Worldview

Worldview: India Gala

2009-05-04T21:59:00.018-04:00

Sunday 3rd May was our culminating event. A gala at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. The exhibition included art created by students of Harlem Park Elementary/Middle and James Mosher Elementary, a puppet show of the Indian epic the Ramayana by students from Harlem Park who had worked with Black Cherry Puppet Theatre during their residency at the school and dance performances by students who had worked with Lakshmi Swaminathan during her recent residencies at both schools. Students, faculty, friends and families enjoyed the exhibition and performances and Indian treats of chai and naan bread provided by the Akbar restaurant. Stacie, Marnee, Sush, Morag and Lakshmi

A wonderful time was had by all. We were so pleased to see so many people come out, and some travel so far, to support our students in spite of the rainy grey weather. It was really something special for our students to see their work in such a salubrious setting. Many patrons of the Walters who happened upon the exhibit stayed to enjoy the show. We are so proud of our students and the beautiful and creative work they have done this year.

We are deeply grateful to our friends, families, funders and partners who made this year's Worldview project possible;

The Walters Art Museum

Amanda Kodeck

Lindsey Anderson

Brittany Powell

ING

Young Audiences of Maryland

Maryland State Arts Council

The Children's Bookstore Educational Foundation

Black Cherry Puppet Theater

Kristin Helberg

Sushmita Mazumdar

Lakshmi Swaminathan

The Gandhi Memorial Center

Ladderback Design

Parks and People Foundation

Iandry Randriamandroso

Melanie Pefinis

Akbar Restaurant

Joyce Akintilo, Principal, William Allen, Assistant Principal and staff of Harlem Park Elementary/Middle

Cascelia Spears, Principal, Cynthia Williams, Assistant Principal and staff of James Mosher Elementary

Larry Friend, Co-ordinator of Fine Arts for City Schools

We will continue to post work as the students complete their final projects of the school year over the next few weeks and post a link on this blog to next years project when it starts in August.

Thank you all for your interest and support

Morag & Marnee

It takes a global village to raise a child.

Shishadur

2009-05-02T14:45:00.007-04:00

Students transformed paper bags into shishadur or mirror embroidery vests. Shishadur is the ancient east Indian art of stitching bits of mirror to cloth. lesson is from the book 'Brown Bag Ideas From Many Cultures' by Irene Tejada. Students used tempera paint, tin foil and sequens to make their 'shishadur'.

Indian Dancer

2009-05-02T14:41:00.003-04:00

Fourth grade student Mawuena's interpretation of an Indian dancer from a poster in the classroom.

Lotus

2009-05-02T14:34:00.004-04:00

Pre-Kindergarten students used sponges to print their lotus leaves and painted on coffee filters to make their lotus flowers. Lotus are the national flower of India.

Marigold Garland

2009-05-02T14:29:00.003-04:00

We have been growing marigolds in the classroom and looking at pictures of how marigolds are used for celebrations in India. Students cut tissue paper into flower shapes and strung them together with straw stems to make their own marigold garlands.

Dancing with Lakshmi

2009-05-02T13:13:00.017-04:00

Everyone from Pre-Kindergarten to eighth grade had a ball with Lakshmi Swaminathan. Following Lakshmi's kick-off performance for the whole school last week, this week Lakshmi conducted workshops with individual classes. Everyone got to ask questions about Indian culture, try on clothes, have mehndi designs drawn on their palms, wear bindis and learn some traditional and modern dance moves. Even our principal was up and dancing! Thanks again to Young Audiences of Maryland for funding 90% of this residency through their Access for All

grant.

Earth Day Milk Carton Project

2009-05-02T12:35:00.009-04:00

Students worked with Parks and People MICA intern Iandry Randriamandroso to recycle milk cartons into planters for marigolds. The eighth grade students then taught younger students how to recycle and plant their seeds in cartons that the older and younger students painted together.

