Middle School Learns About Jacob Lawrence

Sketching out initial ideas

Painting someone building a bowl

Painting the speaker addressing the audience

As the middle school students learn about the Harlem Renaissance, they are learning about the art of Jacob Lawrence in art class. Using his Migration Series as a jumping off point, they are working on a series of 31 painted panels telling the story of the Parker Empty Bowls event, from gleaning vegetables at Hancock Shaker Village to making bowls and soup. Each student is illustrating a specific topic that will tell the whole story when they are finished and displayed in sequence.

4/5s Sculpt 3-D Lizards

Painting the paper

Gluing the legs on

Is it finished?

Finished lizards

Sculpted lizards over the pastel one

After drawing pastel lizards, the 4/5s learned how to transform a 2-dimensional material into a 3-dimensional format, and made sculptured lizards. They painted and textured a large piece of paper and then followed specific directions to cut and fold their paper to transform it into a vibrant, articulated lizard that will crawl down the hallway walls.

K/1s Learn to Draw Jan Brett's Hedgie

Drawing Hedgie

Adding Sharpie

Hedgie emerging

Finished painting

One more (or two!)

As the K/1s spend some time learning about the artist/author Jan Brett, they delighted in learning how Jan Brett creates her "Hedgie" character. After trying their hand at drawing and then painting Hedgie, they will make masks of the various characters in Jan Brett's story The Hat, which they'll perform as a small play.

K/1 Snowmen Looking Up

Gluing the background together

Careful lines of glue

Adding details

Checking out the progress

The K/1s collaged four sheets of torn colored paper together to create a layered landscape on which they painted a snowman. Careful placement of a carrot nose was sometimes collaged to make the snowman look skywards. Then buttons and cut paper were added to create a scarf, hat and anything else that might be needed.

2/3s Learn about Diwali

Decorating the lamp with beads

A very precise design

Painting with acrylic paint

Adding sand to a Rangoli design

Painting tiny details

A Finished Lamp

Beginning Mehndi hand design

Working on the palm

Checking out some traditional finger designs

Half the class with their lamps

Seven finished lamps

Six more students with their lamps

The 2/3 class will further the connection they made this fall with Shanti Bhavan in southern India. Parker 2/3s are learning about the Indian holiday, Diwali, or festival of lights. They are making small decorated clay avali lamps, Rangoli designs with colored sand, and Mehndi or henna hand designs, all connected to Diwali. We'll then share what we've learned with the second grade students at Shanti Bhavan.

4/5s Draw Lizards

Figuring out the design

Lizards emerging

Coloring with pastel

Finished glue lines

To begin exploring the possibilities inherent in pastels, the 4/5s combined imagination and observation and drew a unique lizard. These were transferred to black paper, gone over with Elmer's Glue and colored brightly with pastel.