Art & Activism

I went to an Art & Activism educator workshop at the Corcoran Gallery of Art this weekend.  It started off pretty shakey- only 4 educators came, computer glitches arose, and vague scheduled activities- but it turned out great.  I really appreciated the opportunity to appreciate art and react to it as a student rather than teacher.  I also enjoyed the varying perspectives shared by the other educators in attendance.  Lastly, the highlight (for me) was the printmaking workshop with one of the Corcoran professors.  She showed us easy printmaking techniques we could use with our students at very little expense. Techniques include:

*packing tape transfers of xerox images
*chartpak marker transfers
*methods of constructing altered books
*kitchen lithography using an oil crayon and Coke

It was a great way to spend a Saturday.  Here are some photos I took during printmaking (note the Coke!)

I walked home after the workshop and stumbled upon this message posted on Connecticut Ave near Lucky Bar.

Sandy can't stop our stamps

Although we lost a day because of hurricane Sandy, 5th grade still managed to make really great initial stamps.  Students were instructed to create a letter stamp based on an initial of someone that is important to them (or themselves).  The letter should be specially designed for that person by making a funky font.  We practiced "fancy" fonts, "old fashion" fonts, and "artistic" fonts, to develop something original.  The final day was an extravaganza of printmaking!  I only had two brayers so students were amazingly patient and kind while waiting their turn.  Even though it was a bit rushed, i think it was a great experience!

Our materials!

The impromtu gallery on the white board