5th grade Public Art

What is public art?  What is graffiti?  Can graffiti be a good thing?  What makes graffiti frowned upon?  How is a mural different from graffiti?

5th graders pondered these questions while discussing the Atlanta mural project called Living Walls.  A group of artists came together and created a dozen large murals throughout the city of Atlanta.  There was some controversy involved when one of the murals was painted over because the group didn't get the proper permission.  Students also learned about an Atlanta favorite, Evereman, who spreads his art through social media and word of mouth.  It was interesting to discuss these issues and compare opinions.

Students created a graffiti font of their names and displayed them in an urban environment.  We discussed atmospheric perspective and value while students painted a distant skyline.

5th grade Still Lifes

With a little inspiration from Wayne Thiebaud and a fellow art teacher, my 5th graders practiced using value to create form and painted candy still lifes.  Students used painting and drawing techniques to fill the space of their composition, show a 3 dimensional form on a 2d surface, and watercolor value. 

5th grade Action Op Art

 

 

5th graders learn a lot during this project.  We discussed how the Olympics are an important part of culture and students practiced capturing action poses by drawing gestures.  Students also discussed how lines create movement by looking at various OP artists and created a color scheme design in the background.  The OP is short for optical illusion.  Finally, students created Emphasis by placing their large, contrasting gesture in the middle of the page. 

5th grade Loom Weaving

5th grade students discussed the characteristics of weaving and made their own looms.  Students were encouraged to experiment with different stitches and combinations, and some students even created their own new stitch!

5th grade Clay Masks

5th grade students studied the artwork of Atlanta artist, Kimmy Cantrell. He is known for his colorful, expressionistic clay masks. Students used additive and subtractive hand-building techniques to create asymmetrical, playful masks.

5th grade Brancusi inspired Sculptures

5th grade students studied the life and artwork of modern artist, Brancusi. He is an exhibiting artist at the High Museum of art's Picasso to Warhol show. Students were encouraged to use repetition and balance to create a unique poster board sculpture. The students and I really talked about creativity during this project. How do artists achieve creativity? What inspires artists to be unique? What can YOU do for this project to make your sculpture special and different from others?

I think a lot of them stretched the possibilities on this one. I think they were pleased with their results!

5th grade Mandala Prints

5th grade students learned about the Tibetan tradition of making sand mandalas. The Buddhist monks spend hours working on intricate designs in complete meditation. When the design is finished, they wash the mandala down the river in honor of the value of impermanence.

Students created a radial symmetrical print by carving styrofoam and printing four times. Students took the print a step further by reducing the plate and printing a 2nd color. The process was long but the results are beautiful!

5th grade Gestures

5th graders learned about Henri Matisse and his cut outs. Students discussed proportion and practiced capturing movement by making gesture collages.

5th grade Contour OP Art Shoes

5th grade students made detailed contour line drawings. They studied the 70's art movement, OP art which used repetition of lines and shapes to create optical illusions. Students created emphasis by making their shoes big and in the middle. Students studied analogous and complementary colors.