MS. ELIZABETH (BETSY) WRIGHT is visual arts teacher on the Linwood Campus.

I am so happy to be in my second year at the best ARTS school around!  Exciting work is already taking place in the visual art classroom.  Students have been using the Big Idea of Self to create art with a variety of mediums using the elements of line, color, and shape.  They have been working primarily on Hopes and Dreams, and self-portraits.  All classes have used the Critical Response protocol to analyze art and student work, as well as for class critiques.  We have focused on the first question in the protocol, “What do you notice?” (Describe without judgment).
Ms. Meryhew’s third grade class shared their Hopes and Dreams at our September 22nd Gathering by presenting large posters of what they want to learn this year.  The whole class brainstormed to create a list of ideas, and students voted for their favorites.  Those were then made into posters through cooperative work groups with defined roles for participation.  Look for these large artworks in pencil, marker, crayon, and paint at Linwood on all floors

of the building.

If you are interested in volunteering in Visual Art please send me an email at Elisabeth.Wright@spps.org.  Activities include preparing and organizing materials for residencies, creating visual displays, organizing materials, support during residencies, and helping out with special projects.
 

Ms. Wright can also be reached by calling 651-293-6606.

 

MR. SAM YELK is our grades 4-8 visual arts teacher on the Monroe campus.

I am so excited to join the philosophy and excellence of Linwood-Monroe Arts Plus.  This is my 15^th year teaching, eight of which have been with St. Paul Public Schools.  I was born and raised in a small town in Wisconsin and am a Packer Fan.  My “partner in crime” is a fifth grade teacher in the district and we have 2 children that attend school in the district as well, kindergarten and 5^th grade.  Things that I enjoy…mosaic work, running,

drinking coffee, finding books about art, and spending time with my family.

This year in the art room all students start their journey with a self-portrait.  This will be an abstract portrait that has the possibility to be as realistic as the student intends.  We will discuss why artists may choose themselves as the subject and why this can show the audience how the artist sees the world around them.  

The students started with a digital image of themselves.  The class decided on one color for their background to show unity.  Once the background was complete they moved to the image of them.  They started with the eyes and teeth (if smiling with teeth).  Next the topic of skin tones was discussed.  Each student had to select construction paper that best  

represented their skin.  This allowed the students to talk to each other and share how they see color.  They moved to hair color and finished with their clothing.  The final part of the work was the writing.  Each student will write an artist statement about his/her work.  This is something they will do with each lesson.  Students also participated in the evaluation of their work.  A rubric was introduced that connected the work with the Minnesota State Standards to help each child assess their success.

We continue the journey, but move back to the beginning of art during the Paleolithic Era.  This discussion involves why the artist chose particular images to put onto the cave wall.  Students will describe the historical context that influenced the creation

of visual art.  They will create a connection to cave art and themselves through animal representation.   Each grade level will use different tools and techniques with this assignment.

As the school year continues, so does the journey through the art history timeline. We will cover several different cultures and span all around the world.  If time allows we could end our year with the artwork of today.  We will cover as much of the timeline as possible knowing that you can’t cover everything.

If you are interested in volunteering in Visual Art or if you have any suggestions, ideas of lessons, comments, or concerns please feel free to send me an email at Sam.Yelk@spps.org.   There are extra opportunities to help with; preparing and organizing materials for residencies, support during residencies, creating visual displays, writing grants, and finding business partnerships.