Photographs of our workshop with Sushmita

2009-05-02T12:08:00.010-04:00

Students had a wonderful time making their amulet books with Sushmita

Ramayana

2009-05-02T10:57:00.005-04:00

Second and third grade students have been reading 'Rama and the Demon King' The bag puppets of the ten headed demon Ravana and the beautiful princess Sita were made by second grade students. The collage of Hanuman the monkey general was made by a third grade student.

Wildlife

2009-05-02T10:23:00.012-04:00

Students have been studying India's wildlife. Pre-k painted lions, first grade painted crocodiles on foil rivers and transformed paper bags into ferocious tigers. Second grade students used paper plates to make their lion masks.

Boxes

2009-05-02T10:13:00.003-04:00

Fifth grade students researched traditional indian patterns then painted their favorites on cardboard boxes. The students added acrylic 'jewels' for some extra sparkle.

Cooperative Rangoli

2009-05-02T09:52:00.010-04:00

Students worked individually and in cooperative groups to created their painted rangoli designs.

I Wish, I Dream, I Hope, I Promise....

2009-04-28T17:39:00.004-04:00

On the 17th Sushmita came to James Mosher and worked with a 1st grade class. It was amazing to see how excited the kids were to make books and to have someone new in the classroom. The kids asked, " are you a real Indian?" Sush showed the students a prayer wheel and talked about how it sent the hopes dream and wishes out. Then she talked about different kinds of books and how they can be personal.

The kids then made amulet books with Sush, but due to limited time were unable to decorate them and write their hopes and dreams. Last week the class talked about what they could put in them and they added promises to the list of sentiment to put in their amulet books. Above are examples of what they wrote... on the left "I wish my grandfather was alive." "I wish I was a princess" and "I wish I was a firefighter" the picture on the bottom says, " I wish money would fall from the sky." On the right they say "I wish I get the girl." "I wish I had a million dollars." and "I wish I had powers." On the last one says, "I wish grownups was gone. " The last one is my favorite. I remember being a kid and wishing the same thing.

Walter's Art Museum Gala

2009-04-01T19:06:00.006-04:00

Our culminating activity is rushing forward like a windstorm. We are scheduling performers, discussing displays and inviting those who have helped make our project happen. On Sunday May 3rd from 2-4 pm at the Walters Art Museum; Worldview will present the exhibition of all that we have done. All are invited as the museum is open and admission is free. Here is the picture from our save the date card. These are the Bengal tiger masks made by the first grade.

2009-04-01T19:00:00.002-04:00

I did a short stint in after-school programing and the kids all made prosperity birds. First and second graders made huge (2 foot) stuffed paper prosperity birds and the forth and fifth graders made cloth ones like the ones in the previous post (these went home at Christmas ornaments). The third grade learned about stenciling and made these pictures.

More Elephants

2009-04-01T18:48:00.010-04:00

I have two class making papier mache piggy banks. One of the classes only has 3 students and they really get stuff done. They are ready to decorate their elephants with parade outfits and cut a hole already. They are very excited about eh work they are doing in class. I am also having a lot of fun working with them.

Mosaic Madness

2009-04-01T18:40:00.003-04:00

Lis Gambino from Sharp Leadenhall Elementary showed up with the most beautiful mosaic her students had done for Black History Month and an exhibit for Baltimore City Schools. I love the result, so I worked with the two classes of kids with autism at my school. We focused on color matching and small motor skills (cutting with scissors) and following directions. I love the job they did on this parade elephant. This mosaic is bout 4 feet by 3 feet and took both classes about 2 sessions each to complete.

A Bask of Crocodiles

2009-04-01T18:27:00.003-04:00

Crocodlies pant like dogs to cool off and bask in the sun to warm up their cold blood. Because they lay around together; a group of crocodiles is called a bask. Last week Mr. Trahan's first grade class sculpted feet for their papier mache crocodiles out of play dough. After drying I glued them on and the kids gave their crocs a few finishing touches.

