Winter Workshop Art

I can't believe it's been a month since my last blog post!  Artists have been busy little winter elves in the studio since Thanksgiving break.  Classes have choices of smaller sized art projects filled with problem solving and skill building based on winter themes.  Many students incorporate the holidays that are on their minds right now.  Cookie kids, snowmen, evergreens, snowflakes, stitching and faux stained glass artworks are challenging, yet fun to make and maybe give to friends and family.    We have missed quite a few classes here and there, so the Winter Workshop art will be coming home this week or next week, depending on schedules. 

This artist illustrated the Hannukah story that her friend shared with her on the bus. 
Art gives children time to think deeply, own learning and share their ideas visually.

An artist admires his ogee shaped paper ornament.

Many artists choose winter themed art, but not all!  Mooki Bets is popular at MBE!

Keep an eye open for a gift bag filled with artist made goodies! 

Reflecting on Art

This week in the studio artists are looking through their artwork and reflecting on their art and the process of making it.  The artists are using age appropriate criteria to decide which pieces are most successful and selecting their best to keep at school for display.  Their other amazing works of art, skill builders and learning experiments are going home.  Please take a few minutes to ask your children about their art.  What was difficult, what problems did they need to solve while making it, and what they would do differently if they were to make the piece again.  Thinking and talking about artwork takes practice and is an important part of the learning process. 

Finished pieces wait for artists as they work in the studio.

3rd grade artists discuss two pieces, giving feedback to the artist.  (He chose the print for display.)

First Grade Sculptures on Display in Great Barrington

 First Graders have artwork on display at the Mason Public Library in Great Barrington until November 26th.  Please take some time to look at the work on your next visit to the library.  

You can learn about the learning project below:

photo credit Kathy Plungis, Mason Library

First graders at Muddy Brook Regional Elementary were inspired to create these wonderful sculptures after reading Maurice Sendak’s classic picture book Where the Wild Things Are.   Students sketched their creatures, then they made a final drawing on Scratch Art sparkle paper (on display at school).  It was challenging to create a three dimensional version of their monster from the Model Magic sculpting compound.  The children have shared information about their creatures.  Their delightful and creative spelling shows their emerging strengths as readers and writers.  We love sharing student art and learning with our community!  Love, Ms. B.

Mass MoCA Museum Bag Wow!

Greetings from the Art Studio!

We have an exciting opportunity to visit a world famous art museum for free!  Muddy Brook has a family pass to Mass MoCA available for check out from the main office!   The Mass MoCA bag includes art story books, museum information and activities, art materials and a journal.  Sign out the bag or send a note in with your contact information asking for the bag with your child. 

Return the bag and pass the following school day after visiting the museum.  This is a wonderful opportunity to spend an hour at the museum if you are up North for an appointment or sporting event, or make a special trip to spend the day on a weekend or school break! 

 I'd like to remind everyone with an EBT card that you can visit the museum with your card and pay only $2.00 for admission (regular adult admission is $20.00)  also local libraries have passes you can take out to visit the museum as well.  Kid Space in the museum is always free.

 Mass MoCA Fall/Winter/Spring Hours are 11am–5pm, closed Tuesdays.  You can learn more about the museum and the exhibitions here.

I look forward to hearing about your adventures at the museum, Artfully Ms. Benton

Fabulous Fall in the Studio!

Student artists have been busy learning every day in their art studio!  Now that October is here we shift gears from reviewing skills and opening art studio centers to autumnal themes for art explorations.  Autumn is a perfect fit for close observation in the Berkshires, and the studio already has gourds, feathers and mums to study and explore.  Fresh leaves, trees and fall books and poems are making their way into our studio learning in the coming weeks.  Please build time for looking at nature into your fall activities, love Ms. B.

 Second graders are mixing colors and thinking about brushstrokes.  We read a book about pumpkins.

 Kindergarten and younger artists explored leaf shapes and textures by crayon rubbing.

My family had some guests in our yard this weekend!

