Past projects 73
Mirror Mirror! Self Portraits of Us!
Funded Sep 4, 2023Everything you have done for us is so essential and appreciated! This is a project that puts the most used and possibly unnoticed items into the hands of my students: first, you provided us a set of new mirrors, because our old ones were 14 years old and horribly scratched. The new mirrors are currently in action daily as my students begin to learn how to draw human features. We love them! You also provided watercolor paint sets which we will be using all semester in projects from portraits to cityscapes.
Because I have five painting classes with three different levels, we have a huge need for containers that serve to hold and keep paint wet. To-go containers have proven to be amazing for my young painters. We can use the bowl to store paint as a palette, and the lid as a place to mix. A container can be used for an entire year. We also use a lot of specimen cups, fondly called "pee cups" to make custom colors, and for students to transport paint home for the weekend (at a fraction of the cost of providing them paint tubes).
You have helped our art studio to be a more productive and sustainable place and we appreciate your support of our artists. Thanks for choosing us!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McManus
This classroom project was brought to life by Olga Graham Inspiring Teachers Fund and 10 other donors.Color Us Creative!
Funded Oct 11, 2023Thank you for making our classroom so colorful and rich with the art materials needed to do the creative work of becoming artists. You have provided watercolors which we are now using for our second batch of students, ink for 100's of beginning drawing students, and nice paint brushes which let us have so much more control over what we do.
Your gifts are life changing and we thank you. We were able to set up several computer stations for the students using the cables and adaptors. There is always a scarcity in public education, and you have helped the class flow in a nice way. Things just work! There's computers to access, there are paints in bins, paints to check out to go home.
You have made sure we have enough and we appreciate it so much. Currently, we are using all the materials for watercolor tutorials and we will be moving on to an artwork for our art show which has the theme of "Alphabet Soup." We appreciate your generosity and choosing us!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McManus
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 12 other donors.Skeletons In The Closet And In the Bookshelf!
Funded Mar 30, 2023This has been such a well loved and appreciated project. We are using your skeletons and skulls on a regular basis! The entire academy wheels them around for different drawing, painting and sculpture projects. We are just heading into skeleton season again! October is going to be wonderful!
Having additions to our library that allow us to learn about anatomy and structure are such an important part of making our students "art school ready. " It's been a great year since you filled our bookshelf with life and we are able to bring images of plants, animals, and all parts of biology into our concrete box of an art studio.
We appreciate your gift to us and your generosity! You are the angels and the patrons over so many works of art. It makes all the difference to have your support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McManus
This classroom project was brought to life by Olga Graham Inspiring Teachers Fund and 6 other donors.Masterpieces Start With the Basics!
Funded Nov 10, 2022Thank you donors and Disney Story Tellers! This grant funded so many materials that we reach for on a daily basis; from pencil sharpeners, to brushes, to color pencil and oil pastel sets. The materials and tools you provided are all fun and also essential to our success. All of the materials are used constantly. Painters each got their own set of brushes. The drawing materials are shared by all.
Magic in the classroom happens when we feel a sense of abundance and everybody has enough. Students relax and create real art. We are totally enjoying having a rainbow of aprons, so that we can match them to our outfits. Your gifts have helped build culture in our room and added a sense of play. It's so uncool that it's cool to wear an apron.
Our donors really do put us over the rainbow and we appreciate your choice of our art studio.”
With gratitude,
Ms. McManus
This classroom project was brought to life by The Walt Disney Company and 7 other donors.In Visual Arts, Paints and Brushes are our Basics!
Funded Oct 26, 2022Thank you donors and Panda Cares Foundation for supporting our classroom! This grant provided our students with some of the most often needed supplies including watercolor sets and oil pastels. We finally have just been putting them to really great use on artworks for our Los Angeles exhibition.
Having nicer materials and tools like sable brushes available for student self-directed artworks makes such a huge difference in the quality of the finished product. The art looks more like real art and much less like student products, and our artists are able to make huge leaps in skill with the choices you have provided for us! Students are making some great art and learning how to handle these materials for their futures.
Donors like you make all the difference for us. We have a feeling of abundance in the studio and we don't have to ration! It's wonderful for all of us to have enough, so that we can focus on the real work of creativity! We appreciate your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McManus
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 3 other donors.The Pen & Ink Is Mightier Than the Sword!
