“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

― Theodore Roosevelt

In the ART LAB throughout December...in addition to finishing our 3D snowflakes!

CHOICE-BASED SELF PORTRAIT VISION BOARDS (5-8 GRADES)

Students utilized the TR quote above to discuss DARING GREATLY and LIVING BRAVELY as we ready for a new year of successes, challenges and new journeys in 2024. Students chose three personally inspiring quotes from a variety of resources to share their hopes and dreams for the future. Students added collage images and free-form design to complete their vision boards.

We celebrated our last days together with free-choice collaborative art games (no technology:)) and had a lot of fun! JOYFUL PURSUITS!

CLIMATE JUSTICE SNOW GLOBES (K-3 GRADES)

K-3rd graders loved creating their hand-held climate justice interactive artworks. We recycled (upcycled) glitter, glass jars, Styrofoam and landscaping materials in this hopeful action to remind us that we all can do our part---and have a part to play---in creating a healthy future for all. Our "Let It Snow!" Antarctica or Arctic Circle mixture experiment (We did a little comparative study of the two habitats along the way...) was a great way to reuse materials to create a 3D composition and practice assemblage.

We rounded out our time together this year with a free-choice building day---OG potato heads, magnetic blocks, Legos, Knex, Tinkertoys, Lincoln Logs and some fun flower gardens too:). What fun!

Thanks to all who recycled and donated for this project! Special thanks to Faviana, Odette, Scott Ray Designs and Eco-Flamingo for your donations!

Our first semester artists created their final art project for school year 2023-2024, culminating our study of narrative artworks and intercultural, multi-arts storytelling. We've looked through a variety of lenses as we created connections to homeroom curriculum and real-world issues rooted in identity studies and fine arts skill building. Thank you for your creativity, curiosity and kindness.

2024: The Year of the WOOD DRAGON

4th-8th graders will honor the bookmaking traditions of China as we start the new year by making our own ETHOS BOOKS. We will practice traditional bookmaking and 3D paper arts skills as we explore our identity as artists. These 4-8th grade text/image conversations will demonstrate each student's personal ethos in addition to building bookmaking skills and a variety of brush stroke practice.

K-2nd graders will create allegorical posters that demonstrate different forms of kindness---Kindness to Self, Kindness to Family, Kindness to Friends, Kindness to Nature. These images will be recreated and will become part of our Spring Festival exhibition and act as positive motivators throughout our school. We will work together to learn how to use India ink, watercolor and simple block printing styles in this literary arts integration experience.

This study will continue to inform our art making throughout the third semester as we continue to frame our learning utilizing culturally responsive texts and lunar new year symbols and storytelling.

Look for our artworks exhibited at our National Haiku Writing Month Literary Arts Festival!

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." ---Confucius

With Kindness,

Mrs. Vecchioni

Older students will be creating artworks that share their worldview by choosing quotes from Confucius' Analects. They will streamline their visual imagery into a simple design or print that is an allegorical representation of each quote.

Younger students will unpack KINDNESS and will visually share what that looks like in everyday life.

Both will be safe space exercises and great mindfulness foundations for our class and as personal guideposts throughout 2024 and beyond.

As visual culture, we will analyze the famous image, The Vinegar Tasters. The Vinegar Tasters is ancient, anonymous painting of an imaginary meeting between Confucius, Siddhartha Gautama and Laozi. We will discuss this artwork as an allegory for the a WAY to look at the world from a variety of different perspectives, think of art as visual language and as important example of the ability to agree to disagree respectfully. Students will unpack the three primary worldviews of ancient China and discuss their similarities and differences. We will use this TEXT to LAUNCH our own artworks that share OUR WAY of thinking about the world, 4-8th grade.

K-2 graders will learn about the "Conflicts in Literature" in a positive-facing allegorical format---the power of Kindness---to create their HAIGA books. Haigas are visual haiku poems. Our haigas will be focused on KINDNESS. We will practice the four traditional Arts of China (music/strings, writing/ink, strategy/games and painting) in our designs and sample a variety of modern haigas. Student artworks will help create a positive school ethos as we share them in our upcoming spring festival celebration.

Our first week of the new semester is all about building trust, creating connections and making a safe space for us to be artists---taking risks and designing our own learning. We will be playing collaborative games, doing group yoga, being so silly together--- and learning to take risks as we grow.

We will be guided by the Slumberkins' Full of Feelings board game, Creatures Full of Feelings playing cards and Mindfulness Yeti! Slumberkins are feeling kits (stuffie, book and more) to help us grow together.

Slumberkins' purpose is inspiring to all of us...

"Slumberkins' social-emotional learning curriculum offers a holistic approach to emotional wellness. With our connection-based tools and emotional fluency framework, educators are able to introduce and encourage skills that support children in becoming caring, confident, and resilient."

---https://slumberkins.com

The social-emotional book series is great for little ones (The stuffies are ADORABLE!) and the concepts are important---regardless of our age! Check out these cozy creature comforts---:))!

If any questions, please email me prior to club sessions. All art lab clubs are free. Thanks in advance!