Happy Second Semester! February is a short month, full month of holidays and quite often, School Spirit Weeks. Take advantage of all that extra buzz and channel it into some YAM-worthy events that will help build a sense of unity and community in your buildings! These 5 events are from Babylon High School, that were submitted last year, by Cheryl Schweider, for the Annual YAM Report.
1 Upcycled Bas Relief Panther- Our school mascot is the panther; YOU can use YOUR mascot! The art students created a bas relief of the panther with papier-mache and then had other students glue on discarded keyboard keys and mouses. This was done during art week during the lunch periods. About 50 students participated in this. (School Unity - re-purposing discarded items).
2 "Be Like Brit" - similar to the Memory Project, our students created 66 portraits for children living in the "Be Like Brit" house in Haiti. This was done in conjunction with our French National Honor Society who held a teacher/student talent show to raise money for this house. We decided to create the portraits for the 66 residents (33 girls and 33 boys). (Community Service/Social Justice)
3 "Adopt Me" pet painting portraits - About 25 of our students and some teachers participated in a pet painting workshop for a local animal shelter. Each student paid to participate and the money was donated to the shelter. The paintings are hanging on the cages of the animals and will go home with the animals once they are adopted. (Community Service)
4 Paint by number sunflowers - From an original photo, we uploaded it to PUNIFY where it was converted to a paint-by-number and put onto a large canvas. During the lunch periods, during art week, about 50 students participated in the painting of it. (Community building within the school)
5 Using food theme, combined with a study of Andy Warhol, do a community service canned soup food drive. Introduce Andy's Soup Can series and a theme of "You CAN make a difference". Make a sculptural installation of the soup can donations (in a safe area of course), give recognition for those who contribute, and help stock up the local food pantry at a time of the year when things may be scarce. Involve your Art Club, Honor Society, Student Council, Class Challenge, or K-Kids (Kiwanis organization for younger students).
It's been a while since there's been a new post here at at The Artful Advocate, but its time to get your advocacy back in gear. Beat the winter blues and kick off the new decade with these fabulous ideas for YAM (Youth Art Month). Start now and build momentum for March 1st! Participating in YAM is an excellent way to advocate for your art program!
1 Make an in-house video on what art means.Have student releases signed, and have 'interviewers', volunteers to speak, and videographers. Edit and play in-house, or on your district web/Facebook page. Students can use a prop titled "What Art Means to Me" and write their responses to hold up. Great idea for all classes/Art Club/NAHS/or interdepartmental work.
2 Use props from #1 and post daily to Twitter.
3 And for another take on this idea - Why Does Art Matter? - Students complete postcards on the theme of why it matters to them. Display on hallway bulletin board. This would be a great way to get faculty and staff to chime in too! Think of it as a way to get some fresh ideas out there for the New Year!
4 Kick off a new Art History unit with walking paintings... cardboard with a face cut out from a famous work of art. Students complete the large scale pieces - offer as a photo booth idea in March during YAM as a fund raiser for a targeted need!
5 Share all these out on social media with the hashtag#nysYAM20!
Youth Art Month is officially just a couple of days away!
Here's some great ideas for you to use.
1 Make prints of student artwork, frame and present to local officials. Walmart or Walgreens make cost efficient 5x7's or 8x10's. Use this as a photo op for YAM during the first week in March. 2 Ask your BOE for an endorsement of Youth Art Month. 3 School-wide mural project with a theme of Collaboration/Unity. Everyone creates a panel to add. Or use the Post-it Challenge. Plan colors of Post-it Notes to spell out school mascot or school's initials. 4 Hold a 10x10 (or 12x12) art challenge for students and staff using any media. Install in school foyer. 5 In cold climates, have a YAM Snow Sculpture Challenge! Bundle up and brave the cold to create a temporary sculptural piece. Compete in teams or classes. In warmer climates, go outside and create Andy Goldsworthy temporary installations. Photograph and enlarge to display indoors.
And don't forget...
6 Make Art Monday - every Monday in March - share what you are doing in your classroom/school/community for the visual arts. Use the hashtag #MakeArtMonday and share on Facebook, at the YAM NYS page (or, if you're in another state, that state's YAM page), or on Twitter!
YES! Here's another set of five great ideas for you, and a bonus, too!
