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Tag Archives: contemporary artists

Art of the Brick: Nathan Sawaya Lego Exhibit

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A sculpture by Nathan Sawaya features a human figure made of yellow LEGO bricks, ripping open its chest with bricks spilling out. This piece is part of the "Art of the Brick" Lego exhibit.

Happy Spring! It is Spring Break for us and we took a little trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. We saw an awesome Lego exhibit at the museum by artist Nathan Sawaya. If you are in the area, I definitely recommend visiting the museum to see this exhibit. My favorite pieces were the ones in which he recreated famous works of art throughout art history. There were some impressive animal sculptures as well as a fantastic … Read more… →

Whimsical Landscapes (Justin Vining artist study)

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A colorful abstract drawing featuring a mix of landscapes, cityscapes, and whimsical elements like waves and a rocket, inspired by Justin Vining's artist study.

I love this lesson!  I teach about contemporary artist Justin Vining and the kids explore the qualities of watercolor pencils to create their own whimsical landscapes. You can see artwork from another year at this blog post. You can read my interview with Justin Vining here. I even got this lesson published in a magazine! Here are some of my 4th/5th grade students’ artworks from the end of last year. When teaching this lesson, I show the students some YouTube … Read more… →

Zen Painting Workshop

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Zen Painting Workshop

I went to a really fun painting workshop last summer for a weekend which I never shared on my blog…. until now!  The workshop is called Zen Painting and it was taught by Jodi Ohl.  I have been following Jodi Ohl’s blog for many years.  When I was looking for some hands-on professional development for the soul, I noticed she was teaching at Shake Rag Alley, which is only 45 minutes away from my house.  My co-worker Martha, who teaches … Read more… →

Romero Britto Inspired Animals

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Romero Britto Inspired Animals

Romero Britto‘s colorful and bold style appeals to children and many people of all ages. Why do I love Romero Britto? Because he’s making things that are HAPPY and the world needs more of that. It works great to tie in with the study of patterns. His art is full of color. Kids can relate to it. His artwork has been made into many products, which shows ways artists can make a living as a contemporary artist and the potential … Read more… →

Interview with an Artist: Justin Bua

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Caricature of a female artist singing passionately into an old-fashioned microphone, wearing a white dress with red polka dots.

Today I have a special artist to introduce to you.  His name is Justin Bua.  I was able to get an exclusive interview with him, so keep reading to learn more about his art.. in his own words! From his website, “Justin BUA is an award winning urban artist. His DJ poster has sold more than any other print of our era. His celebratory paintings of hip hop imagery document turntable, b-boy, MC and graffiti culture. BUA is one of … Read more… →

4th and 5th Grade Profile Drawings: In the Style of Egyptians, Mixtec Codex and Duncan Tonatiuh

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4th and 5th Grade Profile Drawings: In the Style of Egyptians, Mixtec Codex and Duncan Tonatiuh

My students were treated to a visit by illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh.  He is both Mexican and American. He grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York City. His images are inspired by ancient Mexican art, especially the Mixtec codex of the 14th and 15th centuries. Like the people and animals in the codex, the figures in his illustrations are always drawn in profile– their entire bodies are usually shown and their ears … Read more… →

Article in Arts & Activities Magazine

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Magazine open to an article titled "Anthropomorphic Animal Collages" in Arts & Activities Magazine, featuring colorful animal artwork and text.

I’m pretty excited my article in the October issue of Arts & Activities is on the cover! I wrote about an art project my students did after learning about the artist William Wegman. I had the awesome opportunity to interview Wegman on the phone and include the interview as a large part of the article. I’m very glad that they included a bunch of my students’ artwork (3rd grade). You can read the whole article here: http://pubdev.ipaperus.com/ArtsandActivities/AAOctober2016/?page=20 If you would … Read more… →

Stuffed Animal Still Life Drawings with 1st Grade

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1st Grade children drawing stuffed animals with crayons and markers. Text reads "Stuffed Animal Still Lifes.

Do you want to know what will really get first graders excited about drawing still lifes?  Have them bring in their own stuffed animals!  I invited the kids to bring in their favorite stuffed animals to draw.  I also had a garbage bag full of my own stuffed animals from home in case someone forgot to bring in one. I demonstrated how to observe the shapes and positioning of the stuffed animals and then I let the kids get to … Read more… →

New Ideas and Resources to Teach about Contemporary Art

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Children engaging in an art project, using colorful paper and drawings, diligently creating a large blue poster board with contemporary art concepts.

In previous blog posts, I talked about contemporary artists you may not have heard about before and I put together a round-up of blog posts about contemporary art projects. Today I have some more ideas to share. Don Masse said, “hey marcia! the majority of my lessons are based on living artists. i just did a fun lesson with my kinders inspired by the mosaics of jim bachor http://www.shinebritezamorano.com/2015/05/street-sweets.html and followed that up with them creating a real mosaic. Another … Read more… →

William Wegman: Photomontage Project for Kids

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William Wegman: Photomontage Project for Kids

My third grade students learned about the photography, films, paintings and children’s books by contemporary artist William Wegman.  I actually talked to Bill on the phone and had an interview with him, which you can read in this blog post. William Wegman is known for his anthropomorphic photos of dogs dressed in various costumes. Anthropomorphic means giving human characteristics to animals (or other non-human things.) We read his books, watched some of his short films and saw pictures of his … Read more… →

An Interview with William Wegman

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Two gray Weimaraner dogs with soulful eyes, sitting close together against a black background.

Wow, do I have a treat for you today!   I had the amazing opportunity to talk with American artist William Wegman on the phone.  Bill is well known for his photographs of Weimaraner dogs, dressed in all sorts of costumes and settings.  Did you know he has also written and illustrated children’s books as well as created films and paintings?   If you’d like to see some of his artworks, there is a wide selection on his Pinterest page. Two of … Read more… →

Featuring Magazine.. new issue is almost here!

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Hi!  Happy Summer! When I am not teaching art to little kiddos, I spend some of my free time writing articles and submitting them to various magazines.  I am a contributing editor for Featuring magazine, which is a relatively new international art magazine.  I am so proud of our magazine and I wanted to share our latest issue with you. Wowza, Issue #4 is almost here!  We’ve been working really hard on this issue and even though we’ve had many … Read more… →

  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.