This has got to be one of the best year's ever. From numerous competitions won to over 4,000 works of art posted to our gallery, I am completely floored with the amount of quality images produced over this past school year. As I have done in previous year end posts, it is time to reflect on it all.
September
The year started on a winning note as 7th grade student Emma McCloud won the first ever ArtStart Competition through ArtPrize. It was thrilling to see her work end up on TV as she was selected in the top ten of all entries received.
October
Photoshop Phridays were a new activity added to weekly art making in the classroom this year. Students revised works through the magic of digital editing. We published over 900 works to that exhibit on Artsonia this year!
November
Due to the materials provided from a funded DonorsChoose project, students were able to experience felting with wool. It is fun to experience new materials and teach my students new ways of expressing ideas. Thanks again to all who helped fund this project!
December
Sooper Art is an annual competition that challenges students to create art about the environment. 7th grade students Anna Pavlak and Emma McCloud were among the 15 winners in their age group and their work was on display at the Grand Rapids Art Museum as a result! I look forward to participating again next year.
December marked our Winter K-12 District Art Show. It is always fun to see what students are creating at all levels and showcase the work being created in our district.
January
Student work was on display at the Kent Intermediate School District for the month of January. It was fun to have the work on display and students enjoyed being a part of the exhibit.
February
This was the first year that I had ALL 5 student entries make it into the show at the GRAM. Four of them went onto State and two were named as top 15 for Middle School work in the State of Michigan. Congrats again to Sara Thompson and Morgan Baker for this honor!
The Scholastic Art Awards celebration for the West Central Michigan region was also in February. We had 16 students honored and 5 works qualified and went onto the National competition. The work shown above resulted in a National Silver Medal for Makenzie Reid. Congrats again to all of the students who participated!
March
Empty Bowls has been an annual tradition at our school that helps families in Byron Center. It is a great night of art and music and our community.
April
Students took up the challenge of researching and presenting artworks on our Spring field trip to the Meijer Gardens. This idea stemmed from other teachers who use similar methods when engaging students on trips. It was perfect and I plan to do this again in the future.
May
We had a great turn out for our end of the year art shows at both the Van Singel Fine Arts Center and at WMS. It is always fun to end the year by showcasing the talents and works of students.
It is always fun to work on collaborative projects with my students. This piece was created through a series of glaze applications that were drawn into to reveal color before firing. I learned about this process at the NAEA Conference earlier in the school year.
June
Celebrating at Carnegie Hall for the 2014 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards was a stellar way to finish out the school year. I am so proud of Kenzie and this accomplishment and look forward to the opportunity to participate again in the future.
Some Summer Thoughts...
This past school year has been one of the best and I don'e see why the fun cannot overflow into summer. Here are three things students can think about and work on to keep art skills in shape before heading back to class in the fall:
1. See lots of Art with GRAM Meijer Free Tuesdays! I am going to try and make it downtown every Tuesday to walk through the Grand Rapids Art Museum galleries and view the works on display. Although the exhibit does not change over the Summer, I am sure I will stumble upon new ways of looking at works and pick up new ideas and inspiration as a result. If you and your students would like to meet me on an upcoming Tuesday, please email me and we can try and work something out.
2. Get a sketchbook and draw! I am taking my own advice on this one, too. Drawing is a great way to hone observation and fine motor skills. It is also the most accessible way to create images fast. If students are not sure what to draw, there are several websites like Illustration Friday that gives weekly challenges and where artists can also share work. If students are interested in getting a super cool personalized sketchbook, you can order one with their Art on it from Artsonia. 20% of purchases goes towards supplies for our classroom.
3. Do the June Artsonia Challenge! Students don't have to stop making Art because it is Summer. I would like to invite them to share what they are working on by posting them on Artsonia. Students who participate by June 30th will be put in a drawing to win an Artsonia Mug or Sketchbook with their Art on it. I recently set up a new exhibit that students can contribute to - email me and I will send you the upload code.
1. See lots of Art with GRAM Meijer Free Tuesdays! I am going to try and make it downtown every Tuesday to walk through the Grand Rapids Art Museum galleries and view the works on display. Although the exhibit does not change over the Summer, I am sure I will stumble upon new ways of looking at works and pick up new ideas and inspiration as a result. If you and your students would like to meet me on an upcoming Tuesday, please email me and we can try and work something out.
2. Get a sketchbook and draw! I am taking my own advice on this one, too. Drawing is a great way to hone observation and fine motor skills. It is also the most accessible way to create images fast. If students are not sure what to draw, there are several websites like Illustration Friday that gives weekly challenges and where artists can also share work. If students are interested in getting a super cool personalized sketchbook, you can order one with their Art on it from Artsonia. 20% of purchases goes towards supplies for our classroom.
3. Do the June Artsonia Challenge! Students don't have to stop making Art because it is Summer. I would like to invite them to share what they are working on by posting them on Artsonia. Students who participate by June 30th will be put in a drawing to win an Artsonia Mug or Sketchbook with their Art on it. I recently set up a new exhibit that students can contribute to - email me and I will send you the upload code.
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