1 Plan a statewide postcard exchange with another school, or create artist trading cards to swap. Consider too... a postcard campaign to state legislators about the value of art education, and combine that with a lesson on the First Amendment! 2 Have students design placemats and table tents that can be used by local restaurants. Challenge older students in Graphic Design classes to choose an area establishment in need of a 'makeover' and design a new logo/menu/etc. Invite the owners and any contacts you have in advertising, to choose the strongest design and discuss importance of branding to create market awareness. 3 Start to hang student work of the week in the principal's office/main office area of your building, and in the administrative offices (superintendent, etc). Add in the NEW Visual Art Standards, your Essential Question and student reflection, for a reminder of the importance of the art program to the school curriculum that cannot be ignored. 4 Planning a YAM show? Select an 'honorary chairperson' from local, well-known artists or 'local celebrities' who support the arts. Give them an honorary certificate and invite them to your show opening. 5 Be sure your Media Advisories are out this week for any show in March, and that info is up on you school website, and community calendars at your local TV and radio stations.
BONUS IDEA! Approach local doctor's offices and medical facilities to hang student artwork in waiting rooms and public areas. Many are more than happy to give you space, and welcome student work as a point of conversation for staff and patients!
Long winter days need some special events built in to move them along. These ideas lend themselves perfectly to classroom curriculum, build the concept of teamwork and planning, and can become great advocacy PR pieces for the local newspaper. The old saying "You have to be a hero in your community first" is so true in art advocacy!
1 Valentine's Day excitement have you feeling blue rather than red? Create a school-wide UNITY event based on the work of Jim Dine and his Hearts series in multiple media for K-5. Tie right in with PE, as may schools celebrate Heart Month with different event challenges. Dovetail with classroom teachers talking about the need for good nutrition and organize a healthy snack day for all. Need ideas? Check out Pinterest under Jim Dine (click here) to find some exciting lessons. Here are direct links to a couple of heart project ideas at There's a Dragon in my Art Room: click here and here.
2 Hungry for more? Older students (grades 6-12) can do the Empty Bowls project and join forces with community food banks in raising money. Tie in a nutrition study with Family and Consumer Science classes and have local grocery stores donate dried soup ingredients to package up in Ziploc Bags to be auctioned off with bowls (if you cannot do the actual meal event). To find more info, click here. 3 Partner with neighboring school district and set up a traveling art show - 5 to 6 pieces that move from school to school. Great way to collaborate for the arts, and showcase not only your own students, but also those in your area. 4 Using the food theme, combined with a study of Andy Warhol, do a community service canned soup food drive. Use Warhol's Soup Can series and the theme "You CAN make a difference", plus a sculptural installation of the donations (in a safe area, of course), plus recognition for those who contribute, and help stock up the local food pantry at a time of the year when things may be scarce. Involve your Art Club, Honor Society, Student Council, or K-Kids (Kiwanis organization for younger students). 5 Budget time, for many, is getting close. Schedule a time slot at the next Board of Education meeting and share with them the interdisciplinary value of art, and how you are preparing students with valuable 21st century skills. Bring students along with examples of their work, and invite all of your parents who supported the program!
2019 is one month old! Here are some ways to liven up February as we move closer to Youth Art Month. Many high schools have a Senior Night/Spirit Week during this time, and there are some GREAT ideas here guaranteed to energize the celebrations!
1 Do a Stop, Drop & Draw - everyone in the school - for 15 minutes. Then have entire school (and staff) display their work! 2 Hold a 'So You Think You Can Draw' challenge - do this by grade level/class challenge/faculty and staff challenge. 3 Invite local artists to YAM openings. Make them honorary chairpersons. Line these folks up now! 4 If your community has an electronic billboard for community events, see if they can scan in a piece of student work to promote YAM as it approaches, or to promote one of the school-wide events listed here. 5 Create a famous cut-out of a work of art (ex: The Scream or Mona Lisa). Have photos taken of kids for $1, and donate proceeds to a local charity. Be sure the cut-out has the YAM logo on it! Or create a large scale cut-out of your school mascot to try this at sporting events! Better yet, bring it out into the community! Second semester is starting! Plan now how you will be celebrating Make Art Monday and involve students in the brainstorming!
Here's this week's fabulous 'Fab Five' advocacy ideas!
1 Stage a Living Artist Night - Teams of students study a particular painting, research and recreate it as living models. Match clothing, props, etc, as closely as possible to the original piece to be displayed. Build a booth and frame, light the instillation, and invite the public in to view the installation. Set this up around an art history unit. Or, pair up with a social studies class and create this around a particular period in history that the bulk of your students are studying. (ex: Early 20th Century, WW2, the Industrial Revolution, etc. Start now! 2 Invite parents of art students, who own local businesses, to hang student artwork at their place of business. Create a sign that says "XYZ Supports Youth Art Month!" Promote on social media and local print media.
