Photoshop Band Concert Poster Seniors at Albany High School

I designed this Photoshop concert poster project for Seniors at Albany High for my digital art class. While learning how to use Photoshop students practice applying principals of design to explore what makes a composition convey a message by layering images with text. 

Gabriella Charter School Student Made Backdrops & Decorations for Fall Dance Party Fundraiser

 6th grade chalk pastel and collage backdrop for fall dance party fundraiser.

 Fall leaves streamers made by 1st and 2nd graders.

7th grade Japanese Fall Leaves backdrop, water color and tempera paint

Close up of Japanese Fall Leaves backdrop.

 3rd-8th grade Paper Bouquets Branches for center pieces.

 Kindergarten Paper Lantern Bags for LED Candles made with makers, crayons, and sequins.

Crowns with 1st graders at Gabriella Charter School

Art Showcase

The digital and fine art showcase ended up being a huge success. We had over five hundred students and parents attend. It was wonderful having the two departments come together and put this on to demonstrate what students are learning in art classes. Several parents thanked me for helping their child learn to love and appreciate the arts. This was a tremendous feeling and a great compliment. I try to teach my students a balance between art history, technical skills, and art technology, while creating student led projects that they want to invest in.

Illustrator Graphic Design Library Sign Project

This project was created by our schools librarian, she wanted more students to use the non-fiction section of the library, and asked me to write a grant with her to fund the project. We collaborated together and ended up creating a design competition where students each had to come up with their own sign using Adobe Illustrator, and then pitch their design to the librarian. She  met with my class in advance and gave them clear direction and guidance for what she was looking for. In the end she narrowed it down to her top 6 favorites, we then had the other art classes vote to decide on the winner. It was a challenging and rewarding process for my students. In the end a very clean, simple, modern design won. We had the posters printed at a local copy house and ordered the acrylic cases online. I am very proud how well it turned out in the end.

Group Project Mobiles

  These photos don't give justice to how cool these mobiles ended up looking in our cafeteria, each one was about 6 feet long. This was a group instillation project where students designed collectively what they wanted their projects to look like. Students also had to learn how to mix tints and shades of paint within an agreed upon color palette. The class drew inspiration from geometric or organic shapes. This project taught students how to envision a project and see it from start to finish, as well as teach perseverance when working with others.

Students began learning about the color wheel for this project and learning the vocabulary needed to discuss it. Students practiced mixing analogous, and complimentary colors as a quick one day exercise. Then each student created two full sheets of a specific tint and shade as a group. These exercise worksheets were cut up to make up the pieces of each groups mobile. Students designed the shapes and the arrangement of the pieces to reflect the feeling of the color that they where working with.

Basic Art Final Surrealism Project

This final Surrealism project led to amazingly strong personal work from my freshman and sophomore students. I began the project by teaching students about the 1920's art movement and the philosophies and the influence of Freudian psychology within the symbolism of the artwork. Students then began keeping track of their dreams in the morning, and writing about their subconscious fears and internal struggles. The writing influenced students imagery and gave them direction in their piece. My students had already studied still life drawing, color theory, and color mixing. With these skills students could focus on content and design, releasing themselves from their fears of expression. Students worked with tempera and acrylic paint as well as mixed media. I am incredibly proud of their work and the deep meaning that it had. Each student wrote an artist statement explaining the meaning of their work. Many parents and teachers came up to me and expressed how this project was therapeutic for their students, and provided them with an outlet to express their feelings of anxiety, pain, and the process of growing up as a teen.

Spring Art Showcase

Here is the flier for our Albany High School art showcase. One of our Senior art students in Connect Academy designed it. We are doing a scavenger hunt map for parents, students, and teachers to explore the different art classes offered and display the work that students have produced. When they get all the stamps from 12 mini galleries they get appetizers and refreshments.

More pictures of the event to come....

Behind the Scenes Catering for Winter Ball

Anna, Ning Kit, and Clio preparing food, such great workers

Danielle and Donny baking off food before event

Our school kitchen, students finishing the last touches for Winter Ball catering event for 400 people

Chicken Apple Sausage Pigs on a Blanket and Spanikopita Rolls

Tri Tip Sandwiches served on Soft Baguette with Pesto Aioli

All of my students worked really hard to prepare the food for Winter Ball this year, in January 2012. My three culinary classes made food for 400 people! Everything tasted and looked great. The administrators said that it was the best food that had ever been served at Winter Ball. I couldn't have done it without my students' great cooperation, and dedication. Michelle at Trumpet Vine Catering helped me solidify the menu the students planned, and assured me along the way that we had made enough food. What a great experience!

Students Drawing After Mindfulness Exercise

This was an amazing experience demonstrating the power of mindfulness relaxation practices. I lead my mostly freshman and sophomore basic art class in a 10 minute breathing exercise. This class is generally very well behaved, but I do have a few talkers in it. After the breathing exercise for the rest of the period the students where focused and invested in their art practice. The music you hear is what we were listening to, it was not added afterwords. That's how quite they where being, this was a profound experience for me as a teacher.

Learning How To Mosaic, at Albany High

I learned how to do mosaic instillation with one of my Senior students, from Lisa Solomon.

Each student in the class did a part of the mosaic to form this figure. Several of us put it together on a Saturday afternoon.