Two years ago, I was able to get a button maker from DonorsChoose.org. When requesting this, my goal was to use it during our Fine Arts Night as a way for everyone who attended to make and take their own Mobile Masterwork as a wearable piece of Art. 

Now that we have the tools to create buttons, we have been able to extend the use of this device to include events like our parent orientation as a way to draw people in to making something that does not take a lot of time and gets instantly satisfying results! 

Below is a breakdown of the basics with the button maker I requested for the project using Blick Art Supplies. Some additional helpful things include having a Cricut cutting machine that can precut the circles on paper, having students cut letters from magazines and store to decorate their button (using precut magazine images not only is great for recycling, but it also gives people who may be uncomfortable with drawing a way to still feel creative), and other 2D media to use with the cut paper. One thing to make note of is the thickness of the paper before you put it in your machine - it matters and can have an impact on the quality of the button made. 

I love using DonorsChoose.org for helping my classroom get fun new tools like this. If you use this link to create a DonorsChoose.org account, I will be able to help promote your project as a DonorsChoose.org Teacher Ambassador. It will let me know when you have signed up and posted your first project - I also have a code I can use to help you fund your first project! 

If you would like to help my class fund our current DonorsChoose.org request, please visit and donate here. 

Button making is a fun and easy way to invite others into your room to get creative with their ideas. If you happen to use this or have done this in your school, I would love to know how! If you do end up doing it, please give me a shoutout on Twitter or Instagram so I can see the results! 

Happy Creating! 

When first transitioning the Art and Design curriculum at my school towards a more student-centered and choice-based approach, I struggled with how to best approach teaching media-specific methods that didn't take too much time away from students getting to work on their own creations.

I recently wrote an article for SchoolArts Magazine about how using stations around the room, with short introduction of materials and timed sessions can help students experience each media before deciding whether or not they would like to use it for their work. In the article, I highlight a series of 2D media that students used like watercolor, collage, and ink.

This past week, I tried it with printmaking.

In the one-day demo, students had the opportunity to try collagraphs, block printing, dry point (with cereal boxes), monoprints (with Gelli Arts printing plates), and silk screens (using Mayco Designer silkscreens). During the five minute sessions at each station, students worked in teams of 3 to create at least one usable print. This was a great way to promote experimentation and help with understanding as they walked each other through the process (using the introduction cards as a guide). 

During the rotations, students also took notes in their sketchbooks about how each print method worked, the materials needed to accomplish the effect, and whether or not they liked doing it. Once done, students had a chance to reflect on the process as a whole group and discuss which prints worked and which didn't and why that was. 

The next day, students spent 10 minutes transforming their prints into a collaborative collage before uploading it to Artsonia. In addition to deconstructing and reassembling their prints in this collaborative effort, students added other collage elements to complete their creations. Because they were working in groups of three, students had one student be the scissor-handler, one worked the glue, and one acted as a director for the composition.

My goal is to give students the understanding and skills needed to make informed choices about what they want to create. Although some students may never use printmaking again outside of this hands-on demonstration, I know that they and the ones who immediately changed their project idea as a result of this experience benefit from the chance to manipulate media and make informed choices based on what they hope for their own work.

Here are some examples from the collaboration:

For this week's share, take a moment and be amazed with the collaborative powers of the Byron Center Public School Visual art and Design program. We are so excited to showcase the skills and hard work of our students in our entry for the Youth Collaboration Award at ArtPrize10. This piece is on view in the Downtown Market's second floor through ArtPrize in hopes we might win the $2500 grant for our program! 

​This project was inspired by a student work:

From this, we brainstormed ideas on how we could work together and create a piece that represents our school community. You can listen to more about the work in the video I made below: