a tray.Then,you have to create a design. Next,you have to paint your design. Then,get a paper,fold it up and stick it on your design for 20 seconds.Pull it off very slowly.Soon when you pull it off ,you have made a printmaking design!

                                                              

"Me" Posters at Lee

My name is Aria. I made a big poster in art. I drew a creative picture. You should sit with people you're comfortable that you don't fight with, to get more done and have fun doing your art.

It's been really cool to see  Lee students feel focused, inspired, and confident enough about their ideas to approach me after finishing and ask if they can do something artistic that has nothing to do with the project of the day. "Ms. Bridget, do you have any construction paper? Can I use a ruler? Is this a design?" I love it and it's a marker of success in my eyes.

 

The blue guy to the right illustrates another process-breakthrough. This artist was SO proud of his work. "Check your spelling there. 'Awesome" is a tricky one." (Lesson learned - when someone suggests you write your word on another piece of paper to copy from, she's talking from experience!) A typical exchange: "OH MAN.... what can I do?" "Work with it. This is where creativity saves the day." Just as proud as the first time around, the poster comes back with a higher-contrast color right over the blue mess up. Yes, you are awesome.

What great messages someone is offering these artists. "I am beautiful just the way I am, I love myself, I am Yo Soy Latino, I'm unique"...

Making a Poster

 

 
 


Hi my name is marques. i did a poster. i used high lighter yellow and orange pink light purple and baby blue on construction paper. i said "i'm c.............curious." see you later

After a couple of months getting to know ourselves as artists, unique individuals, and as students, we put our new Construction Paper Crayons to use on big black paper to create "Me Posters". Drawing and writing on a large scale, lettering, contrast, readability, composition, and working with mistakes were the challenges of the day. When kids finished quickly I walked across the room with their poster and asked if they needed to make any changes for it to be visible when hanging at a distance. The solutions were impressive and enthusiasm for working with mistakes is catching on... for some!

the day we colored

my name is mason.
i am seven years old.
i like to paint and use markers and crayons.

Today we used markers, crayons and construction paper. We got new construction paper crayons and they were awesome. We could use these crayons on construction paper and blue crayons worked in blue paper! We collected are old work for our journals and put them in our journals.


dec.5/2011

Lee Kids work on their art journals...

The bloggers.

Today in art we decorated our notebooks and Ms. Brigit let us glue and paste our old work into our notebook as well and she let us bring them home to work on over the weekend and we had fun. -Antonio

Today I learned to just express myself in art by being myself and to not be anyone else and I also got to make my own bio. A bio is like when you learn about someone. - Nailah

 Everyone used the little squares of origami paper in unique ways! Success!

Checking out the goods for the "creative challenges" on the materials table.  

Jean is going to write about her concept for this self-portrait.

"Remember when I said I didn't like it? I just kept going and now I love it."

"Today we drew in the journals and had a good time. We all worked so hard on it. I hope you like our work we love what we all do. Sometimes we don't know what to do so we just draw. It's fun to do drawings of different kinds of things. I wish you can be here and see what we have." (Author, unknown)

todays art class (holmes)

Today in art we were messing around.Also we still got work done. So we had a hard time at art in the first place,but it was fun.Well at least we still had fun and did beautiful art work.We worked on our portfolios. Some of us did our own, some of us copied each other.This is James and Devontae!

The artists are getting more comfortable diving in when they are given little instruction.
 (They still ask permission a few times to make sure - "Can I write my name? I can draw anything? ANYTHING?")

We put the self-portrait photos in adhesive-backed CD-sleeves, so they'd
stay protected and could be placed anywhere in the book. 

Kids at both Lee and Holmes love to write!
(The gel pens and black paper don't hurt!)

I think we have Color Theory down!

Christopher's new mohawk, birds-eye view.

Get working with art

My name is Taria.I am 9 years old.I go to the holmes school.Today we did water colors and crayons.It was really fun.We got to mix colors with water and on the paper and it turned lighter.It was really cool.I got enspiered and I covered the whole paper with different kind of colors.First I drew over the paper. Then I got paint and then I covered the whole paper with it. Last, the water color was all over the crayon. I hope you like my blog, I hope you read the blog every day, and thank you.

