This really needs to be experienced in person. We have a video and it’s wonderful, but it’s just not the same as having been there in Ms. Sheila’s music room, which had been converted, quite simply, easily and indeed, magically, into a hybrid theatrical performance space and African ceremonial plaza laying deep in the jungle.
The background was hung.
Stage sides were set.
Drums, Xylophones and other instruments were placed.
Characters held their dance masks.
Introductions were made.
Everyone took their place.
Actors, parents, and audience held their breath.
Boom. . . Boom!
HOW THE LION GOT ITS MANE
By Olivia Jackman
All: Eons ago, a lion roamed the grounds. She was a little lion and a fat one too. She was slow.
Lion: Everybody makes fun of me! I don’t like it.
Falcon: Are you okay lion?
Lion: Yeah, I’m just so fat.
Zebra: Haha, hee hee. I need to show hyena this. He’ll love a fat lion for lunch.
Zebra: Wait! If I’m an herbivore, why am I helping? Wait a minute, you wanted to eat me too!
Lion: What are you doing here, zebra?
Zebra: They lied to me! Since you lost your family, you can join my herd.
All: Lion joined Zebra’s herd. Sometime later, he noticed some things.
Lion: I never thought joining your herd would mean eating grass, but it’s kinda good. Wait a minute, I’ve been losing weight. And, and…is that grass growing out of my neck? Cool! I will call it a mane!
Africa, The Book is a celebration of an artistic collaboration that took place at Helen M. Knight Elementary School in Moab, Utah during the 2019-2020 School Year. It centers on the creative energy of Mrs. Charlotte Quigley’s 3rd Grade class. It involves the school’s inspired music teacher Sheila Strahan and BTSALP-Visual Art Specialist Art Coach Bruce Hucko.
The Adventure began when –
Mrs. Quigley’s 3rd Grade class was reading folk tales as part of their social studies curriculum. Good teacher that she is, Mrs. Quigley saw the opportunity for creativity and had her students write their own folk tales. Putting into practice what they learned about the characteristics of folk tales by writing one creates deep learning. They must have done a great job because the next thing Mrs. Quigley did was to meet with music teacher Sheila Strahan about doing an opera. When she taught kindergarten and 1st grade, Ms. Sheila’s classes and others produced student-written and performed operas. When she accepted the music post she brought those skills along and let the staff know she was ready to collaborate. Opera brings music, song, dance, theater, literature and the visual arts together in a most wonderful way, especially when it involves kids!
Mrs. Quigley suggested that student folk tales be used and Sheila enthusiastically agreed. Our “African Queens” (though they really are princesses) are Maddi, Olivia, Liesel and Ellie. They were asked to adapt their tales into a play which meant creating speech and assigning that speech to enough characters that the whole class would be involved. They worked many a morning and lunch recess to perfect their work. They then met with Sheila who edited and adapted them into the operatic format.
Students were invited to select the characters they wanted to play in each operetta. Sheila then worked with the class and individuals on their singing parts, wrote the music and then taught all students the music and the interlude dances. Sheila spent the summer of 2018 in Ghana, Africa studying tribal music and dance and now she was able to apply her new knowledge too!
They then came knocking on my door and it took maybe 3 seconds to get on board. The idea for pizza masks came easily. I had a few in my room from years before and was eager to do it again. This was the class! So that the entire 3rd Grade could be involved, but without the supplies and intensity of Mrs. Q’s class I centered on paper collage and printing. It worked out great.
While the masks were being made, songs were being practiced and dance moves perfected. Their was a heightened sense of excitement whenever class gathered.
Mask Making
Our work began with a PowerPoint on the mask culture in Africa. I started with a poster image from the movie “Black Panther.” Most all of the kids were quite familiar with it. The second slide was a museum photo of a real African panther mask that was 300 years old. Slides and video of African masks in ceremonial dance use revealed that masks not only represented an animal, deity, or other natural element, but that they also required their own movement. While studying masks the kids were also introduced to the life of Nelson Mandela, the number of languages spoken in Africa (over 1500), its size (4x United States), as well as art concepts of Pattern, Design, and Color Contrast. Students next created wonderful paper designs for the mask character the operettas required. And then –
Your homework. Tell your parents that Art Coach “requires” that you ordera take-out pizza. Eat it if you want, BUT you must bring the box to school.
