Art Newsletter
To “hit the ground running” would be a mild description of how our CHS Art Students began this school year.
Our Stained Glass I students: Rashera Coleman, Felicia Garrett, Jerrod Garret, Erica Hess, Kristen Lammie, Sarah Parr, Stacy Shumate, and Sara Tompkins worked as a team to create and assemble a 351 piece window, which was donated to the CHS Library at the School Board meeting on Nov. 18. The subject of the window is a person, reading, getting lost in a book, surrounded by nature. Our Stained Glass II student, Ashley Harriger, designed and created a 332! piece window which was donated to the Crestline Public Library at the same Board Meeting. The theme of Ashley’s window is to inspire young children to read, and her design includes many characters from Children’s literature. Both windows will soon be on permanent display in their respective Libraries, so please consider taking time to stop by and see them!
Our Jewelry class students: Bret Ambrose, Felicia Garrett, Jerrod Garrett, Kristen Lammie, Rachel Sayre, and Ashley Harriger have been creating some wonderful and innovative pieces from brass, nickel, copper and sterling. The students have learned all sorts of metal-working techniques from forging to riveting, from piercing to soldering. They’ve managed to handle delicate jeweler’s saws with finesse, and to safely control a torch, all the while working on strong design and craftsmanship. Jerrod Garrett even researched the ancient art of chain mail, and created a bracelet that is very medieval and masculine! Ashley Harriger has learned how to work with copper enameling, and has created a large-scale decorative hair comb. Their work is on nearly constant display in the CHS office.
Art I students have spent the first part of the year growing their seeing and drawing skills, and most recently have been introduced to the potter’s wheel, much to their delight. The students in Art II have been working diligently on improving their drawing and compositional skills.
Having 8th graders in the High School Art room has been a good experience for them. While working through their own curriculum of drawing, painting, art history, art from other cultures, and ceramics, they are being inspired and motivated by constantly being surrounded with the high school students at work.
All of our Art Students, from this semester and next will be busily preparing many pieces for the annual spring art show. From March 23-27, 2009, the 3rd annual Artapalooza county art show will be hosted by Mid Ohio Educational Resource Center on 4th Street in Mansfield. This show is for all students in grades K-12, and many schools from the surrounding counties participate.
And finally, our CHS art Club is, once again, a very busy and active organization. This year we have 22 members. We began the year creating our own sets of Artist Trading Cards, and will soon be starting our stained glass Christmas sun-catchers. We painted on the business windows up town in support of the school bond issue, and did a presentation for the seniors at the bruncheon that was held at CHS on October 21. We hope to plan a field trip to a museum in the spring
The Art Department has been busy, BUSY, BUSY!