Check Out Our Learners on Instagram + A Visit to Mass MoCA

Greetings from the art studio!  We are settling in to our new school schedules and getting back to art room routines.  Great learning and discoveries are happening.  One of my favorite ways to share our artists' greatness is to post on Instagram.  This year I'm going to find the time to share more often.  You can follow my account  at AliTeachesArt.  Like the blog, I do not post kiddo's faces without family permission.  You might see a couple pictures of my pets on there too. :)

Kenny Rivero   Salute (caravan), 2018  Oil on Canvas

This painting made me wonder.  I would love to talk with the artist about his thoughts and feelings!

Last night I visited North Adams for an art teacher open house at Mass MoCA.  I wish we could take every student on a field trip to this fantastic museum, but the long drive and bus schedules make that really tricky.  Fortunately the Kidspace at the museum is always free.  Our local libraries have passes, plus EBT cards act as free passes for area museums.  Next time I find myself in North Adams, I'm going to stop into Kidspace for a few minutes to experience the exhibit and make some art with the hands on activities.  You could too! :)

Find time for art, you'll be glad you did.  Love, Ms. B.

Back in the Swing of Learning in the Studio

Our first Monday of the school year was yesterday and the first day of art class is officially in the books for all learners.   Art class is off to a wonderful and creative start.  I am looking forward to a year filled with wonderful artistic discoveries, art adventures, and beautiful artwork centered around learning!    Artfully, Ms. Benton

 Students share ideas for next steps as they talk about their paintings.

 Artists finished painting experiments with crayon, marker, and watercolors. 

 Some students visit the book center when they are finished creating.

 Kindergarten artists created a visual journal to draw and write in during art class. 

Students' artwork reflects their interests and personal art experiments.  Artists are problem solvers!

Toys, Sculptures and Other Wonderful Creations

We are still working in the studio as we wrap up another busy school year at Muddy Brook!  Last week we finished up some loose ends in a few groups and I read a student favorite, Too Much Glue , by Jason Lefebver, illustrated by Zac Retz, to most classes. Kids used up our scrap papers creating collages and sculptures.  This week I read Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon, by Patty Lovell, illustrated by David Catrow to the youngest classes.  They made toys like Molly Lou, and did a community weaving too.  I read The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires, and kids did a little challenge by using bits and pieces to create a toy, character, or machine (but many other items were created!  I need to have a camera set up to catch all the clever work!).  Putting the bags together took time, but it was worth it!  We have a school filled with creative artists and problem solvers!

               Students share their artwork with each other after clean up.

                                              Weaving "like the big kids' fancy coat".

                                                Making toys was so much fun!

                                               The tiniest sculpture of the year I think!

                                                        The World Trade Center

                                      Non-traditional attachments on this little character.

                                       This first grader used his items to make a collage.

Kindergarten Self-Portraits

Kindergarten students created class coloring books recently.  I am holding onto the crayon-colored originals to potentially display in a few years to see how much our artists grow over the years! 

Busy Bees at MBE!

Wow!  So much has been happening at Muddy Brook the past few weeks...  I need to be better at documenting and sharing!  The art shows and concerts were wonderful this year.  Here is the excerpt from our concert program about the art shows:

The art show has multiple themes this year connecting to the musical selections when possible.  The first floor classes of pre-k, early k, and kindergarten created ceramic flowers that are on display through the window in the hosta garden (2^nd floor hall).  The children designed their flowers, made them out of earth clay, and then glazed the ceramic.    In the first floor hallway students created a co-operative garden mural.  Kindergarten artists painted replicas of their flowers.  Mrs. Hagen’s class made butterflies for the mural.  Mrs. Scarbro’s artists created colorful insects.  Mrs. Topham’s class made caterpillars crawling in the grass.  It was fun to bring science, art and music together for these projects! 

First graders’ have been working on their terrific box town for many months.  Students connected to their classroom study of community by designing and building dream houses, stores, public buildings and other businesses.  Our box town has antiques, book stores, art galleries, a movie theater and a pizza shop!  Artists sculpted figures to populate their town out of ceramic.  It was a challenge to make sturdy, standing figures and paint all the tiny details.  You may spot animal families, self-portraits, a mailman, and even a couple ninjas.  The perseverance, diligence, problem solving and artistic fun that each child brought to this work was fantastic.  These pieces were made with play in mind and can go home after the concert.

