Huichol Yarn Paintings

Traditional Huichol bead art.

Most recently, 5th grade finished up these Huichol inspired yarn paintings.  The Huichol are native Americans who live in western central Mexico.  They have a rich, spiritual culture in which art-making plays an integral role.  Many Huichol artisans make beaded works or yarn paintings that take painstaking hours to create.

A traditional Huichol yarn painting.

The students viewed and discussed symbolism within the traditional yarn paintings, and tried to describe what was meaningful to the Huichol people.  They then created a composition of their own using symbols to communicate what is important in their own lives.  Although this project was frustrating at times, the students exhibited great patience in creating their pieces (with the occasional freak out and re-group, of course!) All in all, the results were amazing.  Here are a few examples…

I also wanted to include some photos of kindergarten's pinch pot fish because they are so cute and creative.

Also, I'd been waiting until after I submitted these PS Aeropostle contest entries before I shared them.  These fifth graders real brought their A game with their clever designs.  Future graphic designers perhaps?

And lastly, a few weeks ago we studied Piet Mondrian in kindergarten and I challenged the students to create their own abstract representations of an object.  As a Star Wars fan, this particular composition fell very near and dear to my heart…

That's all for now - have a great weekend!!

Chugging Right Along

The seasons do seem to be chugging right along - I can't believe there are already Christmas decorations out in some stores and that 2013 is coming to a close.  Crazy!  I have been photographing lots of work and I wanted to share...

We finished our Dia De Los Meurtos unit in 4th grade a couple weeks ago and I was able to hang the sugar skull designs in the hallway.  

Gorgeous symmetrical sugar skull.

2nd Grade finished their ceramic suns inspired by Mexican folk art.

3rd Grade's Myan Glyphs with textured metallic frames are now on display in the hallway as well.  I love how these turned out!

And of course, a twist on the old classic: Kindergarten practiced their fine motor skills while tracing and cutting out these adorable hand and feet turkeys.  'Tis the season!

I also just finished hanging 5th grade's amazing yarn paintings inspired by our study of the native Huichol people of western-central Mexico.  They are truly a joy to look at, especially after watching the students toil away diligently over the last few weeks.  It was a frustrating and trying task at times but I think the students really felt that their hard work paid off.  I will post photos of those soon!


I thought I'd also include that the dance company I perform with is having a children's show on December 8th.  Here's a little blurb about the event, and a sneak peek at our set (made by us dancers!!)

12.8.13: The Magic Backpack: Annual Children’s PerformanceThis narrative dance performance tells the story of Pippa, a girl who dreams of being a magician. The hour-long event includes audience participation and a children’s movement workshop following the show. EDC’s Youth Dance Project will perform the company in this hilarious original production.
Date: Sunday, December 8, 2013
Time: 1:00pm & 3:00pm
Location: Ballenger Creek Community Buillding
5420 Ballenger Crk Pk., Frederick, MD
Tickets: $10 Adults; $5 Kids 12 and Under

For more information, visit Equinox's website.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

I want to start off by saying a huge congratulations to our talented 4th grader Paige Lehman for winning 2nd Place in the Foto Week DC photo contest!  Paige entered a lovely photograph she took outside of school and will be awarded $50 and a new camera!  Way to go Paige!  Parents, if your student ever wins an art related contest, please let me know so I can feature them here on the blog!  Here is Paige's award winning work:

Good news!  Square 1 Art projects were mailed to the Square 1 company headquarters last week and I expect the stickers and order forms to be in by October 30th.  It is an exciting time and I think you will really enjoy the projects that your children completed for Square 1.  I encourage anyone interested in ordering this year to do so online, using your students' unique access code (which will come home with the order from packet).  I find that this is the quickest and easiest way for everyone involved to complete their ordering.  Here are some fantastic examples of projects from this year's round of fundraising:

3rd grade completed hot air balloon designs that showed emphasis and rhythm.  I found this one a student made commemorating his family's dog to be quite touching.

4th grade truly impressed me with their radial printmaking designs.  I hope you are as impressed as I was!!

This past month we began projects to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month which was September 15th - October 15th.  We are nearly finished with these cultural works and I hope to be able to share some with you soon here.  4th grade is creating an original sugar skull design from the Mexican holiday Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), 1st grade created colorful cut paper, "papel picado" which is used as decoration for the same holiday, 3rd Grade is illustrating their name in ancient Mayan glyphs (a civilization originating in Latin America), 2nd grade is creating ceramic suns like those seen in popular Mexican folk art, and 5th grade is studying symbols to create a design for a colorful yarn painting, inspired by the Huichol people.  In an unrelated lesson, kindergarten has been discussing and using texture in their artworks.


I wanted to remind you of the fabulous opportunity to extend your child's arts education beyond the classroom at one of the great art centers in our community:  The Washington County Museum of Art.  The WCMFA offers many great exhibitions throughout the year, which is a great way for students to see original art for themselves.  One of their current exhibits is geared towards children: "Folk Art for Children", and a visit would be a great way to spend an afternoon as a family.  Keep in mind that the museum also offers classes for children and adults of all ages taught by art education professionals, including myself.  Please contact me, or the museum, for more details.  Another fantastic opportunity to take classes is at the Creation Station in downtown Hagerstown, with WCPS teacher Andy Iverson.

