Past projects 28
Help Tiny Artists With Autism Explore Their Imaginations Through STEAM
Funded Mar 2, 2022My students were so excited when we got our Clixo kits. Since receiving our new kits they have become one of the favorite imagination toys among my students and are the thing most requested when they have finished working on their art project for the day, especially among my older students. My students love the way that the Clixo block system links together, the magnets clicking together is very satisfying. They really thrive on the fact that they are an open ended toy that they can use to create all sorts of things.
Thank you again for your generous gift, I know our Clixo kits will be something that we utilize for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cosimano
This classroom project was brought to life by Valhalla Foundation and 4 other donors.Help Expand Our Photo Program for Tiny Artists With Autism
Funded May 4, 2021Over the month of December, my 3rd through 5th grade Art classes have been able to experiment with new types of photography that combine old school traditional techniques with new world technology. The students have made photograms (laying actual objects on top of cyanotype paper and then exposing it to ultraviolet light) and used scratch art film sheets to create their own dawn negatives. My 12:1:1 class also took self-portraits inspired by the work of Cindy Sherman, specifically her series of Untitled Film Stills. Using our Epson SureColor 800 printer (from another DonorsChoose project), we were able to print digital negatives of their self-portraits on the inkjet transparency film. The students were then able to contact print their negatives on cyanotype paper using the UV Exposure Unit. Having the UV Exposure Unit has been a game changer, we have precise control when printing cyanotype and do not have to worry about the lack of sunny days in our area.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cosimano
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 6 other donors.Sketchbooks for Students with Autism!
Funded Sep 16, 2020Thank you again for donating to my most recent project to get sketchbooks for my students. I am truly humbled by the kindness and generosity of everyone.
My students were so excited to get their new sketchbooks for this year. I brought in silver sharpies for students to write their names on the front and decorate their sketchbooks how they wanted. My students were so excited to claim their sketchbooks as their own and many of them started drawing in them immediately.
The sketchbooks are such a great tool to use in my Art classes. Students learn to take responsibility as they are in charge of storing and keeping track of their sketchbooks. It also helps my students to get in the practice of sketching and drawing on a regular basis, with many of my students pulling out their sketchbooks when they have free time between their classes.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cosimano
This classroom project was brought to life by Con Edison and 4 other donors.Roll Adapter for Large Photo Prints On Our Epson Printer
Funded Apr 17, 2019Thank you so much for helping us get the roll adapter for our new Epson printer. While the roll adapter doesn't do much on it's own, when attached to our photo printer, it really expands what we can do with our printer.
One of my classes in particular was able to really take advantage of the roll adapter. they decided that they wanted their photos to be huge, not just 13x19 inches. They had all worked really hard on practices their poses (based on classical paintings and Kehinde Wiley's work), learned how to use my mirrorless cameras so that they could photograph each other and were very diligent about creating their backgrounds using print-making techniques. They were so excited to see the roll printer in action and see how big they were able to make their mixed media portraits.
One student in particular decided that he wanted to recreate a pose from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, where God is reaching out to touch man, only he was going to pass a paintbrush to another student. Having the roll adapter allowed us to print it 16x22 making it as epic as it truly deserved to be.
To see these projects head to @ artspectra on instagram.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cosimano
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 2 other donors.Big Printer For Tiny Photographers With Autism
Funded Apr 16, 2019I don't know how to thank you all for this printer. You all made a big dream come true for me, because of you, I was able to share my love and knowledge of photography with my students. Watching the students see their photographs be printed and the excitement on their faces is something I will never forget.
During the months before our school building closed, my students worked on projects using photograph. All of my 3rd-5th graders studied the work on Kehinde Wiley, which allowed us to talk about race, gender and how those have been viewed in art. My students spent time practicing poses from classical paintings, learned how to operate mirrorless digital cameras and photographed each other.
Thanks to your generosity we were able to print their images on large paper and used them to create their mixed media pieces that were 18"x24." The finished pieces are on display in the halls of our school and were up during out Annual Spring Art Show. This work transcended not just race and gender, but common beliefs about abilities too, giving my students a new way to share their voice and take pride in who they are. If you would like to see the project, you can see it @artspectra on instagram.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cosimano
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 23 other donors.Puppet Supplies for Young Puppeteers with Autism
Funded Nov 27, 2018We've had a really exciting couple of months building all sorts of puppets! Every students at the school was able to create their own puppet thanks to the supplies that you helped us get.
