Art Quilts

(Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh was the first art/picture quilt I made)

For awhile now, I've been wanting to have my art students to participate in some sort of service project. After looking around, I found one art project for children to exchange their artwork with children in Iraq. I loved this idea, but was apparently too late in getting involved. Then, while looking through the school district paper, I found the perfect project!

One of the schools in the district had teamed up with Operation After Action in SLC, UT. They collected quilts/blankets and stuffed animals and sent them to hospitalized children in Iraq!

I want my students to realize that children are children no matter where they live. When I was in school (somewhere between 4-12 grade), I realized the truth of that. In one of my classes, a girl had recently moved to the US from Russia. There were several times prior to this when we had bomb drills during school. I was terrified that the Russians were going to bomb our school/community at any time! The new student stated that she had felt the same way about the US and how she had had nightmares that a US ship would bomb her apartment as it drifted down the river next to her apartment. I was shocked! She set me straight by saying of course I was scared too!

It was after this that I realized that there are two sides to everything and just because some people choose to do terrible things, it doesn't mean that the whole place they're from does terrible things! I'd like my students to understand this on some level by serving fellow children in Iraq. The great news is that the principal loves this idea! So, it's on!

My sixth graders are going to make nine child-size quilts (35"x45") based on famous art work of their choice. I'm so excited!!!  

Anyone want to help us out by donating some fabric scraps???

Movement in Art

My K-3 graders made legs in order to understand movement in art, inspired by this artist: http://theartroomplant.blogspot.com/2011/01/clare-h-johnson.html We also looked at a Jackson Pollack painting, which the students loved! Especially one who has the same name :) Too bad I didn't get any pictures during class! The students were so creative with their designs. Two of my second graders measured the legs I gave them; they are 12" long :)

To start with, I asked the students how their bodies move (joints). Then we talked briefly about how we can see movement in art (Jackson Pollock painting - Ocean Greyness) through the brush strokes, how the artist had to move to create the art, etc. I drew an outline of two legs on a regular piece of paper and the copy aide copied it to a large piece of construction paper. 

The students cut out the two legs and created their movement art using fabric, pictures, markers, cotton balls, beans, yarn, colored pencils, crayons, etc. I attached the two legs with a brad at the top. Some students drew the leg/foot bones in, some made socks, some drew fancy shoes on them, some of the boys put "wounds" squirting with blood, some made "hairy" legs by cutting the edge in slivers, some had patterns on them, some used the "fancy" (scrapbook) scissors for a border pattern, etc. I also referenced the book I ain't gonna Paint no More by Karen Beaumont, which has great illustrations! They loved it!