Winding Down - Art of Latin America and Art of Africa

 I seriously cannot believe the first semester is almost over! Students have been working diligently on their two most recent projects. Art of Latin America projects were turned in right before winter break and Art of Africa projects are due this weekend. I updated the virtual art show with some of the Latin America projects (I'm waiting on a few more students to approve their videos to be added), so check them out on the virtual art show tab! 

Students blew me away with their Latin America projects! Most students selected the visual art pathway, but no two artworks were the same. Frida Kahlo and Jose Guadalupe Posada were the most common artists chosen for this project, as their style of art was so iconic and easy to incorporate into artworks (I did this project along with my students, and also chose Kahlo because I liked the idea of creating a self portrait). The pandemic was a hot topic for artwork; many students incorporated masks or an illustration of the coronavirus.  Here are a few samplings from the submissions:

My favorite part of this project was that students were given choice as to which pathway they wanted to follow. Although many students selected visual art, a few students in each class selected one of the performing arts options, allowing their performance skills to shine! Check out the virtual art show to see some of the submissions from the performing categories. 

Students are working on another choice-based project, focusing on the art of Africa. This time, the project was divided into two weeks, where students had to choose one art form for each week, resulting in two mini-projects! Students who chose dance had to create a 30-second video of them performing a dance inspired by traditional African dance choreography. Students who chose music had to create a 30-second video of them performing a rhythm inspired by traditional African instruments. Although some students did have drums at home, many students used found objects, such as buckets, chairs, boxes, and pans, to create their music with. Students who chose theatre had to act out a 30-second (or more) scene from an African folktale. Some students decided to retell the story as a monologue, while others acting alongside family members to recreate the story. Lastly, students who chose visual art created a drawing or 3D mask inspired by traditional African masks. 

Since these projects are being turned in this weekend, I will hopefully have the Art of Africa projects added to the virtual art show by the end of next week. For the last few days of class coming up, I have some really neat activities planned, so stay tuned!

Term II Recap

 It always frustrates me when I remember I forgot to post here and then realize it's been several weeks since I last shared any work! Since I last posted, students completed their Spooky Radio Plays and Synesthesia Artwork - both projects are featured on the Virtual Art Show (click the tab above). I was beyond impressed by the outcome of both projects. Students have been learning to think outside the box and be creative with the materials and supplies they have available to them at home. I especially enjoyed hearing the radio plays that featured family members - something we wouldn't have necessarily gotten to hear if we were currently in the classroom.

I'm sharing a few examples of the synesthesia drawings here, too. Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon that occurs in only 4% of the population. Their brain connects more than sense together, so people with chromesthesia actually see colors when they hear sounds. In order to simulate this experience, students chose a song and created an artwork showing what they visualized when they listened to it. Some students created an abstract artwork, combining lines, shapes, and colors that conveyed the emotion behind the song, while others created a more literal drawing with imagery from the song. All of the submissions were phenomenal!

In order to plan for their artwork, students had to listen to their song and brainstorm what images or colors came to mind. From there, they created 3 thumbnail sketches where they quickly sketched out any ideas they had for their composition. Next, they narrowed down their idea (some used one thumbnail, while others combined aspects from more than one), and created a rough draft. The student artwork featured below shows a student creating his thumbnails and rough draft on paper, and then he chose a website to create his final artwork digitally.

Currently, students are working on the Latin America Passport project. I am so excited for this one! This project I crafted up with two other creative arts teachers. Students got to choose which pathway they wanted to learn about for this project: visual art, music/dance, or theatre. Students who chose the visual art pathway learned about a few Mexican artists, looking at the artwork they created during the time of the Mexican Revolution. For their final product, students are creating an original artwork that conveys their feelings toward a current event or social issue, while using a similar style, technique, or subject as one of the master artists they chose to research. Students working on the music/dance pathway learned about the Cha Cha and created their own Cha Cha rhythm using a program called Groove Pizza, and are currently learning how to perform the dance. Their final product will be a video of them dancing the Cha Cha to the song they put together. Lastly, the students who chose the theatre pathway learned about alebrijes. They created their own alebrije and wrote a monologue for them to preform that tells the story of a dream they had involving their alebrije. 

Each pathway allows for extreme creativity. My favorite part of this project is that students were able to select which project they felt more comfortable with and interested in. The submissions are due on Wednesday, so I will try to update the virtual art show during winter break. 

If I don't get a chance to post again before the new year - have a wonderful and relaxing winter break!