3 Have student design placemats and table tents that can be used by local restaurants. 4 Plan an Artist in Residence Program during March, invite in local community artists to demonstrate and/or talk to students. Line them up now. 5 Participate in an Artist Trading Card Swap with another school in a different state.
It is never too early to get started on your March YAM (Youth Art Month) plans... and these are guaranteed success stories ready for you to use in your school!
1 Make prints of student artwork, frame and present to local officials. Walmart or Walgreen's make cost efficient 5x7's or 8x10's. Use this as a photo opp for YAM during our first week in March. 2 Ask your BOE for an endorsement of Youth Art Month now.Approach your local elected officials as well. 3 How about a school-wide mural project? - Use the Youth Art Month theme Your Art: Your Story. Everyone creates a panel to add. Or use the Post It Challenge. Plan colors of Post It notes to spell out school mascot or initials. (ex - Liverpool Middle School = LMS).
4 Have a 10x10 (or 12x12) art challenge for students and staff using any media. Install in school foyer. 5 In cold climates... YAM Snow Sculpture Challenge! Bundle up and brave the cold to create a temporary sculptural piece! Compete in teams or classes. In warm climates, go outside and create Andy Goldsworthy temporary installations; photograph and enlarge to display indoors.
And don't forget our bonus... 6 Plan ahead for Make Art Monday - which will be every Monday in March - share with us what you are doing in your classroom/school/community for the visual arts. Use the hashtag #MakeArtMonday and share on Facebook, on Twitter, or if you're in NY state, at our YAM NYS page.
2018 is one month old! Here are some ways to liven up February as we move closer to Youth Art Month. Many high schools have a Senior Night/Spirit Week during this time, and there are some GREAT ideas here guaranteed to energize the celebrations! These ideas are also great for elementary and middle schools, almost any time of the year!
1
Do a Stop Drop and Draw - everyone in the school - for 15 minutes. Have the entire school (and staff) display their work!
2
So You Think You Can Draw Challenge - do this challenge by grade level/class, or hold a faculty and staff challenge
3
Invite local artists to YAM openings; make them honorary chairpersons. (Line these folks up now!)
4
If your community has an electronic billboard for community events, see if they can scan in an piece of student work to promote YAM as it approaches, or to promote one of the school-wide arts events listed here.
5
Create a cutout in a famous work of art: for example, The Scream, Mona Lisa, or America Gothic: Have photos taken of kids in the cutout for $1, and donate the proceeds to a local charity. Be sure the cutout has the YAM logo on it! Do this at school events. Better yet, bring it out into the community!
Second semester is on the horizon. Beat the mid-winter blues with some energizing projects and proven strategies to build awareness, involve stakeholders, and put some fun into serious promotion!
1Famous Art Quotes - Have students create posters based on the quotes. Use traditional media or Photoshop. Or, make Artist Trading Cards and organize a swap with a school in another state. Check the Art Teacher's closed group on Facebook for schools looking to participate.
2On My Own Time - Have a school-wide exhibition of creative efforts by students, faculty and staff (include your BOE and parent groups). Host an 'opening reception' so that all of your stakeholders in your community can gather to discuss the role of art in their personal lives! (Unity Through Art!)
3Art Builds Community - Use the YAM national theme and pose that question to your students. How can they best illustrate this? How have the visual arts brought people together? What is the power of the visual image? Tie in with middle and high school social studies classes - the power of images to unite or to motivate. Involve other student organizations in this project - how to use a "school community" art project to bring everyone together.
4Add some fun and challenge to PE classes - Have students design and construct a 'miniature golf course' 6-hole challenge, and host a mini-tournament. Get the staff involved also.
5Create your own Mannequin Challenge for the arts and post it on your school web page (with permission).
This is a short week, and I'm a little late posting this, put still, here's some more great ideas ("Fab 4" for this week!), courtesy of frequent blog contributor Donnalyn Schuster, to move you closer to Youth Art Month!
1
Create a virtual galleryfor you school website.
2
Love the work of George Rodrigueand his "Blue Dog"?
