In collaboration with educators from the Carnegie Museum of Art, we have begun to introduce our unit on Art and Artists to the 4’s friends by observing a variety of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional pieces and then drawing the children’s attention to the artists’ use of lines, shapes, colors, and textures. 

We started by inviting museum educators, Jillian and Johnny, to visit our school, share slides of artwork with us, and help us make sketchbooks to use on our subsequent museum trips.  We then met Jillian, Johnny, and another new friend, Emily, at the museum. 

With sketchbooks in hand, we moved to three different areas within the museum’s Scaife galleries to discuss and sketch two different paintings, a mobile, and a metal relief wall that had originally been on a large boat.  In addition to learning to observe and appreciate each piece, the children had opportunities to express their understanding through drawing and then to participate in an open-ended collage activity of their own design.  We have another visit planned in a few weeks. 

Watch for the children’s art displayed throughout the school and even in the windows facing out into the parking lot. We hope that you will take the time to share your family’s art favorites with us.  If you have access to a digital camera, please take a photograph of one or two of the pieces in your home or neighborhood that you especially enjoy.  Annotate the picture with your name and a brief description of its significance to you.  We’ve received a picture of Maya with a beautiful quilt made by her mother, and we’d love to create a display of family favorites to encourage the children to talk with their friends about the art they see in their own homes and neighborhoods.

Be sure to mark your calendar to join is for the Family Festival on February 28th so that you can create your own art