Ms. Gullo's Irving Kindergarten students worked hard to construct a city out of recycled materials as their 2010-2011 Art Start project. Ms. Shannon Greve, Youth and Family Programs Manager from the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust in Oak Park, was their Art Start leader. She worked with the students on Form, Function and Design principles that influenced Frank Lloyd Wright. Ms. Shannon talked to the students about street grids and other details that a city or village would need.

Students constructed houses, and community buildings (hospitals, village hall, school, library, fire station etc.) and made other details out of construction paper. It is a totally cool city!

Our final project was an exploration of art glass. The students saw a slide presentation of art glass in Frank Lloyd Wright's home. They discussed the types of shapes and use of symmetry. The students then created their own stained glass using tracing paper and colored pencils. Come check them out on our windows. What a great experience for the students!

Story by Irving Kindergarten Teacher Ellyn Gullo



 

Throughout the months of March and April, a fascinating Art Start project will be on display at the Oak Park Area Arts Council's gallery at Village Hall, 123 Madison Street in Oak Park. Stop by and have a look!

Megan Leahy's 2nd graders at Longfellow recently discovered they could make some pretty cool art with everyday materials. As part of OPEF's Art Start, students worked with Chicago artist Karen Light to fashion their own masks using newspaper, masking tape, and . . . Vaseline.

The students created the masks in conjunction with their social studies unit on traditions and cultures. As 2nd grader Eleanor W. explained, "We have been learning about masks around the world so now we are making our own," adding that "Ms. Leahy wants us to have fun in social studies!"

Ms. Light began by showing the 2nd graders a slide presentation of various types of masks and decorations. The class studied masks from different cultures such as Chinese and Mexican in which "bright colors showed different things like happiness or evil," said Lindsey R.

To make the masks, the students began with a ball of newspaper, about the size of a 2nd grader's head, then added divots for the eyes and a bump for the nose. Next, they covered that in masking tape. They used water and art paste to layer on more strips of newspaper. Before wrapping the masks in brown shipping paper--the layer that would be the actual mask--they rubbed it all over with Vaseline, "so once it dries the mask will lift off," Ms. Leahy explained.

Once the masks dried, they were removed from their moulds. Before the students set about decorating the masks, however, they sketched out their plans. Then the students spent two class sessions decorating and embellishing their masks. The final touch, Avery A. explained, was "adding pipe cleaners that we could bend, so they would stick on our heads." According to Ms. Leahy, "Working with Art Start and Karen has given the students an opportunity to expand their imaginations and work cooperatively together."

To wrap up her time with the 2nd graders Ms. Light brought in a dance teaching artist, Margot Toppen, to help the students develop their story into a dance. The inspiration for their dance was the Native American dance called the Fancy dance or the Feather dance which is often performed at pow wows. Wearing their masks, students embodied the characters that they developed to tell a story through their own dance moves.

Ms. Light used to live and work in Oak Park and had a studio in the Oak Park Art District. Now she is in Chicago. The focus of her art is on mixed-media, textural, and sculpturing art. For instance, she says that when painting she likes to "make it pop out somehow." She is also interested in "incorporating writing into the arts."

When asked at the end of the project about their experience, several students said working with the Vaseline was their favorite step. They also enjoyed painting and decorating the masks. For Jackson T., wearing a garbage bag so he didn't get his clothes messy was one of the project's highlights--just another way Ms. Light introduced everyday materials into their creative process. Avery A. added that he liked the project, but "it was hard because of all of the steps." Even with sometimes numerous and messy steps though, Ms. Leahy said her students "really enjoyed [Ms. Light] and were completely engaged throughout the entire experience."

Click here to see photos of the project by Karen Light.



 

Click here to read about 6th grade Julian and Brooks arts students and the stunning metal pieces up for public auction at Fly Bird in Oak Park.



 

"We are experimenting," local artist Sallie Wolf recently told a class of Irving kindergartners. With Ms. Wolf, teaching art is as much about exploring how art materials react together as it is about the finished pieces of art. A veteran of OPEF's Art Start program, she said, "I like to encourage them to think of themselves as scientists as well as artists."

During January and February, kindergartners in Crissi Arroyo's class have had the opportunity to explore watercolor painting using a wide range of materials. Each class meeting has seen the use of different materials to see how they would interact with the paint. For instance, in one class session, the students drew pictures with graphite pencils and china markers and then painted over them to see which materials mixed with the paint and which resisted the paint.

