I took my seventh graders to the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington D.C. yesterday for a field trip as part of the Corcoran's ArtReach program. They've been studying artworks that explore issues of identity and had a chance to create personal symbols and make their own prints and collographs. They will be exhibiting their art at the Corcoran Museum in May along with other middle schoolers in Washington, D.C.

Printing Explorations

My seventh grade students were given a printing demonstration  by Corcoran student, Kristine in one of the 6 art sessions we are doing as part of Corcoran's ArtReach program. Students printed their collographs.

Exploring Identity with ArtReach

Seventh grade students at Brookland explore issues of identity during art lessons with Corcoran Museum of Arts' ArtReach program. Kristen, a Corcoran education student co-teaches with me for 6 art sessions at the school. In this project students make collographs using cloth, ribbon, bubble wrap and other found objects to make a statement about their identity. The finished prints will be exhibited in May at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C..

San Miguel de Allende Memories

 

The girls stand in front of one of their collage creations.

I donated my children's books to the orphanage. The director is at my left.

One girl working diligently on one of the constructions.

One of the three mural panels exploring place.

Wire Works

On the last day of our work at Casa Hogar we showed off our collaborative wire hanging. Corcoran students created wire portraits back at the Corcoran in D.C. The girls in Mexico created their own faces and other images out of painted wire.

Casa de Hogar Girls

I collaborated with girls at an orphanage in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico this week. We made collaged constructions for the mural. I taught them a technique I learned called translucent collage. Myself and four other students from the Corcoran had this amazing opportunity as part of Corcoran's Study Away program.

Seaton Springs into Artist Books

Second grade students at Seaton Elementary School in D.C. learn how to make a variety of artist book forms including this flag book made from colorful papers. Here a student learns how to make a sunflower from a simple geometric shape. Students earlier viewed a video about the life cycle of a sunflower.

Brilliant Finished Books at Brightwood

5th grade students at Brightwood Elementary School in D.C. proudly displayed their finished hardbound books that they wrote and illustrated during  our Kennedy  Center residency. We met for ten sessions and learned so many things including how pictures tell stories; how art elements can contribute to the mood and tone of a picture; how to write using sensory detail and how to use art elements and design principles to create beautiful and engaging compositions. 

Painted Picture Stories

Second grade students at Seaton Elementary School in NW D.C. were prompted to create vibrant picture stories of a favorite family member. Students cut and pasted these collages using papers painted with glue and tempera paint. In a later session students will write narratives about what was happening in the picture.

Bright Students at Brightwood

5th graders at Brightwood E.S. analyzing how visuals can contribute to the meaning and beauty of text.

Students learn the paste paper technique in paper decorating and create lines using a paint scraper.

It's been great working with 5th grade teacher, Ms. Tatum at Brightwood Elementary in my art and writing residency through the Kennedy Center. Her students are disciplined, bright and eager to learn. In 5 weeks students will  learn how pictures tell stories, make paste paper, create cut-paper collage illustrations; and write their own personal narratives.

Making Accordion Books

5th grade students at Savoy learn how to make accordion books to house the narratives that they will write next week.

Back to Savoy

In this residency session with 5th graders at Savoy Elementary School, students gather in groups to identify how elements of art can be used to create mood and tone in works of art.