Art Classroom News

It is mid-January and the days are going by so fast. It will be Spring before we know it.  There are some exciting events coming up in February that I want to share with you.

The Des Moines Public Schools District Art Show will be on display Thursday, February 6^th – Wednesday, February 12^th at the Des Moines Capitol Square Mall Lobby.  We will have seven artists featured along with student artists from across the district.  The reception will be held Thursday evening 5:30-7:30.

We are excited to have some volunteers from Wells Fargo coming in late February.  It is our plan to have them work with the students on a school wide art project. It will include your family pictures so please start thinking about your favorite family picture.  There will be more details to come on this soon.

In the art room we got back into the swing of things with a quick study on Vincent Van Gogh.  After learning about the artist Kindergarteners created a Sunflower Still Life.  The Lower Elementary students used chalk pastels to create a landscape that looks like it is moving.  Upper Elementary worked with analogous color paints create a still life.  In our next unit we will be looking at the symbol of the heart as we learn more about the pop artist Jim Dine.

A chance to give to the arts:

1. I would like to build a supply of items the students can use for texture rubbing.  Examples might be door screen, peg board material, textured wall paper samples, etc.  The perfect size for these items would be no smaller than 3 inches and no larger than 8 inches.  They should be able to lay under a piece of paper and the student rub a crayon across the top to create a texture look on their paper.
2. Baskets for the auction.  The silent auction committee will begin collecting those baskets now as you clean house this winter and spring feel free to bring them into either myself or Jennifer Gelner.  We will save them for the silent auction next fall.
3. Submit your photos to our yearbook! If you are a parent that has taken pictures in the classroom or at an event we would love the chance to use your photos in the yearbook.  Visit community.lifetouch.com to upload your images.  Our code is SGPXNF

My thanks go out to all of you that shared artwork with your family and friends on Artsonia.com during these past couple of months.  It gives your children a sense of pride to be able to show off their work that way. I also want to say thank you to Lori Beninck for making texture squares for a new game in the art room.