Welcome Back and Updates!

Welcome back to school after a long two weeks off!!! I can't believe there are just eleven short weeks left of this school year! So, before our break, we were lucky enough to have Angee Lennard from Spudnik Print Cooperative come visit our classes. While here, we did a super fun exercise in making own non-for-profit arts organizations. It was so innovative and exciting!

Then, yesterday, the 4th graders all went downtown on the Architecture Foundation's walking tour. It was beautiful outside, and we walked from the Art Institute to the Harold Washington Library and then to the Federal Building. What an amazing tour. I even learned way more than I expected!

Next, we have a really exciting event coming up next week. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (April 10-12th) will be our Lab Arts exhibition in Kovler Gym (see the flyer below). Every single student from every grade here at Lab (that have art class) will have a piece of work on display! I can't wait to see you all there with your families!!!!!

If you want a scavenger hunt of old Chicago historic relics....

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-most-accessible-relics-of-chicago-2

4th Grade Field Trip to Nubia! (at the Oriental Institute)

 Fourth grade students braved the cold this week to walk over to the Oriental Institute for an adventure to the Nubia collection. While there, students explored the Nubia collection through a scavenger hunt so students could discover and closely look for patterns, shapes, and common themes in both the ancient Nubian art, and Afrofuturism. It was a great trip, and the students were extremely excited! 

Fourth Grade Afrofuturistic Profiles!

Fourth Graders have been working diligently on their Afrofuturistic Profiles, where they are telling visual stories about themselves. Students have been creating patterns from details in their own person stories, and then enlarging them on their actual profile. I can't wait to see how they look on the walls of Blaine!

Afrofuturistic Scratch Art Profiles

To start of 2015, third grade students are studying profiles and Afrofuturism. We are combining line and mark making with the kaleidoscopic elements of scratch art paper. This is day two of exploration. We did this after listening to a Sun Ra poem and a Janelle Monae music video, and while listening to Space is the Place record.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I can't wait to see what 2015 will hold for art making and exploring at Lab! Both third and fourth graders have started new projects this week that are centered around profiles and storytelling. In third grade, we explored two different books that deal with lines, Follow the Line Through the House and The Neat Line: Scribbling Through Mother Goose.

Some third grade students were given work to take home this week! I will slowly be passing back work, but keeping one piece of completed work per student to put in the Lab Arts show happening in the Spring. Stay tuned!