Paterson Museum Student Art Exhibition

On March 6, 2014 artwork from students across the Paterson School District was showcased at the Paterson Museum Student Art Exhibition.  Among the schools represented were the four Dodge STEAM schools (School 2, School 7, the School of Government, and the School of Information Technology.)

Cora Quince, Principal on Assignment for Fine & Performing Arts, opened the exhibition, which was attended by teachers, students, parents, artists, and community members.  Dr. Candace Burns, Dean of the College of Education and Nancy Norris-Bauer, Director of Professional Development and School/Community Partnerships, Dodge Grant Coordinator Dina Scacchetti, and Art PIRs Triada Samaras and Myra Winter also attended the opening.

Above: SOIT and GOPA Art Teachers cut ribbon 
at opening reception.

Above: WPU Art PIR Triada Samras, PIR and Dodge Grat Manager Dina Scacchetti, SOIT and GOPA Art Teachers Marilyn Simon and Darryl Jones

Dodge STEAM teachers Marilyn Simon and Darryl Jones were co-chairs of project.  

 

A wide variety of art works in multiple media demonstrated the depth and scope of the Paterson Public Schools Fine Arts Program.

WPU practicum students Kathleen Gallagher, Nicole Schuitema, and Dominick Zungri assisted in preparing the exhibit by hanging the artwork, thus gaining first-hand and practical experience in mounting a student exhibition.  (This activity tied into their class work in Professor Samaras’ K-12 Art Methods class.)

William Paterson U Art Exhibition Winners from Dodge Schools

The four schools in which the Dodge STEAM Grant is being implemented this year will all be represented at the Professional Development School Art Exhibition, which will open on May 6, 2014 with a reception at the College of Education. The artists are:
Bryan Torres, a sixth grader at School 2, for his still life, executed in colored pencils:

Gisselle Lucero, an eighth grader at School 7, for her painting of a cell, in which the medium of watercolor reflects the depth of color and intricacies that makes up a cell:

Angeline Francois, a junior at the School of Information Technology, for her watercolor and permanent art marker work, "City of the Future," which demonstrates 1- and 2-D point perspective:

Alonso Piscoya, a freshman at the School of Government & Public Administration, for his abstract geometric 3-D work in tempera and chipboard:

Field Trip to Cross-Cultural Arts WPU

On April 1, Dodge STEAM students from Paterson School 7, the School of Government @ Eastside, and the School of Information Technology @ Eastside participated in William Paterson University's Multicultural Festival.

Above:  GOPA and SOIT STEAM students create mandalas out of colored rice.

Art teachers Vernon Nealy (School 7) and Marilyn Simon (Eastside,) joined by Art PIRs Triada Samaras and Myra Winter, Dodge Grant Coordinator Dina Scacchetti, and WPU art practicum students, accompanied the students through a series of activities.  

Above:  SOIT Art Teacher Marilyn Simon observes students in action in rice mandala workshop.

This year's multicultural theme focused on the arts of Southeast Asia.  Gallery Director Kristen Evangelista and her staff arranged for a tour of the Ben Shahn Galleries and two visual art workshops.  One workshop taught students how to create mandalas (the spiritual symbol of Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the Universe) through the use of colored rice.  

In another they created collages in which they depicted "home"--their own home or an ideal home.
After lunch the students walked to Shea Center for a performance of Indian dance and music.  

3-D Zentangles Art Installation Project Finale at Eastside High School (Phase Three)

Above:  Completed "Three D Zentangles Art Installation Project" developed by Art PIR Triada Samaras with GOPA and SOIT students and teachers together with WPU Practicum Students.

With the working phase of the "3-D Zentangles Art Installation" in progress (LINK) 

and nearing completion, the newly re-invigorated science display case at SOIT has radically altered the science hall!  Presently, this STEAM display case provides a unique opportunity for students, teachers, staff, and visitors to the Eastside High School campus to experience and appreciate vocabulary words from science, HSPA math, art, and other areas in a completely new and innovative way.  

The STEAM display case has attracted numerous viewers and is a catalyst for STEAM discussions amongst students and teachers of varying subjects in the halls.  Currently, it serves as a focal point for the STEAM concept at Eastside and having the street sign "Innovation Lane" over the display case only highlights its place as an inspirational point of departure for the STEAM program.





