unschooly art lab

Spring session - week 1, getting warmed up.

The idea behind this class is that I provide an opportunity for the kids to explore a variety of materials - drawing, water-based paint, sculptural, found images, & objects, but it is really up to them what they wish to create.  I am providing a studio environment for an hour and a half each Friday (this particular session is 8 weeks) for the kids to ponder, explore, and chit-chat while they make art together in a fun, low-pressure environment.  This is about process and discovery.  When you are an artist, sometimes that even means sitting and staring off into space for awhile - imagine that!  I bring in examples of my own work, I show them a variety of famous artists' work, and when I see someone doing something that reminds me of a particular artist, I bring it up on the internet and show them their kindred spirit.  The kids are invited to push the boundaries and definitions of art, and learn new skills in an environment of self-discovery and inspiration.  They are invited to come with questions if you are interested in learning specific skills.  I expose them to various movements in modern art and techniques of different artists to be inspired by as they develop their work.

reading lunch

Today my big Adobe is reading to Phoenix - I love watching/hearing her read these books to him that I used to read to her when she was much younger. And, the second is bilingual, and she did a pretty good job of pulling off the Spanish pronunciation.

new friends for WMNG!

Our first season of Words & Moves, Numbers & Grooves went so well!  Everyone worked so hard, we had extra rehearsals to prepare our presentation, and our Winter Solstice Showcase was truly magical, and deeply appreciated by the audience.  I have not had much time to blog over the past couple months, but I will post a separate entry about our show soon.

We are so excited to have new friends join us next session!  Students of Anna Bernanke's homeschool tutoring group, the Mt. Rainier Student Group, will be joining us for portions of the day this winter. 
They got to come for a sample of classes in mid-December, and everyone had a blast.  Here are some images from that day. 

successful first season & new friends for WMNG!

We had such a successful Fall season with the launch of Boundless Eclectic's new homeschool performing arts intensive, Words & Moves, Numbers & Grooves!  We worked really hard, then had a couple of serious rehearsals.  Our Winter Solstice Showcase was truly magical, and deeply appreciated by the audience.  I have not had any time to blog over the past couple months, but I will post a separate entry about our show soon...

We are really excited to have some new friends joining us for the rest of this school year & beyond.  Students from Anna Bernanke's homeschool tutoring group, the Mt. Rainier Student Group, will be joining us for portions of the day, and we will be tying in some of the academic work they are doing with our concepts for the the Winter season.  They got to come and join us for a trial of our offerings one Monday in December.  Here are some images from the first half of that day, when they experienced Words & Moves, doing improv, contact improv, and open mic. 

self portrait as animal

   We discussed animal totems in the Native American tradition, what each of us thought our totem(s) were or might be, and looked up qualities associated with those animal totems.
   Then the students looked at some reference images online and brainstormed on paper about what their compositions might look like before beginning their official totem piece, imaging themselves or their spirit in the animals they were depicting.
   Very interesting and lovely results!

museum as classroom - 'our universes'

First week in the 'Our Universes' exhibit we discussed some background, common questions, and some misconceptions about Native Americans before moving into the alcove dedicated to the Anishinaabe people.  Below are some of the exhibit signs and displays for those in the class to review and finish drawings.

  

 We also discussed the  traditional roles of male and female elders in the community, men, women, and children.  After class we went to the children's play area, and these are a couple of books for supplemental reading.  The Birchbark House is a story about an Ojibwa girl (another name for Anishinaabe).  Raven is not specific to the Anishinaabe, but looks like a fun trickster tale. 

 

How Raven Stole the Sun is also a book that is mentioned in the intro of the exhibit.  When I looked for it in Amazon, I noticed they also have How Raven Stole the Moon.