Hi my name is malik and my name Shanyce and we learned how to make primary colors the primary colors are :red ,blue ,and,yellow.We also learned how to mix different colors to make different colors.We used water colors and we did a wash over the crayons.We are looking forward to  painting animals and making spirals!

Watercolors at Holmes...continued...

hi my name is tassyann and i am seven years old. My favorite way to make art is painting. Today in class we mixed colors.We used water colors to make colors and paintings. Then we used crayons and then painted over them. We used dark watercolors over light crayons and it made cool colors
Now were going home. BYE!

Watercolors at Holmes...

Hello, my name is Dyliane and I am 5 years old.  I am in the Power Rangers.  I like to play with my friends with blocks.  I like to paint and clean the tables after.  Today we were painting and then we were tracing.  We were coloring with the paint on the white crayon.  The paint turned the white into a girafe and into squares.  We used crayons and paint brushes and water colors to paint.  Drawing the squares was the easiest.  I liked using the water colors.  My favorite part was when we were painting.  Thank you for reading my blog post.

merle the cutey and pretty love

  My name is Merle. I'm nine years old. I'm in 4th grade,  ms. costa's class. What I did in art class today is we needed to make a kind of green and I'm trying to make a kind of purple. When i was painting i was hearing classical music and i was making new colors  and it was  cool.  What i was doing in art class was i did a painting of a heart and tried to make a devil's house but i didnt have time  but i  had lots of fun with ms bridget.                                                                                                                                
thank you bye love merle
                                                                                                          

The Artist

Hi my name is Briana. Today in art we mixed paint in a palette. When i mixed blue and yellow it made green me and ms. courtney made orange. I like primary colors. When i mixed red and yellow it made pink and that is my favorite color and ms. brigette is a nice girl. i like art so much. bye art teacher, good night.

Power Rangers say hello....

My name is Chandler.  I like to sing.  I am 6 years old.  Our group is called the Power Rangers.  I am an artist.  Today we mixed up colors.  We got to make a picture.  We had red, blue, and yellow.  I mixed the colors to purple by mixing everything.  It was fun.  My friends were sharing the paints.  I got to do another picture.  It was a sunny day and a rainy day.  I used blue, red, and yellow to make every color I needed.  My friends painted a beautiful picture, too.  I was good in class.  I liked that we got to mix colors.  I liked everybody's picture.  Thank you for reading my blog post!

HI my name is Francisco and my partner is Renee so today we discoverd how to make diffrent color it really fun.We also used primary colors to make new colors.

Lee artists breakthrough with watercolors...

Hi my name is Luis and we were painting whatever we wanted on thick paper. Miss Bridget said don't draw but experience the paint like mixing the colors together to make new colors.

Hi my name is Antonio and today in art we painted whatever we want. I did a car and I cropped it down to a tiny picture. The way I was able to do it was from learning about composition last time. We did the artwork on thick paper for the paint. We had lots of fun in our class of art with Ms. Bridget!

Never under estimate the difference a space makes. I finally figured out a workable, comfortable set-up of the collection of tables and chairs in our room in the Lee School, cleaned up, bought some "fancy" colored rags, sponges, and magnets for drying/display... and we have a CD player (thanks Ms. Laurie!). Today we painted to Keith Jarrett. Students at both schools are digging that and remark on their own how much better art class is "now that we get focused".  Kids came a long way creatively,  in just 20 minutes - starting out with 8 versions of the same painting, to the last image in the video - two kids at the same table, with paintings that show entirely different styles. That's a big deal!  You also hear and see the deliberate choices artists made about either working alone or socially.  (In the first group, you could hear a pin drop for most of the session!) Lots of smiles, hugs, praise for each other's work, and high fives this week.  Can't wait for next week!

More Paint Mixing at Holmes..

Shanice - 9. Art is fun. Today for art we had primary colors and used the primary colors to make a different color, and then made another color, and put it on the paper. I used red and yellow and I used red and blue and yellow and blue. I had orange and purple. The red kind of turned pink when it was dry.
My name is Giovana and today we did color theory. We painted stuff that was unique like what I drew was an apple but anyway what's more important is we had fun.
Thanks to Ms. Burch who let us use her beautiful classroom! It is a wonderful space. There's even a special carpeted area where we can circle up, and where students can excuse themselves to when they need to pull themselves together. I'm so proud of the students, building self-awareness of what works for them. Several have excused themselves for a few minutes to do what they have to do in order to keep the room as peaceful as they like it to be for art time! 

