Monday, April 16, 2012

Clay, clay and CLAY Spring Camp @ Studio 4 Art


I recently attended the NAEA (National Art Education Association) conference in New York. The conference was attended by about 7000 art teachers! Yes, there are still art teachers in the U.S.A. There were about 15+ conferences to choose from every hour, for 3 days. To say the least, I walked away overwhelmed with the possibilities. The knowledge was invaluable and I also was excited that Studio 4 Art has much more to offer than most schools, private or public. Most importantly, our philosophy and knowledge. I have also realized through attending that all of our teachers at Studio 4 Art believe and witness that children are more capable than many adults believe. Our students are creating in mediums and working on projects that many high school students elsewhere are working on. Very happy about the path we are on. Wanted to also share with you, just a few of the inspirational ideas from some of the vendors. I will continue to share what I learned, but honestly, it was so much that I will need months to digest the information.

The figures above we used last week as an inspiration in our Spring Art Clay Camp. The kids in our camps range in age from 4-15. Our goal was for the students to gain better understanding of the human form, with a bit of fun thrown in. Hands and feet was the highlight, as many students decide not to add these in many of their drawings and sculptures because they feel they are too difficult. So, we wanted to add that they can be fun and whimsical and maybe not as difficult as originally thought. The guidelines were that each monster, alien, zombie, or doll had to have a head, arms, legs, hands, fingers, feet and toes. Okay, that does seem like a lot, but we broke each section down so that the focus was on small steps. I LOVE what they created!
This is my own son. First week of camp EVER! Just a little proud expression he is sportin'. I know it isn't the best picture, just a proud mama sharing.

Age 10

Age 5

Age 9