The Dusty Art Room

Each year my 8th grade students complete a collaborative artwork that will decorate the school and help students "leave their legacy" behind when they graduate.  I have seen legacy projects completed in several of the schools I've worked in and visited over the years, so when I started teaching art at Hester I asked if I could implement such a program.  My idea was well received, so the next step was to get to work! The first step is choosing an artwork that suits the personality of the class.  Students my first year were eager to dive right in and tackle projects in mediums they had never used before, so it seemed fitting to recreate one of Monet's bridges.  I chose "Japanese Bridge" from 1900 because of the beautiful, rich colors.  The industrial arts teacher was generous enough to cut out 161 4" x 6" pieces of Masonite for students to paint their part on.  The final painting size was not the same aspect ratio as the original painting...

I was getting ready to leave school on Friday and running a little late when I realized I hadn't watered our face vases in a few days - oops!  As I quickly ran around to all the window ledges and displays to water our projects I was pleasantly surprised by the sprouting "hair!"  Naturally, I had to snap a few quick shots before darting out the door to pick my son up in time from his after school program.  I had originally found this project on Pinterest last year that was posted on Art Projects for Kids.   Immediately intrigued, I decided to test this project at Artapalooza , a K - 8 summer art camp I run with another art teacher, Lisa.  Here are some of our results: We taught this project using slabs since this is a one-week class - which meant the kids had one day to complete the building of the project.  I used the sun, a low temp candling program on the kiln, and made sure to fire slowly to make it happen in one week!  We us...

One of my favorite parts of being an art teacher is watching students learn and grow through the process of creating! As art teachers, we are blessed to walk the road with students from idea to completion.  We are privileged enough to get the inside scoop without needing the backstage pass.   I am constantly reminding students that I'm more interested in their journey than the end product.  Sometimes it's funny discussing with colleagues about my "favorite" pieces - I'm almost never drawn to the same project in a display as they are.  I'm interested in the students who "failed" by traditional definitions, but kept working through the process and persevered to the end.  Those students whose faces light up when they figure out a new idea, concept, or technique.  I like the walk better than the destination.