Take a virtual trip to New Orleans via Google and step foot in his gallery on Royal Street. Here's a link: https://georgerodrigue.com/ For elementary students, read Why is Blue Dog Blue? and create some mini Blue Dogs for the local humane society. Here's a video link on YouTube: Why is Blue Dog Blue?
3
Create a Photo Story of a collection of work by an artist.
Include some biographical material, title slides, and music. Display on your school web page.
4
Cannot get to a museum?
Build a "Gallery Walk" - 5 famous works of art and gallery tags. Challenge students to visit the gallery, observe quietly, and write a "Twitter" style short critique/statement on Post-it notes as they choose their favorite work. Post the notes and use different color Post-its for classes or grades. Do a informal poll to see what the top artwork is and announce to the school (this works best at the elementary level). It's a great way to teach gallery manners, too! Added benefit - have the staff and teachers choose their favorites to write about as well!
Sometimes it's easy for something really simple to seem oh-so-complicated. As art educators, the concept of advocacy can seem formidable. We already have so much to do just developing a good solid art program and putting it into action, How are we supposed to find the time to be advocates, too? Isn't there someone else to take care of this for us?
Well - my friend Lee Darter, who blogs at Art Room Blog, has written a guest post at Amanda Koonlaba's blog, Party in the Art Room blog. Lee's guest post is called Art Advocacy in Your Classroom, and is clear, concise, sensible, and informative. This post is an absolute gem! Reading what she had to say was, for me, one of those 'knock yourself on the forehead' - 'Duh!' moments. Why have I been making something that is SO simple, SO obvious, seem SO complicated?? Trust me, when you read this, you'll agree!
If you'd like some sensible suggestions for advocacy that will not be an extra burden to your workload, I recommend you follow THIS LINK and hop on over to the Party in the Art Room and read Lee's post! Meanwhile, here's a poster that Amanda developed based on the main points of Lee's essay.
Thank you, Amanda and Lee, for allowing me to link to your blog and post!
Have you ever considered starting a permanent gallery of student artwork in your school? That's what I did, a number of years ago. A permanent gallery in your school can be a wonderful vehicle for advocacy. Take a tour through my school art gallery, and then I'll tell you how I made this happen, so perhaps you can do something similar in your school!
Our tiny rural school district encompasses three small towns and lots of outlying areas that were originally three autonomous tiny school districts. When the school districts consolidated in the 1970's, they retained the three buildings, and one town housed a primary building, one housed a middle school, and the high school was in the third town. It took many years before the district agreed to give up the tiny inadequate buildings, and finally build one K-12 building in one town. Once the new building was complete, it was beautiful and brought the whole school community together.
At that point, I proposed the art gallery, based on an idea I'd seen in a visit to another school. I noted there was a long stretch of boring unbroken hallway (no doors or windows on the side that ran along the back of the big gymnasium, and on the other side, the door and window of the nurse's office, but not much else). The proposal was presented to the administration and school board, and was heartily approved, as long as I could find funding. I spoke to the PTSA, and they agreed on an amount to contribute each year for the cost of professionally matting and framing artwork. In exchange, I scheduled art projects with my students for an annual fundraiser organized and managed by the PTSA. In other words, it was a mutually beneficial relationship. I also formed a relationship with a local framer, who gave me discounted rates for mounting/matting and framing the artwork.
During the school year, I saved artwork that seemed "special". At the end of each year, I invited a few other staff members, including the principal, to help make the final selection of works to be framed. They viewed the works without knowing who the student artists were, to prevent bias. Originally, we added three pieces a year with the PTSA funding. I always made the final decisions after the artwork had been reviewed by several others. When possible, I always selected the artwork of those kids who were less likely receive recognition in other ways. Letters were sent home with the selected students, to them and their parents, with a form for permission. Students could decide they preferred to keep their artwork if they wanted, but over the years, I only had one student opt out of being included in the gallery. I photographed each student with his/her artwork, and using small donated frames, I framed the photos so that each student received their photo as a gift in exchange for the donation of the artwork. Most years, the artwork was exhibited in a student art show before being permanently installed in the school.
My custodians volunteered to hang the artwork over summer vacation, according to my direction. I learned to "let it go" when, over the summer, they made aesthetic decisions about how to hang the artwork that were not the decisions I would have made if I'd been there. Nobody else would notice, and I was very appreciative of their willingness to hang the artwork along with their other duties.
