RYAN, MICHAEL

Art Explorations (7th Grade)

In Art Explorations we... cover a variety of materials, mediums and artists to expand artistic exploration in two dimensional art. This class acts as a gateway to potential classes a student could take in 8th Grade. Each project is in service of bolstering artistic skills while also helping to expose students to mediums they may encounter in 8th grade.

• Students work to better understand color theory and how to apply it through the use of colored pencils and paint.
• Students work to understand techniques to help them to draw from observation, utilizing skills learned in 6th grade and augmenting these skills. 
• Students work to investigate mixed mediums within works of art.

Course Units

• Unit 1: Exploring Color Theory
• Unit 2: Exploring Shape, Pattern, and Design
• Unit 3: Drawing Skills and Color Application 
• Unit 4: Mixing and Applying Medium 

Creative Experience (7th Grade) 

In Creative Experience we... cover a variety of materials, mediums and artists to expand artistic exploration in three dimensional art. This class acts as a gateway to potential classes a student could take in 8th Grade. Each project is in service of bolstering artistic skills while also helping to expose students to mediums they may encounter in 8th grade.

• Students work to better understand the elements and principles of art and design and how they factor into artworks. 
• Students work to understand techniques to help them work sculpturally through a variety of medium.
• Students will investigate working dimensionally with a variety of mediums to help them work better spatially. 

Course Units

• Unit 1: Paper, Pattern, Form
• Unit 2: Exploring Fiber and Color
• Unit 3: Sculpture in the Round
• Unit 4: Relief Sculpture

Unit 1: Paper, Pattern, Form

 In this unit students will explore the basics of working to create sculptural form through utilizing paper as a medium. Students will also utilize pattern, texture and value as decorative elements.

Visual Art Practices: 

Developing a respect for tools and materials:

In developing an understanding for the classroom environment and rules and through better understanding technique and process, students learn to better respect and care for the tools and materials allowing them to better work collaboratively, take risks, and assess their process of working. Care for tools and materials transfers to care for student work and craftsmanship.

Developing craftsmanship:

In developing an understanding for material and tools and working over time, students will be able to better develop craftsmanship in their work and working habits. Through working to critique their work, the work of others, and that of master artists, students will better understand what well crafted objects look like. Self reflective exercises and student-teacher conferences will help this skill to develop throughout the course.

Exploring Sculptural Form

Utilizing this unit as a jumping point for three dimensional exploration, students will work to better understand how sculptural form can be created through simple materials and techniques. This will be something that is constantly reflected on and returned to as a concept throughout the duration of the course.

Understanding and critiquing three dimensional forms:

Using art history as an inroad into lessons, students will work to better understand and critique the work of other artists who work in three dimensions which will act not only as a way to give inspiration and help students to better understand the projects at hand but open the doorway to inspiration as they continue to learn more about working dimensionally through the course.

Unit 2: Exploring Fiber and Color

In this unit, students will work to explore color through the medium of fiber arts. The dimensional aspects of fiber arts make this a great follow up unit to a basic exploration of dimension with paper, pattern, and value.

Visual Art Practices: 

Building with dimension

While dimension can be created on two dimensional surfaces through shading and value, working dimensionally by physically building with material is another journey. Utilizing the additive process, students will explore how to build form through a variety of techniques and mediums that will require experimentation and attention to detail. 

Utilizing Color Theory and Value

Students will work to utilize an understanding of color theory and how colors mix and work together to establish color schemes within their artworks. Color and value (black, white, and grey) are closely related and impact one another. As students work to move from more value based artworks to those rich with color, these practices will continue to be tapped throughout the remainder of the course. 

Crafting Pattern within an Artwork

Students will investigate  the exploration of pattern, texture, color and repetition through fiber based artwork. Students will learn foundational techniques including creating a loom and establishing warp and weft techniques using an under/over pattern. 

Developing an Understanding and Appreciation of Craft Arts

The craft arts movement is an important artistic movement that is often separately recognized from fine arts. Craft arts like ceramics, woodworking, fiber arts, jewelry, and glass art have had just as big an impact on the history of art but often fail to be recognized on the same level of fine arts. Students will gain a better appreciation of craft arts as an important form of art.

Unit 3: Sculpture in the Round

In this unit, students will work to explore sculpture-in-the round. Working dimensionally on will provide experience for students to explore skills that will continue to be expanded on in future units and classes.

Visual Art Practices: 

Experimenting with sculptural materials:

Experimenting with three dimensional materials and tools will allow students an opportunity to better understand what it is to build sculpturally. Becoming familiar with working dimensionally through experimentation will ultimately aid students in their overall artistic practice

Utilizing Reference Imagery for Artmaking:

Students will use reference imagery to explore the use of shape, form and texture in sculptural work. Students will gather and interpret visual references, work to come up with preliminary sketches and apply their own observations to construct three-dimensional artwork. Students will also demonstrate an understanding of how artists use reference materials to assist in the creative process. 

Sculpting with dimension and detail:

As students work on a small scale and become familiar with materials and tools by building objects that are based in the real world, they will better develop a sense of how to craft with a strong foundation. Building with three dimension and adding real looking details will give students an opportunity to feel the strengths of their own observational skills and help them to build a vocabulary within their sculptural practice.

Understanding Form and Function :

Students will examine the relationship between form and function in sculpture by exploring how shape, structure and design of an artwork contribute to its intended purpose. They will analyze how functional and non-functional sculptures identify how artists balance aesthetics with practicality and apply these concepts when designing three-dimensional artworks.

Unit 4: Relief Sculpture

 In this unit, students will advance their knowledge of building sculpturally by working in relief on sculptures that include greater detail and more developed dimensions.

