STUDENT PORTFOLIOS PROS

This year, as an experiment, VLM art students are collecting their artwork in portfolios. My hope is that by seeing artwork over time, our VLM community will enjoy some of these benefits:

• Reflect on work to see patterns, strengths, and areas where we can  improve
• Have a greater variety of work to choose from for framing and art shows
• Get work home more safely along with some information about projects for families  

Please note that work from students K-4th grade will work will go home midyear (just before or just after winter break), with a  second batch going home at the end of the year. 

Per tradition, 5th grader's work will remains in art until the spring, when we choose work for our final 5th grade art exhibit. All work will be returned, along with sketchbooks by year's end.

(Images, top to bottom: Jonas & friends, William and Hannah, 1st grade portfolio by Mack)

A GREAT PLACE TO GROW

Murray students of all ages have been challenged to adopt a growth mindset this year in art. This means learning to think and talk about their accomplishments as the product of work and effort over time, a growing wealth rather than the result of innate (and diminishable) talent or a moment of inspiration.

This was true as students at various levels approached self portraits: As kinders described their own faces in lines and as 2nd graders rendered themselves peeking over grand birthday cakes after American artist Wayne Thiebaud.

This was also true of 5th grades as they sketched preliminary plans for what will be a collaged portrait project. Some of these older students noted how their drawing had come more precise, finer over our years of portraits together.

'Try your best,' I remind. 'Today's best'  'Trying----especially when something is difficult---is learning'

The important thing, I remind them,  is to keep moving forward, developing skills,
 ideas, and creativity along the way.

(Work top to bottom: Assorted kinder portraits in progress, Shelby(Kinder)

Luke (Kinder) Birthday Portrait Raleigh (2nd), Birthday Portrait Daniel (2nd) and finally 5th grade preliminary Sketches by Will T (5th) and Alise (5th)

LOOK CLOSER: VLM students discover young artist Alexa Meade's painterly SECRET

With so much great old art, how do young artists find new ways to speak? 

VLM students K-5 started the year by looking at the innovative art of Alexa Meade, whose painterly portraits contain a surprise: Meade skips the canvas and paints direction onto living, breathing people---flattening form  and creating collaborative installations, like the blue man.  You can see a bit of Meade's process in the video below.

This year,  in our art classroom,  students will strive to find new, surprising solutions to old questions:

• What visual story  am I trying to tell here? 
• What materials and techniques would best fit this story?
•  How can I make my story look good? 

My goal as this year as VLM's art teacher is to continue to  facilitate this exploration for our students.

Would you want to be one of Meade's models? Why or why not?

SUMMER, ARTY FUN!

As this school year draws to a close, I feel grateful for all of my VLM students, who work so hard to act like artists---looking, learning, creating, and reflecting in our art classroom each week. 

When I recently asked a group of 3rd graders, Why does art matter at our school? They answered, that art  was fun,  made them feel peaceful, made them feel excited, let them express their ideas, let them be  original, let them work hard on a problem and get better over time. 

I hope families keep artful activities in the rotation during the coming summer. This could mean

• taking a summer ceramics class,  
• visiting a museum, 
• reading about an artist, 
• choosing an art print to put up in your house, 
• or setting up a quiet space with special papers, oil pastels, color pencils... 

there are numerous ways to keep acting like artist, year round.

Check out the the sidebar for more specific art resources, or comment with art classes or activities you and your family enjoy! And remember, ART MATTERS!

(Images Top to Bottom: Ava & Jorge, Natoria, Nora and Ms. Johnson, & Hermi)

OUR FINAL 5TH GRADE EXHIBIT

What a  pleasure to watch VLM's most senior students share their artwork and artist's statement at our 4th annual 5th grade final show.

This year Ms. Corradino  and I combined art and music: Students performed charmingly before moving to the library, to share artwork with family and friends. 

Our closing reception was topped off with a howlingly entertaining slideshow of images of these students in the art room as far back as the 2nd grade.

Thank you to all the families and friends who took time to enjoy student work,  help set up or bring food, and especially to my parents, with my father documenting this event in pictures!

Remember, art matters.

