Where to begin with the transformation this collaboration has taken over the past 3 years we've had clay artist Marie Gibbons at our school. It is very exciting to know that the children will experience the kind of art making that is intensely focused as well as opening them to a new understanding of he curriculum they have learned in other content areas. We are so fortunate at Devinny to have such a vital and supportive school community. The students in the 3rd grade classes will be continuing this vitality by working with clay artist Marie Gibbons in a five-day Artist in Residence Program. The Devinny Elementary community, the Devinny PTA, the Science and Cultural Facilities District and donations from students in Mud Club made this wonderful arts experience possible for the 3rd grade students.
The Artists in Residence Program with Marie Gibbons began on Wednesday March 17, 2010 through Tuesday March 23, 2010 with morning as well as afternoon workshops with the 3rd graders and scheduled afternoon studio time/visits with the classrooms from the entire Devinny school community. On Tuesday March 23, 2010 from 6pm-7pm in the cafeteria an exhibition of the students’ art work created with Marie Gibbons as well as a presentation by Marie Gibbons about her own work/studio practice.
The students in the 3rd grade classes will created hand built clay sculptures and paintings entitled My Chrysalis Self that were informed by the overarching 3rd grade Concept of Change as well as their learning in the unit Life Cycles in the 3rd grade Science Curriculum Alignment Project. This science, social studies, language arts and art integration will support and weave together the students learning while creating the hand built My Chrysalis Self Sculpture.
Some of the Essential Learnings are:
Life Cycles: How do life cycles of different organisms compare and contrast?
First Americans unit for Social Studies: Chronology helps us to understand change over time.
Language Arts: How do characters in a story change over time?
Visual Arts: Art communicates ideas and ways in which color/value communicate an idea/emotion.
Within the art works of My Chrysalis Self the students addressed the concepts of change including imagery, texture, patterns. The clay sculptures with cold finishes (acrylic paint) demonstrated the learning of the concepts of change in imagery, pattern, color, idea and texture as it relates change and to their lives changing as well. Wonderful!
Marie Gibbons is a regionally and nationally recognized clay artist. Marie states about her studio practice: “Working in clay and mixed media allows me to give form to those things I have in my imagination, to materialize the ways in which I see the world. Art is my way to discuss, give advice, examine, and to always keep a sense of humor about life in general.” Marie comes to us through THINK360 Arts. THINK 360 Arts is a leading provider of arts education programs and services statewide. THINK 360 Arts is an affiliate of the Kennedy Center Alliance for arts Education Network and Young audiences Inc.
The whole week of working, visiting and firing the clay works culminated in a very positive story on 9News about the Artist in Residence Program at Devinny. Very wonderful !
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