Don't hesitate to email me with questions or concerns: conneemi@wcps.k12.md.us

Falling into Autumn

Where has September gone?!  Time sure does fly when you're keeping busy.  I have some photos I wanted to share of some fabulous works that caught my eye in the art room during the last week or so...

A gorgeous tissue paper collage by a second grader at RWE

I love this adorable handprint fish by one of our kindergarteners!

The fifth graders learned SO MUCH during out portraiture unit.
 This is just one example of the great work I saw from them.

1st grade was working on family portraits for square 1 and
 I thought this happy family turned out just lovely!

I've also seen some eye-catching fashions in my room lately...

(thanks Mom, these shirts make me feel AWESOME!!! :) )


And I'll leave you with this hilarious and uplifting video message from none other than Kid President:

And one for the Moms!

Have a great weekend!

Classroom Update: A Rainbow of Portraits

We kicked off the school year in the art room learning about self-portraiture.  For grades k-2, we defined "portrait" and went over basic parts of a portrait.  

 In grades 3-5 we did a preliminary sketch before the unit, then spent a lot of time learning about facial proportions and portrait guidelines.  The students were amazed at the difference between their first sketch and the one they completed after the lesson!  You can see examples in your child's sketchbook.

 This week, we are completing a final mini self portrait.  Each student in every grade level completed a mini self portrait, and each grade level had a different color in which they executed a monochromatic portrait.  Our plan is to display these in our art hallway to create a rainbow of faces.  So far, the younger grades have completed their portraits and I have the cool colors hanging up already...

Within the next week or so, grades 3-5 will complete their final drawings, and they will join the display as well.  It will be so amazing to see every student represented in one giant exhibition!  I'll be sure to post photos as soon as it is complete.

In the coming weeks, we will be working on our Square 1 art pieces, and during the month of October we will be celebrating National Heritage History month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) and learning about Dia De Los Muertos!

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Hope everyone had a great first week at school and is getting back into the swing of things.  I just wanted to write a quick post to let you know about some extracurricular arts opportunities happening in our community.  This past summer I became a guest teacher at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, teaching a 5 day art camp for children between the ages of 7 and 10.  This fall, I will continue to teach a few classes.  So far on the schedule, I will be teaching:

Mixed Media Landscapes
ages 7-12
Students will delight in the opportunity to work en plein air, capturing the beauty of autumn in a mixed media landscape project. Students will be introduced to traditional landscape guidelines, work in their choice of 2-D medium and then, as a twist to the classic landscape, students will hunt in the park for 3-D elements to add emphasis to their artwork. The finished piece will be a unique assemblage of a beautiful landscape underpainting combined with natural found materials. Students should plan to wear a sweatshirt or light jacket to spend time outdoors.
Saturday, September 21, 2013, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
$20.00 Non-member price
$18.00 Member price

And

Native American Masks
7-12
Students will gain an appreciation for Native American material culture and explore the history of ceremonial mask-making. Based on their own personalities, or creative characters, students will build their own imaginative, wearable 3-D mask using recycled materials, paint and other special adornments.
Saturday, October 26, 2013, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
$22.00 Non-member price
$20.00 Member price

With some more dates coming up later in the fall.  To register your child for one of these classes, visit the link to the museum posted above, or call the museum at 301-739-5727.  The museum hosts a variety of weekend classes for children and adults, for more info, visit their website.

I also wanted to let you know about a wonderful studio one of my co-workers, Andy Iverson, another WCPS art teacher opened this past year, where students can take classes. It is called The Creation Station and Andy and his wife Jaz teach art and spanish classes for children and adults.  The Creation Station will be having an opening ceremony on August 30th from 4:30-7, where you can talk with the teachers, see art on display and there will be a ribboning cutting ceremony with the mayor around 5pm. To see what they have to offer, visit their website: The Creation Station.

Ready, set, go!

Happy first day of school tomorrow!  Excited to see familiar faces and meet some new ones!

Welcome back!  I hope all our Rockland students and their families had a wonderful summer.  I am so excited to see you all again and jump right into our first project: a mini-portrait and color theory project that will be on display shortly after the first week of school in the art hallway.

Then we will begin our annual Square 1 Art fundraiser.  If you are unfamiliar with this fundraiser, or new to our school (welcome kindergarten families!) this is a fundraiser that every student participates in for free.  The student completes a piece of artwork on a special form that the Square 1 company sends to me, then I mail back all the artwork to the company.  In a few short weeks, a packet for each child arrives at the school, containing the original artwork, free stickers featuring the students art, and an order form to go home if you should want to order any other items with your students' artwork on it.  Coffee mugs, necklaces, iPhone cases all make great holiday gifts for family members.  If you want to know more or want to check out the items the company will offer this year, head on over to their website: http://www.square1art.com/

I hope to keep this blog updated this year as a resource for parents be aware about what's going on in our classroom, why art is essential to a child's development and also to post pictures of some wonderful artwork made by our students!  Check back to see what's up and as always, feel free to contact me with any questions: conneemi@wcps.k12.md.us.  More soon to come!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:  Parents, what was your favorite art project your student brought home last year, or students, what was your favorite project to complete?