Happy Thanksgiving!!

5th Grade Giacometti Sculptures

This project was done by my fab leave replacement.  I'm always searching for ways to incorporate more sculpture into my curriculum.  I feel like it's very easy to get caught up teaching 2D work to the detriment of 3D work, so I was really glad she was starting off my fifth graders year with this project.

The sculptures are based on Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti: 

"All the art of the past rises up before me, the art of all ages and all civilizations, everything becomes simultaneous, as if space had replaced time. Memories of works of art blend with affective memories, with my work, with my whole life." 

 

 More information can be found: Giacometti at ArtStory

 The sculptures were done using cardboard bases, thin armature wire (I like it to be thin enough that the students can cut it with scissors and not pliers), paper towels, mache mix, and black, brown, and metallic paints. The project took about 6, 40-minute periods.  

FYI, I stumbled across the site mentioned above while researching a bit on Giacometti The sites mission is to explore art in "a fresh and clear way".  Hmm, it may make for a good resource!

The Art Story 

Another great site is the Giacometti Foundation

 

Returning from maternity

I'm not gonna lie, returning from maternity is hard...After 5 months of being home with my little one, getting back to the hustle and bustle of the art room takes some serious adjustment.  Truthfully despite the exhaustion of the first week, I"m surprised at how easily I was able to get back into "teacher mode", but finding the balance between home life and work life is proving to be a bit harder.  The biggest change I"m struggling with is simply having patience and realizing that there will always be things that need to get done as a teacher, and that it's o.k. for those things to take a little longer to happen.  Before a baby it's not such a big deal to get in a little early or stay a little late as needed to tie up the seemingly never ending "loose ends" but with a baby at home, it's not so convenient any more.
On the upside, working in an elementary school means working with predominantly women, almost all of whom are mom's (and coincidentally, many of whom happen to be new moms) and hearing the same struggles from them!  Regardless of the challenges I'm facing now and am sure I will face in the future as I raise my son, I'm happy to be back, happy to see my students smiling faces, and be back to doing what I really love.  The fact that I'm lucky enough to have a job that I"m so passionate about and am grateful for makes all the difference.  As long as the learning is happening, everything else will fall into place.  As the librarian, and my friend, said to me when I first began my teaching career; "if it all seems overwhelming, just take it one day at a time, and if that seems too much, then take it one hour at a time."

* The image above is from the site Talented Ladies Club. It has a cute article on getting back to work after maternity leave: 'Back to Work with a Bang After Maternity'