Final works!

Over the past two months 16 students, ranging from grade 2-5, have spent 3 hours per week learning how to form clay creations. The ceramics class was one of the afterschool classes offered in the fall session of the Allstar Academy program at Crossroads Charter Academy. The students learned how to create functional and sculptural ceramic artworks by using slab, pinch, and coil methods. The students learned about the process of sculpting, bisque firing, glazing, and glaze firing. Students also learned that sculpting requires creative problem solving. For example, the student must reflect on the following while sculpting:

1. What is the purpose of my sculpture?
2. How is my sculpture going to stand?
3. What method(s) will I use to arrive at my final sculpture (slab, pinch, coil, etc)?
4. What color of glaze would look best on the form I created?
5. Oh no! My artwork is slumping over! How am I going to make it more sturdy?

Rococo shoe scuptures

The third grade students learned about 18th century French, Rococo art, which is characterized by fancy materials and ornamental designs. The students learned about how women's fashion developed in France during this period, and they viewed photographs of Rococo shoes (currently housed in the Bata shoe museum). The students created a plan for making their own model of a Rococo shoe out of recycled materials. These shoes are created out of cardboard, paper mache, tempra paint, and various materials used for ornamentation. Every shoe turned out unique!

Shoes!

The fourth Grade students have learned how to become keen observers of detail, shape, value, and form. In this assignment, the students arranged their shoes on the table and created a still life drawing of the shoes. One requirement of the assignment was that they drawing had to show four different values. For most students, this was the their first still life drawing!

Color mixing

The fifth grade students have been learning color theory. They learned how to identify the primary colors: yellow, blue, and red, and the students mixed these colors of paint in order to create all of the colors in the color wheel. We had a great time!

Painting Day!

Third Grade crowds

The third grade students learned how to show depth in a drawing by overlapping figures and by diminishing the size of the figures in the distance. Each student was faced with the challenge of creating a crowd of at least 10 figures, showing depth in the drawing, and designing the background in a way that informs the viewer of the location of the crowd. Students were also required to write complete sentences that answered:
1. Where is the crowd?
2. What is the crowd doing?


"My crowd is in their house. My crowd is laughing."


"My crowd is at a rock band. My crowd is watching."


"My crowd is on earth. They are invading."

Second Graders Create Abstract Art!

The second grade students viewed the artwork of Paul Klee, a Swiss artist who created abstract drawings and paintings in the early 1900's. The students practiced differentiating between realistic, and abstract art, and they created their own abstract, oil pastel drawings.

"In my drawings, I am taking a line for a walk."
--Paul Klee