Crafting Clay Turkeys: Fostering Creativity and Meeting National Art Standards

As the season of gratitude approached, our middle school art class delved into a creative adventure—crafting clay turkeys! Not only were we sculpting charming and unique turkeys, but we're also aligning our lesson with the National Standards for Visual Arts Education. Let's explore how this hands-on clay project intertwines creativity, skill development, and adherence to national standards while introducing key ceramic vocabulary.

Fostering Creativity through Clay: Clay, with its versatile and malleable nature, becomes our medium of choice for this seasonal art project. Students are encouraged to unleash their creativity as they mold and shape clay into delightful turkey sculptures, celebrating the spirit of Thanksgiving while honing their ceramic skills.

Meeting National Art Standards: This clay turkey art lesson aligns with several of the National Standards for Visual Arts Education, enhancing our students' artistic journey and skill development. Here's how our project meets these standards:

1. Creating: Students express their ideas and observations through the creation of clay turkeys, demonstrating proficiency in working with sculptural materials.

2. Presenting: As the turkeys take form, students learn to present and exhibit their artwork, fostering confidence in displaying their creative endeavors.

3. Responding: Through peer critique and self-reflection, students develop an understanding of artistic choices, refining their ability to analyze and interpret their work and that of their peers.

4. Connecting: The art project encourages students to connect their artistic expressions with cultural and historical contexts, exploring the significance of turkeys in Thanksgiving traditions and diverse cultures.

Key Ceramic Vocabulary: Integrating ceramic vocabulary enhances students' understanding of the medium and its techniques. As they craft their clay turkeys, they familiarize themselves with terms such as:

• Clay body
• Slip
• Score
• Wedging
• Kiln
• Glaze
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Encouraging Artistic Exploration: Our clay turkey project serves as a platform for students to explore both creativity and technical skills. From the initial stages of shaping the clay body to the final glazing process, each step offers an opportunity for artistic experimentation and growth.

As our middle school art class did a deep dive into the art of crafting clay turkeys, we witness the seamless integration of creativity, skill development, and alignment with national art standards. Through this hands-on project, students not only sculpt delightful turkeys but also deepen their understanding of ceramic vocabulary and artistic expression, making each clay creation a testament to their growing artistic prowess.

1969

Exploring Florida Highwaymen Art-A Creative Lesson for Middle School Art

The Florida Highwaymen, a group of African American artists, made a significant mark on American art history with their vibrant and captivating landscapes. Their unique style, born out of necessity and creativity, brought to life the beauty of Florida during the mid-20th century. Today, their legacy continues to inspire artists and art enthusiasts alike. In this blog post, we'll delve into an engaging art lesson designed for middle school students to explore the world of the Florida Highwaymen, discovering who they were and creating their own landscapes using the elements and principles of art vocabulary.

Who are the Florida Highwaymen? The Florida Highwaymen were a collective of African American artists, initially self-taught and predominantly from the Fort Pierce area of Florida. In the 1950s and 1960s, during a time of racial segregation and limited opportunities for African American artists, they began painting and selling their artwork. Their unique approach to art involved creating vibrant landscapes that depicted Florida's natural beauty, often featuring striking sunsets, serene rivers, and iconic palm trees. What set them apart was their ability to capture the essence of Florida through bold colors, loose brushstrokes, and a deep connection to their surroundings.

Landscapes Using Elements and Principles of Art Vocabulary:

Elements of Art:

1. Line and Shape: The Highwaymen used bold, sweeping lines for trees and rivers, and organic shapes to represent nature. Students will experiment with creating similar lines and shapes in their landscapes.
2. Color and Value: Vibrant colors and contrasting values brought depth to Highwaymen paintings. Middle schoolers will explore bold colors and shading techniques to emulate this effect.
3. Texture and Form: Texture played a crucial role in their artwork. Students will experiment with various painting techniques to create textures like rippling water and foliage.

Principles of Art:

1. Composition: Emphasize focal points and balanced compositions. Students will plan their artworks considering these principles, learning how to guide the viewer's eye.

Lesson Activities:

• Observation and Discussion: Introduce students to Highwaymen paintings, discussing elements and techniques.
• Elements of Art Activity: Engage students in hands-on activities to explore lines, shapes, colors, values, textures, and forms in their own paintings.
• Principles of Art Discussion: Guide discussions on the importance of composition and encourage students to plan their compositions.
• Creation of Artwork: Provide materials and let students create their own Florida landscapes, applying what they've learned. 

Conclusion: Through this engaging art lesson, middle school students get an immersive experience into the world of the Florida Highwaymen. By understanding who they were and how they created their iconic landscapes, students not only learn art techniques but also gain insight into the historical and cultural significance of these artists. The lesson fosters creativity, appreciation for art, and a deeper understanding of the elements and principles that bring landscapes to life. As students proudly display their Florida Highwaymen-inspired artworks, they carry forward the legacy of these remarkable artists into the future.

1969

Celebrating Superhero Teachers: The Power of Unity and Gratitude

At our Maclay Middle School, we believe in the power of unity and the strength we derive from standing together. Recently, our middle school administration embarked on a special mission to honor our remarkable faculty members—the everyday superheroes shaping the futures of our students. With an unwavering belief that we are stronger together and better together, the administration crafted a captivating superhero-themed bulletin board to express and celebrate the extraordinary teachers within our middle school midst.

Y'all I am standing on a table trying to photograph these beauties during my planning. Of course, this made for a great meme. Yes, we meme'd up a few throughout the year in great fun!

 

Yes, I do believe we are stronger and better together!

Appreciate the bulletin board and the laughs that it brought all year! Art is everywhere!

1969