My students need 11 quarts of black tempera paint, 3 classroom sets of colored drawing chalk, large sketch pads and 3 class sets of oil pastels to create a self-portrait collage in the style of Henri Matisse.
There has not been any formal visual art instruction in my school for the past seven years. The students who would benefit from this project are 200 second and third graders from a low income public school. More than half of them come from immigrant families representing over fifteen different countries.
My students have been motivated to learn about various artists and their styles. They are amazed to see that they can do work which bears resemblance to the works of Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. Unfortunately, the current economic crises has limited the funds available to the schools. Even though my students now have a designated art teacher, no budget for supplies has been made available. Thus far, all of our materials have been leftovers donated by local shops.
For their study of Matisse's collage portraiture, the students need oil pastels, colored chalks, large paper and tempera paint. In addition to learning the collage process and portraiture, they will develop skills in blending colors to achieve vibrancy such as is found in Matisse's work.
The finished portraits will combine abstraction with realistic representation. The project will also allow my students to get a good look at each other, recognizing that, in spite of their unique individual appearances, they are far more similar than they are different.
The fact that you have read to this point encourages me. You can enrich a third grader's aesthetic appreciation, giving her drawing and color mixing skills and new eyes through which to see her peers for three lessons over the course of three weeks. In fact you can do so for 199 other second and third graders at the same time for no additional cost. On their behalf, I sincerely appreciate your consideration.
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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. Buchan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.