Meet Michael Rakowitz

 Dear GROW friends,

In my last letter, or blog post, we had fun with an upside-down drawing activity. Did you save your drawings to show me later?

If you haven't seen my last letter or done this activity yet, don't read any further! Scroll down until you see "Older Post" in blue letters and click there. I promise it will be more fun if you finish the drawing activity before you read this letter!

Now, that you've finished the activity, watch my video below. Make sure you have a piece of paper and something to write with before you start the video.

I almost forgot - I did the upside-down drawing activity. It took me a really long time! Here's how it looks upside down:

And right side up!

The one arm is a little long and the head is a little small, but I don't think it's *too* bad. It was challenging and fun!

Michael Rakowitz, the invisible enemy should not exist (Room F, section 1, Northwest Palace of Nimrud), 2019, Courtesy of Jane Lombard Gallery 

Take care and stay warm!

Ms. Melissa

Upside-down Drawing

Dear GROW Friends,

Happy New Year! (Yes, I know New Year's Day happened a while ago.)  😏

I always get excited about a new year and look forward to what might happen. I have some predictions about what will happen this year, and a few hopes too.

Predictions:

• I'll read lots of good books
• I'll see some really cool art
• I'll take lots of walks in my neighborhood with my kids and our dog

Hopes:

• I'll practice and get better at some things I learned last year, such as watercolor painting and knitting
• It will snow one more time (fingers crossed!)
• I'll see you soon, either in person or over Zoom!!!

What are your predictions and hopes for this year?

Do you enjoy drawing? I do! Sometimes, I like to doodle and cover my paper with shapes; with lines that are squiggly and zig zaggy and straight and just crazy; and with anything that pops into my head. Other times, I like to look at something and draw it, like a leaf or flower I collected outside.

Here's a really fun drawing activity. Check out this video by my friend Suzuko:

Would you like to try upside-down drawing? Remember the list of materials you need at the beginning of the video:

1. Pencil
2. Paper
3. Cool picture to draw

You can use any paper you like - notebook paper, construction paper, or your GROW sketchbook. Get a pencil, or a crayon, or a marker. Draw a rectangle like Suzuko did in the beginning of the video.

Below is a cool picture to draw. I already flipped it upside down for you. When you're finished, will you save your picture to show me later?

Have fun!

Ms. Melissa

P.S. Learn more about this work of art in the next blog post!

Happy Holidays!

Dear GROW Friends,

We are one day away from winter break. Who's excited about taking a break from school until January 5? I am! 🙋

Actually, I feel several emotions - have you ever felt that way? I'm excited about winter break, because I get to sleep later. I have more free time to read, go for walks, and do other fun things. But, I do miss seeing my friends at the Nasher. I am lucky because I really like my job, the people I work with, and the place where I work. 

In case you also miss the Nasher, here is a video about a few sculptures by an artist named Phyllida Barlow. 

After you watch the video, think about Phyllida Barlow's small sculptures made of everyday materials. What can you find in your house that would make a great sculpture material? Look for items like empty cereal or other boxes, grocery bags, empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls, and aluminum foil. Also, the recycle bin is a great place to look for sculpture materials! Make sure you check with a parent or grown-up before you start making your sculpture.

Have a wonderful holiday break, stay warm, and I can't wait to see you in 2021.

Hugs,

Ms. Melissa

End of Year Message, 2019-20

One last message before we go off for summer. 💗

Faces Tour, Part Three

Enjoy this video about the last stop in our Faces Tour!

Faces Tour, Part Two

Students chose one of the following sculptures to sketch at our next stop. What do you see or recognize in these sculptures? 

2nd grade

3rd grade

3rd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

4th grade

For these artworks, Barry X Ball looked at sculptures by the artist Medardo Rosso. Rosso made Sick Child, the sculpture in the image below on the left, between 1893-1895. To create his own version, Ball first scanned Rosso's Sick Child. He used these scans to create a 3D digital model of Sick Child on his computer. Then he made changes to the 3D digital model. How are Barry X Ball's sculpture (below on the right) and Medardo Rosso's sculpture different?  

