Abstract Expressionism-Splatter Paintings Redefined

Each month in the art room, I put up a new set of images of a particular artistic style from history on our 'Ism' board. One of the periods of art styles we've talked about in the art room is Abstract Expressionism. In the spirit of Jackson Pollock, the 7th and 8th graders expressed themselves through watercolor splatter paint. But, they didn't stop there; after the paintings had dried, they embellished, enhanced and emphasized their paintings with pen, pencil, crayon, colored pencil and/or markers. After that, they measured and cut their embellished paintings into one inch squares and rearranged them, therefore, redefining them.

African Inspired Clay Masks-7th and 8th

Masks hold a long tradition in various cultures, but particularly in Africa where many tribes have been creating masks for centuries. The 7th and 8th grade art classes learned that different tribes would create masks for different ceremonies or rituals. For example, the African Lunar Mask was used for welcoming the new moon and dancing the moon ritual. While the TchokweMwano Pwo Mask that represents the ideal young female beauty and is thought to bring about prosperity and fertility to the tribe.

African Lunar Mask

 TchokweMwano Pwo Mask

Clay was a perfect medium for this lesson because it allowed the students to not only build and add on clay at the pliable stage, but also carve into their sculptures at the leatherhard stage. Students first began with sketch ideas for their masks. They were to make up a ceremony in which their mask would be used and decorated accordingly. For example, if a mask is used to "suck  the ugliness out of someone" then it would make sense that it was purposely misshapen. Carving details, texture and added features were some of requirements for the completion of this project.