Abintra Art - April 2014

Early Childhood A artists studied the work of Debbie Smyth. The children are learning that Debbie Smyth is a young British artist who uses pins and meters of thread (hilo) to create "Arte Textil." They learned that Debby Smyth discovered this technique while trying to transform things from 2 dimensions to 3 dimensions. Based on this lesson, children created their own pieces of artwork. 

The Early Childhood A class created and used coiled stamps to paint thank-you notes to visiting artist and Abintra parent Caroline Cercone of Caroline Cercone Pottery! During Caroline's visit, each student created a coil out of clay; Caroline then put all the coils together to make a special bowl for the classroom! 

The top (bottom left) and bottom (bottom right) of the bowl are pictured below.

Early Childhood B artists created totem pole art to go along with their Native American study.  They drew animals that they painted, outlined, and cut out to put on a totem pole.

To integrate art in their study of the fourth Great Lesson:  The History of Writing, Lower Elementary artists explored cave art and hieroglyphics. They walk through a digital rendering of a cave in Lascaux and then created their own cave paintings on slabs of clay. 

Cave Art by Max 

Cave Art by Lily

Lower Elementary artists practiced writing with ink and feathers and then wrote in hieroglyphics on a wooden slab that they antiqued.

To integrate art in their study of the fifth Great Lesson:  The History of Mathematics, Lower Elementary artists explored math and geometry through origami and painting. Middle Elementary students, Mikayla and Michaela, worked with the students to create these beautiful origami flowers.

Lower Elementary artists explored geometry in the work of Piet Mondrian.  They created these Mondrian inspired paintings using geometric shapes.

Geometry Art by Stella

Geometry Art by Frances

In connection with the story of the Romans, Middle Elementary students have created their own mini mosaic in adhesive colored foam.  They drew and lay out border designs and animals that appeared in Roman times and in ours.  Next we go on to using traditional tesserae and concrete to embellish the Abintra campus.

ME & UE learned about the Post-Impressionism style of painting called Pointillism invented by Georges-Pierre Seurat .  After viewing works by Seurat and discussing his technique, 

the students created their own pointillism drawings. 

Lily by Mikayla

After writing books for the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Upper Elementary students created animation drawings inspired by one of their characters! UE parent Brad Talbott then put the drawings together to make this wonderful video.

Upper Elementary students enjoyed a visit from Early Childhood parent and violinist Matt Combs, who discussed and performed traditional Civil War era music for the 

students to supplement their study of the period.  

After many hours of practice, costume prep, and prop making, Abintra Alumni, Christy Berryessa, directed Middle School students in a stunning performance of The Diary of Anne Frank.

ME, UE, and MS visited TPAC to see the performance of LEO. "Through the mind-bending illusions of physical theatre and videography, Leo, an ordinary man, creates an extraordinary

world though technology and art."