Day 119 - March Madness Turns To Art Madness - Ms. Phillips - MSMS Art

This post first appeared on Ms. Phillips' Blog

The Madness of March is here! This year during March Madness students in art class selected their favorite Celtic player to paint. The large mural is made up of 5 canvases. Every day for the next 2 weeks students in all my classes will be selected to work on the mural. The goal is to complete the painting during the Month of March. Let’s hope the snow does not interfere with this goal! As you can see we are off to a great start!

Day 111 - A Beautiful Life - MSMS Photography Students

This post first appeared on the MSMS BEAM Blog

Our latest project involves intergenerational photography, which we’ve dubbed “Beautiful Life.” Ms. Phillips and I will be working with the Burlington Housing Authority next Tuesday to provide portrait sessions for senior residents! Our MSMS student photographers will be providing their talented services during the Activity Block period, and after students return to school to edit their work, each participant will receive a printed photo as a keepsake.

Yesterday’s shoot during our Activity Block period was a “practice session” with our good friend and fellow BPS colleague, Mrs. Georgia Devine and her poker ladies (Loretta, Ann and Marge). These gals have been playing weekly poker for the past 23 years! (they call themselves the “Poker Dots”). We also celebrated Georgia’s 75th birthday! 

At the conclusion of our portrait sessions at Tower Hill, we look forward to planning a reception and public exhibition of the student work later in the Spring.  Stay tuned for some sneak peaks of student photography! 

Day 93 - Road to the Super Bowl Begins in the Art Room! - Ms. Phillips - MSMS Art

This post first appeared on Ms. Phillips' Blog

Excitement has been growing over the past few weeks in New England as the Patriots clinched their Super Bowl berth. Having students design their concepts of a winning logo for the Super Bowl is a great way to demonstrate the importance of creativity and art in all aspects of life. This assignment engages all students regardless of their interest in sports. Students in all grades have come up with some pretty amazing designs! 

Day 84 - Old Sneakers Never Die - Ms. Phillips - MSMS Art

Why sneakers?

Diversity is what kept the Spirit of Chuck Taylor sneakers (converse) alive. There is no specific subculture, generation or individual that truly defines Converse All Stars. They do not belong to any particular group or style and that's what makes these sneakers so special and worth drawing. 

The Converse All Star was released in 1917 as a basketball shoe and is still sold today.

Students in 8th Grade worked on creating a composition with the sneakers to draw. They used photoshop to manipulate the colors they would use in their drawings. Drawings were finished using oil pastels. 

Day 65 - 7th Grade Self Portraits - Ms. Phillips - MSMS Art

This post first appeared on Ms. Phillips' Blog 

Every year I look forward to having 7th Grade students work on a pencil self-portrait. I love the dedication and effort they put forward to ensure they look fantastic in their drawing. Students love to make time-lapse videos of this assignment. The video begins with the first pencil mark to the last. Students are truly amazed at what they have accomplished.

Day 162 - This Is What Cultural Diversity Looks Like - Ms. Rogers and Ms. Phillips - MSMS Photo Club

This post first appeared on the Ms. Rogers' BEAM Blog

Students in the MSMS photography Activity Block and after-school Photo Club took part in a portraiture lesson that combined creative elements of digital photography and fine art.  Skills included the use of lighting, meaningful composition, and body painting.  In a world that passes judgment based on appearances and increasingly divides us by our differences, students took the project one step further by demonstrating their ethnic pride and cultural diversity by embedding flags of origin into their portraits.  Once the composition was designed, and body painted flags included, images were shot and edited using Photoshop software.  Together, the photos make a powerful display statement, located along the corridor en route from the main lobby to the cafeteria.

Day 155 - 7th Grade students show off their talent and skill - Ms. Phillips - MSMS Art

This post first appeared on Ms. Phillips' Blog

Students have been working diligently on creating a self-portrait pencil drawing over the past 4 weeks. They are applying their knowledge of composition, proportion and value to their work. Every student has produced amazing work!