7th grade students worked on making multiples today as they printed their action poses inspired by Red and Black Figure pottery from Ancient Greece. Before selecting paper and ink colors, we discussed the idea of contrast and how colors interact with each other when they are used in a work of art. 

8th grade students are working on their maquettes for their larger paper sculptures. It is fun to see the mini versions of their final works. Maybe in the future, we will just do a bunch of mini paper sculptures like Jennifer Collier (one of the artists we used as inspiration for this project).

I decided to try something new in class today as students were finalizing their sketches for upcoming projects in 7th and 8th grade art. Usually students create several options on newsprint and then apply to a final product, making decisions on their own throughout that process. Instead of working in isolation and only getting feedback half way through or at the end, students spent part of today reviewing the planning sketches of their peer and indicating their favorites with a check or a star. This gave students a chance to rethink their initial favorites and take their peers' feedback into consideration when moving onto the next stages before finishing their projects. 

Students are using all kinds of materials this week to explore color. In my Dual Enrollment class, students are finishing up their personal pallet portraits by applying the color through a stippling technique. In 7th and 8th grade art classes, students are using the glazes from our funded DonorsChoose project to finish up their creatures and Anthropomorphic Vessels. I will be firing the work later this week and into next before students post the results on our Artsonia gallery. 

The second video I am going to highlight is Revolution by Aaron P. in 8th grade. If you only vote for one video in the Meijer Great Choices Film Festival, I would have to recommend this one as I think it is not only quality product, but delivers a quality message. The creator of this video is a quiet student with a grand vision. When he decided to work alone on this project, I was a little nervous. There was not a lot of time given to complete and he was planning to animate it, so I was worried be might not get it done in time. Aaron also had a very clear vision in his plan and I was worried that because of time he might not be able to execute it to the fullest he had hoped. I was WRONG. 

Not only did he get it done in time and fully execute the vision as he had planned, but he also produced one of the best quality animations I have seen a student create since I started teaching 10 years ago. I am convinced that this is what Aaron should do with his life and I hope he continues to take art next year at the High School and well beyond that. I am also thankful that he took the animation skills learned in my class to create the video that accompanied his ELA paper about violence in video games. Check it out below. 

If you would like to help this budding artist get the credit he deserves and see his video make it up onto the big screen at Celebration Cinemas - VOTE DAILY UNTIL APRIL 25! 

I have been tweeting, facebooking, and emailing everyone I can think of to vote for the student videos up for the Meijer Great Choices Film Festival. Instead of asking you to blindly vote for the videos, I am going to give you the story behind each. 

The first video I am going to highlight is called "Drink Me" from a group of 8th grade students. You can vote for the video by clicking on this link and logging in with your Facebook or email to vote. They created the video over the course of a week and then decided their video lacked the production detail they were hoping for when they had planned it out. They asked for an extension and I happily agreed to it. The result is a clearer execution of their vision and hopefully an award-winning video. Compare for yourself below: 

We have several students up for competitions this week and can win with your help! It only takes a few minutes to help the following students win:

-- Meijer Great Choices Video Competition:

This competition could win us up to $1500 in funds for our class. We used the winning funds from last year to help purchase furniture and frames outside of the art classroom, pay for the Meijer Gardens and ArtPrize Field trips, and pay for extra supplies in the art classroom. If we win this year, we will use the funds to purchase new cameras for our classroom.

You will need to login using Facebook or registering an email for this vote. You can vote once per video per day until April 25. Here are the following videos from BCWMS to vote for:

1. Uplift Others is by 8th grader Mikalya J:http://k8.meijergreatchoices.com/entry/6090906

2. Revolution is by Aaron P.:http://k8.meijergreatchoices.com/entry/6079465

3. Drink Me is by Jake H., Callie B., Drew C., Hallie B., and Maddy P.http://k8.meijergreatchoices.com/entry/6082462

4. Your Choice, Your Voice by Maggie B.:http://k8.meijergreatchoices.com/entry/6083590

5. Know What you Eat by Kayla A., Zoe C., Maddie G.:http://k8.meijergreatchoices.com/entry/6082552

6. Celebrate it All by Krista B., Marilyn N., and Koda G.:http://k8.meijergreatchoices.com/entry/6093640

7. Be Colorful by Emma M., Heather B., Jackie D., Anna P., Sydney P., Dana T., Emily F.,Sara F., Abby B.,:http://k8.meijergreatchoices.com/entry/6082743

-- Artsonia Artist of the Week:

Matt4302 is up for Artsonia Artist of the Week. You can vote daily until Saturday here: http://www.artsonia.com/aotw/vote/0/30454214

Thank you for your support! With your help we can easily win these competitions and help get additional resources for our classroom!

The third annual K8 competition has started today for the Meijer Great Choices film festival. We have had winners in each category since this competition was open to younger students and want to continue that tradition with your help. All you have to do is go to the site, log in with Facebook or your email, click on the videos with my name and hit "vote for this entry." Our class could win up to $1500! First through fourth places will have their works shown at Celebration Cinemas this summer.

We have been very busy in the Art room for the last week. We have had a lot to get completed before Spring Break starts tomorrow. Students have been working on finishing up clay projects, hallway drawings, name labels, and experimenting in Photoshop. You can see all of these projects and more on our online gallery. 

Ever since I found out about Kenzie winning a National Silver Medal for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, I have been thinking about what this honor actually means. For those of you not aware of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program, it is in the 91st year of celebrating young artists and writers from across the Nation. In oder to be considered for the National competition, a student had to have received a Gold Key at the regional level. Their work is then juried in New York City by a panel of professionals and notification is sent back to students. The winners of National Awards are among the top 1% of ALL work submitted to the program. 

 This is a process that begins in the Fall and flows all the way through to the pinnacle meeting of the award winners in June with workshops, tours, and the celebration at Carnegie Hall. This is the third time in Byron Center Public Schools' history that a student has made it to Nationals. 

In addition to the accolades, the winners of National Scholastic Awards are now a part of quite a group of creatives that have gone on to do AMAZING things after winning their Scholastic Medals as students in the classroom. To be a National Medalist means you are in the same club as Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Steven King, and more! 

I cannot stress enough how much of an honor this is and how proud I am of my student for making it to this point. If you want to help Kenzie get to Carnegie Hall so she can experience what it really means, please check out her Go Fund Me campaign and donate whatever you can. If you are interested in the itinerary and events that go along with the Awards weekend, please click on the document below. 

If you would like to find out how you can help or sponsor this effort, feel free to email me for additional information here. 

7th and 8th grade students finished up their clay projects this week. 8th grade students made Anthropomorphic Pottery pieces, while 7th grade created clay balloon creatures. It was awesome to see them all transform from shapes on a page to 3D form as they went through the planning process to actual creation. Thanks to our latest DonorsChoose project, we have more than enough glazes to give students a full spectrum when deciding how to finish their works! 

In addition to the successful end of another clay project, we have some updated news about Empty Bowls. Due to some generous donations that have come in over the weekend and early this week, our new total amount raised is $828! Thank you to all who helped make this possible, especially our local Subway and Rodney Brush, the Weider Family, Mr. Takens, and Empty Bowl recipient Teagan (shown below) who made this event such a success!