2nd Grade Connoisseurs, 2013

A Norman Rockwell painting that involves an art expert studying a Jackson Pollock style drip painting at the museum... This is a fantastic lesson that compares and contrasts two famous American artists from the same era, and includes a technology/photography element. What more could my 2nd grade curriculum ask for?
Last year, this was one of my favorite projects and we made real drip paintings (see them here) - this year, we created and printed our digital drip paintings from the website www.jacksonpollock.org for a modern twist. Action Jackson would not have had that opportunity in his lifetime.

The Connoisseur, Norman Rockwell

Blue Poles, Jackson Pollock

Rockwell in his tidy studio, working at an easel



Pollock in his barn studio, paint cans and sticks everywhere, canvas on the floor

Can you think of two artists that are more different than Norman Rockwell and Jackson Pollock? My 2nd graders are enjoying the styles of both artists, and trying out a little of each. After an informative PowerPoint showcasing both artists, we did discover a few similarities: both were American men born about 100 years ago, both had studios that were originally old barns, and both worked in the New England region of the USA.
Students enjoyed the skilled portraits of Rockwell, and many students shared that they thought his paintings were like scenes from a movie. We attempted a "Triple Self-Portrait," as seen on the iconic magazine cover, with the artist calmly sitting at his easel and studying his own reflection.
Pollock's work was intriguing to the kids, and they were especially excited about the photos of him working in his studio, splashing and dripping across the canvas on the floor in an artistic rhythm. They also liked that they could use their imaginations when looking at his art.
We produced our own versions of "The Connoisseur" by taking photos of each other in thinking poses, and creating backgrounds with collaged papers - I think they are so charming!

Face jugs 2013

Face jugs, a tradition in my 5th grade class every year.  See this post from last year with more info and a link to a great History Detectives clip about the origins of face jugs. Students could build a traditional "ugly" jug, an animal face, or a stylized human face (not so ugly). Both additive and subtractive sculpting methods were used on our clay bodies, made from joined pinch pots. We used Dick Blick glazes - a very affordable option with great results!

ready for first firing - can you see my "Finn" example on top?

new this year, pressing alphabet noodles in to spell names or phrases! love it : )

African textile print

  

For the second project of our African unit, first graders studied the unique woven cloths from this region  - one called Kente, which is woven with colorful threads that create repeating patterns, and Adinkra, which is woven in a solid color and the repeating patterns are stamped on. We used styrofoam plates to create patterns we found in these cloths and printed them using the marker and damp paper technique - thanks to Don at Shine Brite Zamarano for the tip on this fun printing method! As Don mentioned, getting the paper the right dampness is crucial, and I had my best luck lightly spraying with a mister, then taking a large clean paintbrush and sweeping across the paper quickly to even out wet spots. In 45 minutes, we had plenty of time for a class of about 24 to make 3 prints and still clean their plates and hands.

After drying, we chose the best print to add some stitching detail for that textile feel, and the other two we traded with classmates, as if we were in an African village. We looked at many pictures of textile sellers in African markets - such a colorful place! I think the first graders would rank this high on the favorites list, and I must say it is one of the cleaner printmaking techniques, making it a favorite of mine as well. : )

                    

kente examples from http://textileythings.blogspot.com/2012/02/history-of-kente-cloth.html

prints drying on the rack

adinkra example from http://angelasancartier.net/adinkra-cloth