Amulet Books with Sushmita Mazumdar

2009-03-31T11:40:00.006-04:00

Students at James Mosher and Harlem Park are looking forward to their upcoming workshops with Sushmita Mazumdar. Sushmita is from Mumbai and is an artist/writer and a docent at the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler galleries. Sushmita creates handmade story books and will be making amulet books with students. This workshop will teach students about Buddhist traditions and deal with private and public hopes and dreams. We are very lucky to have Sushmita volunteer to share her skills with our students.

Indian Dance with Lakshmi Swaminathan

2009-03-29T20:26:00.008-04:00

Both JMES and HPE/MS schools have been given funds by Access for All through Young Audiences of Maryland. With this grant we have are having artist-in-residence Lakshmi Swaminathan to teach Indian culture, storytelling and traditional Indian dance. Ms. Swaminathan came to JMES while I was instructing the first grade students. She took the opportunity to teach them the representational dance movements for the Indian animals they have been learning about. They were so excited as they flapped their arms and tried to mimic Lakshimi's movements. Lakshmi will teach 2nd and 3rd graders at JMES. Ms. Swaminathan and students from both schools will perform at The Walters Art Museum for our culminating activity on May 3rd.

Portraits

2009-03-29T20:12:00.006-04:00

Wow I was so proud of the time and effort the kids put into this assignment. This student has gone through a wild transformation and is one of my better and most enthusiastic students. The idea was to make a self portrait wearing Indian inspired clothing. The background is the Himalayan Mountains.

Crocodiles Are Fast

2009-03-29T07:59:00.020-04:00

Did you know that a crocodiles can run up to 7mph? Yeah, you can out run a crocodile but unfortunately if you are standing by the water's edge it isn't likely that you'll get the chance. A crocodile can strike before you know what is happening. The 1st grade has definitely learned not to taunt a croc. They have also learned how to tell them apart from alligators (this is difficult with Indian mugger crocs as they have broad noses) and the characteristics of a reptile. All this wonderful science while making their own mugger from egg crates and papier mache. The bodies are done and the feet are sculpted from play dough. Now assembling them and adding teeth is all that is left.

Holi Portraits

2009-03-27T16:21:00.011-04:00

Seventh grade students at Harlem Park have been studying Indian holidays and celebrations. Students made collage portraits and then splattered them with paint in the tradition of Holi celebrations where revelers spray each other with colored water and powder. For more information on the celebration of Holi visit: www.indianfestivals.info/holi.html

Child Labor

2009-03-26T21:02:00.010-04:00

Students in the eighth grade at Harlem Park have been discussing the issue of child labor. Students created posters to express their feelings on this subject and their thoughts on solutions to the problem. Carina's image 'This Could be Your Child' has been entered in a competition in which one entry from each country in the world will be chosen for an exhibit in Geneva Switzerland on the theme of children's views on child labor. For more on this exhibit visit: Geneva World

Prosperity Hens

2009-03-26T19:59:00.017-04:00

During Kristin's residency at Harlem Park we started working on Prosperity Hens. These birds created by the seventh grade students are in the style of the traditional folk craft from Northern India. We added our own twists with feathers and felt shapes but will be stringing them with beads and bells just as they are in India when some more are completed.

Holi

2009-03-23T11:14:00.003-04:00

Holi the Indian spring festival of color is nearing. If you would like to see some first hand celebration go to India Forums dance festival. Click on the image to see the whole flyer.

Marigolds

2009-03-21T14:29:00.012-04:00

I finally got all of the materials together and the second grade planted marigolds. Marigolds are important in India as they are used to create garlands that decorate religious statues, temples and for people at funerals , weddings and other special occasions.

The kids saved their milk continers and we cut them down. The kids counted their seeds and predicted how many flowers they would get. Each day a "gardener of the Day" is going to water the classes plants and record the number of plants that show growth. The students are also creating their own journals and artwork to accompany this science unit.

