Annotations and lesson connections on these pages by Tara Cady Sartorius, Program Director, Alabama Arts Alliance
GRADES K-6
POLYCHROME PUEBLO POTTERY. The fifth-grade students of Madalene Klepach developed their own designs derived from their observations of Hopi pottery. These striking works are imaginative interpretations of polychrome (multi-colored) pottery.
Klepach limited the students' color choices to red, black and white so the pottery stands out in contrast to the brown earth tones of the desert backgrounds. It is fun to compare the scale of the pottery in contrast with their backgrounds. Some pieces could be huge outdoor monuments!
NATIONAL ART STANDARDS: Grade 5
CREATE: Combine ideas to generate an innovative idea for art making.
RESPOND: Identify and analyze cultural associations suggested by visual imagery.
CONNECT: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.
How to use the A&A Monthly Art Print: Carefully unbend the staples at the center of the magazine, pull the print up and out of the magazine. Rebend staples to keep magazine intact. Laminate the pulled-out section and use it as a resource in your art room.--Editor
GRADES 7-12
THE LEGACY OF LUCY LEWIS. Teacher Christina Salinas proved the value of travel and exploration through this lesson. She says, "This work was inspired by a road trip to the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico where I met Emma and Dolores Lewis, the daughters of Lucy Lewis, an acclaimed Acoma potter." Lewis used only traditional techniques and contributed to the fame and appreciation of Acoma pottery.
During her visit, Salinas purchased two pieces: a coil pot and a small sculpture of a turtle. She then used her experience and subsequent research to develop the lesson that yielded the spectacular student pieces below.
In order to make it faster and easier for students to create their ceramic forms, Salinas devised a way for them to form clay using a metal bowl and two slabs that they scored and slipped together. Students found the slab method "easier than using the traditional coil method, demonstrated and used by the Lewis family. This modification made it so all beginning students could work with clay and create a successful pot. "
While they did not use natural slips and stains, they did use underglazes that they left unglazed so that the final pieces would have traditional-looking matte surfaces.
NATIONAL ART STANDARDS: High School
CREATE: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. * Choose from a range of materials and methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan works of art and design
CONNECT: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.