"This age is hard," Ms.Wolf explained. "They are used to tempura paints, used to gobs of paint, but [with watercolors] they have to work with hardened paints that need water." After several weeks of experimenting with this different paint, the kindergartners "are getting a really good feel for the water now."

When one student was struggling with the paint a bit, Ms.Wolf explained, "When you have to push on the paint like that, the paint is telling you 'I need more water.'"

During one class, students used sheets of wax paper, on which they wrote their names and other drawings, transferring the wax to the paper beneath. Adrian K. was confident from the beginning: "I know it's gonna work!" But his name didn't show up, or so it appeared. He then painted over the paper, and still nothing came through. Then he rubbed the art paper hard with a wet sponge, and there it was: his name and a heart, like a secret message coming through. "It's working!" he proclaimed.

When asked what she thought of Ms. Wolf's work with these kids, parent helper Lisa McKenna said, "Fantastic!" She liked the fact that the kids are allowed to "make it their own," adding that "she has creative ways to work with paint and with science and experimenting."

The students were using all sorts of materials--rock salt, plastic forks, chopsticks-- to make impressions on the paper with the paint. When one student wanted to use the wax paper on a page already wet with watercolors, Ms. Wolf asked the student "Will this make a difference? We are all about textures and things you didn't expect, things you couldn't do with a normal paint brush."

For the last session with Ms. Wolf, the kindergartners tried their hands at paper marbling. Ms. Arroyo said, "The class has really enjoyed Sallie and have become comfortable with her and the materials. It really showed today in their artwork!"

Click here to see photos by Laura Constans.



 

Click here to read about the competition, see photos and read a poem about the Vex Robotics club by one of our participants!



  Click here to read Kit Kadlec's story with a cool video about the Vex program and competition.



  Ms. Rajashekar's Beye 4th graders got a powerful lesson about the effects of alcohol on the mind and body from Dr. Liz Kovacs of Loyola University Medical Center. In these photos, students used goggles that simulated alcohol exposure. Kids measured the effects on coordination by clocking their time doing tasks with and without "acute alcohol exposure."

Click here to see photos from the program by Oak Park photographer David Kindler.



 

Click here and read the third-to-last paragraph to see a really nice mention of OPEF from Dan Haley and Sophia Lloyd.



  Click here to read the Triblocal's preview of our February 5, 2011 Vex Robotics Competition.



 

The Oak Park Education Foundation's 6th annual Vex Robotics competition was a thrilling event! The Julian gym was packed with cheering friends, fans, parents and siblings. Julian took the lead early on; then Brooks pulled from behind to win 152-116.

The 6th, 7th and 8th grade participants designed, built and programmed a wide variety of clever robots that picked up rings and place them on fixed and movable goal posts on the competition playing field. Six teams from each school will advance to a regional competition in Batavia on Saturday, February 12.

Many thanks to Event Director Mary Beth Hausken, Vex Program Coordinator Mark Pickus, Team leaders Tim Walsh, Jason Morrell, Jason Madel and Bob Woodlock, Judge Marc Couture, Emcee Jim Gates, Technical Director Josh Prisching, Video Equipment provider Rob Kowalski, Video Producers Rich Hillengas and Mary Jaime, Photographers Paul Goyette and David Kindler, Scorekeeper Mike Farrar, Scoreboard Operator Kevin Berger, Competition Cafe Managers Dee Goldman and Mary Mitrovich, and Team Mentors Jeremy Bloyd-Peshkin, Jess Cornman, Matt Couture, Dee Goldman, Jake Ellenbogen, Lucas Firpo, Sergio Firpo, Habiba, Sam Hanson, Mary Beth Hausken, Kandiah Kanagandram, Rachel Kolodziej, Seth Larson, Elliot Mertz, Bob Parks, Ian Parks, Nighet Razvi, Denis Roarty, Curtis Sell, Woody Skinkle, Leah Sacks, Yulia Semibratova, Sully Stewart, Alanna Sullivan, Luisa Vasquez, Milos Zefran.

Thanks also to our sponsor, Aria Group Architects, Inc.

Click here to see photos from the competition from Oak Park photographers David Kindler and Paul Goyette.



 

Online registration will begin on February 14, but you can sign up by mail or fax now! We expect another sell-out year, so click here to download our flyer with camp descriptions & registration form.