Mask Making

2009-03-21T14:21:00.005-04:00

At JMES I have been making papier mache masks with the school wide enrichment class. 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades meet with me on Fridays for 45 minutes to make sculpture. I told the kids they could make an Indian person, animal or a demon form the story Rama and the Demon King. Many of the kids make tigers. Although I had a couple of men, a demon and just because... Lil Wayne.

Elephants on Parade

2009-03-07T17:13:00.006-05:00

First and second grade students worked with visiting artist Kristin Helberg and Morag to create their parade of decorated elephants.Each elephant has it's own quirky charm and the students loved working with the sequins and feathers to embellish their work.

Individual Miniatures

2009-03-07T10:52:00.013-05:00

Examples of the individual miniature paintings. These three were painted by Eboney, Deandre and Kevin and were based on their sketches for their mural contributions and painted on watercolor paper imported from India.

Completed Mural

2009-03-06T21:12:00.010-05:00

Yesterday was our last day of work on the mural. Kristin Helberg our artist in residence has been at Harlem Park for the past month working with the eighth grade on the mural and team teaching other grades with Morag. In addition to creating this communal art work students used the sketches from their mural contributions as a basis for individual miniature paintings. It was sad to come to the end of this year's projects with Kristin, the students have a great relationship with her and learn a lot from working with a professional artist. We celebrated with mango lassi and presented Kristin with an umbrella decorated with sari clad dancing ladies.

Traditional Shoes

2009-03-06T20:56:00.008-05:00

Third grade students worked with visiting artist Kristin Helberg and Morag to created these mixed media shoes in the traditional Indian style.

Postcards for the Ahilya School

2009-02-26T20:51:00.005-05:00

Students in Ms. Patterson's Third Grade class at Harlem Park are creating postcards to send to students at the Ahilya School in Maheshwar. Students are writing about their lives here in Baltimore and hoping to learn about the Indian students in return.

Mural update

2009-02-26T19:42:00.011-05:00

The eighth grade at Harlem Park continue to work with artist in residence Kristin Helberg to create their mural in the style of Mughal painting. After examining images of traditional Indian painting each student in the class made a drawing that they then transferred to the mural panel using graphite paper. The students are now using house paint and metallic acrylics to add color to their images

The class are also making miniature paintings of their mural contributions. The miniatures are drawn on handmade watercolor paper from India. Students are using watercolor pencils and metallic watercolors for the color on these works.

Peacocks

2009-02-26T18:42:00.021-05:00

Students at Harlem Park have been studying peacocks and making their own peacock art work. Pre-K students created prints of peacock feathers. Kindergartners made their hand prints into peacocks, and peacock bag puppets. First graders drew peacocks and sixth grade created their own interpretations of India's national bird.

The Ahilya School

2009-02-09T14:48:00.015-05:00

As part of the Worldview: India project, students are collecting funds for the Ahilya School in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh. The school was started in 1989 to provide education for the children of the local handloom weavers. The cost of sponsoring a student for a year is $120, medical expenses for a family are an additional $100 for a year. Students at Harlem Park are having a penny drive and the art club is creating earrings for sale. James Mosher students are holding an art show at the Common Ground Cafe in Hampden in May. Students are donating their artwork to be sold so the proceeds can be sent to the Ahilya School.

Mural Project

2009-02-07T13:34:00.006-05:00

This week we started our mural project with artist in residence Kristin Helberg. Students in the eighth grade at Harlem Park are creating a mural in the style of Indian Mughal painting. Kristin is also team teaching other grade level classes with Morag, with projects as diverse as shoe sculptures and prints of peacock feathers. Kristin's residency is provided through the Maryland Sate Arts Council's Arts in Education (AiE) Program.

