Kindergarten: Masks

Kindergarten students are now beginning their first extensive unit of the school year. This unit deals with various forms of costuming and celebrations. As we think about art which is worn on the body, masks usually come readily to mind. Discussion begins with asking students about the many uses of masks and listing them on the board: disguise, theatrics, festivities, ceremony, protection, etc.

Students are then shown two examples of African masks and are asked for what purpose they think these masks may have been used for. They are also asked to find various shapes, either geometric or free form, within the design and structure of the masks. Kindergarteners are asked about facial expressions and what they are. After making several different facial expressions of their own, students are shown two more examples of African masks and asked to identify their expressions.

This lesson takes several weeks to complete, as even paper masks are very time-consuming to construct. Each week consists of new teacher demonstrations and students are shown two teacher examples which convey strong facial expressions. Students are then instructed to think about what kind of shapes can be used to help convey the expression they will choose to depict on their mask, i.e. how will sharp triangular eyes differ in expression from large, circular eyes? What kind of shapes can be used for eyebrows in a shocked expression, or an angry face? Once the facial expression was completed, students were instructed on embellishing the mask with hair.

Observational Drawing: Everyday Objects, Up Close

Students in the second grade had a chance to examine everyday objects up close and notice small features about them they might not otherwise notice. A variety of hardware tools, cooking utensils, office supplies and art-making equipment was placed at each table, allowing students to explore them via touch and sight. Students were instructed to draw from these available objects and encouraged to try shading and texture techniques. Some chose to focus on one particular object, while others drew from several.

Grade Two: Stained Glass Window Design

For this lesson, second graders examined several examples of historical and contemporary stained glass art works. The art of stained glass originated in the form of windows. Students discussed places and buildings were they have seen or might expect to find stained glass windows. Homes, churches, temples, restaurants and public buildings are among the most common buildings to find stained glass. Students were informed that stained glass windows were originally intended to give medieval cathedrals the feeling of being a special place during the dark Middle Ages.

Students were instructed in how to make their own "mock" stained glass using plastic transparency sheets and black construction paper. Once students cut symmetrical shapes and designs into the black paper, the transparency was painted with tempera paint on the back, allowing the sunlight to illuminate the colors when help up to the light.

December Masterpiece of the Month: Bust of Queen Nefertiti by Thutmose

Who Made It?

An Egyptian artist named, Thutmose, created this sculpture in 1345 BC.

Where Is the REAL One?

The real sculpture can be seen at The Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany.

Why Is This Artwork Important?

Ever since its discovery in 1912, this sculpture of Queen Nefertiti has been surrounded by controversy that still continues today. Nefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharoah, Akhenaten of teh 18th dynasty. This bust is identified as Nefertiti because of the crown she is usually shown wearing in other works of art. However, very little is known about her, and even more questions surround this famous sculpture of her. The archeologists who first identified this artwork did not take very detailed records of their discovery of this piece, which has raised questions about whether the sculpture is truly an ancient piece and whether Germany had legal ownership of the sculpture instead of Egypt. Recent x-rays of the sculpture have revealed that there is a limestone carved bust underneath layers of plaster that appear to have been added later, suggesting that the real Queen Nefertiti may have looked different that she appears in this sculpted version of her. In many ways, this bust is not at all typical of other ancient Egyptian artwork in its style. This has led some people to believe that this is not an ancient sculpture after all, but rather a fake created in 1912! Whatever the truth may be, one thing is certain: this sculpture has caught people's attention and changed the why we see the beauty of the human face.

December Master of the Month: M.C. Escher

Marits Cornelius Escher is famous for his work as a printmaker, which is an artist who carves a design into a flat surface such as wood or metal, and prints it on paper to make many copies. Escher often showed optical illusions or impossible spaces in his work, which was both highly imaginative and very well crafted. His ideas were often mathematically inspired and featured impossible constructions, explorations of infinity and tessellations, which are a group of shapes that blend into each other to form a patterned design. Esher was inspired by many things around him, including landscapes, architecture, animals and his travels around the world.