NPES Artshow-2021 - 3rd - 5th

Changemakers - Humans, Art, Equity and a Pandemic.

The big kids.

With this years theme of Changemakers in art, I tried to focus on humans as a subject matter for many projects. We talked about people in the news, people in history and the people we are closest to, as in friends and family. I don't know that students were able to inspire change with their work as much as I hope there were a few changes that happened within them and how they approach their art and the world around them. I hope they gained more confidence and felt inspired and encouraged by what they learned this year.

3rd grade is when I first introduce students to a longer art class with more instruction time, more complex processes and more discussion about artists and techniques. This was challenging this year because I didn't have my classroom. For each 3rd through 8th grade class I would load my cart with the supplies we would need and roll on out to the atrium. A few trips back to the art room for things I forgot, or work for early finishers, became the norm. I would introduce the lesson with a microphone so I could be heard above the echoes of this very large space, with children and teachers coming and going. New presentation technology inevitably tripped me up on occasion and I did my best to do socially distant demonstrations. I have always loved that "wow" moment in a demo when I can show students a new technique or medium that they can experiment with.

We pushed on together and made the best of a less than ideal situation. Thank goodness for water from the drinking fountain and the bathroom sinks. For many lessons, I was grateful for the assistance of Wendy Andrews, whose help allowed me to take smaller groups to the art room for printmaking and in general, spend more one-on-one time with all students. I think in spite of the challenges of our work environment, the work your children produced was excellent. The creative spirit is strong and I hope you enjoy this small but impressive sampling of what we accomplished this year.