Feb 28, 2017
3D printed #pangolin by Zach H. Awesome! #3dprinting #makerbot #miscoehill #miscoeart #mursd #artsed #arteducation
seen from Poland
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Poland
seen from Switzerland
seen from United States
seen from Poland
seen from China
seen from Türkiye
seen from Iraq
seen from China
seen from Russia
seen from Russia
seen from Sweden
seen from Malaysia
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Italy
3D printed #pangolin by Zach H. Awesome! #3dprinting #makerbot #miscoehill #miscoeart #mursd #artsed #arteducation
Color Me Impressed/Watercolor Painting
“If one says ‘Red’ – the name of color – and there are fifty people listening, it can be expected that there will be fifty reds in their minds. And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different.” – Josef Albers Claire G This last project for Semester One took a while to come to fruition thanks to delays in receiving the art supplies I had ordered for my students’ art kits. Although I…
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The first section of chapter thirty-eight of the General Statutes is hereby amended so as to include Drawing among the branches of learning which are by said section required to be taught in public schools. – Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870
I began posting about the 150th anniversary of the Massachusetts Drawing Act on March 16, 2020, with this post: Drawing Act 150: Let’s Celebrate following a meeting with the Drawing Act Coalition that had been held the week before at the MA State House. That was the week that schools closed because of COVID-19.
Soon after, I began remote teaching my fifth and sixth grade art students. I was committed to making the Drawing Act celebration happen and led the young artists through a series of lessons focused on drawing and the Drawing Act. You can see those lessons that follow the one above here: Light on White and here: Human Made Object.
Needless to say, our focus on celebrating the Drawing Act has been diminished by remote learning and by not being able to hold a school wide art show, where visitors would have been encouraged to make a drawing to be submitted to the state wide celebration. However, everyone can still participate individually (see flyer below), and I expect to lead my students through another drawing unit in the fall, which will culminate in Drawing Act submissions. Until then, I’m still submitting some of the artworks to be included on an electronic display.
Join me in congratulating the following students, whose names are on the artworks below, artworks which are being submitted to the Drawing Act Celebration to be held at the Massachusetts State House and other locations this fall and electronically until then:
(Click on first image to see a slideshow)
Thomas Garefalakis
Grace Sabo
Sean Burchard
Lizzy Scharn
Theo Bates
Ori Murphy
Fionn Fallon
Colt Masters
Anna Labastie
Adam Dubowik
Emma Ramsay
Ben Moon
Bridget Larue
Caelin Flynn
Audrey Gowen
Haydn Flores
Jason Cowen
Max Bennett
Finn Lozeau
Patrick Connolly
Taylor Ferlo
Bryant Corbett
Will Cudmore
Mrs. Gentili
Congratulations to all of these artists! If you would like to submit a drawing to the Drawing Act 150 Celebration, see the flyer here:
NEW 2020 05 Drawing Act Flyer summer edition
Drawing Act 150 Submissions The first section of chapter thirty-eight of the General Statutes is hereby amended so as to include Drawing among the branches of learning which are by said section required to be taught in public schools.
The 5/6 Miscoe Hill Art Show Has Been Updated
The 5/6 Miscoe Hill Art Show Has Been Updated
“The artist’s job is to be a witness to her/his time in history.” – Robert Rauschenberg
The Miscoe Hill 5/6 virtual art show has been updated! I’m always proud to share the creative work of our young artists with our school and greater community. I’m especially proud to be able to share the work created by my students through remote learning in this virtual art show. Click on the photo to enter…
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Presenting Photography/Wk10 Remote Learning
Presenting Photography/Wk10 Remote Learning
“My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.” — Steve McCurry
When we wrapped up our focus on drawing during week eight of remote learning, it was time for something completely different. Photography. Specifically, a look at photographic composition based on the work of photographer Steve McCurry. I chose Steve’s work for us to study because his…
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“Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.” – Aesop
Because if you do, surely you will have underestimated. Both the quantity and quality of the Make A Chicken project assignment far exceeded my expectations for my art students in grades 5 and 6 at Miscoe Hill School, in Mendon, MA. Three key events came together as I assigned this project on April 13:
My husband and I had added eight chicks to our little farm on April 8. They were precious and sweet and truly brought much needed joy to our lives as we quarantined due to COVID19
On Facebook, I had seen the work of Massachusetts College of Art and Design Professor Chuck Stigliano and his students as they responded to his Chicken Challenge assignment: https://www.facebook.com/MassArtBoston/posts/10157789254776201
My school district was set to enjoy a school vacation from April 20-24. As we entered our 5th week of remote learning on April 13, I wanted to assign something cheerful and engaging to be accomplished with found materials already at home.
