ART
My name is Mike and it is my absolute pleasure to be the art teacher here at PS158!
I am a firm believer that artistic creativity is essential to developing interest in life-long learning, as well as providing outlets for expression to supplement other classroom subjects. Hands-on individual learning and exploration in the art room allow students opportunities for satisfaction, discovery, and growth that are valuable for building a strong sense of self. Through collaborative projects students learn more about each other, value each other's similarities and differences, and strengthen their communities both inside and outside the classroom. Students will be introduced to materials through guided lessons and given increasingly flexible levels of choice as they progress through grade levels. Teaching students artistic behaviors that allow them to truly feel that they can express themselves in unique ways is one of my top priorities. We emphasize that there is no right or wrong way to do things in the art room, just different ways of creating and sharing ideas.
Please feel free to reach out to me for any questions, comments, or just to say hello. I am thrilled to be a part of this school community and cannot wait to share with you all the powerful artwork of which PS158 students are capable.
P.S. - If you'd like to contribute to the art room supplies, we are always looking for magazines and catalogues and anything with pictures in it! Also we have a wishlist setup with some bonus supplies if you'd like to make a contribution: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2B3V97HTPJ0XL?ref_=wl_share
Thanks so much!!!
Mike
UNITS OF STUDY
Each unit focuses on a material (drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, printmaking, and mixed-media) and includes 3 projects, each project lasts between 1 and 3 class periods:
Project 1 - Technique
(introduces a new way to use materials)
Project 2 - Artist Inspiration
(not copying, but using an artist's work as a starting point for exploring materials and topics)
Project 3: Topical Subjects
(using art to explore another topic not traditionally related to visual art)
WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO LATELY ( NOV. 2023 )
SECOND GRADE - "Repetition" (Printmaking 1: Technique)
We are exploring printmaking as a way to reproduce and share our artwork with each other! Each student creates a foam printing plate by carving with a pencil, this plate is coated in ink, and then printed on 3 sheets of paper to create an "edition" of copies of their drawings!
(photos coming soon!)
THIRD GRADE - "Symbol Stories" (Painting 1: Technique)
We are exploring symbols and ways to communicate visually without using traditional language. We first discussed Native American symbols and hide paintings, then compared them with contemporary symbols like street signs and emojis. Then students used recycled paper, ink, and pastels to create "hide" paintings that tell stories without words, using a combination of Native American symbols and those of their own design.
FOURTH GRADE - "Zines" (Papercraft 1: Technique)
We are creating small 8-page books from a single sheet of paper folded and cut in specific ways to make them easy to reproduce. Each student chose a theme for their zine, drew each page, and then copied it 5 times on our photocopier. We then had some time to share and exchange copies with each other, to learn about new themes and stories.
(photos coming soon!)
FIFTH GRADE - "Food Trucks" (Papercraft 3: Topical)
In this project, we are all small-business owners! Each student developed a food truck and menu and then constructed a 3-D food truck that stands on the table. To conclude the project we spent a class having a food truck festival where students "ordered" food from different trucks to learn about new cuisines both real and imagined!
Those are just a few of the things we've been working on lately, everyone has been amazingly creative and there's way too much to include it all here!
Moving forward I'll be adding a lot more photos of our amazing artwork here, we're just getting started collecting all this great imagery!
Let me know if you have any questions or would like to chat about anything. It's been so great to be back in the building with everyone, we're off to an incredible start!
All the Best,
Mike
mike.shea@ps158.net