CC Class #1
Project Description:
In this lesson our students explored how they could transform everyday objects into art. Each student began the project with a plain rock and through adding different media such as paint, pastels, pipe cleaners, fabric, and googly eyes, they transformed their rocks into art buddies. In today's art exploration, students used multiple art materials and techniques to recreate a rock into a work of art.
Essential Understanding:
Artists invent and discover to create using materials and processes in unique and inventive ways.
Objectives/Outcomes:
Students will be able to...
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Reimagine an everyday object into something new
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Use several art techniques and multimedia materials to create a work of art
Skills:
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Manipulate a variety of materials
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Reimagine non-traditional objects as art materials
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Combine 2-D and 3-D materials/techniques
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Reflection
Lesson plan can be found here.
What worked well for this art experience? Why?
I think our rock project worked well because we incorporated a material that the students had never painted before, so they got to experiment and expand their artistic view. The students were so excited to be painting rocks, one boy Philip expressed his enthusiasm by saying, "We are personifying to the insane!!" I thought it was also successful that we had the students create with purpose, which was to make a friend. Sami, Julia and I all introduced our rock buddies to the class which was also successful, the students really wanted to hold our rocks. Even though we showed everyone our rocks, every student created their own unique creation. I also think that providing a variety of material was successful because it allowed everyone to be creative in their own ways and add anything without limitations. My favorite material was the googly eyes which I think worked well because it really transformed the rock into a creature which I think the students enjoyed. I also think that providing students with paper and markers to create valentines for their pet rocks was a good idea because some students finished their rocks early and didn't want to make another creature.
What didn’t work well for this art experience? Why?
The paint was a bit messy, students filled their paintbrushes with a lot of paint which made for a rock that would take longer to dry. This made it harder for students to glue on extra materials like pipe-cleaner and googly eyes. I think this could have been set up differently, maybe by pouring less paint or providing smaller paintbrushes. I also think that some students started to get bored and I tried to ask if they wanted to paint another rock but they didn't want to so I gave them a piece of paper to draw on. Next time we could have a project that would take a longer time to keep students engaged.
What would you do differently? Why?
After teaching this class and observing, there are a few things that I would do differently. First I would pour less paint and provide smaller brushes so the students don't use huge globs of paint to cover the material. I would also come up with a project that would take more time to keep the students more engaged.