Patrick C
As we approached the fifth week of remote learning, I still hadn’t seen or heard from about half of my 196 students. Families were adjusting to learning at home and the many challenges they were suddenly confronting. Students weren’t yet sure what their responsibilities were and it was a nebulous time for many. I had been pushing out simple drawing tasks along with a weekly wellness check-in, where I asked students to send a photo or short video of themselves or what they were doing to pass the time to share with the rest of the class. I would upload the photos and videos to Animoto and create a weekly video to share via Google Classroom and as an unlisted video on my Youtube channel. More students participated in this weekly check-in than with the weekly drawing assignments. After a few weeks, my district shifted from “practice” and “optional” assignments to “regular” assignments and participation grew immediately.
During the week of April 13, I pushed out the Make A Chicken assignment with an introductory video:
I fielded questions throughout the week and shared creations on social media as they came in. It was a daily delight to look at the fun submissions to Google Classroom. And curating chickens for publication became my morning focus.
Liam F
That week, students were also asked to complete a survey about the art materials they had at home. As it turns out, many did not have colored pencils, chalk, crayons, or paint. The only items 100% of my students had at home were pencils, paper, and scissors. The Make A Chicken project allowed for everyone to create and create they did! Here are just some of the chickens that were submitted (you can click on a photo and view the collection as a slideshow):
Jack O
Abby M, Tommy J
Adam D, Jack S
Alexa L, James A
Alyssa B
Ana T
Ben M
Brady G
Brody K
Carly W
Charles M
Connor M
DashC
Evan D
GavinM
Grady O
JackM
JacobH
Jason C
Jessica C
Kate M
Kaycie G
Kendall M
Kyle K
Liam F
Liam F
Liam F
Liam F
Lily T
Logan D
Finn L
Lyla H
Mackenna S
Riley C
Maggie R
Matthew B, Patrick G
Max G
Michael L
Nadia S
Nick L
Orianna M
Patrick C
Samantha C
Sydney D
Tyler N
Tyler V
Kaylyn T
Gabriella L
In all, about 160 hand-crafted chickens were submitted. Some are shared above, and I’m happy to add that you can see these chickens and more on Artsonia in our Make A Chicken gallery: https://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=1981037
My principal, Jennifer Mannion, was inspired to Make A Chicken and I was delighted to find this image in my email one day:
Jennifer Mannion, Principal, Miscoe Hill School
How creative is that?
