Lessons and Student Work

Core Values: Art 1 at Essex High School

As part of the Value Unit, Art 1 students created self-portraits to demonstrate their understanding of the element of value. Students were introduced to the work of Chuck Close, Shepard Fairey, and Kehinde Wiley — drawing inspiration from their work throughout the creation process. Keep an eye out for the creative ways students incorporated things about themselves into the foregrounds and background of their final pieces!

Fear Chairs: Art 3 at Essex High School

The chairs featured above are the final product of a sculpture unit I planned and ran for Art 3 students at Essex High. The students learned about Expressionism and the relationship between form and function. They then brainstormed their fears and used a variety of textures, colors, materials, and construction techniques to depict those fears. Would you dare sit on any of these chairs?

Octo Buddies: Adapted Arts at Essex High School

I planned, prepped, and ran a lesson called “Octo Buddies” for our incredible Adapted Arts class. This class is always the highlight of my day. It is so special to think up innovative ways to make creating art an accessible and enjoyable process for everyone. In this case, it was creating stands to paint on and dashed lines to follow when cutting. Feel free to take this idea and run with it!

Nature Mandalas: The Current

I taught a lesson on Ephemeral Art inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy. We went outside to collect organic materials for nature mandalas. The students created and photographed their pieces. Once we were back inside, the students cropped and edited their images to their liking. Their pieces were titled, printed out, and glued onto cardstock.

Hats, Hats, and More Hats: Fleming Museum Lesson

A pandemic-friendly project based on the large collection of hats in the Fleming Museum collection. Students were tasked to create hats using recycled materials.