Resources

2009-01-26T13:02:00.009-05:00

The recent The Wonder Pets Save the Bengal Tiger television special and accompanying book Save the Bengal Tiger! (Wonder Pets!) and Global Wonders India DVD have been great audio visual resources for introducing our youngest students to the culture of India. The Wonder Pets Save the Bengal Tiger is a re-telling of the folk tale of a mouse pulling a thorn from a lions paw, thus proving the worth of even the smallest animals. The website has games and puzzles related to the story that cover the themes of friendship and teamwork and the vocabulary of the program. Global Wonders India is a DVD that introduces elements of Indian culture through the story of a play date between friends of differing cultures. The music and vocabulary reviews are especially well done.

Peacock Drawings

2009-01-25T15:40:00.006-05:00

Cool colors, pattern and printing were the focus for these beautiful peacocks. The students learned about national symbols and pride in national resources. They noted that India had more colorful animals than we did. These were beautiful and fun to draw, but I relly think glitter is what really makes them work.

Rama and the Demon King

2009-01-25T10:12:00.024-05:00

The first graders at James Mosher listened to the story Rama and the Demon King by Jessica Souhami. This is a story based on the epic Indian poem Ramayana, but greatly simplified for children. The students made paperbag puppets of the characters in the story. (Picture 0014) Second graders listened to the story and were asked to draw the characters from their imagination.

Gandhiji Graphic Design

2009-01-22T21:45:00.007-05:00

Eighth grade students are working on a graphic design assignment following their viewing of 'Gandhi' the film biography of Mahatma Gandhi. Students are creating artwork to show connections that they see between the philosophies and lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Martin Luther King Jr. , Barack Obama and themselves.

Tape Art

2009-01-22T13:15:00.015-05:00

James Mosher went through a massive restoration a few yeas ago and many good things were done to improve the school for its students. Near the end of the project a time crunch meant cut corners. One of the things that has long impacted the look of the school is the incorrect paint job. The contractors didn't prime the concrete walls and the paint peels with little provocation. The principal is annoyed and is always trying to keep work up without ruining what is left of the paint.

So one day, while perusing the web I came across the story of a guy living in a mall. So what is in connection? He works with Tape Art. I got very excited and thought ah ha! A solution for the no mural edict but still a distraction form the peeling paint. Initially I was worried aboout proceeding but I figured if it was not acceptable I could always take it down. IT WAS A BIG HIT! Everyone loved the idea. My first one was an Indian elephant. It is the right size but not perfect anatomically. Oh well. The kids have left it alone since I put it up in September. It is only this week that a kid messed with it. But I can fix it. yeah tape!

I also did Barack Obama after the election, and this week I did a peacock to accompany a lesson we are working on.

Rangoli

2009-01-20T15:47:00.006-05:00

Rangoli and Kolam are traditional Indian art forms used to decorate the area outside the home. Middle school students at Harlem Park explored the traditional methods of creating Kolam and Rangoli. Using only their hands and natural materials students created patterns with radial symmetry.

Diwali

2008-10-31T11:53:00.001-04:00

Students created a variety of artwork in celebration of Diwali. Kindergarten students learned about symmetry as they cut paper to make their Diyas, the oil lamps that are lit for the holiday. Pre-Kindergarten students splattered paint and glitter to make their Diwali fireworks. Third grade students worked cooperatively, drawing around each others feet to make shapes for decorated images of Laxmi's feet.

Books

2008-10-20T13:46:00.000-04:00

Students have been very excited to receive their books from the Children's Bookstore Educational Foundation. Through this grant every child at Harlem Park Elementary/Middle and James Mosher Elementary have a book on the subject of India that is theirs to keep. The texts range from historical fiction to an Indian A, B, C