And it just kept happening that people from all aspects of my life shared their chickens with me! This is the absolutely magical thing about the Make A Chicken project! For the first time in all my years of facilitating art making in school and sharing artwork via social media, this project is the first that knew no boundaries. Art teachers reached out to me for the lesson and family and friends across the United States shared chickens with me that they had made. Here is a special gallery of “affiliate” Make A Chicken submissions:
Sarah G of New Boston, NH – Granddaughter
Nellie M of Denver, CO – Great niece
Julia G of New Boston, NH – Granddaughter
Jayne M of Somerville, MA – Sister in Law
Pam S of Bridgewater, MA – Second Cousin
Penny S of Raynham – First cousin once removed (my father’s cousin)
My father’s cousin, Penny Sawyer, not only shared the quilted chicken (above) with me, she shared the story of the original quilt maker, Barbara LaFlamme. Barbara was a friend of Penny’s who I had also spent time with visiting quilt shows with Penny and my mom. Barbara passed away after a long illness in June 2019. When Penny introduced us, she knew we would enjoy each other’s company because Barbara was a former teacher, retiring after 30 years of teaching art. In her spare time she enjoyed quilting and crafting. And indeed we did enjoy each other’s company, especially when Penny and Barbara would drive up to visit the Thimble Pleasure quilt show at Blackstone Valley Tech with my mother and me. The photo below is from a visit to my home after the quilt show, apparently around St. Patrick’s Day, 2018:
When Barbara’s family was going through her home after her passing, they found some unfinished quilts, including a collection of chicken squares. As Barbara and Penny often worked together (at least conspiratorially) on quilts, Barbara’s family gave Penny the unfinished quilts. Penny took the chicken squares and sewed them together to make this beautiful quilt:
Barbara and Penny’s Chicken Quilt
I especially enjoy the stitched sayings around the edges(Penny) and the incredibly detailed stitchery and beadwork on the individual squares (Barbara):
I’m grateful to the Make A Chicken project for taking on a life of it’s own as I stumbled through the middle weeks of COVID19 enforced Remote Learning. I have enjoyed sharing the creations across social media where I believe they were enjoyed by all. As we go forward into the final six weeks of remote learning, I’m focused on maintaining the joy, creativity, and humor the Make A Chicken project fostered. I thank everyone for participating and once again thank Chuck Stigliano for the idea. Thanks for reading, “peeps”:
Make A Chicken Project/Wk 5 Remote Learning "Do not count your chickens before they are hatched." - Aesop Because if you do, surely you will have underestimated.
“I got all my boyhood in vanilla winter waves around the kitchen stove.” – Jack Kerouac
Yesterday was March 1. Spring is just 17 days away. Yet, except for cold air, it hasn’t looked very wintery around here. Fortunately, my fifth and sixth grade art students can create winter from memory and their imaginations.
Baby Yoda’s Christmas by Sean Lewinsky
My drawing is Baby Yoda’s Christmas. He is warm next to his campfire and has 3 big presents. He is enjoying his time by eating cookies. Baby Yoda is inside of a mouse hole for his house. I started out by drawing presents because at first I just wanted to fill my page with Christmas stuff. I wanted to draw Baby Yoda and ended up giving him a little home. I thought it would be funny to make him be in a mouse hole. I am extremely happy on how this came out and hope I draw this good in the future. If I did it again I would not change anything because I love it the way it is. – Sean Lewinsky
We started our third term on January 23. This is the day when the middle school students switch electives and I receive nine new classes. We always start by making folders to hold artwork and works in progress throughout our two terms together.
The folders are made by folding an 18″ x 24″ sheet of 60 lb. drawing paper in half to 12″ x 18″. Students then measure and draw a 10″ square, centered on the front page. This term’s theme or prompt was “Draw something winter” with the added instruction, “whatever that means to you”. As you’ll see below, the kids had no trouble coming up with winter memories and experiences and depicting them in colored pencil.
All of these artworks plus many, many more are on display on our online Artsonia gallery and each is accompanied by an artist statement like the one about Baby Yoda’s Christmas above. You can see them here: Winter Scenes
Sean Lewinsky
Anna LaBastie
Fady Ghobrial
Nick Loo
Greyson Blalock
Sam Crotty
Alyssa Burdzel
Tiffany Constancio
Ana Tengler
Bridget LaRue
Brady Gibbons
Ben Moon
Madeline Olson
Luciana Pereira
Kaylyn Taylor
Kevin Ruddock
Cillian Scott
Will Cudmore
Riley Collura
Tyler Vance
Connor Miller
Irelyn Bradley
Kate McCobb
Thomas Garefalakis
Sydney Darragh
Orianna Murphy
Winter Scenes "I got all my boyhood in vanilla winter waves around the kitchen stove." - Jack Kerouac…
Out Of This World Sketchbook Covers
Out Of This World Sketchbook Covers
“To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.” – Stephen Hawking
As I curate the student artwork for this post, I just can’t stop downloading pieces from Artsonia because they are ALL OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!
We just wrapped up this project and most students have had a chance to upload their work to Artsonia where they are on display in this gallery: https://ww…
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