Visual Art Practices: 

Making artistic choices:

Students will utilize a knowledge base from the course of the semester to find more confidence in their own artistic choices. Utilizing different mediums throughout the semester  will allow students the opportunity to explore how artworks can be crafted through layering, experimentation, and choices based on careful study and practice. 

Developing confidence with three dimensional work:

The creation of three dimensional artworks allows for a greater range of expression and visual complexity. As students work to build objects that are dimensional, they will work to sculpt and craft with their hands in a way that is different from utilizing two dimensional mediums. Not only will it help to develop their understanding of space but it will give them ownership of their skills as craftspeople. 

Utilizing visual resources to craft original ideas:

Utilizing reference and visual resources is a part of being an artist. Just like when brainstorming or sketching, artists often use more than one source when crafting their ideas. Finding reference imagery is important, but the ability to also take multiple references and combine them to create something new is an invaluable skill that helps to bolster the creative process.

3D Art

In 3D Art we... explore three-dimensional art creation in clay and other sculptural mediums. Students will learn how to craft objects that are both in relief and in the round. Utilizing a variety of materials, but primarily focusing on clay, students will have the opportunity to sculpt and craft objects that help them to better understand working in three dimensions. 

• Students work to apply the knowledge of color theory that they have learned in the last three years into a variety of sculptures.
• Students learn how to model objects in clay through a variety of techniques (slab, coil, pinch pot, and carving). 
• Students learn how to craft objects through process-based decision-making. 
• Students investigate other sculptural materials, including recycled materials. 

Course Units

• Unit 1: Basic Building Blocks
• Unit 2: Craftsmanship and Technique: Building Skill
• Unit 3: Dimensional Exploration
• Unit 4: Form, Function, and Synthesized Creation

Unit 1: Intro to 3D (Basic Building Blocks)

In this unit, students will be learning the basics of working dimensionally through working in low relief, better understanding the elements and principles of art and how they relate to form based artwork, and developing craftsmanship in dimension.

Visual Art Practices: 

Developing a respect for tools and materials:

In developing an understanding for the classroom environment and rules and through better understanding technique and process, students learn to better respect and care for the tools and materials allowing them to better work collaboratively, take risks, and assess their process of working.

Developing Craftsmanship:

In developing an understanding for material and working over time, students will be able to better develop craftsmanship in their work and working habits. Through working to critique their work, the work of others, and that of master artists, students will better understand what well crafted objects look like. Through working with materials over time students will develop a better sense of that craft. 

Understanding and interpreting artists work:

Using art history as an inroad into lessons, students will work to better understand and interpret the work of other artists which will act not only as a way to give inspiration and help students to better understand the projects at hand but also to develop craftsmanship and work to critique. 

Critique methodologies:

Students will utilize critique in the work of master artists which will help them to critique their own work and the work of their peers. Through self reflection exercises, students will better hone their own self reflection strategies.

Unit 2: Craftsmanship and Technique (Building Skill)

In this unit, students will work to further development and hone their craftsmanship while working three dimensionally and creating objects that are both aesthetically designed and functional.

Visual Art Practices: 

Exploration of Technique

In working further within the medium of clay, students will be exposed to different techniques and building methods that will reference earlier techniques and expand upon them. Students will have the opportunity to use what they have learned and go further with it.

Honing Craftsmanship:

Students will continue to work to develop their craftsmanship as they continue to work in the medium of clay. Through experiments, small practice projects and larger clay projects, students will gain an appreciation of working with clay and a better understanding of how to clean, refine, and make objects look more polished. This advancement of craftsmanship is commonplace in all art mediums.

Combining Methods of Working:

In developing skill, technique, and craft, students will also better understand how techniques can be combined to create a desired result that may not be available with one technique alone. This will further not only their visual vocabulary but their creative thinking.

Unit 3: Dimensional Exploration

This unit will push students to synthesize their knowledge of working in three dimensions to create artworks that are inspired by observation and are based in and draw inspiration from life. 

Visual Art Practices: 

Develop Observational Skills

In this unit, students will better develop their observational skills as they work from reference to craft their projects. References may include photographs or real life objects which they will use as inspiration and a driving force in the creation of work in this unit.

Transferring Information from two- to three-dimensions:

Students will synthesize the skills that they have learned while learning to work with sculptural materials in their initial projects and work to craft more dimensional creations based off of reference and taken from life. Students will work to transfer information from two- to three- dimensions, crafting artwork that will require an attention to detail and an experimentation to mimic and portray dimension accurately. 

Justify Artistic Choices:

While students have worked to craft objects and justify choices prior to this unit, here, students will need to not only justify but also defend the choices they have made as they work to craft their artworks and in their artist statements, reflections, and critiques. 

Unit 4: Form, Function, and Synthesis

In this culminating unit of the course, students will utilize the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the course to craft a final project that involves a multitude if not all of the technical building techniques they have learned. This unit will utilize the term form and function as a jumping off point for students, either creating something functional with decorative form or utilizing previous functional items to create something with interesting form.

Visual Art Practices: 

Self Directed Inquiry and Exploration

Student inquiry and exploration on this project will be without as much aid of the initial units guiding hand from the teacher. While the teacher will always be there to help and to mentor during the process, with the parameters and expectations set, the teacher will work to conference more and lead less as students leave the creative nest so to speak.

Investigating Form and Function 

As craftspeople, artists often must marry form and function together to ensure that something is both usable and aesthetically pleasing. Students will investigate this marriage through the duration of the unit as they examine examples and the work of other artists and as they work to create and craft themselves.

Synthesizing process start to finish

As a culminating unit, students will work to synthesize and actualize their project on multiple fronts. From initial sketches and questions, to building, to check in mid-process, to artist statements and final reflections, students will utilize their robust experience to both cerebrally and creatively express themselves.