The youngest students made hand puppets out of felt. The new scissors really made cutting the felt a breeze. My seven and eight year old students really enjoyed making sock puppets this year. They learned some basic sewing skills to create the yarn hair for their puppets. My nine and ten year old students decided to make rod puppets this year. As you can see from the pictures they really had a blast creating their heads and hands out of clay. The dowels, yarn and paint really helped those puppets come to life.
Your generous donations helped us to create more detailed and a wider variety of puppets this year. The puppetry unit has always been one of my favorite things to teach, you helped make it extra special this year.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cosimano
Printmaking Press for Students with Autism
Funded Apr 4, 2018Thank you so much for your generous donations that helped us to get a printmaking press. The printing press has really enhanced our printmaking process. The students are now able to explore a wider variety of printmaking processes including collagraphs. So far we have used it to print some of the collagraph plates that we made at the end of the school year. The small size of the printing press allows me to travel with it from class to class, which as a traveling art teacher makes it ideal. It's also easy for the kids to operate themselves, giving them a more authentic printmaking process.
Thank you again for helping to make some of my art teacher dreams come true!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cosimano
Help My Students with Autism Display their Artwork!
Funded Dec 16, 2017This project has made a huge impact on our students and the culture of the school. I have been able to hang the five picture frames around the floor of our school, highlighting student work, which has made the staff room and hallways more colorful. I get complements all of the time from the teachers at my school about how the environment of our school has really changed to feel more more welcoming.
Having the 10 foot long bulletin board has drastically changed the amount of work that I can hang up in the hallways. I can easily fit 16 large pieces of work up at once, making it possible to have work up from almost every one of the 90 students that I see. This has really allowed the students to have a sense of pride in their work.
For the month of March, we were able to use the new bulletin board to create a collaborative mural inspired by the work on Kara Walker. It was really amazing to watch the kids of my 12:1:1 class work together to create this piece. Not only did they help each other to create their silhouettes, but it also really challenged them to think about the space in a new way, because they were in charge of putting the silhouettes on the board and making sure that all 12 students fit.
Today is our Art Show, which is being held during our open house/parent teacher conference night. Having the corrugated plastic sheets allowed me to create stackable columns to hang work on. These columns really transformed the space from looking like a gym, to feeling like a small gallery. I'm excited to be able to bring my students in to look at their work, because having your work displayed and viewed is an important part of the art making process.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cosimano
This classroom project was brought to life by Carnegie Corporation and 11 other donors.Craft Paper for Tiny Artists (Pre-K Students) with Autism
Funded Oct 21, 2017My students and I have been using the paper roll for collaborative projects. It's been amazing watching the way that students interact with each other when they have to share a surface, it forces them to communicate their ideas and they are starting to create things that exist in the same world.
It's also been really fun watching the kids faces when I roll this giant roll of paper into their classrooms. They are amazed by the fact that we can make it as long or as short as we want. Working on large scale work is definitely exciting for them, because it's a very new experience.
After the break we are hoping to use the paper to create a collaborative image for our gym teacher, focused around the idea of healthy eating habits. I am excited to see what my tiny artists come up with next.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cosimano
This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great® and 6 other donors.Art Literacy for Students with Autism
Funded Oct 18, 2017Thank you again for all of your generous donations and helping me to bring art literacy to my students. The books have allowed me to expand the way that I teach about art. Now when I introduce a new concept such as color mixing, I can read a story to my students about color theory (how you mix colors to create new colors) before they begin to experiment with color mixing themselves. This has made for much richer lessons because it provides a concrete introduction to new topics.
I'm also really excited about the art history books. My students love learning about artists, but it can be very hard to find appropriate sources that are developmentally appropriate for my students. These new art history books have really great reproductions of famous artworks from artists such as Picasso, Degas, Matisse, Van Goth and Monet, as well as short rhymes that talk about each piece, providing a spark to help the students notice things within the paintings.
I'm really excited to continue using all of these new books in my art lessons and for the potential art work that I know they will inspire for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cosimano
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 5 other donors.