Past projects 6
Reading to Spark the Inspiration to Create!
Funded Sep 13, 2022Artists at my school have such a passion and interest in reading so when the books you funded arrived there was so much excitement! These books have been introduced and read through with artists from Kindergarten through fifth grade (yes! Fifth graders still enjoy being read to!)These books have provided an even deeper knowledge and understanding of the importance of not just learning about a work of art, but also learning about an artist to further understand their art.
The stories about the life of Yayoi Kusama, Piet Mondrian, Vincent Van Gogh, and Wassily Kandinsky sparked ideas for our current bird project. Students are using art to design a bird silhouette in the style of one of these artists. Their birds will be hung in the windows of our beautiful courtyard to actually save the lives of birds(we learned they can't see windows well, and many birds have crashed and then fallen from hitting the windows, so by putting things in the windows, it deters the birds from flying into them!).
Kindergarten artists absolutely loved learning about the abstract art of Piet Mondrian. The learned about line (vertical and horizontal), the primary colors, and started to explore abstract art by making their own Mondrian inspired collage! As students were finished their projects they got to each pick a book that was donated through this project to read the pictures and gain critical exposure to so many different artists and their styles.
These books will be cherished forever in the art room for the artists at my school. Thank you so much for helping students gain a deeper understanding of not just different kinds of art, but about the lives of the artists too! Students are learning that what someone experiences, can have a direct impact upon their work and are learning that art can be used to help you process and heal after a challenging time in your life!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martin
2021: The Year We Conquer Clay!
Funded Dec 9, 2021I wish I could have recorded the video of my students seeing our clay cart BURSTING WITH MATERIALS for the first time! They were ecstatic to learn they would get to complete a project in clay this year! The morning after I introduced clay to just one class, the remainder of the classes were asking me in the hallway- "are we using clay too?!" , "When do we get clay?!", "Will we get to actually KEEP it?!". With such a challenging year last year trying to learn and participate in art strictly virtually, to a year this year where some students only received half their typical number of art classes, this surprise and experience of using clay has been the most amazing gift my students have gotten.
The experience using clay for students was an adventure of a lifetime, but also proved challenging to students! It pushed their abilities of creating in 2-D to extend into 3-D forms and objects! Students experienced challenges of learning how much water is too much on clay, and how much is too little. Students worked to create pinch pots first, but then transform their pinch pots into whatever they could imagine. Some students created bowls, baskets, and bowls shaped like monster faces. Other students created plate like dishes in a variety of shapes and forms. It was incredible to see all the ideas they described become a reality.
While this project impacted my students greatly, I would be lying if I said I didn't also learn from it. This project challenged me to teach something and try a new lesson that I have never had the opportunity to do in 12 years of teaching. This challenge taught me about some of my students when they shared they had family members both here and in other countries who create ceramics for fun, or for a living! I was validated in my belief that sometimes the best way for students to learn, is to learn from one another. I saw students who are often reserved and quiet step up as leaders through this project. I also witnessed students who have had disagreements in the past bond with one another over this project!
Thank you again, for your generosity, and kindness in donating for this project. I cannot wait to continue to use basically all these materials for years to come since they are reusable!!! Your donation did not just give me the ability to complete this experience and lesson for students once, but for all students in the future at my school! THANK YOU!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martin
This classroom project was brought to life by Clark Foundation & Marriott Foundation and 11 other donors.A Library in the Art Room? Yes! but First, We Need Books!
Funded Oct 20, 2015I cannot begin to express the excitement and curiosity in my students eyes which was brought about when they saw the arrival of books in the art room library! These books have created an entirely new level of imagination, creativity, and focus within the classroom. My students are thrilled and excited to read through the pages of each book learning about famous artists, color theory, and being challenged to imagine the world in a different way through books like "Sky Color", "Ish", Beautiful Oops, and the many more books provided through this Donors Choose Project.
Second grade dove into the concept of Abstract art beginning with the story "The Noisy Paintbox" about Kandinsky. They learned that art doesn't have to be a realistic representation of something, but in fact can be a combination of colors, lines, forms, and shapes. Students created their own oil pastel abstract work of art on a black piece of paper. They then transitioned into the story "Action Jackson" where they learned about the life of Pollock, and discovered abstract expressionism. Students were able to move like Jackson in their project by drawing to the rhythm and sounds of different music genres. They then were able to imitate the marks he made through jumping, swirling, shaking, and tilting marbles in a box with paint. In the spring we hope to go fling paint outside onto a large scale canvas just like Pollock did!
