“When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college – that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared back at me, incredulous, and said, “You mean they forget?”
This humorous and insightful story by Howard Ikemoto, artist and art professor, has become widely quoted by many institutions stressing the importance of the arts in education.
Ideas from Past Grants
Navajo Code Talkers: The history of the Navajo is long and storied. This project focused on three important events; their production of unique early American art, their Long Walk in 1864 as they were forced to abandon their homeland, and the use of their language by WWII code-talkers, hoping to confuse the Japanese. After learning about these three episodes in Navajo history, supplemented by a visit by an actual code talker, students created a mural that now adorns SHS’s entry.
Printing with Nature
Natural Print Impressions: Over the course of a year, students engaged in different printmaking activities designed around the changing seasons. Materials were varied and included leaves, foam, sponge and found objects. Artwork was then displayed throughout the school.
Songs in the Key of Art: Everyone learns their ABCs by singing them to a catchy tune. Why not use music to teach content in other subject areas? This is the premise behind an art project that paired the study of famous artists with songs like The Red and Yellow Blues and Van Gough (No Stereo) to enhance students’ retention of facts about the artist and his/her individual style.
One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Art: An 8th grade field trip to the Institute of Contemporary Art was followed by a critiquing session in which students shared their reactions to what they had seen. After learning adhesive techniques, they assembled their own additive sculptures from found objects, emphasizing the principles of recycling and finding new uses for ordinary objects.
Clay’s the Way: Depending on their age and readiness, students used either Crayola Modeling Compound or earthenware clay to create both two and three-dimensional objects including bowls, cups and sculpture. At the school’s Family Open House, the project was carried through as families were invited to an open studio clay workshop to create sculptures together that could be taken home at the end of the evening.
Salem Travel Poster: Students in an Advanced Graphic Design class were assigned a challenging task; create a poster that would draw tourist to their own hometown. After learning about the history of poster design, researching Salem’s points of interest and reviewing other cities’ examples, each student developed their own concept for how to convey Salem’s unique character and history. Their creations were then displayed throughout the school and the city.
Got an Art Gallery? In 2007, faculty at Salem High School purchased hanging materials that would allow students to showcase their works in a professional looking display. This has allowed for rotating shows featuring specific student artists as well as theme-based exhibitions since that time.
Resources
For more projects in this category, go to kidsinneed.net.
Learn how to bring ArtQuest programs to your school.
