Each month, the art teachers from Altamont Elementary, Guilderland Elementary, Lynnwood Elementary and Westmere Elementary highlight students who have demonstrated they are practicing Studio Habits of Mind. These eight habits – develop craft, engage and persist, envision, express, observe, reflect, stretch and explore, and understand art worlds – encourage and enable students to be more mindful during the creative process. This is not a contest; the Young Artist of the Month accomplishment acknowledges specific learning and critical thinking that happens in the art room, in relation to Studio Habits of Mind. The students’ pictures and statements are framed and hung in the schools’ entryways.
Altamont Elementary: Sylvie Kawola
This month, AES is proud to announce Sylvie Kawola in Mrs. Poelma’s third grade class as our Young Artist of the Month! Sylvie comes to art class with a positive attitude every day and isn’t afraid to express herself or take risks in her artwork. She is always pushing the limits of her imagination and is eager to be a better artist. Sylvie shows exceptional craftsmanship and practices art after school. She often takes what she learned in art class and applies it to her work outside of school. By doing this, she is showcasing the studio habit, developing craft, which means she is learning to use new tools, supplies and spaces to become an even better artist. Remember, the more you practice art, the easier it gets. I am so excited to see what kinds of creations Sylvie is going to make in art class this year. Great job Sylvie!
Guilderland Elementary: Lucas Walsh
The GES November featured artist is Lucas Walsh. Lucas is in Mrs.
Galiatsos’s third grade class. Lucas has demonstrated the Artist Habit of Mind, Stretch and Explore in art. That means that he has been able to try new things, play with materials and learn from his mistakes in art. Many times in art we play with new materials or try to solve new problems before we create. Lucas uses his art time well so he can try out new ideas and experiment with materials. He is better able to Envision his next steps if he has learned what will work for his idea and what might not work quite as well. It is a lot of work to try out new ideas and new materials but Lucas knows his hard work pays off with an art project he is very happy with and proud to have completed. Way to go Lucas!
Lynnwood Elementary: Harrison Manela
The LES Young Artist for the month of November is Harrison Manela. Harrison is a fifth grade student in Ms. Lewis’ class. Harrison embodies the Studio Habits of Mind; Envision and Express. To envision means an artist pictures their idea and then creates a plan to make it happen. To express means your artwork shares a strong idea or personal story. Harrison always takes the time to really think through his ideas and select only his best. He brainstorms, sketches, and reflects on how his ideas will work for the goal of our project. Then Harrison expresses his idea in his artwork. This means that Harrison very thoughtfully chooses images that help him create a vivid story to show his viewers what he wants to express. Harrison always surprises Mrs. Gillis with his way of thinking about our guidelines in a unique, creative and thoughtful way. Way to go Harrison!
Westmere Elementary: Olivia Kiyanitsa
This month’s featured young artist is Olivia Kiyanitsa. Olivia is in Mrs. Gingrich’s second grade class. She has demonstrated the Studio Habit of Mind: Engage and Persist. For this project, second graders learned about the artist Alma Thomas. Then, we used colorful paper to make our own collages, inspired by her paintings. Olivia persisted when she made this project. She created a pattern of mostly cool colors and arranged them into an arch shape. She took her time to carefully tear and glue each piece of paper down, until her collage looked just right. Outstanding job, Olivia!