Spark's Fall Session Begins Today and Tomorrow!

Karen and Kirsten are excited to begin the fall session! The theme for the next few weeks will be change and transformation with an emphasis on color. What could be more inspiring as we watch the leaves change and our environment prepare for the upcoming months. Change brings newness and awareness in our lives.

If you haven't had a chance to register, it's not too late. We will be meeting the students in 2 locations. For the students coming from GSB, Kirsten will be meeting them at the Lincoln Academy bus stop. For students that are dropped off, Karen will be meeting them at the drop off circle in front of Lincoln Academy, right by the entrance to the cafeteria. If you need to drop off paperwork (or fill out) we will be there from 3:00-3:15!

See you there!

Karen & Kirsten

Spark Fall Program

Children in grades 1-5 are invited to create art within a variety of dimensions, including 2D, 3D and discovery. With a unique focus each week, projects are designed to work in harmony and to cross over creative disciplines.
7 Week Fall Program
Grades 1 & 2
Tuesdays: Oct. 14– Dec. 2, 2014 (no class Nov. 11)

Grades 3, 4 & 5
Wednesdays: Oct. 15–Dec. 3, 2014 (no class Nov.26)

To register:
http://www.lincolnacademy.org/spark

Summer Arts Program Reflections

Whew! It's amazing to see how much art and play can be fit into two weeks! What a ride... I wanted to share some of the images here to celebrate not only the beautiful artwork, but the enthusiasm for creating that all the artists brought every day! 

We felt very committed to creating a program where the children were in a process art based learning environment. The ideas and use of materials and process to create streams of connections throughout the weeks were our primary concern, along with the fun of integrating multiple artistic processes. By planting the seeds of contemporary art theories, we knew that their individual greater thinking skills would be nurtured. 

In addition, 4 days each week, the children had yoga and creative writing.  During both of these times our creative art goals were again being nurtured. Ali Stevenson did a amazing job during creative writing and storytelling, developing ideas and having fun with telling stories without the pressures of academics. Susan LeClair our yoga instructor, helped their bodies, mind and spirits, playfully guiding them into poses to help them focus, think, and relax.

After a few weeks away from the craziness, the next thoughts move into how to support the community with a creative space during the school year for all school ages-elementary through high school. One thought is a weekend intensive on a monthly basis with a specific area of study.

Day Five (week 2): Last day & Art Show

So the morning was spent finishing the weavings, doing sand molds of our feet to represent our art journey and making an accordion books for our journal entries. Whew! We will all sleep well this weekend. Happy art making!

Day Four: Something's Fishy

Beginning with the idea of a journey and landmarks, the children focused again in yoga and creative writing to spur on their adventures.  Using local maps, collages were created as the base for their journey paintings; water colors and land marks were placed.

Day Three (week 2): Dodgy Paintings

Field Trip!
Although the day was cloudy, it was the first day that it wasn't pouring. We piled into the van with paper, buckets and paint (no paint brushes!) and headed to Dodge Point. We brainstormed what we could use to paint if we didn't have any brushes. Our finger Points! We looked at how the horizon lines divides the image and that we are looking at colors, not objects. The only rule was that we had to cover the page. The artists found themselves very quiet and observant.

Day Two (week 2): Weaving

So, one thing that moving can guarantee is cardboard. Lots of it. Summer art camp has been such a great reason to break down and up cycle all of these brown boxes. Next up... cardboard looms! We created oversized cardboard looms to weave fabric strips that we donated from a variety of sources.

In creative writing Ms. Ali spoke about how storytelling is like weaving, that ideas move around and through one another creating a tight unit. We carried this into the art room. The idea is to get weaving and have the looms and materials available to weave with throughout the week.

Day One (week 2): Tie Dying

During our after lunch walk, we gathered sticks and stones to use for some tie-dying. The first layer of color was created by tying stones into the fabric, followed by a light colored dye bath.

 

Tomorrow we will tie the fabric around sticks and soak one half of the fabric to create a horizon line. These pieces of fabric will be the surface for some stinky printing to come!

Day One (week 2): The Field

Onto week 2... we have gained a few new artists! Week 1 focused on The Body (hands, personalities, form...). Week 2 is about The Field. The space around us, journeys and paths, and our environments.

Beginning with the idea of a journey and landmarks, the children focused in yoga and creative writing to spur on their adventures.  Using local maps, the artists created collages that served as as the base for their journey paintings. After using watercolors, found objects were given meaning as they each represented landmarks of their imagined journey.

Day Five: It's a Wrap

While the artists were working on their animal masks, small groups began to use leftover batik to cover cardboard for their front and back covers. After lunch, we drilled holes and used Japanese Stab binding to compile all of their writings, sketches and small artwork into one art piece. Looking through the books provided such a nice reflection on the journey and processes over the past week.

Day Five: Finishing Touches

To get inspiration for adding pizzazz to the animal masks, we added animal details to our black and white photos. After a little brainstorming and sharing, we went set to work! The artists used paints, sequence, pipe cleaners and any other found objects to continue building their imagined animals.

Day Four: Making Tracks

While our Papier-Mâché was drying on the animal mask clay foundations, we thought about how the animal moves and what kind of path (or LINE) the animal travels on. Using wood scraps and leftover styrofoam, we made stamps.

And as artists, we love to reuse and recycle as much as possible. We used the paper from where the wax from their batik to watercolor over. This served as the background for the paw prints!

Day Three: What's your Animal?

Late in the afternoon, while we watch our batiks in the wind, we talked about our visit to the stable and horses. Our discussion led to thinking about animal characteristics and what kind of animal could "live" within each of us. We went back into the artroom and got our hands messy (again). Using rock slabs (from the ongoing construction outside!) as a foundation, we used clay to build out animal faces. Our focus was on the the form and how the facial parts extend into space.

We will let the clay dry overnight and tomorrow we will cover with Papier-Mâché! Whew, a busy day indeed...

Day Three: Batik Part II

Back to Batik! Letting our patterns and lines go, we painted with wax in a free flowing manner. We talked about making connections and creating movement. Now, with a second layer of wax, we dyed the muslin again, hoping to create some layers. And of course, back outside to let them dry!

We finished the pieces by hanging them with found sticks and branches. A brief discussion about how to extend the space using objects such as feathers, yarn and any other pieces of interest.