Mondrian

The class spent two days looking at the works of Piet Mondrian and discussing their qualities. We talked about the quality and the types of lines in Mondrian's paintings, his use of primary colors, and composition. We also looked at Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie Woogie" and discussed how music plays an important role in interpreting and creating works of art. Students were given pre-cut black lines made of construction paper. During the first session, students glued black lines onto white paper as they saw fit. The only teacher guidance consisted of helping them figure out how to use glue. During the final session, students were given construction paper of various sizes and colors, as well as scissors. They proceeded to cut out various shapes and glue them onto their works. No guidelines were given outside of technical instruction (review of the proper way to hold scissors and usage of glue). At the end of the day we held a class critique of the finished pieces.

Frank Stella reliefs

I've been teaching a kindergarten class in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn since September 2011. Although the main focus of the class consists of science, social studies, math, and ELA topics art is integrated in almost everything I teach. This particular project was based on the works of Frank Stella. We looked at the works by the artist and discussed various elements of Stella's work. Employing the Visual Thinking Strategy we analyzed the works based on their colors, shapes, and lines. Following the introduction, students created shapes on paper and filled them in with various patterns. The final step was to cut the shapes out and to use them in creating a per relief sculpture. In the process we covered pattern recognition/creation, scissor skills, gluing, and learning about works of art.

59 foot mural

Over the summer I worked as an Art Specialist at Camp Poyntelle Lewis Village in Poyntelle, PA. My job was to conduct daily lessons with Middle School and High School kids. Since the basketball gym at the camp was dark and dreary, we decided to beautify it with a mural. One side of the basketball court was selected for the project. The theme for the mural was Jewish Camping experience. I created a sketch which was then traced onto the wall by the kids with a help of a projector. We then spent approximately 4 weeks painting. The mural was motivated by a combination of Chagall-like story-telling and Chicano murals.

Saturday Art School at Pratt Institute: High School Portfolio Development: Ages 14 - 18

Lesson 1: Ink Self-Portraits"


This was a lesson my teaching partner, Caitlyn, and I conducted for the first class. It enabled us to create a fun studio atmosphere and at the same time informative about each individual student's abilities. Throughout the lesson, we provided a mix of jazz for inspiration.

At the start of the class, we and the students, sat in a large circle and introduced each other. After the introduction, students were shown a slide show that combined artworks of various artists, styles, and medium approaches. In addition, I demonstrated a very basic ink drawing technique, using black ink and water. We and the students also talked about ink blots and Rorschach tests. Caitlin also showed a couple of example paintings she made before class.

Upon completion of the demonstration, students were presented with various sizes of paper, ink in various colors, a variety of brushes, and white charcoal and conte pencils. Students were then asked to create self-portraits with an optional use of a mirror. They were also given a choice of "literal", psychological, and expressionistic approaches to self-portraits.

The results were impressive.

From Studio to Classroom Studio Work

Why blog??

This blog documents the progress of my education at Pratt Institute. Through this medium I hope to establish an ongoing dialogue with future and current educators to receive input on various ideas and classroom projects.

Installation Idea

For one of the classes we were asked to team up with one partner and create a presentation based on an idea for an installation. We were given two weeks to complete the assignment. Ironically, I was invited to create a site-specific installation in an abandoned factory, in conjunction with an art group, in which my dad is a member. By using pictures of this empty and dilapidated factory, my class partner and I, came up with an idea of using sticker art (from a previous class project) to create an optically illusive work.

However, when I revisited the space, the idea of creating a piece, based on the organic elements, was better suited for the actual execution. Also, the idea of using or incorporating found objects, seemed to be a prevalent theme among the group's artists. I found my inspiration in hundreds of spider webs that occupied the building. Mimicking them, I built one of my own, but in proportion to a human figure, in one of the corners.