The middle school students celebrated the completion of their social studies and art projects as well as the inauguration of a new president today. They have been learning about the Constitution, the election process and about expressing their opinions through various artistic mediums.
The 5th grade students were asked to write about what they would say at the inauguration if they were given the chance. I then challenged them to paint their responses abstractly using only lines, shapes and colors. At tonight's event, they taped their mouths and had guests view their work as they held it. This performance-style piece gave students unique insight into how art can offer a voice to those who feel powerless. I was so proud to see them use skills they have learned over the years that include color association, line, shape, balance, and basic brush technique to achieve their desired effects. It was also fun to see them eager to tape their mouths shut...
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| Esteban, Grade 5, wrote about climate change and stopping pollution. |
The 6th grade students completed collages based on the election topics they voted most relevant to their own lives. They chose climate change, education, immigration and racial profiling. I challenged them to consider layering and composition when collaging, rather than simply cutting and pasting relevant images. They did an amazing job finding ways to use collage on alternative objects, as mosaic or mixing mediums.
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| Adrian Hurtado collaged passport and immigration document images before stenciling a home and the words "Let us in". |
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| Keshawn collaged images of education and opportunities around the word "think". |
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| Aaliyah Salazar collaged words from her essay about immigration beneath a wall, representing people being blocked from opportunities. |
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| Giana created a collage of tiny magazine papers that built an original composition showing the effects of climate change. |
Grades 7-8 had a variety of options. Immigration, education, racial and gender equality, immigration and gun control/violence were the topics they chose.
Students in the immigration group created masks to represent immigrants. They worked in plaster and painted their sculptures. I asked them to interview immigrants or to research inspirational immigration stories. They illustrated these stories on their work.
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| Danny interviewed classmates with family from India, Mexico and Russia, Ukraine and Ecuador |
Students in the education group were creating a collage of images in a 3-D composition. They were asked to build images coming out of a recycled book that represent ideas from their writing. They created images of items important to an education, and they arranged them as though they were coming out of the book.
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| Amanda Hurtado, Grade 8 |
Students in the gun control group made memorials to victims of gun violence. They chose their medium and format. They memorialized victims they knew from the news or research, but some students had personal losses to honor.
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| Gabe, Grade 8 |
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| Lily, Grade 7 |
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| Zithlaly, Grade 7 |
Students in the racial and gender equality group created paintings to challenge a stereotype. They created ad-style paintings with a slogan. They used stencils, printmaking or stamping to create the messages, and they invented their own graphics.
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| Quin, Grade 7 |
I was so proud of their work. They respected each other's opinions, they showed empathy for one another, they stood up for what they believe in, and they thought critically about tough topics. Here are some pictures of our reception and show.
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| Gun Violence Memorial by Amir, Grade 8 |
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| Gun Violence Memorial by Kiyah, Grade 8 |
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| Captive Audience |
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| Kevin on Education Reform |
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| Olivia on Gender Equality |
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| Andres and his dad reading about Climate Change/ Alternative Energy |
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| Live Entertainment! Rylee and the Redhots! |
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| Dance Party in the Photo Booth Area... |
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| Chris checking out Danny's work... |
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| Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton wigs available in the photo booth! |
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| Students Enjoying the Band |
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| Gun Violence Memorial by Monica, Grade 7 |
