Blended into parts of the elementary Visual Arts curriculum are topics drawn from the other disciplines at McGuffey. I’ve had a look at science and math topics for this school year. I’m already conjuring up ideas for kinetic sculptures, microbes, tessellations, geometric mobiles, dinos and bubble art. What will emerge for the social studies and Language arts lists? Our cross-curricular collaborations will launch us into imaginative explorations giving greater meaning to what we do at school and in our lives. -Liz Woedl
Topics to Share and Explore
Structure in Knots and Twigs
That wispy river birch provided structure again for creative hands. This time we used hemp twine to hold larger twigs together carefully tying the knots sometimes many times until the binding felt strong. The K/1/2 group then wound and wove colorful yarn around the triangles and embellished them with beads and other things we found in the classroom. We sure do have some interesting bits and pieces.
Each one of these was unique in color and form. No one stick was like another and no one’s weaving was quite like another’s. Some were quite large and others small like the ones above. What amazing variety! My asymmetrical tree would have approved.
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Wax and Twigs
After winter ice storms took down a lovely river birch tree in my yard, I collected many branches and twigs for various projects throughout all grade levels. In these photos the 3/4/5/6 students made tiny structures made from twigs and bits of wax. The twigs were straight and strong and we cut them from a large branch right in the classroom. The colorful wax feels hard at first. Small hand work and soften it into a strong bonding material for twiggy architecture. Softer beeswax would be a good substitute for the commercial product and likely less expensive.
I thought this would be a short one-session project but it lasted for most of the week. It’s likely that the construction aspect and unusual materials sparked some interest. The students just keep going!
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Quilts Tell the Story
McGuffey Students in grades K through 8 created the lovely vases for the Oxford Seniors’ 3rd Annual Soul Dinner. Made of cardboard tubing and fabric scraps the theme recalled the importance that quilts have played in the African American freedom story of our nations history. Today, the quilt as a theme symbol and method is a major factor in African American-related art.
The Oxford Seniors’ filled the vases with silk daffodils and pussy willows providing very charming table decorations that were quite enjoyed by the seniors and others at the dinner. In a thank you note from Sabrina Jewel, Outreach & Marketing Coordinator for Oxford Seniors’, we read, “It is so nice to have McGuffey Foundation School involved in our community!”
Great job, students, for adding zest and color to this meaningful event!
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Take the Fort with Jesse Garrison
Over winter break, I had a visit from Jesse Garrison, formerly of Oxford and McGuffey, now a Brooklyn-based multi-media artist offering videography, video editing and photo services. Visit Take the Fort to see his work and photography
Posted in Alumni, Art, Photography, Theater
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Looking at Art, Closely on Google
It seems unbelievable to be able visit art museums worldwide to see art collections from my computer. Google has been working with 17 of the most famous museums to provide a virtual tour experience of over 1,000 art pieces in high-resolution photogaphy, in a setting that mimics the actually gallery. Read about it in the New York Times then sit back and enjoy a world tour of art with the Google Art Project.
Dan Agee Rock and Rolls
Dan Agee was a student at McGuffey, always humming and tapping. He dreamed of being Superman and he is, indeed, a super man. Look at those fingers fly! My husband says he can bend steel with his bare hands.
Down in the Queen City
GEE’S BEND, play by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder
In the Robert S. Marx Theatre
March 12, 2011 – April 09, 2011
Interwoven with gospel music, Gee’s Bend, a heartwarming and powerful play by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, celebrates the human spirit. The inspiring story of the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, who sew quilts that turn out to be magnificent works of art, and their deeply personal journey which parallels the turbulent history of African-Americans in the 20th century. The true story of these wonderful women has already touched millions who viewed their stunning quilt work through a national exhibition tour and features in Newsweek and Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine. Gee’s Bend is suitable for adult and teenage audiences. Click here for details.
THE AMAZING AMERICAN CIRCUS POSTER
At the Cincinnati Art Museum
February 26, 2011 – July 10, 2011
Organized by Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs, Kristin Spangenberg, The Amazing American Circus Poster features 80 circus posters created between 1878 and 1939, along with materials related to circus advertising. Cincinnati-based Strobridge Lithographing Company, which created all the posters in this exhibition, and became the leading printer for the major circuses of this time. The posters designed and printed by Strobridge were unrivaled for their quality, and contain a detailed portrait of the American circus in its “Golden Age,” when it flourished as a vital institution for cultural entertainment in this country. Click here for details.
CLEOPATRA: THE SEARCH FOR THE LAST QUEEN OF EGYPT
At the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
February 18 – September 5, 2011
The exhibition features nearly 150 artifacts from Cleopatra’s time and will take you inside the present-day search for the elusive queen, which extends from the sands of Egypt to the depths of the Bay of Aboukir near Alexandria. The features statuary, jewelry, daily items, coins and religious tokens that archaeologists have uncovered from the time surrounding Cleopatra’s rule, all of which are visiting the U.S. for the first time. An original papyrus document from Cleopatra’s time containing an inscription that scientists believe was written in Cleopatra’s own hand will also be on display. Click here for details.
Giving Shape to Our Ideas
All students have been involved with various projects using clay-sculpting products. The K/1/2 group made pinch pots with Ovencraft clay and glass beads. Pinching the pot starts when the thumb is jammed into a ball of clay and, keeping the thumb inside and other fingers on the outside, then squeezing all around the ball. Then the clay is baked in a regular oven at 365 degrees. The result is fairly hard with a beautiful stoneware-like finish. Most of them are home but we do have a few stragglers at school that need to be identified and taken home. They should not travel on the bus.
The 3/45 group made bas-relief room plaques that varied in form from elegant names and office signs to a slice of pizza. We used terra cotta colored Sculpey that bakes hard after 10 to 20 minutes. Some kids added class beads to them as well. The K/l/2 and 3/4/5 projects are not waterproof but fairly durable. All items seem to have left school so rummage though backpacks and lunch boxes if the have not showed up at home.
Eighth graders used self-hardening clay to make fairly large sculptures: retro telephone, T-Rex, a robot to name a few. It was fun to see the girls try out a larger sculpted piece. The Sheffield self-hardening clay air-dries to a deep brown and hard finish and, like the others, if not dropped or set out in the rain, should last for years. These projects should start making their way home in February.
Looking to the Sun
Entering the darkest days of winter, humans look for reassurance that light and warmth will return. After a few dark days the K/1/2 group looked at the images of our own star combined with human traits as often seen in illustrations and cartoons. We drew the sun as a friendly but powerful entity. Except, there was a student who drew the sun as a thermonuclear reaction complete with sunspots and solar flairs.
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