Second graders were commissioned to create an artwork loosely reflecting the baseball concert theme.  They started with a pentagon home plate and discussed the importance of home base in baseball.  Students thought deeply about their personal home base, their interests and their passions.  All of their artwork shows the artists best thought, skill, and care.  Please take some time to read their thoughtful artist statements and learn about the artists through their work.

Third graders share their illustrations and stories from the Norman Rockwell Museum for our Muddy Brook Community.  The students worked diligently to share their personal best work through a moment in time from their fables in their drawings.  The third graders’ coil pottery is also on display, and can go home with families after the concert.

Fourth graders share personal works of their choice with you in their neighborhood.  Students made art showing their best skill, thought and effort.  Their art and artist statement show their ability to solve problems and share ideas as artists.  Any 3 dimensional work can go home after the concert.

4^th and 3^rd grade students worked together to create the coat Mr. Hassmer wears in their choral performance.  The artists wove the fabric for the coat from many colors and textures.  For many weeks you could find students taking turns weaving the fabric in the art studio.  Once the weavings were complete students worked together to sew and quilt the coat.  It truly is a work of art that shows what this creative community of learners can do.

Art works are coming home, along with process work that was stored on the studio shelves.  Next time you are in the building check out the photo stories of the primary work and the 3rd and 4th grade weaving!

MBE Ducklings Visit the Studio

Ms. Thompson continued her spring tradition of hatching duck eggs again this year.  The ducklings are growing every day- you can watch them live at MBE Ducklings.  After visiting the MBE Mud Day festival on Saturday, they will go to live with their new families.  Pre-K and Early Kindergarten classes enjoyed observing the ducklings, drawing them, painting them (pictures not the ducks) and gently petting their soft downy feathers.  There was a lot of hand washing happening to keep children and ducklings healthy!

        There are 6 striped Mallards, 2 yellow Duclairs, 3 Khaki Campbells, and 1 Cayuga Black.

The ducklings were nervous, the children were so calm and quiet that some ducklings took a rest.

              Drawing what we see is always a challenge- especially when your subject moves!

                               The students were focused and respectful of our tiny guests. 

4th Graders' Gargoyles are on Display at the Mason Library

A few times a year we share our work with the community at the Mason Library in Great Barrington.  Our fourth graders created wonderful ceramic sculptures recently.  All are on display until Memorial Day during regular library hours.  A great big thank you to Mrs. Kathy Plungis for supporting our ability to share student work with the community through the library.


Muddy Brook fourth grade artists learned about the history and meanings of gargoyles and grotesques on medieval churches and on architecture today.    Gargoyles funneled water away from buildings, protected people from evil spirits and reminded church goers to follow the church's teachings.  Grotesques did the same without  the ability to move rain water.  Often the stone carvers would show off their art abilities and cutting skill by creating fantastic and scary creatures.

                                      Mason Library  Photo credit: Kathy Plungis

                                           Here are some photos of students' creating their sculptures:      

 First students sculpted the body and facial features using the pinch method.  They were challenged to add expression!

Next they rolled coils for arms, legs, and tails.  Some children sculpted wings from slabs of clay.

 Students used the 4 S's to attach their additions:  score, slip, stick and smooth.

Finally once their sculptures were complete (or class was going to end) the artists posed their work.  The way clay dries is the way clay stays.  Once fired they became ceramic and are hard as stone, waterproof and cannot be turned back into clay.  Students painted their ceramic sculptures and added mica powders for shimmer and shine.  EVERYBODY was successful!  This project was a creative way to incorporate art history with assessing students' clay knowledge.  I'm very proud of Muddy Brook's artists. 

Early Childhood Garden Sculptures

Our PK, EK and Kindergarten created beautiful ceramic flower sculptures this Spring.  Student artists were very patient, as this learning project took many weeks and had multiple layers of learning!

 First students created a flower shaped template and used it as a guide to cut their clay slabs.  Each tracer was unique.  PK traced their hands for their flower shape.

Next students added details and texture with clay tools and ceramic stamps.

 Once dried and fired, the ceramic flowers were glazed with bright colors.

Once glaze fired the artists looked closely at their flower sculptures.  Then they drew them with gold crayon and painted them with liquid tempera paints.

I will add pictures of the installation once they are outdoors!