Design at Work

Craft Studio1 students recently created repeat designs using letter forms as the basis of their design.  Looking more carefully into the objective of this lesson, students will be able to answer the essential question: How do artists use initial ideas to develop a finished product?  While students created their own repeat designs, we discussed how their designs may be used in industry.  Furthermore, we discussed how surface design; image and pattern applied to surfaces within the man-made environment, can be found all around them: in the fabrics on their couches, the rugs on their floors and on the wrapping paper they use to decorate gifts.

The image above is an example of a repeat design found on the internet and used here as an example.  Another form of design that we discussed during the repeat design project was typography.  Typography is the design, arrangement and style of letter forms.  This skill is often found at play in the Graphic Design industry.  Students were made aware of typography through their use of letter forms as the central design motif for their repeating patterns.

 

With both, Graphic Design and Textile Design at the forefront of our lesson, we would like to offer opportunities for further exploration regarding each topic.  For more information on pattern and textile designs please click here.  Be prepared for a little history on the Arts and Crafts Movement, including a little bit about a man named, William Morris.

In addition, students who are interested in finding out more about Textile Design and/or Graphic Design should visit university or college websites that explain the expectations of both professions.  Locally,  students can find out more information from the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Umass Dartmouth.  Both Graphic Design and Textile Design are represented well at this institution.  Just click on the links to learn more.  Still not satisfied? Let your fingers do the walking, and check out this link to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.  They are located on the West Coast, in California, and they offer information on both Graphic and Textile Design, as well. 

In addition, see your guidance counselor for a more thorough list of schools across the country that offer one or both of these majors.  And, stop by Wareham High School to see our display of student work in the Main Foyer.

A Shout Out to Alumni

Call for Art!

Wareham High School Alumni are invited to participate in an exhibit to be shown during the 6th Annual Arts Fair on Thursday, May 1st, 2014.  Work will be shown at the high school from 6:00-8:30pm on May 1, 2014 and may be exhibited for an extended period of time, at another location, to be determined.

The mission, should you choose to accept it, would be to create a visual piece in any media that answers the question/comment: “My life at this moment….” or “What does your life look like, now?”

We would like to have alumni of Wareham High School share with their hometown community, how they have grown since leaving Wareham High School; essentially, how have your lives evolved?  There is no right or wrong answer.  Perhaps we could call our exhibit: EVOLUTION.  We understand that life is in a constant flux.  We simply would like you to capture a snapshot of your life, now.

Visual pieces should start at 8”x10” and may get bigger from there.  Works may also be 3-dimensional.  Pieces may be created using any media (that includes photography or other digital media) and should be accompanied by an artist statement (no more than a paragraph). The artwork should be exhibit ready (matted, at least) and may be dropped off at Wareham High School by Wednesday, April 30, 2014.  Works must also be dropped off by 2:30 on 4/30/2014 and labeled: ATTN: Amy Dion.

Participants will be responsible to pick up their own work when the complete exhibit is done.  Name, phone number, and email address should also be clearly labeled on the back of the work.  Participants will be notified when their work is ready to pick up.

In order to set aside an appropriate amount of exhibit space, participants will need to confirm their inclusion in this event by notifying Amy Dion at adion@wareham.k12.ma.us by Wednesday, March 12, 2014.

The Art of Inspiration

With mid-terms and finals upon us, the art room is saying good-bye to some; and hello to others. In the long list of things that we have created over the semester, it is difficult to know which experiences my departing students will remember. Some of the work that I used in hopes of inspiring them in their own creative process comes from a variety of places. The act of conceptualizing an idea is no simple task. We have found Pinterest to be a great resource in helping our students to orchestrate their own abstract thoughts into visual substance. Here are a couple of pieces we have found worthy of the label, “Inspiring”….

In Ceramics 1, we looked at this piece as we discussed coiled pots.  Students were strongly encouraged to stray from winding coils in a traditional circular formation.

Quite often, as shown above, they rise to the occasion.  And, through their own experimentation, they develop their own visual voice.  In addition to Ceramics 1, The Food and Art class has also found "inspiration" through the work of other artists.  The work of Guiseppe Arcimboldo, for example, has been used to help students personify their own food portraits.

After looking at Arcimboldo's, Vertumnus, students created their own food portraits with clay as seen in the example shown below.

The variety of ideas that comes from a single source of inspiration, is something of an intrigue to me.  I hope you feel the same as this blog continues to highlight our classroom's continuous efforts..

Sketchbook 101

We welcome you to the new site devoted to sharing the creative endeavors of Art Room 260 at Wareham High School in Wareham, Massachusetts.