Left: Medardo Rosso, Enfant malade (Sick Child), 1893-95, Galleria D'Arte Moderna, Milano
Right: Barry X Ball, Sick Child, 2013-19

Ball usually creates a mirror image so that it is the opposite of the original sculpture.  He also makes changes so the subject might look more detailed or more abstract. Then he uses a machine that carves a solid block of stone to look like the digital model. Afterward, he and his assistants carve and polish the stone by hand to complete the sculpture. 

2nd grade

2nd grade

3rd grade

3rd grade

5th grade

Medardo Rosso made many of his sculptures out of wax. Wax is used during one of the steps in creating a bronze sculpture, but Rosso decided to treat his wax versions as the final artworks. He liked how wax looks translucent, as though light can pass through it (think of a candle, especially when it's lit). Ball also uses stone that plays with light and can also appear translucent. Below is a wax sculpture by Rosso on the left, next to Ball's version on the right.

Left: Medardo Rosso, La Portinaia, 1883–84, Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Milano
Right: Barry X Ball, Doorwoman, 2013-19

Ball carefully chooses the stone for his sculptures. Many stone sculptures are carved from white marble. Ball likes using stone with different colors and patterns. How might his sculptures look different if he had chosen a more traditional white marble?

Faces Tour, Part One

Our next tour is all about Faces, and we focused on sculptures in the Barry X Ball: Remaking Sculpture exhibition.

Vocabulary: 
portrait / el retrato 
self-portrait / auto retrato 
carve / esculpir
masterpiece / la obra maestra 
emotion / emoción 

We started at the sculpture below. First, we used our finger to trace the different lines in the sculpture. Then, we shared different things we noticed.  

front

This sculpture is a portrait of Pope Saint John Paul II. A portrait is an artwork – sculpture, painting, photograph, etc. – of a person. The Pope is the world leader of the Roman Catholic Church. 

For this portrait, the artist Barry X Ball not only shows what the person looks like, but also includes items that represent him. 

• Mitre (tall headdress worn by pope and different leaders in church) 
• The Pope’s Coat of arms – crossed keys represent the Keys to Heaven given by Jesus to St. Peter, and the papal tiara (crown) represents the Pope's powers as priest, ruler and teacher.
• Crosses – symbol for Jesus Christ and the Crucifixion 

2nd grade

3rd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

4th grade

4th grade

5th grade

We also looked at the back of the sculpture, which includes additional items: 

• A pair of skis, John Paul II’s favorite sport 
• Two sculptures of John Paul II at different ages 
• The face at the very top is a portrait of the artist 

back

2nd grade

2nd grade

2nd grade

3rd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

4th grade

5th grade

5th grade

5th grade

If an artist wanted to make your portrait, what items would you want to include that tell about you? Students wrote down or drew things that best represent them. Some examples that students shared are soccer balls, chocolate, their pet, their friends, their family, ballet shoes, and their sketchbook. 

3rd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

5th grade

What's the Story? Tour, Part Three

We peeped through the windows at our last work of art.

Broken Square by Elmgreen & Dragset

Before our group discussion, we imagined what could have happened in this room. The second graders shared their ideas with a partner, while the third-fifth graders wrote their stories first and then read them aloud to a partner. Below are a few examples!

2nd grade

2nd grade

Grayson - 3rd

Noah - 3rd

3rd grade

3rd grade

3rd grade

Alessandra - 4th

Sidney - 4th

4th grade

4th grade

4th grade

Jacob - 5th

Lola - 5th

5th grade

5th grade

5th grade

5th grade

Elgreen & Dragset named this sculpture Broken Square. These big, broken chunks of asphalt connect with the Nasher Sculpture Center's history - this area was once a big parking lot, before the Center was built. The title Broken Square might lead us to imagine a square parking lot that was broken into pieces at the beginning of construction for the Center.

2nd grade

3rd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

5th grade

The 2nd-graders also looked at this sculpture, which resembles a street sign with reflective surfaces instead of words and colors.

Adaptation, Fig. 12

Why are street signs important? Imagine a world without street signs. What would happen? 

The students designed a new street sign for a space near them. Scroll down to see a few examples!

2nd grade

2nd grade

Alayna - 2nd

Morgan - 2nd