"I have things in my head that are not like what anyone has taught me - shapes and ideas so near to me - so natural to my way of being and thinking that it hasn't occurred to me to put them down," said Georgia O'Keeffe. I want to inspire my students to share their thoughts and feelings for all to see.
Our student population is extremely diverse.
Over 40 languages and dialects are spoken in the homes of our students. Many are the first generation in their families born in the United States. They look for ways to tie their learning to the world around them as they seek relevance. Because their backgrounds are so diverse, we often struggle in class to find a common theme to which they can all connect their learning. Art and nature are universal. Each child can feel that his or her experiences are valid and valuable when allowed to express through art. My students that sometimes struggle with expressing themselves through words will find new success and self-confidence as they share in a unique way. I know they will blossom given an opportunity to express their personal observations and emotions through art.
My Project
O'Keeffe's use of vibrant colors and unique connection to the natural world make her work compelling to all ages. Students will dissect flowers to take in the smallest details. We will pair this study with a look at one of the quintessential American artists by looking at her work and learning to quill. Students will create their own masterpieces to express their learning using quilling tools and colored strips of quilling paper. One of my students recently mastered the art of quilling or paper filigree, an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs. The other students were mystified to see her creations and clamored to learn this forgotten art. Paper is wound around a quill to create a basic coil shape. Using quilling coaches to aid in their coils and the slotted tools, children can create colorful rolls to assemble into flowers. Their beautiful creations will be glued with precision onto card stock to make cards for their parents. O'Keeffe once said,"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for."
I believe my students will be able to share their new learning in a way that has often been missing from their education.
"Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small," Georgia O'Keeffe shared. Please help us take the time to really see a flower and to share a side of us that is often kept in a separate arena. O'Keeffe's larger than life interpretations of the smallest parts of life will show students that they too, no matter how small they are, have something worth saying. Art can be integrated to bring the best out in all.
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