The Art Room

Foundation 

Our Foundation artists have been busily transforming giant cardboard boxes, pipecleaners, recycled containers, masking tape and scrap paper into the most wonderful creations, from pizza dinners, bubble tea treats and cubby houses to suits of armour, telephones and imaginative inventions of their own. Their enthusiasm for problem-solving and construction has been a joy to watch. I had the chance to sit alongside them on the floor and marvel at their industrious little minds at work. They’re even discovering fun and practical ways to help tidy the Art Room, leaving me glowing with pride at the end of each big making session.

 Grade 1 and 2 Tangram Townships 

Our young artists have been busy designing their own Tangram Townships, cutting geometric shapes from their painted paper scraps and arranging them into vibrant, imaginative cityscapes. After creating their layered collages, we explored the endless possibilities of shape and design using a very well-loved Tangram set (borrowed from my now-grown children!). The students were delighted to see how many different forms could be made from just seven simple shapes.

Grade 3 and 4 Cardboard Masks

The Art Room has quite literally been "a-buzz" with the sound of our newest tool, an electric cardboard saw called a Chompsaw. I’ve been so impressed with how confidently the students have taken to using this tool as they cut and design pieces for their masks. Being able to cut angles, circles, eye holes and straight lines through sturdy cardboard has been a complete game changer! While we are still learning important tool-safety procedures, especially when working with x-acto knives, every student will have the opportunity to operate our kid-safe saw and experience that wonderful sense of achievement. At this stage, we only have one Chompsaw, but with future fundraising ideas in the works, we’re hopeful we may be able to purchase a second.

Grade 5 and 6 Memory Boxes

Our Memory Boxes are beginning to take shape, filled with special ‘ephemera’ gathered from the Art Room or brought from home. Nostalgia and a sense of place have become strong themes for our expressive young artists, while others are finding innovative and personal ways to share their stories. Bridie, for example, discovered the Dymo Label Maker (both the modern and wonderfully old-fashioned version) and began printing words connected to people, places and moments that hold meaning for her. Some students are recreating favourite scenes, like a treasured day at the beach, enthusiastically selecting materials to bring their memories to life. As they work, I’m encouraging them to think more deeply about the symbols and objects they choose and how these can be placed thoughtfully inside their boxes to tell a richer, more meaningful story.

I look forward to keeping you up to date next fortnight's Art Room, until then, 

Keep creating!

Deanne Lawn

Visual Arts