Thursday Dec. 10, Art Club

During the last meeting of the Winter Musical Prop-Making Art Club, student's felt the crunch of preparing for production! By the end of the Art Club, all props needed to be backed with cardboard, to make the props sturdier; and all of the background props needed to be fully colored and complete for the dress rehearsal scheduled for that evening.

Here are some images of the completed works:





Be sure to congratulate the Art Club members on their hard work when you check out the school Musical. They were a fabulous group of artists to work with!

Keep your eye out for new after-school Arts Opportunities coming up after the Holidays!

Before + After Self Portraits (Images of Teaching + Learning in 1st + 2nd Grade)

Students are finishing up a unit on Self-Portrait in which they learned about Symmetry, Anatomy, Measurement, and Observational Drawing Skills.

First, students created a "Before" Self-Portrait in crayon showcasing their prior knowledge of the human form. The "Before" Self-Portraits were tremendously varied in style, proportional knowledge, and form.

Throughout the unit students learned about the human face through hands-on measurement exercises, observational drawing drills, group discussion, and pair and share comparative talks.

Students talked about varying colors of skin, and in 1st grade used newly ordered Crayola Multicultural crayons, provided by this year's budget. 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders used drawing chalk, and worked on color mixing. Finally, 5th graders used brand new artist pastels, provided by this year's budget to mix vibrant, full color Self-Portraits.

Here are a few images of student's working on their "After" Self-Portraits. This project was primarily a lesson in figurative drawing work, formulaic approaches to drawing, and color mixing.

FIRST GRADE




SECOND GRADE



SECOND GRADE



SECOND GRADE


SECOND GRADE



STUDENT'S IN 1st GRADE ELECTED TO UTILIZED THEIR NEW OBSERVATIONAL DRAWING SKILLS DURING FREE DRAW.

Wednesday Dec. 9, Art Club

Another wonderful Art Club session! Student's spent the first part of our time on-site sketching out ideas for background imagery and thinking about the space and it's relation to the players, or student's participating in the musical. They had a chance to see what parts of the set are already in place, and what parts of the set would benefit from their artist touch.

Next, the young artists had a brainstorming session and bounced ideas off of each other for continued prop and set design.

With more students participating tonight, there was much more room for collaboration, with 2 students and sometimes 3 students at a time working on a piece!





Students used the computers in the Media Center for Research, which contributed to their detailed and imaginative drawing, and allowed students to really utilize their observational drawing skills.

Tuesday Dec. 8, Art Club

Today was the first edition of the Cumberland Hill after School Art Club for 4th and 5th graders! Students are working as an art + design group to create props and scenery for the Cumberland Hill Winter Musical.

The young artists met in the Media Center, and used research skills on the computers to gain inspiration for images, color schemes, and mood for their props.

First, the group brainstormed together, then allocated tasks, and each artist made a small sketched proposal. Finally the young artists rolled up their sleeves, put on their "art glasses" and worked diligently on their large scale props!

Introductions

Dear Parents + Guardians of students at Cumberland Hill Elementary School,

I am writing to introduce myself as the newly appointed art teacher at Cumberland Hill. I am a graduate of the Department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. I have my BFA in Textile Design also from RISD, and have experience teaching in both a private school for students with special needs, and through home based teaching in which I have been privately contracted. I have also run art classes in Rye, New York for an after school enrichment program.

I am so excited to have the opportunity to work within the Cumberland School District, and with all of the wonderful students at Cumberland Hill. I hope to engage all students in projects that enrich their general curriculum, and also continue to open up their mind to big ideas about art, culture, and expression. I believe that the study of art, and the process of art making is absolutely essential in the education of all students. Art opens up a world of communication, and helps students to understand and empathize with cultures foreign to their own understanding of the world. Project based curriculum, collaboration and creativity are critical 21st century skills, and I look forward to engaging the students of Cumberland Hill in this kind of process and thinking about themselves and the world.

I encourage you to talk with your children about current projects, and what they are learning during art class.

Regards,
Ms. Pottberg