STILL LIFE

Every year VLM students K-5 start at least one artwork by looking at Still lifes set around our art room. Over the years, I've collected an assortment of objects---a blue green vase, a Japanese teapot, an assortment of candle holders. I always mix these stables among inexpensive novel objects to create a yearly theme. This year I included glittery gift-boxes and glinting tinsel.

In addition to using different materials, each grade approaches their still life project through the lens of their grade-level theme. For example, second grades looked at Still lifes by Henri Mattisse, and were challenged to include PATTERN in their work. 

My favorite thing about still life is the element of observation: Students often are surprised by how realistic or detailed their drawings can be when they look carefully at real objects before drawing or painting them. Through still life, students come to understand drawing as an act of translation and communication, as well as imagination and  creativity.

What kinds of object would you include in a super cool still life? Would your objects be everyday, or off the wall?  (Remember, the objects must be, well, still :)

(Images from top to bottom: Max 2nd grade, Jackson H. Kinder, Emily 3rd,  Charlotte and Helen 2nd, Natalie 4th, Max again)

SNOW DAY EXTENSION

Our countywide art exhibit at Fashion Square Mall has been extended another full week until Sunday March 23rd. So as soon as your roads are clear, venture out, VLM families, and stroll the mall checking out Impressive Student Work, k-12!  

Check out News Coverage of our 2nd exhibit at CitySpace (Up until March 25th)  on the downtown Pedestrian mall HERE.

My mom and my son checking out the Murray display, near the Hallmark store.

ACPS Visual Arts Festival 2014

Here's a video made by our lovely fine art's coordinator, Cyndi, as we set up this year's
show at Fashion Square Mall!



Have you gone? If so, what did you notice, what did you see?

EXHIBITIONS!

An important part of making art is looking at art. This time of year, Murray's students, staff, and families are invited to look carefully at a sample of artwork from around the county, during our 21st Annual Fine Arts Festival. This sprawling event takes place in the public spaces of Fashion Square Mall, from March 2 through 16th this year. Come stroll and enjoy student creations!

A second, more intimate exhibit will take place at CitySpace, on our downtown pedestrian mall,  featuring 2-4 works from each Albemarle school. This display will be up from March 5 - 25, with an  opening reception on the evening of March 7th. You can find directions and out more about CitySpace here.

In addition, Mrs. Corradino (VLM's music teacher) and I are co-planning a Final 5th grade Art Exhibit & Performance to take place at VLM the evening of Thursday April 24th, at 630 pm. We look forward to hosting Murray families and teachers with a reception and celebration of student art-making!

*Finally, a special congratulations to Trevor D. whose work was chosen to display in Richmond at Representative Landes' office,  hopefully a reminder to our legislators that Art matters in Virginia.

What art exhibits have you seen that you remember?

Images top to bottom: A past Fine Arts Festival, 4th grader Cole L working, My son and I at a past 5th grade final exhibit, and Shell painting by Trevor D.

EXPLORATIONS IN COLOR

Murray Students of all ages are exploring color, this basic element of art---mixing, contrasting, even glazing paints basic in exercises and projects.

Kinders painted without brushes in the tradition of American Artist Jackson Pollack, creating patterns, textures, or pictures with forks, q-tips, and popsicle sticks.

First graders mixed primary colors to make secondary colors in their sketchbooks, then used remaining time to 'free paint' or print their painting palettes.

Fourth Graders painted in pairs and teams to create clever color wheels, making 12 colors from three, and learning about the idea of a Color Sphere!

What is your favorite color, and why?

Work shown top to bottom: by Kinders: Mary, Emily, Claire; First Grader Katerina; 4th graders
Koa & Spencer,  work by Christopher, Will, and Sam, AJ working

LOOK UP: MURRAY'S NEW MURAL!

Special thanks to our preschool teacher (aka resident muralist) Chelsea Morris for painting our small school flanked in the panoramic rolling hills of Albemarle, on our foyer ceiling area!

We hope to highlight this area even more, but in the mean time look up and see if you can spot :

• Our name sake, Virginia L. Murray herself
• Crozet Pizza
• The Paramount Theatre
• Flick on the Field...

What striking details have you noticed in Murray's New Mural?