Video: First-time Painters at Lee Academy

This is a group of lovable, sharp, and kind Kindergarteners I visit on Wednesdays. While my approach to introducing fun materials like paint in a "precious" way may seem like a bit of a drag, see for yourself: it honors and builds on the magical nature ascribed to MOST things by this amazing age group. It also sets care-full and mindful habits with these special materials that last -  enriching every encounter with paint afterwards. Just check out these artists after completing one round of turn-taking with the paint. 

I love the peer-teaching when a renegade painter is the first to veer from the pattern! I think letting the kids problem solve together like that is a great way for them to learn, while developing social skills. Many children who feel respected will self-regulate more than one might think, when given chance - this group is truly ahead of the curve in that regard. 

 (...Add yet another made-up art-time song to my repertoire...hey, whatever works!)

Check In with the "Rockstars and Divas" at Holmes

MAKAI  B: I’m 8 years  old I like  to  draw.

DESTIN:

I am 8 years old and I like drawing. Today the first thing we did was talk about color theory. We got our colors and water ready. We needed blue red and yellow and those are the primary colors. Then we started making all new colors! We started making new colors like orange, purple, dark red, and we made a new color called black flamingo! Then we made a color wheel for our class. Then we cleaned up and went home! BYE      THE END

Today our "art studio" had some lighting problems and went dark... but there's no putting off PAINT! So our second group managed to get down to work on the floor of the hallway - I'm so proud that they pulled that off. This was several kids' first time using this kind of paint - at age 7. Yes, we will be doing lots more! And now... a tutorial.

The Blue Ninjas at Holmes check-in...

Hi we’re Naya and Julie we are in the 4 and 5 grade and we’re 9 and 11 years old and we are both very creative in our own ways. First we went over the pictures from last week and how they are going home today. We also filled out our poems about what we see, hear, want and wonder. Then we decorated them all over to give it that special touch. Then we received our photos and they came out very nice and beautiful.  Our experience from today - we’re awesome because we learned new things and we got  to learn more about the people in our group.

Moving on to the Next Project with "the Sharks" at Holmes School.

Hey my name is Kianna. I am 8 years old and I'm in 3rd grade. I like to just draw what comes in my head. I am a good artist. We made a poem and a journal. We used markers, color pencil and crayons to write what you want and listen to your surroundings and your crowds and to think of your own ideas. Think with your own brain! Thank you for reading or just leave us a comment. See you next time with the Sharks, bye!
S'up my name is Taria (also the Mighty Sharks). I am in third grade and I am 9 years old. I like to be creative. I am an artist. We started our own journals with markers colored pencils and crayons.
Something I'd like to teach you is to make something new like if you mess up on a straight line make it into something new. Thank you for reading our blog and keep reading it every night and leave us a comment please. See you next time, bye.
This week the artists got their photographs - one copy to take home, and one to put in their new journal. Some of them have not yet seen the blog, but as you can see, are still excited about being chosen to write the post. Those that saw it last night were excited and intrigued to see the Lee students sharing their experiences. Needless to say, the slideshow caused probably the biggest commotion ever in their library (where the computers are).
Today I turned the lights off (lots of sunlight in the room we use), passed out some blankets and clipboards for those who prefer to work on the floor or off by themselves (as disclosed in their Artist's Bio), and played some Keith Jarrett on a borrowed CD player. Artists used a template to write an "I am" poem. We talked a little bit about repetition and using as few words as possible, and about what "literally" actually means. I'm going to propose we combine our words into one big piece. The kids have really hung in there through the non-messy stuff... I think we're finally ready to bust out the big paper and paint, now that I've got things (the space, timing, kids) a bit figured out! - Bridget

10/26/11... a new group at Lee Elementary.

(By Devon, age 7.)
Hello this is my life in art afterschool. Ms. Brigit printed us a blog. Today is our first day in art class. We made portraits. We all took a picture of ourselves. We used the screen to see where we were. If you want to  make a portrait you have to not use any words just the picture.
We also learned when we make mistakes we can fix it or not be mad. I think you should try drawing on the back. When you're done, paint it! Sculpt it! See what it is! If it's a big mistake don't just take it apart just keep working on it!
I'm looking forward to drawing dinosaurs.

