Congratulations to the four MAEA State awardees! This was the first year we had four students move on from the Region 9 show to the State level competition and the first year we had two students selected as the top 15 in the State! If you are interested in seeing the winning works, see this post.

8th grade students have spent the last week exploring the possibilities with Photoshop in their choice of surreal images. It was quite fitting that the sample Scholastic Art Magazine that came in the mail last week was on Rene Magritte and that the featured project was quite similar to the work we had planned. Students were able to use that additional information and inspiration when finalizing their works over the weekend and today. You can see the full gallery of works on Artsonia.  The image below has gotten a lot of response from other students in class due to the nature of the composition. How exactly did she manage to get the picture without the camera in the mirror r

It is very exciting that one of our Nickels Intermediate students from the BCPS 5th grade Visual Arts program is up for Artsonia Artist of the Week! Please take a moment and vote to help this student win. 

Our smART space is nearly complete. Due to grant funds from the 2013 winning Meijer Great Choices videos and other monies, we were able to purchase the canvases, paint, furniture, and frames that now fill the area leading up to the Art room. It has been awesome to see it come together and also see students taking a moment to enjoy the space and the art that fills it. This has become a popular place for students to share ideas as they collaborate on projects and work individually. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to introduce this kind of learning environment to students and look forward to enjoying it for years to come.

Yesterday was the 2014 West Central Michigan Regional Scholastic Art Awards. It was an awesome evening celebrating art as students were recognized for their achievements in categories spanning from drawing to printmaking to animation and film. BCWMS students received 15 awards this year, 5 of which were Gold Keys and will move onto the National Competition in New York City. Byron Center Public Schools Visual Arts program 7-12 received the most recognition in Kent County with 52 awards. 

I am incredibly proud to be a part of this program that celebrates students creative endeavors as they speak through visuals. You can see the winning BCWMS works from this year on this post and the list of all of the winners here. It was also amazing to be in venues packed with students, their families, friends, and teachers supporting and enjoying art! 

This is my 4th year working with students during Spring Semester for Kendall College of Art and Design's Dual Enrollment program. It is nice to make the trip across Byron Center (from West Middle to the High School) and teach 9-12th graders (many of which I had at WMS) the ideas and applications in the foundational courses where they earn college credit. This year I am teaching Color, which is an examination of the properties of color and it's interaction with compositional elements. We are currently finishing the first project where students selected an image and recreate it in 6 variations. 

8th grade students started working (and some even finished) their contour wire drawings, using images from magazines as their subject. We looked at work by Alexander Calder at the end of class and explored his use of wire to create various works over his lifetime. Students had a great time working with the new wire and tools purchased as a result of a Kids in Need Foundation grant through the Office Depot. 

7th grade students worked on their Celtic Knots today as we reviewed the concepts of symmetry and color. We also practiced various colored pencil techniques before students finished their transfers onto larger paper. 

It was a great time at the Grand Rapids Art Museum Thursday night to celebrate the Michigan Art Education Association Region 9 show! It was awesome to see students and their families enjoy their work on the walls along with exploring the exhibits in the museum. 

It was a treat to see the current exhibit of Pop Art, with some of my all time favorite artists on display: Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns!