Art in Community

Third Graders Living in Community . . . 

One day on the rug I asked "What is the purpose of art?" Third graders listed about fifteen different reasons, one of which was worship. We decided artists can enhance worship.  We thought about and listed ways artist have done this in the past, such as create stain glass windows, communion tables, and through paintings.  I then led a discussion in what that might look like at Rose Park. Here is what we came up with. 

Community at rose park is working together. 

Students taped paper down and formed poses of worship. They
traced each other in pencil, overlapping their lines. 

They took the form of praying. I love how she kept her eyes close
even for art.  She was really taking in the whole experience. 

One of these students in raising his hands in praise.  

I love how they did it together. Holding still and trying not to 

tickle his hands.  Believe me when I say there was a good amount of 

giggling.  Art can be joy-filled. 

When we are in 

community we can . . .

raise our hands, 

shout our praises, 

and tell him we love Him! 

We then began the task of painting our people.
Students worked together to mix paints, talk about the spaces
and decide when to overlap and where to layer our colors.  

 Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord.

Emmanuel, God is with us.

Blessed Redeemer, Living word.

Jesus, name above all names

Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord.

Emmanuel, God is with us.

Blessed Redeemer, Living word.

Emmanuel, God is with us.

Blessed Redeemer, Living word. 

We even had a station for people to be brush cleaners.

Even that became done in community.  "Love does 

wash brushes."

 

Celebrating in community with joy!

Re-Connecting with Yazzie & Remembering to tell God's Stories in our Art

Mrs. Amy Luce and Elmer Yazzie reconnect about students. 

Over the past few days, as students took time off to be refreshed, teachers have been connecting and re-connecting with other teachers at the Christian Educators Conference. One of my highlights came last Friday when I attended a session by Calvin College graduate and artist Elmer Yazzie.  

I first met Elmer back when I used to teach art at the high school. He was in town for an event at Calvin and called and asked if he could come to shared about his art with my students.  He told us of some of the projects he was working on as well as critique some of their work. He used this opportunity to encourage us to use our art to tell others about God.  He then shared how God uses everyone who is open to his leading to use their gifts to tell His story.   

You see the Navajo people worship many gods and he wants very badly for his people to know the one true God.  It was inspiring to me then and continues to encourage me to see how God works though art to tell others about him. In the Navajo art there are many sacred symbols and specific patterns that the people use in their weavings, pottery, and paintings.  Elmer uses symbols in his art that do not fit with what they have learned and so they ask him, “What does this mean?”  “Why does this go this way instead of the traditional pattern?” He can then tell them about the new symbols of the cross, the bible, and God’s people. 

In the past week in kindergarten art we have been learning about the Navajo Culture and it's people.  We’ve learned how they raise their own sheep, comb the wool with brushes, spin it, dye it with colors from plants, and then weave it. We created some of our own beautiful patterns from natural colors and then printed our own stamps on top to create designs.  This week we will be going back to add the most important parts to the weavings; signs and symbols from our own faith. Students will be able to add crosses, hearts, and their own symbols so that when others ask, they too can tell His Story. 

I love how we learned to hold our paper's

 like a king's platter, serving up our art for our king!

Here you can see the student dipping their tool into the paint to 

gather the color for their weaving. 

I love how we all worked on these together, but there is not 

single one that is like another.  A reminder that God makes us 

all unique creations.  

What strange things to use for a pattern!  

But oh so cool! (A doorstop)

Students used the two finger technique to save room for a new pattern.

"Love Does" in the art room

First Graders started the year creating some hallway art to help us get to know our school theme this year "Love Does." We learned about Jim Dine's art and then created hearts using warm and cool colors with oil pastels.  

This year I will be looking out for students who are showing love to others in the art room.  This might be a student who takes extra care in cleaning up around their chair, or a student who found a scissors in the trash and pulled it out and put it away.  This week I saw one student stop and help another who was having trouble cut out his project. "Here, let me help you!" he said! Anther took time to wipe the chalk from someones face, and still another washed extra trays filled with paint that someone dumped in the sink. I love this heart art collage because when I see students showing love to each other it makes my heart swell!  They are getting it!    

Your glorious cause, O God

Engages our hearts

May Jesus Christ be known

Wherever we are

We ask not for ourselves, but for Your renown

The cross has saved us so we pray

Your kingdom come

Let Your kingdom come

Let Your will be done

So that everyone might know Your Name

Let Your song be heard everywhere on earth

Till Your sovereign work on earth is done

Let Your kingdom come

Give us Your strength, O God

And courage to speak

Perform Your wondrous deeds

Through those who are weak

Lord use us as You want, whatever the test

By grace we’ll preach Your gospel

Till our dying breath

The "Disappearance of the Apple" Drawing

"This was the best art class ever!" one of the kindergarten boys said at the end of the day!  This fall we observed how Paul Cezanne painted his apples.  We decided that we should draw and eat our apple!  Students observed their our own apple carefully, looking for the bumps, spots, dots, and specific colors of their apple.  They drew, then took a bite, then drew some more. You would be impressed by how quickly they learned to draw an apple. Feel free to try it out on broccoli at home!  

Fourth Graders Examine Van Gogh

Fourth Grade Students examined Van Gogh's parable of the sower this fall, as well as his landscape drawings, and found new ways to create texture in their own landscapes.  Here are some examples of their work.   

Fourth Graders become Scientific Illustrators

Fourth Graders learned what it is like to be a Scientific Illustrator over the past few weeks.  We studied and drew from real photos a wide variety of fish.  They then had to flip their drawings and copy it for the other side so that it could become a 3D fish. Students found it was a lot of work to be exact but many were surprised by how accurate their drawings could be when they slowed down and looked carefully at the details. Our fish are now swimming around in the library so stop in and check them out!