#ArtMatters

I mean SERIOUSLY?! DO YOU SEE THIS!?

Beautiful moments like this remind me why I love my job.

This turned out better than I can could have ever hoped or dreamed. A little idea I ran past my principal that she jumped on board for so quickly that she added it to the staff newsletter as we spoke...turned into this beautiful, amazing, powerful collaborative display to celebrate such an important thing!

The blobs were hand cut by me in about three days (over 400!) and the discussion and writing took place with classroom teachers. Here is the letter that went with the blobs to each teacher....

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MARCH IS YOUTH ART MONTH!

Youth Art Month Overview

What is Youth Art Month?

(From the National Art Education Association)

The Council for Art Education (CFAE) administers Youth Art Month at the national level. Festivities take place annually, traditionally each March, to celebrate visual arts for grades K – 12. The Youth Art Month Program emphasizes the value of art education for all children, encourages support for quality school art programs, and promotes art material safety.

Youth Art Month also provides a forum for recognizing skills developed through visual arts experiences that are not possible in other curriculum subjects.

What can we do at McDill?

Please talk with your class about why Art matters to them and why it matters to the world. Then, on a paint blob, have them write why they personally believe it matters. It can be anywhere one word to one paragraph! Here are some conversation topics to get the ball rolling….

• Asking “What is and isn’t Art?”
• Asking “Is everyone an Artist?”
• Asking “Why is Art important”?
• Asking “What does Art do for people? What is the purpose of Art?”
• Asking “Why Art is important to you?”
• Making connections that everything they wear, and everything they use on a daily basis, even for transportation was designed by someone. Taking it a step further by asking “Does that make everything Art?”

I’ll also email out a link to a video if you just want to play that and create a discussion from that (the video is best for 4th-6th) http://youtu.be/vq_3vThBruA

Why in the classroom?

I am asking to do this in the classroom to make it more meaningful to students. When they are in Art, I hope they are going to think about Art and in the context of Art but when it is talked about in the classroom it puts a more “outsider” perspective on the question. I know these are going to totally make me cry when I read them. And yes, I will read EVERY blob.

What is going to happen to the paint blobs!?

Outside the art room the bulletin board will have a large display with #ArtMatters and “Art matters because….”. The blobs will be filling the board and potentially wrapping along the walls. Jeanne will also present some of the blobs at the school board meeting to board members when she talks about Youth Art Month.

Please return the blobs by Friday (6th) morning. I know how busy you all are so if that doesn’t work for you... by next Wednesday (11th) morning I can still make it work. Please try your best to do this...I would love to have each student included!

THANK YOU!

You are an amazing staff and I am so lucky to work with people that support ALL of the Arts!

-Kelsey

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It is still being added to too! I put extra blobs and this note by the visitor sign-in in the office :)

If any of my McDill staff is reading this you are beautiful amazing humans for doing this with me and our students! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!