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Autonomy and Collaboration in Byam Art

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In Byam Art we learn to draw, to paint, to sculpt, to construct... but perhaps the most important skills of all that we practice are those of autonomy and collaboration! In Byam Art, students learn to be independent and take responsibility for their learning, as well as how to work with others toward a common goal. In a choice-based studio environment, students are expected to take initiative and to make decisions about their art. They decide what to create, they gather their materials, go through the process of planning, making, and reflecting on their art, and take responsibility for maintaining our studio. Because not everyone is doing the same thing on a given day, students have to be somewhat self-sufficient, accessing our classroom materials and resources (including classmates!) to help them to reach their artistic goals. In Byam Art, some students choose to work independently on their art while others work collaboratively. Working together as a group takes a lot of cooperati
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NAEA Conference Boston 2019

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I was thrilled to attend the National Art Education Association's convention in Boston last week. It was a wonderful experience to meet, share, and collaborate with teachers from not only around the country, but around the world! I was able to attend a preconference workshop all about Choice-Based Art and had the opportunity to learn from some veteran TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) teachers from all around the U.S.! Some of my favorite workshops included Felting and Embroidery, as well as a workshop on puppetry. I am excited to bring new things that I learned to my students at Byam, and am especially looking forward to opening our Fibers center!
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Exploring Painting Center and Practicing Watercolor Techniques

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Students from kindergarten to grade four have been busy exploring the painting center in the Byam art room! We have been practicing watercolor techniques and the students have been amazed to discover the range of effects an artist can get using just this one type of paint. (Did you know you can sprinkle table salt on wet paint to get a speckled look?) In the next few weeks, students will be learning about how to successfully plan out and execute a painting and will be introduced to more types of paint including tempera cakes and liquid tempera paint. We've been having so much fun! 
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Construction Center and Gingerbread House Contest

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The students have been thrilled about the opening of our new center, Construction Center! In this center, students use (mostly) recycled materials to create sculptural 3D works of art. See a video below on cardboard attachment techniques which I created and use in my instruction. Cardboard Attachments Video by Mrs. Gover We are also trying something new this year to channel all of the students' festive energy and excitement for the holidays coming up... a Gingerbread House Contest! Students in grades 3 and 4 this year have been invited to participate in a contest utilizing supplies in our art room to construct a gingerbread house. Students who choose to be a part of it are working during art class individually or as a team to build a gingerbread with a concept or theme behind it, and using the building techniques we are learning in class. It has been wonderful to see students working together to plan out their houses and think critically about how they can show their ideas in
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Texture

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Third grade has been learning about and exploring one of our elements of art: texture! We have discussed actual texture vs. implied texture, and students have been creating works of art that show this element: either by carefully drawing texture, or creating texture rubbings using objects or texture rubbing plates. Check out some texture artwork below, as well as some photos of students in the classroom!
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Puppet Making

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It has been an exciting week in the Byam Art room, as grades two through four have been introduced to our brand new center, puppet making! Last June, we had class discussions about new art-making opportunities for this year. One of our third grade students had suggested puppet making, and now we are making it a reality! Students have been creating puppets using collage materials as well as new specialty materials available in the puppet making center such as felt, pipe cleaners, ribbons, craft sticks, and googly eyes. They have been working independently and with their classmates to think critically and solve problems while creating puppets, such as "what can I do if the glue won't stick the felt onto the clothespin?" It has been great to see the creative solutions they are coming up with, and to see their unique puppets! 
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Building Temporary (and Kinetic!) Sculptures

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In the Byam Art room, we have been learning all about and working in our new and improved Building Center where students are building temporary sculptures. We have been discussing kinetic (or moving) sculptures and checked out some of the work of artist George Rhodes, who is one of the most prominent kinetic sculptors, with work seen in public spaces around the country, including at the Museum of Science in Boston! (See link below for a short video of one of his sculptures.) The students have been excited to have this new choice and are looking forward to more of our centers opening up in the next few weeks!  George Rhodes Kinetic Sculpture
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