Art news
Dear Parents and Friends!
“Hands across our School” is the first art project that all students worked on this school year. It was simple to talk about hands and their many functions, especially during this time of ‘helping hands’ during the floods relief projects.
When I think of body art and ‘hands’, immediately the beautiful Henna ink designs come to mind. These rich line/shape/color designs have their own vocabulary, which were developed over many years. Henna (from the plant lawsonia inermia) is found in North Africa, India, and parts of the Middle East. The designs were mostly used for celebrations like weddings, child births, and birthdays. Intricate knots and animal designs were even mastered as far North as by Celtic Art.
Students traced their hand or hands on paper and filled in one of their personal favorite symbols or images. They used markers and Sharpies to create the lines and shapes and textures. Each one of these hands is totally unique and express the choices of the artist.
Kindergarten students started the school year with a Reggio Emilia activity project. The children worked in groups of four and designed their homes from a bird’s eye view. They added their rooms, toys, and outside environment. All children participated in this activity and are very successful.
It is very important that children do art making as often as possible; practice strengthens the control of the tool that they use and provides confidence, and of course, imagination gives them unlimited possibilities!
Artfully yours, Heidemarie Holmes-Heiss