Thus began the building process. We had plenty of purchased and gifted pizza boxes. We also had a number of dedicated parents who came to help design, cut and glue for 2-3 art sessions. A big thanks to the parents of Maddi, Annabelle, Shycee and others. Kids come in all ages you know, and these parents prove it!
The young artists were challenged to have the primary features stand in relief from the cardboard base. This required novel engineering and gluing skills. Eyes, pupils, eyebrows, ears, horns, tusks, mouth, teeth, nose, trunk and whatever else needed to be on the creature were drawn, cut, and glued into place.
Base colors were applied during the first of 3 paint and decoration sessions. I wished you could have witnessed the 2nd paint session. It was one of the most potently creative and energetic arts sessions with children that I’ve ever encountered. You could hold the energy like an apple and bite it! Wow! Everyone brought their best game. The focus on painting their details was intense. The excitement palpable.
Paper Masks and Printing
As Mrs. Quigley’s class was writing and practicing their operettas the four other 3rd grade classes at HMK had their part to do also. Their “mask” project involved 3D paper collage and pattern printing using jute wrapped lengths of 2×4 dipped in tempera paint.
The paper collage provided the opportunity to manipulate paper. The challenge, like with the pizza box masks, was for students to create as many parts of an animal or humanesque face as they could out of different pieces of paper, AND to give the mask some relief by inventing techniques to raise the paper. They took to it with a particular creative hunger that was quite thrilling to be around.
We had shiny, metallic paper, standard construction paper, wall paper samples, bright card stock and whatever else I had on hand. Standard and craft scissors, along with good old tearing were employed.
The printing element was borrowed and altered from something I saw on Pinterest. African mudcloth was the primary inspiration. Instead of the traditional method, we used jute wrapped around a 6″ length of 2×4. Each child received a block of wood and about 6′ of jute. The jute is wrapped in any direction to create a design. The sides of the 2×4 are then taped down so they don’t move. Each of my students had two pieces of 18×24 drawing paper to make their prints. I asked them to make their first print with ONLY ONE COLOR and then they could use different colors on the second one. I soon had to abandon that bit of “control.” Once they understood the process they immediately started pouring designs of color in the foam plates we use for holding paint.
The crowded cacophony that erupted was really music to my ears! Everyone was experimenting, sharing and supporting each other. Though I’d started the day playing Pandora’s African Drumming in the background the “drumming” of print block to table created it’s own productive rhythm for the day.
When finished students were asked to give their mask an African sounding name. They could make something up or rearrange letters of their name like Kenzi did.
Brooke Smart is a visual artist collaborating with Better Days, the organization celebrating both Utah and national suffrage by honoring women throughout history. Brooke was brought to Logan as a resident artist with both Cache Valley and Logan City School Districts. During her week stay, Brooke worked with BTSALP visual art educator, Sheree Given and her 4th grade students at Wilson Elementary. She also spent the week with visual art instructor Katie Shupe’s Art 1 and AP Art classes at Mountain Crest High School.
The students learned about Brooke’s artwork and her traveling art exhibit, “Utah Women Making History,” which includes illustrations of Utah Women (and a few men) who worked to advocate for women and advance their communities. The 4th graders chose an important woman leader that has impacted their lives or a woman in history that inspires them. Using watercolors, they each created portraits and meaningful compositions representing their chosen person. The student artwork will be reproduced and displayed on the CVTD buses (Cache Valley Transit District) as part of the Art in Transit: From Schools to Community project. Art in Transit: From Schools to Community is directed by USU’s Beverley Taylor Sorenson Endowed Program for Elementary Arts Education.
One hundred and fifty years ago, on February 12, 1870, the Utah Territorial Legislature passed a women’s suffrage bill that allowed female citizens to vote under the same laws as the men. Join Better Days 2020, Utah Department of Heritage and Arts, and Utah Cultural Alliance at the Utah State Capitol to commemorate and celebrate this important anniversary and our Utah HERitage of women who continued to fight for representation and improve their communities.
Social and political change is often long and difficult and involves many different women and men working together – and sometimes against each other. The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of Utah women being the first in the nation to vote under an equal suffrage law. Learn MORE, A LOT MORE at Better Days 2020.
Sample activity using resources found on Better Days 2020 website.
Robert Smith, BTSALP Art Coach in Alpine School District, led Ms. Decker’s 5th grade class through an integrated lesson using the book, The Mountain Dance by Thomas Locker. He started by having students close their eyes and listen to a Beethoven selection that complemented the wonderful illustrations in the book. Students listed words that described the music such as happy, intense, adventurous, calming and relaxing.
