In our most recent session of Art Academy for 6-10 year olds, we looked at artists and artwork inspired by comics and/or cartoons. For this project, we took our inspiration from contemporary textile artist, Hannah Epstein, who makes large scale hook rugs that are both whimsical and satirical, much like her favorite cartoon show, The Simpsons. Epstein's work also takes inspiration from folkloric tales of monsters and goblins. It is the intersections in Epstein's work that makes it so rich- between humor and fear, between high art and low art, and between the very old and the very new.
Cartoon Selfie Shadow Box
This activity asks you to imagine yourself as a cartoon character. What would your hair look like? What type of clothes would you wear? Which one of your features might you exaggerate or change? What would your character be known for? In other words, what makes you YOU? Once you've got all that worked out, have fun creating a scene for your cartoon self. Where would your character like to go? Where are you most at home? What do you like to do? Let your shadow box selfie tell a story!
Read more ...
The Faraway and Up Close: Mixed Media Works Inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe
Description:
Another of our week long summer camps this year was inspired by the artwork and ethos of the much beloved Georgia O'Keeffe. The following mixed media project was developed in order to explore more deeply the influence that photography had on O'Keeffe's work. From the beginning, O'Keeffe was moved to paint vast open landscapes of land and sky, a place that she called lovingly "the faraway." But it was from the rise of art photography and those artists working in the new medium, including her husband Alfred Stieglitz, that O'Keeffe learned the value of zooming in. Some of her most iconic works are the result of these up close studies. In this lesson, students take their cues from O'Keeffe and create their own vision of the faraway, while also practicing seeing what is up close. This project was designed for our 6-10 year old cohort but could be adapted for any age group.
Betye Saar Inspired Palm Collagraph and Assemblage
This project was hands down (pun intended) the students' favorite from our week long summer art camp inspired by the artwork of contemporary artist, Betye Saar. It is accessible for most students age 6 on up through high school. Saar, born in 1926 and still working today, is considered the grande dame of assemblage art. She also works in collage, printmaking, and watercolor. Her works address a wide variety of themes including spirituality, mysticism, time, personal history, ancestry, race, class, and gender. Her works are rich with symbols, both personal and collective, and they challenge us to find new meaning and possibility in old stories. This activity was inspired by Saar's depression era ethos of “use it up, make it do, go without," as well as her love of symbols and old objects. It is a three part process that took us several relaxed, fun-filled days to finish.
Whimsical Watercolor Fox Face
This whimsical process based activity is accessible to very young artists and artists of any age with special needs. The large round surface of the fox's head provides a great "empty canvas" for play and experimentation with watercolor paints. With very few additional steps, the process based painting is transformed into a large and happy fox face that will surely put a smile on anyone's face. Enjoy and happy springtime!
Read more ...
Diatom Paper Sculpture
Description: This activity pairs science with art, observing and exploring with making, and gives students the chance to take a tour at the OSU Museum of Art. It is inspired by Glass Houses, a multimedia artwork by Marguerite Perret and Bruce Scherting that is currently on display in the exhibition The State We’re In Water: Constructing a Sense of Place in the Hydrosphere (until May 29, 2021). This exhibition explores humanity's complex relationship to water- our dependency on it, our awe and love for it, as well as our careless waste and destruction of it. Glass Houses is a large, colorful installation piece that celebrates the tiny micro-organisms known as diatoms. Diatoms provide the earth with much of its oxygen through the process of photosynthesis and they are known as the "gems of the sea" because they are encased in glass and made of all the colors of the rainbow.