Teller Elementary School: Passion Pursuit
“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.”
Oscar Wilde
1. Different colors create various feelings in people. Read Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O’Neil. Select a color and write an original poem that expresses various moods and feelings. Try to include a relationship, as well as figurative and literal images. See the example below. Create an illustration that enhances your poem.
Aqua by Samantha (grade 3)
Aqua is peace in my mind, the saltwater sea
Some say it’s the scarf spring wears on her neck
Aqua is the sound of air drifting over water
Aqua is a bead, the color of calm
Aqua is the shimmer of a fish scale
Aqua is blue’s mother and green’s brother
Aqua is shy, yet bold
Aqua is a dream
It is also a stream, a mermaid’s tail
Aqua is discovery, comfort, mystery
Aqua is sea’s treasures, a diamond
It feels like a friend
It seems like a timid soul yearning to escape
from a bottled-up shell
2. Why is color such a powerful force in our lives? What effects can it have on our bodies and minds? Explore the history of color including how it's used, the effects it may have, and some of the most recent research on color psychology.
3. If you are still interested in color, find out how color can represent such things as innocence or mourning in certain cultures.
4. Research some of the many art styles. Find the characteristics of each and explain in a paragraph. Create an example of each and make a display.
Arabesque Baroque Romanticism Op
Gothic Naturalism Rococo Pop
5. Paintings usually fall into one of four major categories: still life, landscape, seascape, and portrait. Look up their definitions and make a sketch of each.
6. Great art can be divided into five periods: Byzantine, Renaissance, Classic, Impressionist, and Modern. When did each period occur? What were the characteristics of art during that period of time? What happened during that period of time to influence art? What artists created impressive works during these periods? Determine a creative way to show what you have learned about these periods in art history.
7. Find the picture ''Cypresses" or ''Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh. What do you feel and experience when you look at his style of using the brush and paint? Describe your feelings in a poem.
8. Try to arrange to spend a day at an art museum to locate works of art that fall into the categories or periods that you have studied. How will capture the trip and your impressions?
9. Long ago many aspiring artists served apprenticeships with master artists in order to learn techniques of painting. They studied and worked with the master by copying his/her painting style before developing their own ideas. Pretend you are apprenticed to an artist of your choice. Select one of his/her works and try your hand at copying it!
10. Good design and perspective are important components of paintings. Do some reading and research what these mean. Then apply your knowledge by making a drawing that incorporates the principles of each.
11. Michelangelo Buonarotti was one of the greatest artists that ever lived. He is especially known for his murals that decorate the Sistine Chapel in St. Peter's, the Vatican, Rome. Do some research and find pictures of this monumental work. What is the most extraordinary part of the ceiling? What is the theme of the scenes on each wall? How did Michelangelo paint these works? Write a brief report about his life and his work in St. Peter's.
12. Using a favorite lettering technique and knowledge about poster making, prepare a unique poster selling a new product or a better design for a local product you have seen advertised. If you choose a local product, present your design to the company. Who knows?
13. Caricatures are fun to do. Read about the creation of caricatures. Develop a caricature for classmates. You might want to institute this as a class project and design these for all teachers in the building.
14. Check with your school librarian to determine books which are not circulating. Analyze the reasons for this. Design a new book jacket and prepare an interesting display. Check again. Is the book now circulating?
15. Mosaics have been used for hundreds of years. What is a mosaic? Write the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. Find out about the mosaics now being displayed at the Cincinnati airport. There is an interesting history accompanying these works of art. Create an original mosaic.
16. Do you ever stand in your closet and think "I have nothing to wear"? If your school had uniforms, this would solve your problem. Design a school uniform for boys and girls to wear to class.
17. Select a picture painted over 200 years ago. Draw your own version of the painting in a modern art style.
18. Select a painting that you do not like. Why don't you like it? Redesign it so that you do like it. Analyze what you changed about the original painting so that you now like it.
19. If you could interview a famous artist (past or present), what questions would you ask him/her?
20. Make a copy of your favorite painting.
21. Select an artist to read about from any period. Find out about his/her life and work. Create a clever way to represent what you learned (perhaps a speech delivered by this famous artist?!). What factors influenced his/her life and work? Were there obstacles he/she had to overcome? What style of painting did he/she use? How did he/she feel about his/her work?
22. Many great artists achieved recognition for their work after they died. How do you account for this? What could be done for artists today to help them achieve more recognition? Prepare a brief talk and present your ideas to the class.
23. Select five works of art for comparison. Write information about each artist on a palette. Construct a mobile of palettes when you are finished.
24. Get a canvas and paints. Create a picture using the impressionistic style of painting. Include what you have learned about art and artists in your masterpiece. Give it an appropriate title.
25. Great events often shape the thinking and creative styles of artists. Identify a major event in the past decade or two and draw a modernistic interpretation of it as a poster.
26. Try to locate a local artist. Perhaps your art teacher can help you. See if you can interview this individual and/or spend time watching him/her at his/her craft. Prepare questions before your time together and after, present your findings to the class.
27. Pick a subject of interest (like the circus, dogs, water, dancers, etc.). Locate pieces of art that include that subject. Look closely at each piece of art. How did each particular artist depict that subject? How are these artists’ perspectives on the same subject similar or different? What details did artists include or omit about the subject? Did each artist view that subject as positive, negative, or neutral? How would depict this subject? Try to create an original piece of your own about this subject.
28. A study of art has many other related areas. Select a topic from the list below for further study or independent research.
Mural Painters Photography Glass Art
Art Careers Advertising Pottery
Costume Design Metal Art Museums
Art in Fashion Primitive Art Cartooning
Art in the Community Comic Strips Design
Art of the Theater Graphic Arts Lettering
29. Research one of the following creative individuals:
Joni Eareckson Tada
Walt Disney
Samuel Butcher
John James Audubon
30. Complete the graph that follows describing different forms of modern art.
31. Research the Lascaux Cave paintings in France. Would you consider these “art?” why or why not?
32. What are the types of changes that have occurred in the creation of art from prehistoric times until now? What caused these changes? How have they affected our way of seeing art?
33. If you can find the “National Gallery of Art Activity Book” by Maura Clarkin, locate and complete activities that interest you from the 25 mini units included.
34. Create your own project(s) related to art.
The ISM’s of Contemporary Art
Dadaism
Impression-ism
Pointillism
Expression-ism
Abstract-expression-ism
Cubism
Realism
Surrealism
Neoprimitiv-ism