Funded Sep 20, 2022Thanks to you, Donors Choose, and Spotify, this wonderful project provided so many things we needed to draw and paint. Let's start with Drawing. The India ink is fundamental to learning to draw and you have given us essential ink and nibs with handles. White pencils on black paper are the x-ray version of ink, and stretch the students to think in multiple dimensions and flip the shading around to lightening. It's challenging and rewarding work.
The Painting students have been creating wonderful projects using the canvases provided. The canvases are large and enough of them to challenge the ambitious painting students all year.
The students are thrilled with the supplies and all of the materials are being actively used in the art studio on a daily basis, and it just feels so great to be able to green light great ideas for artworks because we have enough due too your generosity. Thank you for choosing our art studio.”
With gratitude,
Ms. McManus
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 6 other donors.A Brush With Destiny!
Funded Sep 20, 2022Thanks to you and Quill, we have had a much more abundant school year! With your gifts I am able to provide a nice variety of paint brushes to all of my Drawing and Painting students. As you can imagine, keep a brush in the hand of about 250 students is a challenge, and you have helped make sure they are all good quality brushes. This grant ended up buying us new watercolor palettes, and brush sets that Painting student could have to use at home and at school. There's pride in ownership, so each student having a brush set has really cut down on damage and loss.
Through the donors choose grants, I am also able to provide free pens, pencils, erasers, and the use of rulers, pencil sharpeners, paint palettes and canvases to our student. Now a student with a good idea can get a green light to their exciting creative endeavor. We thank you for choosing to support us. Our art studio is a much richer experience thanks to your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McManus
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 11 other donors.Equity Comes From Access to the Best Tools!
Funded Aug 16, 2022Thanks to you, and Quill, we have what we need this year for academic and artistic success! You have brought color to our classroom in the form of much needed toner for our color printer. It's such a joy for our students to be able to print out photo references as they are working on complex Drawing and Painting projects in the art studio.
Most of my students do not have printers at home, so having a station where they can come in a print what they need to be successful in both art and academics is just a magical situation for our young artists. Your gift allows me to have pens, pencils and erasers out for any student who needs them. Having access to the basic tools of creating is so essential, and you have eased the scarcity for our students. They can easily access what they need.
We have been working on some great drawing and paintings all year and I am happy to share some with you. Thanks so much for making this school year special!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McManus
This classroom project was brought to life by Quill.com and 3 other donors.The Geometry of Abstract Art
Funded May 20, 2022Thanks to you, and Chevron, we have created some truly wonderful paintings, and the gift keeps on giving, because I have an entire station in my room where any student can pick up free pens, pencils and erasers as needed to create their work.
The main project here was to work with the Geometry of Abstract art. Teaching the art history of modernism often is difficult, but we related the creation of geometric paintings to the work of artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Hilma Af Klint, and Sonia Delauny, and studied the different motivations and symbolism behind the early modernists's use of geometric form. Each student developed their own logic whether looking at how shape and color could represent music, movement, or spirituality. It was an intellectually stimulating project with some great paintings created.
Bringing together art and Geometry, which most of my students are also enrolled in, gave them a chance to gain confidence over the shapes and forms that are shared by both of the fields. It was a very satisfying project and we so appreciate your gifts to my classroom. It lets so many kids unleash their creativity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McManus
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron and 6 other donors.Making a Mark With All the Right Tools
Funded May 20, 2022Our first semester has come and gone, and it was made so much better with your gifts! I was able to give each of my beginning Drawing students a drawing kit with 17 items, giving them a great start to high school and the art studio. The Painting students each got brush sets, watercolor set, and resealable palettes to store their acrylic paint.
The students are thrilled to have their own supplies, and there is true pride in ownership, because they take care of their own things and there is far less loss and damage. Students working on their artwork at home are able to have a stable set up. It's just been so nice for us on every level. I also have cups of pens and markers they can use in the room. Your gifts have let us feel a sense of abundance instead of scarcity, and we can all relax and create.
I appreciate you choosing our classroom, and allowing me to behave in a truly generous manner with our students. You make me look good, but more importantly, you help the creative spirit thrive in so many young artists.”
With gratitude,
Ms. McManus