Looking Back at the Best of 2016 from Art Sphere Inc!
February 2016
https://artsphere.org/blog/claymation/
Claymation with Penn Treaty’s Afterschool Program
We started the year by diving into a new project with Penn Treaty’s middle and high school students involving Claymation. We asked the kids to introduce themselves by making their name in clay letters and making something that represented their interests, like favorite food, sports, and activities. When they were more comfortable, we had them break out into groups to create various faces and sculptures that can move around in stop motion videos.
March 2016:
https://artsphere.org/blog/samuel-recreation-preschool-ceramic-lesson-plans/
Samuel Recreation Preschool Ceramic Lesson Plans
ASI was more than happy to host preschool ceramic lessons at the Samuel Recreation Center! These lessons reinforced the curriculum covered at the preschool sites. Students learned to identify shapes, colors, fruits, vegetables, create patterns, and develop their motor skills. The students achieved this by working with clay, expressing ideas, talking to peers, following directions and working together. Students made different foods, shapes, and animals out of clay and were happy to present their work!
April 2016:
https://artsphere.org/blog/art-and-loss/
Art and Loss
It was time for our Wednesday ceramics class, and student Julius expressed to the staff that he was sad because his dog was dying. He was encouraged to make a ceramic piece for his dog, Gracie. Once the piece was created, he decorated his dog with pancakes on its back, a food that Julius was very fond of. Artists can use their creative minds to help cope with various emotions and life experiences. Teaching children about things such as grief and loss are very difficult, but by expressing themselves through art they can cope with these difficult feelings and learn how to process them in a healthy way. Julius’s creation helped him cope with her loss, and having a tangible memory of her will help him look back at the years of joy they had together.
June 2016:
https://artsphere.org/blog/jazz-paintings/
Jazz Paintings
As a part of incorporating music into more Summer/Fall lessons, the kids created pictures using crayons, oil pastels, and paint. The lesson was about Andrew Turner, a local artist born in the 1940’s. The students looked at his painting, and then listened to a jazz mix created by ASI staff, identifying what instruments were used. Students created images of various instruments and were encouraged to fill the entire paper with color.
July 2016:
https://artsphere.org/blog/art-exhibit-benefit-at-urban-outfitters-headquarters/
“A Print Show”, Art Exhibit Benefit at Urban Outfitters Headquarters
On June 20th, an art exhibit called “A Print Story” opened at the Urban Outfitters headquarters in the Philadelphia Navy Ward. The exhibit ran for a month and featured original art created by staff volunteers who donated their work to support ASI programs. During the event, audience members viewed the artwork, listened to live music, and watched videos of ASI programs. The art pieces were for sale, and all proceeds directly benefited free after-school and summer programs for local students. We couldn’t be more grateful for a successful event!
October 2016:
https://artsphere.org/blog/stamping-with-natural-materials/
Stamping with Natural Materials
Fall is here, and what better way to celebrate than to bring nature into the classroom! To teach our students about the seasons and nature, ASI staff created a lesson plan that involved creating artwork out of natural material such as leaves, flowers, and sticks. While the students were creating their masterpieces, they learned about nature, how the seasons change, and the different leaf shapes and tree species.
November 2016:
https://artsphere.org/blog/tin-foil-monoprints/
Tinfoil Monoprints
ASI staff created a lesson where the goal was to introduce students to a basic form of mono-printing that can be done at home using everyday materials. Students painted and scribbled various drawings onto tin foil, and with the paint still went they gently patted a piece of paper against the foil, and when they were finished, they slowly pulled the paper to reveal their very own original mono print.
December 2016:
https://artsphere.org/blog/art-show-at-samuels/
Art Show at Samuels
It was the end of the semester, and an art show was celebrated representing student created artwork. Students had their art from the entire semester displayed for the children and parents to see. Many students expressed interest in making things with clay since most of them had never used clay before joining ASI!
