Here is a sneak peek at what we've been up to with all that yarn! This collaborative artwork is the fantastic result of an idea that grew and grew. It started as our take on yarn bombing, then grew into a collaborative piece about Community. Almost 500 students have a piece of handiwork represented. The 5th grade students took ownership of piecing them all together and creatively assembled (sewed, weaved, tied or knitted) them all onto the frame built by our principal. Because of the major involvement by the 5th grade students, this project will serve as their art legacy, permanently installed here at Chase Street to inspire us for many years to come. The house shape represents us as members of a community who live, work and learn together. This has been a labor of love and creativity and has brought so many people together through art. I have truly loved this project.

This happened today!! - Polly's before and after self-portrait. I'm so proud of how much progress she made. Isn't it stunning? Unfortunately, this photo doesn't do the beautiful subtlety of the shading and detail justice.

Polly, 4th Grade Drawing Club, January and May 2015

Here are a few of the many great "Emotional Heads" made by 5th grade this year - they have SO much expression, great details and texture.

5th grade, Fall 2015

This might be one of my favorite artworks ever! It sure makes me smile. You make a color wheel and then turn it into something - what else but Mona Lisa's Colorful Smile.

Samantha, 3rd Grade, May 2015

First grade created weavings to represent different types of dwellings. They chose materials to support the type of dwelling that they were making. Perhaps this is where they wish to live one day. They embellished them with beautiful backgrounds showing the location of their dwelling.

First grade, created October 2014

French Spool Knitting - 3rd Grade

Finger knitting and weaving - 5th Grade
*Work in Progress

Stitching a Star - Kindergarten

Weaving with fabric and yarn - 2nd Grade

Our little fingers have been B-U-S-Y! 

We are gearing up for a school-wide yarn bombing inspired project. All students, grade K-5, will be making a knitted, woven or stitched artwork that will be part of a collaborative piece.

"I am sneaky like a fox." - Ischeel

 "I am wild like a wolf." - Banyan

"I am loud like a Siamese cat." - Bella

"I am intelligent like an owl." - Camille

Cardinal mask - Exavier

"I am sneaky like a raccoon." - Miles

"I am fast like a zebra." - Natiyah

"We are quiet like koala bears." - Jackie and Leisli

"I am excitable like a puppy." - Nora

"I am aggressive like a leopard seal." - Wyatt

Second grade students spent six class periods working on these masks and oh how it was worth it. The masks are fantastic and the students were really proud of their work. Each student started out writing three adjectives to describe themselves, and then they chose an animal that shared each characteristic. Finally, they selected one of the three animals to represent them and wrote a simile comparing themselves to that animal. They are made of paper mache. Each student constructed their own armature under the paper mache, then painted and embellished the masks with pastels, felt, fur, feathers and the like.

Second grade, January - February 2015