Artaware's Blog

1,500 images of Camden student artwork are in the Ferry Avenue Library to explore. Children respond to Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Red Poppy” in different ways. It is a thrill at the end of the art class to see what students produce in response to viewing reproductions of famous paintings for the first time. You can spend hours discovering, forinstance, the influences in a 7th grade mural. “Different strokes for different folks” – a message successful art teachers reiterate 24/7!They celebrate individual creativeness. They integrate the past, present and future into art lesson plans.Celebrate the spontaneous marks on the page made by elementary school learners…

Lovely and scary interpretations from an Art Aware class…

Ms. Dubbs, just like Alfred Barnes, likes to put everyday objects next to paintings so that viewers can get the connection…Her 2nd grade students drew Cat faces in the manner of electrical outlet covers.Ms. Dubbs had 1st and 3rd grade students do their own versions of sunflowers. The older students did not outshine the younger ones – they all demonstrated great creativity and intuition. Ahhhh to be as spontaneous as 6 and 9 year old children!Do you have a favorite? I’m glad I don’t have to choose…but usually I’m partial to the little ones’ abstractions…

I took a reproduction of Toshiko Takaezu’s poster with the Langston Hughes quotation into a Camden 6th grade class and asked them to respond with their own drawings, and then put it into a large mural which is on display at the Ferry Avenue Library from now until the end of the year. Look how the students responded, each in his or her own way…Can you find the only drawing where the student drew the closed form – not a flower pot…Find the pot with hair and ears…

Here is the 2012 CAMDEN STUDENTS AT PEACE DOING ART poster and the names of the terrific art teachers from 23 public, charter and parochial schools initiating the work (starting from 1st of 4 quadrants): *Ms.Watkins, Cramer School – Walking Baby(4th grade); *Ms. Jones, Forest Hill – Flower Pot(K); *Ms. Babilonia, H.B.Wilson – Park with Trees(K); *Ms. DiMedio, Davis – Melting Ice Block(5); *Ms.Kring-Schreifels, Camden Forward, Self-Portrait in Clay(3); *Ms. Allen, Whittier – Black Circle Stamps(Pre-K); *Ms. Wallenburg, Ms. Knopp, Coopers Poynt – Mask(7); *Ms. Deets, St. Joes Pro-Cathedral – Slinkies(8); *Ms. Savarese, Sumner – Swallows(3); *Ms. Lippincott, Lanning Square – Playcard Pattern(4); *Ms. Saeger, Sharp – Matisse Goldfish Collage(2); *Ms. Guida, Wiggins – Zebra(4); *Ms. Subramanya, ECO Charter – Bird Bath; *Ms. Manning, Weaving(3); *Ms.Speart, Leap Academy – Sunflowers(4); *Ms. Dubbs, Catto – Land/Seascape collage(5); *Ms. Gail, Mr. Rohr, Bonsall – Clay Bug Tile Mosaic(5); *Ms. Cucinotta, Sacred Heart – Fish/Diver collage(2); *Ms. Sassano, Washington/Veterans – Fingerplay(5); *Ms. Demarais, Ms. Moore, Molina – Abstract on Yellow(1); *Ms. Spann, Dudley – White Fence(5); *Ms. Guzman, Holy Name – Mural of School Family(volunteers).
Never take the art teachers forgranted! They are the foundation of kids liking elementary school!

*Arianna (Sacred Heart, 2): a fish and diver collage.
*Zion (Washington/Veterans) creates finger play.
*Can you read Tymere’s (Cream, 8) name in this 3-D design?
*Mesias (Molina, 1) plays with colors and shapes in an abstract design.
*Janiya (Dudley, 5) chooses a white fence enclosing a tree and flowers for her picture.
*Volunteers painted this mural at Holy Name School.

*Students at ECO Charter make a bird bath.
*Anna (McGraw, 3) weaves with paper she designed and cut.
*Tiphany (Leap, 4) floats sunflowers in watercolor.
*Sjeenah (Catto, 5): a collage of a boat setting sail.
*A 5th grade project at Bonsall: a clay bug tile mosaic.

*Nikawri (Cooper’s Poynt, 8) creates a mask for mardigras.
*John (St. Joes Pro-Cathedral, 8) designs a slinkie page.
*Maria (Sumner, 3): Swallows swarm.
*Janiah (Lanning Square, 3) designs a picture of playing cards.
*Kiara (Sharp, 2) does a take-off on Matisse’s goldfish.
*Karen’s (Wiggins, 4) zebra parts ferns to look at us.

*Notice the Walking Baby has a baby of her own in the stroller. Leanna (Cramer, grade 5) knows to use yellow and red so that the eye travels around the whole painting.
*Forest Hill Kindergarteners know how to make colorful flower pots.
*Jeidy (H.B.Wilson, Pre-K) draws a park with trees and gigantic flowers.
*Adrianna (David, 5) gets perfect perspective in her melting ice block.
*Aniyah’s (Camden Forward, 3) self-portrait in clay looks like her.
*Najaere (Whittier, Pre-K) stamps bottle caps in ink for her rectangular picture.

Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYqPG1W3lRQ