Cunniff Kids News ~ Check Out Cunniff's Klimt Exhibit Experience

When three Cunniff teachers get together to create a lesson plan, the students end up being drawn to the spot of a giant Gustav Klimt art installation in the lobby! See for yourself with a story -- and lots of pictures -- in Cunniff Culture in the Cunniff Kids News!

Cunniff Kids News

Looking for a Pointillism Activity? Look What Brenda from Maconaquah Came Up With While Hosting our Georges Seurat Traveling Exhibit

Hi Lisa,
Enclosed is a picture of the push-pin Indiana piece the 4th graders did in the style of Georges Seurat. After we had his panels here (which were terrific by the way) all 175 of my 4th grade students created a 2-D Indiana collage in collaboration with their Indiana History studies. Each of the 8 classes voted for "the best" art work to represent their classroom, which I enlarged on a 30x40 foam core board. Then the fun began as the students closely aligned colored push-pins (10,000) onto the pictures. They were amazed at the blending of the colors the mind/eye did as the complementary colors were placed to round the objects. Many times I heard them exclaim from the back of the room, "Now I see how Seurat used pointillism to blend". That thrills an art teacher's heart! Our IN piece was digitally sent to Texas to combine with schools across the country into a map representing the US. Each of the selected schools (2 per state) created their own version of their state with meaningful art. The book should be available before the end of the school year. It was an exciting adventure in collaborative art in the altered style of George Seurat.
Thanks again Lisa for the wonderful opportunity to share great art with my students here at Maconaquah. It has been THE BEST art history opportunity I have ever had in teaching. We are enjoying Michelangelo now and the opportunities to teach Renaissance art. Thanks again,

Brenda

Art Beyond Borders Makes It's Michigan Debut in Harbor Beach

Art Beyond Borders makes its' Michigan debut for two weeks, December 7 - 14, at Harbor Beach Community School in Harbor Beach, Michigan and I had to be there. Spanish Teacher Jon Fruytier of Harbor Beach Community School does it again. Through his diligence and dedication towards bringing Big Art to a Small Town he was awarded a grant from Target to bring in a Student Art Experience for his school. One of the 9 exhibits that he has reserved for the 2009 - 2010 school year is our New Art Beyond Borders Traveling Exhibit. This exhibit features artwork from 21st Century Artists representing 24 countries around the world. It's an awesome oppotunity to work with educator like Jon, helping gift awe & inspiration through the richness of art and culture. This exhibit Bridges the Gap of Cultural Diversity and Promotes Peace and Understanding through our Universal Language, Art!
For more information on this Spectacular, International exhibit that we're sending to classrooms around the country, be sure to check out our website at www.artbeyondbordersexhibit.com.

Henri Rousseau Pre-School Style

The Early Childhood Learning Center in Phillipsburg, NJ has just hosted their second Traveling Exhibit. Students are never too young to be inspired by art.
Ginnie Sacchi was kind enough to share the preschool's Henri Rousseau inspired artwork.
Awe..... This is what Ginnie has to say about the preschool's exhibit experience.
Hi Lisa, The children, families and staff of the Phillipsburg Early Childhood Learning Center enjoyed the Traveling Exhibit of Henri Rousseau's art. We are grateful that our school's PTO sponsored the event to enrich our children's experience. Art teacher, Troy Guzenski, helped the children create lion faces, monkeys and jungle pictures throughout the school and individual preschool teachers explored the jungle theme using assorted media to build murals with their students.
I am attaching a few photos of student work to share.
Thank you, Ginnie Sacchi.

Art of Ancient Egypt Exhibit is a hit

Art Teacher Marina Monteleone of Millburn Middle School in Millburn, NJ was our lucky winner of an exhibit rental while attending the AENJ conference back in October. She chose our New Art of Ancient Egypt exhibit and you can see why. It's beautiful! Marina wrote in to share her exhibit experience and her exhibit inspired student artwork with us, Thanks Marina.
This is what she had to say. I received the exhibit today! It was so easy to set up and the students seem to really be interested in it. The students will be working on an Ancient Egyptian art project to correlate with their current Social Studies unit, if they are in 6th grade, or the the Social Studies unit from last year, if they're in 7th grade. The project in art will be to make a traditional Ancient Egyptian deaddress including the nemes, but change it in some way to bring it to present times. For instance, they may add a Yankees logo, or more modern looking makeup to the headdress. I have metalic mediums that students can utilize to add details and decoration to their pieces and take inspiration from the traditional headdresses that were made with gold. Those students that are a part of the Millburn Middle School online art gallery will have their artwork up when they tell me that they are finished. They can be viewed at www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=65828.

Maconaquah Elementary School Hosts the Diego Rivera Exhibit and Brenda Sends Us Another Love Letter

Good afternoon Lisa,
I just took down the Rivera exhibit and packaged it up to send back. That is such a let-down after enjoying it for a week plus. Once again it met and surpassed our expectations. I just love these panels and the great potential they have for my students to learn about artists, see clearly wonderful pieces and have the week to truly absorb some of the wonder and excitement of great works of art. We have several Mexican students here at Maconaquah and they especially enjoyed learning about Diego and Frida and some Mexican history. I was glad to share the Day of the Dead history with all of my students too. Monday, students will comment about how bare the walls are on the hall that we use for the exhibit. That is great too, they noticed and are anticipating the next panel to arrive.
Here is the story my LD teaching friend told me yesterday. A child in her class was walking with her by the exhibit and began relating to her about the picture being a dream, Diego's mother, that he was painted as a younger child and holding his mom's hand, perspective with the band, about the flower vendor and the mining picture. He had the facts about Frida and Diego and several other things we had talked about in class. She was quite impressed and shared his excitement in being able to teach her new things. What a teaching experience and acknowledgment of his listening and learning in art class. Thank you.
I promoted your company at the AEAI conference in Indi last weekend. My presentation went well (I didn't trip on any cords and fall down-- must be a success!!) and at the end I told them about the great exhibits/art history opportunity we are having this year and gave them your web address. A few had hosted your panels in the past and agreed that you are the best. In the elementary division meeting the next day I plugged you again. I hope you get some response from them. I so love working with you all there and this extension of teaching, it has been great fun.
Thanks, Brenda

And We Have A Winner !!!!!!!!!

Everyone, I'd like to introduce you
to our Lucky Traveling Exhibits
winner, Marina Monteleone, Art
Teacher from Millburn Middle School
from Millburn, NJ. We met while
we both attended the Fabulous,
Art Ed. Conference held in Somerset, NJ earlier this month. Traveling Exhibits held drawings for free exhibit
rentals and there you have it.
You can see how excited Marina is
about winning as she strikes up a pose
for us in front of our Jackson Pollock exhibit that was displayed in the
convention center. The exhibit that
Marina has chosen to inspire her
school with is our New Art of Ancient
Egypt Traveling Exhibit. Be sure to visit the Traveling Exhibits Displays if you see us at your State Art Education conferences and perhaps you could be a lucky winner too!
Way to go Marina, I look forward to working with you, inspiring many at Millburn Middle School!