Sunday, February 9, 2014

2009-2010 Art Exploratory

The Art Exploratory program, run by long-time teaching artist Neida Bangerter, brought professional artists to the classrooms at Kula Elementary School, my own alma mater. I taught an 8-week class to both kindergarteners and 4th graders. The program culminated with an art show at the Kula Community Center, where a giant painting I had made when I was 15 hangs on the wall.
For the kindergartners we built skills in drawing and painting by observing and drawing leaves, then creating a magical forest inspired by Henri Rousseau using straight, zigzag and wavy lines. They began to paint, first with only yellow and blue tempera paint. I asked them to mix the lightest greens and the darkest greens they could. Eventually, they were given red as well, adding purples and oranges to their jungles.

The 4th graders made kinetic sculptures inspired by the wind turbines perched upon the West Maui Mountains. Alternative energies were in their science curriculum, and though the wind turbines were the most visible way Maui got its energy, the students didn't know that only 8 percent of the islands' energy came from them. (More have since been added.) Through the course of the project we looked at different styles of wind turbines, both in use and conceptual, played with sculpting and folding paper, painted patterns and explored complimentary colors, tackled the engineering challenges of getting the materials to do what you wanted, and eventually made wind-powered kinetic sculptures.