GEMS Kindergartners explore clay!

During the weeks leading up to the holiday vacation the kindergarten explored clay.  We had two clay explore days where the students made whatever they wanted with the understanding that the clay was going to be squished and made into something else.  Exploring clay without keeping the art work gives the students the freedom to really explore the properties of clay.  There are no expectations around completion, and the rules and restrictions around clay production don't apply.  They can make things that are very thin or very thick and there are no worries whether parts are joined properly or not.

At the end of the clay explore days, everyone made a coil to be added to a class coil pot (or pile of snakes, depending on who you talk to!).

After our explore time, each kindergartner worked on the basic hand building skills of making a pinch pot and rolling out a small slab.  Both of these techniques will be built on each year they are at GEMS.  

It was great to send each student home with such colorful and beautiful clay art! 

GEMS students study skeletons!

This past October GEMS students had fun studying skeleton models and practicing observation drawing.  We looked closely at the shapes of the bones and how they are joined together.

The third graders then drew dancing skeletons and used masking tape to create a tape stencil.  After their dancing skeleton was taped, they used pastel chalk to color in the paper.  They had fun blending the colors and exploring the chalk.  After they finished blending with the chalk, they removed the tape to expose the clean white paper underneath. 

Even the kindergarten and first graders did observation drawings of the skeletons.  

GEMS 4th Graders have Respectful, Responsible, and Safe Bodies!

The GEMS 4th graders show us what Respectful, Responsible, and Safe bodies look like:

During the first couple art classes this year, the 4th graders worked in groups to trace one of their bodies and then fill it full of phrases that will remind others what it looks like to be respectful, responsible, and safe.

Franklin County celebrated our schools' artists!

During the week of May 14- 20th Collins-Perly Sports Complex hosted our annual Franklin County School Art Show.  Students in K-12th grade from all over Franklin County were represented.  Art teachers from participating schools brought selected artwork to showcase their students' accomplishments over this past school year. 

On May 15th we had an opening reception for the community, students, and art teachers to gather and celebrate the amazing art of our students.

It was great to see so many people come out to support our art students and to see the amazing work from the smallest students in our county to the oldest students.  Well done everyone and we look forward to our 2019 county show next May!  

GEMS Art Night

At the end of April the Georgia Elementary and Middle School community celebrated our visual artists with a school wide art show and art night.

Art teachers Dorsey Hogg and Sara Wolfson displayed art work from every student in the Kindergarten through 6th grades and art work from the 7th and 8th grade choice art classes.

 That evening the art department hosted an art night for families to enjoy art together.

A big thanks to all of our community volunteers who made this night possible:

Carol Crosby, Ellen Hsieh, Jane Longley, Cristin Pullis, Kathy Wieland, and Shawndra Meader.

Many of our GEMS students hosted tables to share their favorite art projects.

One middle schooler even provided us with guitar music!

It was a great night of sharing art, making art and getting to know our families!

If you missed art night this year- be sure to make it next April!

Learning About Camouflage and the Art of Liu Bolin

The first grade classes studied animals in winter in their classrooms. They learned that animals can survive in the wild by camouflaging with their environments
We looked at artwork and a video by Chinese artist Liu Bolin where he disappears into his surroundings.
We talked about how color, pattern, and texture all work together to help animals, or artists, blend in.

Can you find Liu Bolin?

Hiding in the City- Art No.1, 2013

Hiding in the City- Vegetables, 2011

The first graders hid in their own paintings!  They used a variety of colors and tools to make different textures and patterns.  See if you can find their hands in their paintings:

1 Matas 

1 Nye

1 Dattilio