Past, Present and Future

 Eighth Graders, 

You have made it!  You are approaching the end of your last year at Prescott School.  Many of you were in Kindergarten when I started teaching here.  We have learned about art together for nine years.  I am proud of you, and I am also so excited for you as you move on to high school and college.  

You are in a unique place in your life.  I have noticed many conversations in class have been centered on memories and looking back at your school years together.  At the same time, I hear you talking about high schools and comparing experiences of school tours, applications and first impressions of where you are heading.  In honor of this memorable time, you will be working on an art project that you will call Past, Present, Future.  

What will this look like?

What materials will you use?

What stories will you focus on?  

These things are all up to you!  You have free choice with this project to imagine how you can visually represent this theme.  We will begin class each day with activities that will help guide you as you work on the project.  I will give you some suggestions, but I also encourage you to think outside the box and to do your own version of the project.  

Let's begin by looking at some famous art.  Your challenge is to figure out how each of these paintings ties in with our theme.  

What do you notice?

What do you think?

What do you wonder?

Paul Gauguin

Alvin Albright

Audrey Flack

Titian

Titian

Frida Kahlo

Gustav Klimt

• Monday:  Begin by deciding the following:

1. What type of picture will you create:  Landscape, Portrait, Still-Life, Other
2. What art materials will you use?  Watercolors, Markers, Color Pencils, Other
3. Free-Write for 3 minutes on each of the following:  Past, Present and Future
4. Use these ideas to create a rough sketch of what your composition will look like, and describe it by labeling the parts and describing it briefly in a few sentences.

• Tuesday:  Research source material and create a rough sketch on a quality paper or canvas.
• Wednesday and Thursday:  Focused work time to add color and shading to your work.
• Friday:  Add final touches, photograph your work, and turn it in with an artist's statement.

To turn in work, copy this code:  WCCP-WSTF

Click here and paste the code to find your portfolio! Don't forget your artist's statement!