Art and Writing: Evaluating Peer Artwork

5th Graders always do a Peer Evaluation at the end of the year.  We go out into the hallway and look at all of the art in our school-wide art show.  Students have to pick a different grade level to write and evaluate; they cannot pick their own fifth grade art. Students answer six questions about the artwork they chose. 

One of the questions asks why they chose the artwork out of all the others on display, and another asks if they could change anything, what would they change in the artwork.  This gets at higher level thinking skills and makes students look very carefully at other students' artworks. This is an excellent way to get students to look at the school-wide art show and also evaluate, write and use art vocabulary, all at once!

5th Grade Legacy Project

5th Grade artists are studying the art of the Totem Pole, which are created by Native American tribes who live in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada. Each student is creating a design that includes their name, the years 2015 - 2016, and an animal or human face that is in relief. Two students are sharing one cylinder piece, and the pieces will be assembled into class totem poles once they have been fired into ceramic form. My plan is to have the three different totem poles installed by the end of May, before our 5th graders graduate from Zilker. The totem poles will be in the fifth grade courtyard, and will be  permanent art sculptures for future Zilker students to enjoy. For now, enjoy the process through these photos!

2016 School-wide Student Art Show

The hallway at Zilker has been transformed into a museum again...and oh what an amazing museum it is!!  Students have worked so hard to create their works of art, and the show is making our school so much brighter and more colorful.  This is a quick synopsis of the art show; if you can, you should see it in person in all of its glory!   

5th Grade painted beautiful Mexican Bark Paintings, including an animal in action surrounded by tropical plants and flowers.

 4th Grade painted a stylized self portrait using Henri Matisse as inspiration.

Ms. Devore's 4th grade classes created optical illusions with art teacher  Ms. Wilson.

 Ms. Davis and Ms. Munroe's classes have their Matisse inspired goldfish paintings on display.

Ms. Cooper's class has their clay fish sculptures on display.

 Ms. Kent and Ms. Yates' classes have optical illusions and weavings on display.

 Ms. Morales, Mr. Garland, and Ms. Avant's classes have their Eric Carle inspired collages on display.

Ms. Saucedo and Ms. Dailey's classes have their torn paper collage landscapes on display.

1st grade studied Spanish artist Joan Miro and created their own surrealist paintings.

Ms. McLendon's class created collages based on Henri Matisse's work.

Kinder students studied artist Pablo Picasso and created a mixed media guitar artwork.

Mr. McNitt's class created Chinese dragons.

The art show will be up until May 20th - please try to see it in person!

Springtime in the Zilker Art Room

March is YOUTH ART MONTH!  We celebrate at Zilker in April, however, with the School-wide Student Art Show.  Preparations are in high gear for that, as well as some after school action getting the backdrop ready for our musical next week.  Here are some things that happened in February to catch everyone up:

Kinder Neutral Color Owl Paintings: If you missed them in the hallway, check out the complete gallery here on Artsonia!
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=1075560

1st Grade Dinosaur Sculptures & Habitats: A favorite clay project!
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=1084817


2nd Grade Clay Flower Bowls: an extension of our 2-D O'Keeffe flower painting project!
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=1075566


3rd Grade Matisse Goldfish Paintings: Sneak peek of art that will be in our school-wide art show next month!
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=1100374

4th Grade Aboriginal Dot Paintings: with native Texan animal silhouettes!
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=1075265

5th Grade Perspective and Space Drawings: check out their amazing drawing skills!
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=1089707

March 4th For Peace banners

 Art students and Zilker staff had a great time painting banners for our upcoming Peace March on March 4th.  This was part of our Family Night at Zilker on February 4th,  supporting healthy living and our annual Library Book Fair.