Pre-Kindergarten

India ABC's Marcie Aboff

The Story of Little Babji, Helen Bannerman

Kindergarten

Rama the Demon King, Jessica Souhami

Seven Blind Mice, Ed Young

First

Monkey and Crocodile, Paul Galdone

Count Your Way Through India, J.S. Haskins

Second

Once a Mouse, Marcia Brown

Third

Elephant Dance, A Journey to India, Theresa Heine

Fourth

Looking at India, Jillian Powell

Fifth

The Not So Star Spangled Life of Sunita Sen, Mitali Perkins

Sixth

The Conch Bearer, Chitra Bannerjee

Homeless Bird, Gloria Whalen

Seventh

Homeless Bird, Gloria Whalen

Eighth

Keeping Corner, Kashmira Seth

Homeless Bird, Gloria Whalen

Launching Worldview: India

2008-10-10T18:20:00.000-04:00

Our selected culture of study for the 2008-2009 school year is India. Students will explore the traditional arts and crafts of India, participate in cross-curricular activities and engage in charitable projects linking the school community and the culture of study. We are paying particular attention to the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s visit to India in 1959, and the connections between the Civil Rights movement in the U.S.A and Mahatma Gandhi's policy of satyagraha (non-violent civil disobedience). A culminating event will be held at the Walters Art Museum in May.

We are fortunate to have many partners in our endeavors without which the program would not be possible;

Through the Children's Bookstore Education Foundation and the unending help of Chris Meyer, we are able to put a book about India into each of our students hands, to keep forever, for free!

Maryland State Arts Council's Arts in Education (AIE) grant is providing matching funds for Black Cherry Puppet Theatre to create a puppet show of an Indian folk tale with third grade students and mural artist Kristin Helberg to create a mural in the style of Mughal miniature painting with middle school students at Harlem Park.

Carrie Trybulec, Director of the Gandhi Memorial Center in Washington, D.C. has generously leant us the photographic exhibit; Mahatma Gandhi in the Service of Humanity and the films; 'India Land of Spirit and Mystique and 'Gandhi' Richard Attenborough's award winning biography of Mahatma Gandhi.

Now we have to get into the nitty gritty of actually teaching the kids all of this rich information about a country that is thousands of miles away but incredible close and influential on our daily lives.

The Beginning

2008-10-01T10:57:00.000-04:00

In May 2008, students of Harlem Park Elementary/Middle School created a mural of Claude Monet's house and gardens at Giverny. The project was led by art teacher Morag Bradford and artist in residence Kristin Helberg.

Morag integrated the project cross the elementary and middle school curriculum, students studied French Impressionism, mapped Monet's garden, tasted French food, listened to French music and learned some French phrases. When the students sent out invitations to the unveiling of their mural, Kristin sent an invitation to the French Embassy in the hope that the students would have the opportunity to meet a representative from the country they had been studying.

The mural celebration was attended by students, families, faculty, community partners and Monsieur Roland Celette, Cultural Attaché, and two guests from the French Embassy. Monsieur Celette greeted the students and their families, praised the students' work and encouraged their attempts at speaking French. The students thoroughly enjoyed showing off their work and acting as ambassadors for their school and community.

A photograph of the event was published in the Baltimore Sun newspaper.

The student's reaction was so positive that Morag decided to expand her vision from being a school wide project, to a year long arts integration program. The program, now named Worldview, would be expanded to engage students in exploring the world around them and to learn to appreciate how similar people are while appreciating their differences. Focusing on a different country each year students would make connections between their own lives and the lives of people in the culture of study.

India would be the country for year one; as Morag had travelled extensively there and had many artifacts to share, and because of the connection between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and their campaigns for civil rights.

This is where I come in. "I want to help,"I told her. I work at James Mosher Elementary School, a few blocks from Morag's school. Both schools are inner city schools with low socio-economic status and an at-risk population. Basically great kids with limited knowledge of the world beyond their neighborhood.

Over the next few months Morag and I wrote a few grants to fund Worldview. Our friend and graphic designer Luci Morreale of Ladderback Design created our logo and business cards and we began to contact local businesses and cultural agencies. Amanda Kodeck of The Walters Art Museum and Dawn Lobell of Baltimore City Public Schools both gave us their time and expertise for our grant writing efforts. Our first big triumph was the ING Unsung Heroes Award. With this award we can start to fund the components we want to include in our program such as music, dance, yoga, and additional visual arts projects.