Many of my students don't even get to travel as far as the beach, but they are infinitely curious about other lands and the people who live there. While I can not afford to provide my students with opportunities to travel abroad, I love turning my art lessons into cultural exploration experiences.
I am a traveling art teacher, and I work in three schools.
My students are mostly inner-city kids in one of the poorest states in the nation. What they lack in opportunity, they make up for in curiosity and creativity. They love to create art and experiment with the tools and media of real artists -- it's hard to get fired up about art when all you have are stubby crayons and pencil stubs! Most of my schools provide very little funding for art supplies, which is a shame because art provides such a great way for kids to explore and learn beyond the everyday classroom. But art supplies get used up quickly, so it's a pretty expensive endeavor -- especially if I want to move beyond paper and crayon work and get kids working with quality materials. The difference in work (and in how seriously students take the project) is remarkable when they are given good art supplies and taught how to care for them. And, the pride they show in their work is worth millions!!!
My Project
Students will be using the supplies in my list to study art from around the world. We need bamboo brushes and India ink to study sumi painting from Japan; mask-making supplies to learn about African masks; tooling foil to study metalwork from South America, Screen Printing supplies to learn about Pop Art from the USA, and fabric dyes to learn about textile arts from all over the world. Though I am an "art" teacher, I also include Social Studies, Music, Math, Science, and Language Arts whenever I can, because I believe those things are inherent in the making and true appreciation of art.
"Travel far enough, you meet yourself." (David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas.) This project will provide my students to learn about the world around them and the people who inhabit the world, while learning about themselves and what's beautiful in their own lives -- all while making impressive things to cherish forever.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Recco and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