The overall goal of the "3-D Zentangles Art Installation" project is for students, teachers, and the school community at large to experience the word and the idea of STEAM in a new way.  Furthermore this art installation should make the case for moving from STEM to STEAM very obvious as it is the artistic and aesthetic aspects of this work that communicates the content so well, and not vice versa.  In other words, adding ART to the STEM subjects brings them alive and makes them more accessible for everyone.

It is hoped that this art installation will be an inspiration for other STEAM activities at Eastside in the near future.  Furthermore, this art installation encourages all viewers to engage with the idea of using the creative/artistic and the scientific/math processes together in a transdisciplinary way using language as well as form, thereby facilitating learning in a new way.

TEXT for ART INSTALLATION HANGING IN DISPLAY CASE 

STEAM Art Installation Piece

This art installation is part of the Paterson Eastside High School (GOPA/SOIT?) STEAM project. What is STEAM?  Science Technology Engineering Math + ART = STEAM! 

The STEAM movement in education, created recently at RISD/Rhode Island School of Design, champions the placements of Art and Design in the traditional STEM subjects to invigorate education in all subjects and facilitates student, teacher, and school-wide achievement and innovation.  Eastside High School (GOPA/SOIT?) is the recipient of a generous STEAM grant from the Geraldine M. Dodge Foundation and is also a part of the William Paterson University Professional Development School Network.

For this art installation piece, students in a variety of classes: science, math, art, and HSPA prep first created vocabulary strips using content words from their respective disciplines.  The repetition involved in students physically writing the words again and again on long white strips of white paper reinforced their familiarity with the words, helping them to learn the words, and to be able to use them with confidence later in their respective classes.

When the strips were completed, students and teachers created this art installation using what had been a traditional science display case with traditional science objects and vocabulary words.  Some of the original science display items (e.g. the anatomical figures) were retained for the art installation and provided the overall framework for this artwork.  Each of the disciplines of the word STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Math and Art) can now be seen here as allegorical figures using the vocabulary words taken from each content area, making the subjects more human.

The goal here is for students, teachers, and school community to experience the word and the idea of STEAM in a new way.  It is hoped that this art installation will be an inspiration for other STEAM activities at Eastside in the near future.  Furthermore, this art installation encourages all viewers to engage with the idea of using the creative/artistic and the scientific/math processes together in a transdisciplinary way using language as well as form, facilitating learning in a new way.

For more information and photographs of the on-going

STEAM project at Eastside High School please see our blog at:

www.steamempowerment.blogspot.com

Art PIR Triada Samaras

STEAM Grant Coordinator Dina Scacchetti

3-D Zentangles Art Installation Projects Continues at Eastside High School (Phase Two)

When the content area vocabulary strips were completed (LINK)  WPU Art PIR Triada Samaras worked with both students and teachers creating the art installation.  A framework for the piece emerged naturally as  work on this art project began.  Students decided that each of the content areas in the acronym "STEAM":  Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math would be represented by an allegorical figure made of the vocabulary strips.  Some of the original science display items (e.g. the large, anatomical figures and some of the smaller body pieces) were retained for the art installation and provided the overall brainstorming framework for the piece. Students decided each STEAM subject would have its own sculpture.  

In addition, students in Mrs. Simon's art classes created small, individual sculptures which were added to the left and right sides of the display case.  Below is the installation piece in progress in still images as well as a slide show (following).  Each of the disciplines of the word STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Math and Art) can now be seen here as allegorical figures using the vocabulary words taken from each content area, making the subjects more human.

Here students piece together the small vocabulary strips into one long strip. For the most part they sorted the vocabulary strips by subject matter with the intent to create each allegorical figure with words from the same content area.  Below students find a way to work three dimensionally with the materials.

Above: Eastside High students create allegorical sculptural figures for each separate letter of the word S-T-E-A-M using vocabulary strips created in art, science, math and HSPA prep classes for the Three D Zentangle display case.

Clay and Math: Calculations of Internal Volume

Below is an example of the calculations of the internal volume of one of the objects created in Mr. Jones' Art class:
(Please see  LINK.)