This year I have been serving as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps fellow in Philadelphia. I am teaching visual arts full-time at a Title I K-8 school in Northern Philadelphia. It has been a challenging but extremely fulfilling experience and has reaffirmed my desire to work with adolescents and young adults in the future.
Black History Month Door Tributes
To celebrate Black History Month each classroom decorated their door with a tribute to an influential African American in the United States.
On the art classroom door we wanted to highlight a black female artist. Amy Sherald is known for her portrait paintings which she uses to tell African American stories. She is known for painting Michelle Obama’s official portrait and more recently, a massive mural of a young African American woman in Center City, Philadelphia.
The 5th graders paid tribute to Jean Michel Basquiat, a contemporary African American Artist whose art pieces were featured in the 30 Americans exhibit that they visited in January. Each 5th grader designed their own Basquiat-style mixed media piece using oil pastels and watercolors.
Some photos from the 5th grade field trip to the Barnes Foundation to see the 30 Americans exhibit. 30 Americans is a traveling art exhibit that showcases the work of 30 contemporary African American artists.
The 8th graders honored Kobe Bryant, who tragically passed away just days before the start of BHM. Bryant was born in Philadelphia and later founded the KVBFF with his wife to help underserved youth and combat homeless.
Youth Art Month Exhibition Pieces
March is Youth Art Month and the PA Department of Education is hosting an exhibition of student artwork from March 2nd to April 3rd. Ludlow is submitting three student art pieces and I am delighted that our student's artwork will be on display for other students, teachers, and community members to see.
Top Left: The Light of the Sun (3rd grade - Warm and Cool Waves Project)
Top Right: Rover (3rd grade - George Rodrigue Blue Dog Project)
Bottom: Swimming (1st grade - Rainbow Fish Project)
Ludlow Staff Appreciation on Valentine’s Day
To celebrate Valentine’s Day we designed a school-wide project that would allow Ludlow’s students to show their appreciation for every staff member at Ludlow. Every student was given the outline of a candy heart that they could customize and address to a staff member of their choice. The night before Valentine’s Day, my partner teacher and I hung up the paintings in Ludlow’s front lobby to ensure every staff member would see them as they entered the school building. Overall, this project was a huge success. Ludlow’s staff members were touched by the personalized valentines and our students loved seeing their creations displayed in the front lobby.
Interactive Wings Mural
In the Fall, we created a collaborative and interactive mural on our bulletin board to engage parents and students during parent-teacher conferences. Every student in the school designed their own feathers and painted them with watercolors.