Kente Cloth, Pinch Pots, Portrait Basics, and The Mighty Line!
In Fiber Arts class, we learned all about the history of Kente cloth, and its significance among the Asante (Ashanti) people of Ghana. For instance, we discovered that there are many different patterns of Kente, and that each pattern has its own specific meaning. Also, Kente was originally woven only for royalty, but now it's use is widespread.
Authentic Kente cloth is often named for a proverb, or story, and so each young artist was challenged to create a name for their own (unique!) Kente cloth. They were encouraged to think about the pattern and story of their "cloth" while picking the order of the "weft" (horizontal) weaving pieces. This being a particularly creative group of artists, they did not disappoint!
Though some of the students are still thinking about
how to title their Kente weavings, several young fiber artists knew immediately what titles would best fit their work.
For instance, our Tuesday weavers came up with . . .
Acacia: "The No Name"
Roman: "Video Games, Video Games, How I Love Video Games"Joe: "I Fell Off a Squirrel, and Now I Am Checker Board"
Sedona: "Each Strip is My Life"
Ike: "The Artist is Mixed Colors"
Natalie: "Color Twist"
Rio: "Legos, Legos, How I Love Legos"
And some titles from our Wednesday class include:
Cynthia: "In Every Which Way There is a Different Color, Which Doesn't Matter"
Jacob: "I Like to Climb on Trees, Trees, Trees,
and I Want to Stay in the Trees!"
Morgan: A Kente Cloth to All the World"
Lark: "Every Single Color Doesn't Matter to the World"
Ben: "Running, Running, I Like to Run!"
Kevin: "Light Snack"
Ceramics students (all levels) worked on the basic and humble pinch pot. For Ceramics I students, this was their first lesson in hand building, though you certainly wouldn't guess that by looking at their finished pots! They certainly worked like experienced builders! Perhaps it was all that wedging that they did last week . . .
Ceramics II students also made pinch pots, because several were quite "rusty" from not having worked with clay for a while. It must be like riding a bike, though, because they did fine work, and by the end of class, the "drying board" was full of wares. Several young artists also used their newly made "artist stamps" that they created last week in class!
Ceramics students (all levels) worked on the basic and humble pinch pot. For Ceramics I students, this was their first lesson in hand building, though you certainly wouldn't guess that by looking at their finished pots! They certainly worked like experienced builders! Perhaps it was all that wedging that they did last week . . .
(Left to Right, Artist is: Morgan, Kevin, Zoe)
Students in Drawing and Painting class began work on a very special, multi-week project. Each student picked a famous painting to copy. This week, they worked on the drawing portion of the project. Next week we'll get out the paint and see what happens! Photos will be posted here when the works are finished, so be sure to check back!
Our Thursday Explorations in Art class learned all about the line, and about various types of lines used in art. We talked about horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curvilinear, heavy vs. light lines, and how lines can convey either tranquil stillness or active movement. After looking at an analyzing a number of famous artworks, students set to work on their own, highly linear, drawings. The goal was to include as many different types of lines as they could within the time allowed. Fantastic Work!
Students who are interested in participating in the web challenge may earn their first ATC for this semester
by finding the answer to this 2-part question*:
What work by artist Pablo Picasso was recently (end of January, 2010) damaged in a NYC art museum? What period of his work is represented by this painting?
Please either write down this information, and include your name on the paper; or print out an online article that gives this information, being sure to write your name on the copy. Be prepared to talk about this painting,
and how you feel about it (like, dislike, etc).
To receive your ATC, you MUST** bring this information to class this week, February 9th through 11th.
*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!
**Because this is a WEEKLY (and completely optional!) assignment, the information must be presented to me
the week it is due. This keeps things fair for those who
work hard to find the answers and turn them in on time. Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs
by the end of the semester will win a
REALLY COOL ART PRIZE.
A 2nd place prize will also be awarded.
There will be a first and second prize for each school day,
so get busy!