Fifth grade encountered the challenge of being architects! They were inspired by the two books which covered the life and work of Hundertwasser. Through reading and looking at the images within the books, they designed their own structures(house, museum, townhouses, etc.) and built them from cardboard. This was an entirely new experience, all made possible by your generous donations!! Students then painted the structures with colors inspired by Hundertwasser.
These are just two examples of how these books being provided in the art room by your generous donation, have helped my students art room experiences ignite with creativity and excitement!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martin
Artists? Check! Art Supplies? Check! Teachnology? Help!!!
Funded Oct 16, 2013The excitement and buzz within the art room has sky rocketed since the introduction of the Ipad Mini which you all were so generous as to fund. Students have taken such an interest in the creation of art with technology that some have asked their parents to download apps on their own iphones! As a teacher, the addition of the ipad to the classroom has helped me give my students new resources to expand and research their ideas for projects. Students are truly excited about the new edition of this ipad mini and in fact, treat it as our art room baby! They are so responsible and cautious with this piece of technology!
Students have been using the ipad mini so far as a means of image searching for new projects. For example, the fifth grade is learning about architecture from around the world and students are using the ipad to find images of unique buildings such as Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Waters, and different monuments and historic buildings such as the Parthenon, the Pantheon, the Eiffel Tower, and much more. Students are also using the ipad mini every day to update their personal portfolio on artsonia.com. Students now are able to publish, comment on, and title their artwork to share with friends and family members all over the world. Students get such joy and excitement when there is a comment left on their artwork or someone joins their fan club on the website!
Originally I imagined the ipad mini would be a great teaching tool for idea generation, publishing artwork, and creating digital artwork but it has transformed my classroom in so many more ways. My students have strengthened their sense of community within the art room and actively share and communicate and even regulate the time allotted with each student of the ipad. Students who typically weren't "friends" as they would put it have learned they have similar interests and ideas. The ipad mini has also allowed students to become the teacher. If a student forgets a step in publishing their artwork, I rarely have to step in and remind them of the next steps. Another student is right there, verbally walking them through the steps.
I cannot express fully the positive impacts that this donation has had in my classroom this year. It has truly transformed my students, and furthered their knowledge and success within the visual arts classroom. Thank you, for your donation and dedication to the youth in Washington, DC!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martin
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 6 other donors.Marble Madness in Art!
Funded Dec 24, 2011"WHOA! It's magic in my face. How does it happen?! We're so lucky we get to do magic in art!" - 4th grade student in the art room in response to this project.
The quote above cannot begin to elaborate upon how thankful and excited my students were to have this project funded by you on DonorsChoose.org. Students have learned so much about the ways that art and science work together to make "magic" as they call it. This project has helped my students to not only understand scientific concepts but also artistic ones. Students have gained deeper knowledge of terms such as surface tension, concentric circles, and color theory. Even general education classroom teachers came to me to ask about this project and wanted to try it themselves!
With your generosity, students at my school have a new spark and passion for mixing the arts and science. This project is one which the entire school can participate and and due to a small budget, the supplies could not have been acquired without your help. Thanks so much!
”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martin
Sketch Away!
Funded Dec 8, 2011I cannot begin by saying thank you so much for the amazing sketchbooks! As soon as the students found out about our project being funded, they were at my side every morning asking "Are they here yet?!". At this point we were able to add a bit of geography to our art room by tracking the shipping status on-line and onto a map of the United States. Finally, the sketchbooks arrived and I distributed them to the fifth grade.
The moment the sketchbooks were in their hands they were silent(total silence from fifth graders is a rare thing). These sketchbooks have changed the lives of my fifth graders in so many ways. The students are now have their own running library of their sketches, ideas, and thoughts. In addition to acting as a way to store their art and collect it, we have been able to have a more exciting art class by traveling outdoors. Student experienced first hand the pros and cons to outdoor landscape drawing! Some realized it's not as easy as it looks! These sketchbooks have created a sort of pulse throughout these students of a love and desire to have art in their lives.
I hope you enjoy the notes and photographs which will be coming your way soon. Thank you so much for your support of arts education in our schools!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martin