The Artwork
Over the course of my time at Nebinger Elementary, I wrote, planned, prepared, and executed 3 different lessons for the 9 grades, separating them into three grade chunks that were completing the same project. In these lessons, I put a focus on having students be exposed to a range of artworks and artists from around the world, that cover a variety of mediums.
To culminate the work I did with the students throughout the semester, I featured a portion of their work in a student teaching exhibition, where students and their families could come to see their work displayed and learn about the project their students created. This event was amazing, and though accompanied by torrential downpours, was an experience I will never forget.
On this page you can see some of the artwork produced by students for these projects, both individually, and as they were shown in the exhibition show.
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade: Folk Inspired Print-Collages
Looking at Ukrainian artist and painter Maria Prymachenko, students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade learned about how some artists are "folk artists" and made art from their own skills and imagination. Students looked at how Prymachenko filled her mythical and imaginative paintings with Patterns containing lines, shapes, and colors. They first made a styrofoam plate print of an animal, person, or creature of their own design, filling it up with patterns. Then, using painted papers they made, and their printed image, they collaged them together into fantastical scenes.
3rd - 5th Grade: Shape and Line Mandalas
Students in grades 3/4/5 looked at the history of Mandalas, originating with Buddhist monks in Tibet. The monks used sand to create intricate and bright geometric designs which were destroyed after their creation, symbolizing the impermanence of life and its circular nature. Students made their own mandalas utilizing Line, Shape, and Color, thinking about how their own backgrounds could inform their designs.
6th - 8th Grade: Narrative Vessels Inspired by Kevin Snipes
Students in grades 6/7/8 looked at Philadelphia native artist, Kevin Snipes, and his narrative vessels. Thinking about their own personal narratives, students used the slab-building method to create a vessel, a hollow form used to hold something, to display their narratives. On each side of their vessels, students displayed different aspects of themselves through portraits, symbols, colors, and other elements.
