Lesson Plans
The below images and descriptions illustrate some of the lessons I like to incorporate into my classroom. All of the art made in this portfolio was created at RICA Baltimore, a school for children and adolescents that have emotional and behavioral disorders. Each lesson requires a highly individualized adaptation to meet the needs of each student. You will likely notice a wide range of skill in each lesson sample, this reflects the varied level of artistic competency of students in my classes. Some students have dysgraphia, others physical handicaps, and others are artistic geniuses. Each student deserves an opportunity to make art and I try to make my lessons as entertaining as possible.
Fantasy Art
Given my passion for Fantasy artwork, I like to have a unit or two where students get to engage in the fantastical. This can range from drawing, painting, and even sculpture. In particular, every October we make Monster sculptures and this is always a popular lesson.
Landscapes
Students used a variety of art techniques, including chalk pastel, paint, and drawing materials to create landscapes.
Collage
Students used mixed Media to create collage artwork. The gallery represents several lessons, some using torn paper to construct a single image (such as the frog and flamingos) while others were created in a mood board style to convey a feeling or message through assemblage techniques.
Abstractions
Students use both drawing and painting to create abstract imagery. The first series of images were created using watercolors and other drawing tools. The second series represent layered geometric abstractions using masking tape and paint repeatedly over many layers.
Sculpture
Students used a variety of techniques to create their sculptures. The Thinker was made of paper mache and styrofoam support. The exterior of the statue is paint and collage elements which explored how the meaning of words change based on the location they are placed on the human body, similar to tattoos. The following image was created using 3D pens as an alternative assignment for a landscape unit. The final images are miniature medieval homes constructed for the D&D club here at the school.
Surrealism
Students played the surrealist game, “exquisite corpse” and made strange creatures by passing paper around to each other. The final images depict the use of an automatic art making process where we strung numerous pieces of yarn from a tree in the school courtyard. Hanging from the string were Christmas ornaments filled with paint. The dripping ornaments rested above a large tarp and numerous small canvases. The setup was left to move with nature for a weekend. The final image is an example of what the paintings looked like after the weekend and a small wind storm.
Pop Art
Students study artists from Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein to Ron English and Banksy. Students reflect on color theory and the alteration of public advertising and pop icons to create personalized art. Students also learn about modern street art and how it has quickly shifted into the private art economy.