NRC and North Carolina Museum of Art Project Stage 5: Post Production!

"Gaining STEAM from Ancient Egyptian Artifacts" entered its final, 'post production' phase recently in New Roberto Clemente/NRC Teacher, Howard Baldwin's technology classroom.

With the three-D printing completed, Mr. Baldwin's 6th grade students created an awesome display of their amulets including:  their two-D sketches, their actual three-D printed amulets, and a photograph of each of them wearing the amulet.

This is the last phase of an exciting STEAM project and collaboration that has been going on for several months.

 

 
Using the collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts from the North Carolina Museum of Art, NRC students reflected on the question: "Why do students make?"  Students learned that Ancient Egyptian amulets held "special powers" for their original creators.  They also learned about the first man-made material, faience, that was discovered quite by accident by the Ancient Egyptians and then later used to create their amulets.  

Students could easily connect the relevance and meaning of the ancient amulets with contemporary art objects such as necklaces that humans continue to make today.  Often such necklaces hold special "powers" for the wearer, even today!  Students could also understand how an "accident" might create a new scientific discovery such as the material:  faience.  In fact students realized "happy accidents" are common to both the art-making and the scientific processes.  Thus, they saw that risk-taking and problem solving are both common elements in both disciplines as well. Such trans-disciplinary insights inspired students to create their own present day amulets with ease.

The "Gaining STEAM from Ancient Egyptian Artifacts" project has featured a collaboration between NRC Art Teachers: Lauren Mandal and Aimee Senopole; NRC Technology Teachers:  Howard Baldwin and Janette Selino; William Paterson Museum STEAM Art Professor in Residence Triada Samaras (funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation); North Carolina/NC Museum of Art Acting Education Director, Michelle Harrell; NC Museum of Art Educator: Camille Tewell and NC Museum of Art Distance Educator Emily Kotecki.
This was a true STEAM activity that crossed several disciplines.

For more information on this project please see:

Phase One: 
Coming Soon to Paterson: Phase One: A "Virtual" Museum visit from the North Carolina Museum of Art! 

Phase Two
Phase Two: Egyptian Amulet STEAM Collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Art!  

Phase Three
Phase Three: STEAM Collaboration between NRC and North Carolina Museum of Art 

Phase Four 
STEAM Collaboration between NRC and North Carolina Museum of Art

Teachers at School 2 and School 12 Learn to Stimulate Creativity by "Grasping at Straws"

The month of February was an especially interesting one for the teachers from School 2 and School 12 who attended workshops given by Art PIR Simone Sandler.  At left, Ms. Sandler stands before the materials she prepared for the workshop.

The focus of the workshop was a project-based lesson on how engineering concepts can be taught using simple objects like straws.  Straws are the perfect choice for school budgets:  inexpensive but versatile.  At left School 2 teachers work diligently on their creations.

The participants experimented by building towers, three-dimensional shapes, bridges, rockets and more to create science-math-art-engineering lessons ready for the classroom.  Ms. Sandler stressed that the use of manipulatives in a hands-on experience readily motivates students.  Students may be encouraged to try, and, if they fail, to try again--in other words, to take the risks that eventually lead to success.  

Participants were shown which straws work best, and how pipe cleaners may be used as connectors that are sturdy enough to support constructions.  Teachers left the workshops with concrete examples of lessons that could be adapted for various grade levels.

Teachers from School 2 proudly display their creations.

Teachers from School 12 were led by Principal Andre McCollum,
who shows off his effort,  a three-dimensional swing set.

Paterson High Schools: GOPA, SOIT and CAHTS in ArtStart at WPU!

On February 4, 2017 the Annual ArtStart highschool art exhibition opened with a gala reception and award ceremony at William Paterson University in the Power Art Gallery.  

Public highschool juniors and seniors from all over Northern New Jersey were invited to participate. In addition, art teachers were invited to exhibit their works alongside their students. Three high schools from Paterson participated:  GOPA, SOIT and CAHTS.

 

 










 
Left:  Participating SOIT 
student Iniyja Dutcher with her Mom in front of her work.

Right: (from left to right) 
SOIT Mom, student Iniyja Dutcher, Dodge STEAM Grant Manager, Dina Scacchetti, and WPU Art Professor in Residence Triada Samaras

Additionally, senior art students who had work in the exhibition could bring their portfolios for review prior to the start of the reception to be considered for a potential art talent scholarship to William Paterson University. Portfolio reviews will also take place later this month in the Power Art building near noon.

Left:  GOPA student Janeth Garcia proudly stands next to her artwork.

Above:  SOIT Art Teacher Marilyn Simon (left) with Dodge STEAM Grant Manager, Dina Scacchetti.

Peace for Paterson Project at NRC is a Work of Art!

The Paterson Peace project at NRC has become an all encompassing work of art.  Throughout the school building, origami paper cranes are hanging in a variety of inspiring and delightful art installations. 
Ms. Mandal, 3D art teacher, and her students have been busy writing, folding and installing these paper cranes for the past month and a half.  First students write something about the theme of "peace" on the origami paper.  Next the birds are created simply by folding.  No scissors or glue or tape is necessary. 

Finally they are strung up together or placed on branches throughout the NRC building. In other locations they are resting on window ledges.  Some of the paper cranes included in this project come from Ms. Marilyn Simon's class, high school art teacher at SOIT.  

 

 

In addition Mr. Baldwin, technology teacher at NRC, made the cranes using the 3D printers in his classroom with his students.

This project was inspired by the Book: Sadoko and the Thousand Cranes

For More Blog Posts on This Project Please See:
http://steamempowerment.blogspot.com/2016/12/peace-for-paterson-project-evolving-at.html
http://steamempowerment.blogspot.com/2016/12/at-paterson-school-2-peace-for-paterson.html 
http://steamempowerment.blogspot.com/2016/10/peace-for-paterson-steam-project-has.html