He then read the book to the students, pausing at certain passages for the students to visualize the words being read. The class then discussed the vivid verbs and interesting adverbs they found in the text. Breaking into small groups, students listed and recorded Earth Science vocabulary words. These words were tied to passages in the book.
Each group was given a different page from the book and asked to create a movement that illustrated the picture, text and vocabulary words. Students then performed their movements for their classmates.
Leaves From Roots is the brainchild of Britt Black, BTSALP Visual Art specialist at Philo T. Farnsworth Elementary School (Granite School District.) The exhibit celebrates the rich and diverse cultures that make up the community and student body of the school. This project comes with a lot of thought and meaning. Students have been working since the start of the 2019-2020 school year to create a leaf based on an investigation into their own roots.
These artists know that there was once a member of their family that brought them and their culture to Utah, whether it was quite recently or hundreds of years ago. Perhaps this family member was their great, great grandmother. Perhaps it was they themselves.
They researched this idea and created symbols and stories to display for their family traditions, celebrations, cultures, languages, motifs and flags on their leaf. All based on their research. The actual leaves which they cut out are shaped from these countries of origin. You will see in these young artists’ work that they joyfully and vibrantly show ways they celebrate through line and color. You will see pictures and symbols telling stories from their families and how their families worked hard to get here. You will see pictures and symbols marking the countries that ultimately influence their culture and pride
This is the beautiful, diverse, colorful community of Farnsworth Elementary School displayed in hundreds of leaves.
This Fall, 2019 the Artsbridge Honors course at Weber State University will design and co-create a new faux-stained glass installation called Utah Birds & Ecosystems. This is a course designed for Weber State University students to work closely with professors and BTSALP Visual Arts Specialist, Brent Rhodes, and his 4th graders at James Madison Elementary. Through this collaboration students design and build a hanging installation that depicts the birds and ecosystems found in Utah. This aligns with the 4th grade Utah State Science Standards. All of the Weber State students and 4th Graders will visit the Ogden Nature Center to gather field research on Utah’s birds and ecosystems. They will work closely with local artists to inform and develop their artistic process. Throughout the semester, students will also engage in pen-pal writing prompts, strengthen their knowledge in the elements of art and explore a variety of art techniques.
This display will be permanently hung at James Madison Elementary School and is facilitated by Tamara Goldbogen, Erinne Roundy, and Brent Rhodes. This project is a partnership between the Weber State University Arts Learning Collaborative, the Ogden Nature Center, and the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program.
Mark your calendar: The semester and course will culminate in an unveiling of the Utah Birds & Ecosystems faux-stained glass installation and a short documentary on the creative process on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 from 5:00-6:30pm at James Madison Elementary School in Ogden Utah. This event is open to the public and all are welcome to celebrate the hard work and success of both students and faculty.
The plaster animal masks are finished and on display (Just in time for Art Night!) at Moss Elementary School in Granite School District. Kirsten Schiel, BTSALP Visual Art Specialist did a wonderful job of guiding the fifth grade students through the research, drawing and constructing phases of this integrated mask making project.
A great time was had at KRCL’s 90.9 RadioActive show talking about Oakridge Elementary School’s (Granite School District) graphic novel project and the Transcontinental Railroad. Thanks to the incredible work of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program.
As home to the site where Central Pacific and Union Pacific crews ended their race to connect east and west, Utah is host the Transcontinental Railroad’s 150th birthday party at the Golden Spike National Historic Site May 10-12, 2019. Check out a list of statewide events, or celebration week events.
Sample pages of Oakridge’s graphic novel . . . Don’t you want to see the whole thing?
Shout out to Denise Manzione, BTSALP Arts Coordinator in Tooele School District and the students at Vernon and Ibapah Elementary Schools. Both of these schools are 2 room school houses in farm/ranch communities. Students were studying wool and how it is processed (in Ibapah quite a few already knew because they raise sheep). Wool was purchased from Utah’s Ag in the Classroom, but some of the students offered to run home and sheer a sheep if we needed more! The wool was dyed using Kool-Aid and coffee. Then students created faces and rolled it between sheets of bubble wrap to wet felt it. Their patience was tried because it took quite a bit of time to get a finished art piece, AND the bubble wrap was just calling to them to be popped! This was a fun project and they learned they have an art resource right in their backyards!
