After four
years of working with an on-site Art PIR (Triada Samaras), the School of
Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism (CAHTS), the School of Government and
Public Administration (GOPA), and the School of Information Technology (SOIT),
are being asked to maintain their efforts at art integration without such direct
support.
The first three lessons of the school year
demonstrated clear evidence of the sustainability of the endeavor.
In CAHTS, Art Teacher Reyes presented her
students with a lesson that explored a unique culture, that of the Senufo
people of West Africa. The Senufo are
famous for their cloth paintings that originated in the 15th and 16th
centuries. The Senufo use natural mud to
create stylized animals such as birds, snakes, fish, frogs, crocodiles and
turtles. They also depict masked dancers. Geometric designs are used to embellish the
drawings and create patterns. While these
mud paintings are now mostly created and sold as artworks, at one time they had spiritual significance, and were thought to protect the wearers when they were
hunting or to bring good luck.
After researching the art of the Senufo, students
developed their own designs.
Students prepared their cloths, dipping them in a mixture of water and clay. They then stretched them flat, and allowed them to dry before painting.
The final products were in the tradition of Senufo, and honored the art of this vibrant culture.
Across the hall in GOPA, Art Teacher Jones and his students explored more abstract concepts. The students explored how the creative process works by producing a zentangle (an abstract tangle of lines and patterns). (Information on zentangles can be found at www.zentangle.com ).
Starting with a piece of white vellum,
students drew the outline of a form, and then filled in the form with looping
lines that intersected with and divided existing shapes. The shapes thus formed were filled in with a
variety of lines and patterns, some of which were left white and some colored
in.
A zentangle may be purely abstract, but many
students chose to incorporate styled animals, some of which were derived from
Native American or Asian art, as shown below.
The lesson demonstrated creativity and
innovation, while employing valid and reliable research strategies.
Art Teacher Simon began the celebration of
her 50th year of teaching by presenting her students with a lesson
in which students were asked to create an artwork that incorporated both
geometric and organic shapes. They were
then asked to take the concept further by expressing their knowledge through a
grid design.
Students began by creating two separate
works, first drawing one with leaf outlines (organic shapes) and then the other one with the
outlines of geometric shapes. They then colored
each work, using watercolors. The next
step was to cut one work into half-inch strips, and make slits at half-inch
intervals on the other (leaving a one inch border). Finally they interwove the strips through the
slits, creating a basketweave grid pattern.
The lesson also required students to make
journal entries that involved learning the appropriate vocabulary, and researching
why leaves turn color in the fall. They were
also asked to make and record observations about the type and predominant color
of the most common trees in the surrounding area. The resulting final artworks are a combination
of organic and geometric shapes, combined into a semi-abstract design.
