Graffiti Tag/ Hope Independent Study

Graffiti Tag: Street Art is a controversial art form that has recently gained legitimacy in the art world. It focuses on visual communication in public spaces, and is often associated with graffiti. In this lesson, 8th grade students learn about street art and how these artists develop their own style. Students then work on developing their own "tag". They apply at least 2 artistic techniques to their letters including: overlapping, perspective, and a gradient effect. Finally, they use watercolor techniques to create a unique background for their "tag". 

Hope Independent Study: Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had, or that events will turn out for the best. For centuries, artists have used moments of hardship and longing for a better life as inspiration for their work. After investigating how artists like Marc Chagall, Maya Lin, Jacob Lawrence, and el Seed have addressed hope, students will create their own art project that emphasizes a theme of hope.

Ceramic Aerial Landscape/ Place Independent Study

Ceramic Aerial Landscape: Abstract Expressionism is one of the first art movements to get its start in America. In the post WW2 art world, artists were beginning to experiment with new ways of painting. They felt that Art should be a pure expression of their inner emotions and instincts. In this lesson, students learned about a specific abstract expressionist named Richard Diebenkorn. Diebenkorn created landscapes of aerial views of the San Francisco Bay area. Students use Google Earth to find a well-balanced composition of a place that has personal meaning to them. They abstract (simplify) their composition and recreate it on a ceramic tile incorporating texture and a color scheme. 

PLACE Independent Study: From Paul Cezanne to Frank Lloyd Wright artists have innately incorporated the importance of place in their artwork. As humans, we often associate feelings and memories with a place and it has remained an enduring theme in art through hundreds of years. In this independent study, students address the theme of place in their own personal artwork. They have the freedom to choose what art medium they would like to use to best represent this theme.

Pop Art Contour Collage/ Portrait Independent Study

Pop Art Contour Collage: Collage is an art form that has been around since at least the early 20th century. It involves transforming discarded objects or images and giving them new meaning by assembling them in a different way. In this lesson, students learn about the history of portraiture as an art genre and, more specifically, the work of pop artists Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. They create a contour line drawing on a transparency, and place their drawing over a collage with a color scheme that enhances the drawing.

PORTRAIT Independent Study: Humans have created portraits for thousands of years. While historically reserved for rulers, leaders, and the wealthy, portraits can capture a person's social status or be a celebration of the sitters life. In this independent study, students address the theme of portrait in their own personal artwork. They have the freedom to choose what art medium they would like to use to best represent this theme.

Architecture Photo Transfer

Architecture is the art of designing buildings, and is often an overlooked aspect of the art world. In this lesson, students learn about how the purpose and style of architecture has evolved since the Renaissance. After viewing many buildings in various architectural styles and traditions, the students will choose a building to create a photo transfer of. The photo transfer is then applied to an abstract or realistic watercolor painting.

Digital Portrait Collage

One of my role models, Peter Voulkos, who revolutionized the world of ceramics in the 20th century

Collage has a rich and diverse history in art since the early 1900's. While gluing bits of paper and other materials to boards had been practiced as a craft for decades, it wasn't introduced to the world of fine art until Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque began to incorporate collage into their cubist paintings. Since then, it has continuously morphed to fit the times and now artists are creating collages in the various digital platforms. In this lesson, students learn about the history of collage and where it stands as an art form today. They will use the basic features of Google Slides to create a digital portrait collage.