After a few years, my funding temporarily fell through. My framer donated me a bunch of mat board, and assorted frames that were not needed, and I cut the mats and framed the work myself. At this point, we started adding more work, sometimes four or five pieces in a year, and eventually, the PTSA was again able to provide funding. I think, if you were considering beginning a similar gallery, that you'll find most framers are very willing to donate mat board and sometimes frames, and that there's lots of options for funding a gallery in your school.
At some point, the high school art teacher began a similar gallery in the high school wing of the building, so now the gallery extends to the far end of the same hallway. I retired 5 years ago, and by that time, the elementary gallery contained over 80 beautiful works of art, with an estimate of another 30 pieces by secondary students. Several new pieces have been added since I retired.
So why is it worth your time and effort to develop an art gallery in your school? It's simple. EVERY PERSON who walks into the school will see the artwork. Administrators will see it; community members will see it; parents will see it. The gallery will give them a visual reminder of how art can bring life to an otherwise empty and colorless space, and remind them of the importance of keeping art as a part of our curriculum. The kids who are represented will come back years later as adults and feel that they are a part of the school when they see their work still hanging. (About 1/2 the students represented on the elementary hallway have graduated from high school!!) At some point, there will be kids who can say "my mom (or dad) painted that!"
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 I'm introducing a new feature on the blog today! Every Sunday night I will be posting an "Art Advocacy Fab Five" - five easy tips for the week, (or a tip each work day), to help you get through your work-week while keeping advocacy at the forefront! A big Thank You to Donnalyn Shuster, a regular contributor to this blog and a fellow member of our NYSATA Advocacy Committee, for contributing the content for today's and the upcoming 'Fab Five' posts. Here we go!!
Second semester is on the horizon. Beat the midwinter blues with some energizing projects and proven strategies to build awareness, involve stakeholders and put some fun into serious program promotion!
1 Famous Art Quotes - Have students create posters based on famous art quotes. Use traditional media or Photoshop.
2 On My Own Time - Host a school-wide exhibition of creative efforts by students, faculty and staff (include your BOE and parent groups). Host an 'opening reception' so that all of the stakeholders in your community can gather to discuss the role of art in their personal lives! (Unity Through Art!)
3 Unity Through Art - use the YAM national theme, and pose these questions to your students: How can they best illustrate this theme? How have the visual arts brought people together? What is the power of the visual image? Tie it in with middle and high school social studies classes - the power of images to unite or to motivate! involve other student organizations in this project - how to use a "school community" art project to bring everyone together..
4 Add some fun and challenge to PE classes - have students design and construct a 'miniature golf course' 6 hole challenge - and host a mini-tournament. Get the staff involved also! With permission, post about it on your school website, and/or write a story about it for your local newspaper.
5 Create your own Manikin Challenge for the arts and post it on your school web page (with permission).
Ask your principal to sign a Youth Art Month Endorsement Certificate. Ask your mayor and/or superintendent to sign a Youth Art Month Proclamation. Display them prominently in your school office or lobby. Print the forms out HERE if you are in NY state. Don't forget to send in your documentation!
Create a bulletin board in honor of Youth Art Month. You can include the 2017/2017 theme (United through Art) or the new 5-year official national theme adopted by the Council for Art Education (Art Builds Bridges) or both! Or you can devise your own theme as long as it honors student artists and art in our schools. If you are in NY state, send in a jpeg photo of your bulletin board.
If your school has an art show this month, include the Youth Art Month logo in the signage and promotional materials. Download the YAM logo HERE.
Arrange to have art highlighted in your school's daily announcements through the month of March. You could have art quotes read, or announce an "artist of the day"- it could be a student artist or a famous artist. Let your state know what you did!
Announce Youth Art Month on your school website. Again, let your state know what you did!
Team up with language arts teachers to have students write statements about what art means to them, why art class is important, or what their favorite art experience has been... or write letters to public officials about the importance of art in our schools.
Ask a local business (or two or three or more) to support Youth Art Month by programming receipt printers to include a simple statement, such as "March is Youth Art Month... Support Art in ______ Schools" or by displaying student art for the public to enjoy.
Issue certificates of appreciation to parents who support your school art program, thanking them for being a "Friend of the Art Department". Use the template on the NYSATA website, or create one of your own -- or have a student design it!
Document, document, document! Let your YAM co-chairs know whatever you do - big or small - to acknowledge and promote Youth Art Month so it can be included in your state's reports.
These links will all be added to the "Useful Links" on the right-hand side of this blog, for your future use. Thank you Jody Wilmarth for providing these wonderful links.