Devon.

This week the artists used photography to make self portraits. We looked at some books with portraits and talked about a few of the choices the artist makes: Composition, Pose, Expression, and Gaze. Each student had a turn setting up their own shot of themselves using the LED viewing screen on the camera, facing them. They could ask the Materials Specialist of the day to assist them with a background if they wanted one (I brought in a white sheet and a black furry cloth). They told me where in the room they wanted to be, using what light, where I should move the camera/tripod, then where they wanted to be in the frame ("No, I want to be over on the side. Keep going. Keep going. Go Back! Wait, back more...") and if they wanted a close-up or a full body shot to capture a pose. Once that was sorted out they thought about their expression and decided where to look. After we snapped the picture, the artist had to review the shot and choose the one they wanted to keep if there were several tries - but most of them had beautiful pictures the first try! Can't wait to post them - they are truly amazing, and each artists' personality shines right through! Devon asked his friends to hold up the black backdrop, looked at the camera, stepped to the side of the frame, and watched himself as he turned away. He considered a profile shot before asking me to take the picture. Upon review of the shot he said, "Yup. Perfect. Thank you!" All of the artists were extremely thoughtful and most had their unique shot planned before their turn. Their innate sense of composition really blew me away. They were also really supportive of each other's ideas and images when looking at them on the camera. Wait till they see the prints! - Bridget

First Day at the Lee School

Fourth and Fifth Grade group:
My name is Nai Nai and Jennixsa and today we met Ms. Bridget and we talked about art and we agreed to be respectful and try our best on drawing. On our Artist's Bio we said things that work for me like working with other people but not getting distracted. We hope this year in the art club we get to express our feelings on paper and get to work with new art materials we never got to use.
Third and Fourth grade group:
We are here today and our names are Jamereea and Sharline and we are writing an art blog for our art class and the world to see. Today we did an artist bio and basically this is a paper that has questions on it about us as artists and some of the questions were:  “What do you like about art, how old are you, what art utensils do you like to use", and numerous questions. Also we met our new art teacher Mrs. Bridget. Furthermore we aren’t just kids to her we are artists. I can tell this will be a fun class.

(From Bridget: Today's Materials Specialist and some other helpers did an amazing job organizing our supplies, moving tables and desks around, and cleaning up the classroom that we will call our Art Studio! We can't wait to decorate! I'm also really inspired by the Artist's Bio's. These artists have a good sense of who they are and how they want to grow as artists this year.)

First day with the Sharks (also Holmes School)

Sup we are the mighty sharks we are artists. Today we discussed the true meaning of an artist. We wrote about ourselves on a an artist bio. My name is Andrea and I suggested no hitting. My name is  Mason and I want to make a mini town. I want to make it out of paper, cardboard,  and tape.

We are the Mighty Sharks and we are artists.

first day with the blueninja

We are Devina and Omarion. We are artists. today we met Bridget we talked about her and her art show we agreed to the rules. we all filled out our artist biogrophy. I said that artists mess up and MisBridget said it is all right to mess up.The biography was anythings about my self as artist /wat there are unique favorite colors etc. what works for me. I hope this year in art club we get to draw.

Introduction, by Bridget.

Hi everyone. It's only a couple of days before my first day at the Holmes School. I can't wait to meet the kids there (and I'm a little nervous)! I'll spend a couple of hours with one age group, then on Tuesday, I'll meet the other group. Wednesday and Thursdays I'll do the same over at Lee Elementary.
I'm hoping to help create a time and space for everyone to be able to use their creativity to express themselves, get to know themselves, and connect with each other. That can be hard to do in a busy or loud place, or around people you feel shy around. Art making around others takes trust and respect - so I think in the beginning we'll take some time to get to know each other and learn to talk to someone about their artwork (and whatever else we share) in supportive ways. I also hope to give the kids a space to practice "thinking for themselves" - to let them figure things out, solve problems, and discover things by experimenting - I think that's what creativity is really about. Even if a kid in the program doesn't think of themselves as an artist, I want them to feel sure that their ideas are important, their uniqueness is their strength, and that by using their creativity however they choose, they can change the world they live in.
I hope you enjoy our blog!