Art prek-6 with Mrs. Saunders

Test your graphic design skills and Design Marzetti Caramel apple-dip snack pack packaging for a chance to win some great prizes.
Contest deadline is Nov. 30th.
Find details at….
http://www.udipsweepstakes.com/gm_packagedesign.ph

  
Miss Smith from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts returned and visited with our 3rd grade students. She presented a lesson on Greek and Roman archaeology.  We had a great time studying a mystery
artifact for clues.
 

 
1st grade had a visit today from Miss Smith from the Virginia Musuem of Fine Art.
We learned about American artist, George Durrie and Faith Ringgold.
George Durrie was nicknamed “the snowman” because he painted so many snow pictures.
Faith Ringgold creates story quilts and we created our own “story quilt”  as well
 

Visit the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke.
My favorite piece was “Framed, 1946″ by Norman Rockwell part of the museum’s permanent collection.
This small thumbnail does not do justice to the 42 1/2 x 33 in  original.
I especially was entralled by how the frame seemed to jump off the canvas.

The handbags of Judith Leiber were another favorite of mine.  
Judith Leiber fashioned her first handbag when after opening a gift package she bought for a friend, she found the shiny metal box inside scratched. The artist in her quickly surfaced as she covered the box in crystals. The museum has a large collection of her work:)

A great place to search for more info is
http://rtstories.com/artmuseum/ 
also check out the Museum wbsite at
http://www.taubmanmuseum.org/ 

Happy Mother’s Day!!
Celebrate Mother’s Day with these free workshops from Michael’s.
Check your local store for details,
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/static?page=mothersday-events 

The Holocaust Museum in Houston, TX 
is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies.
You can participate in their “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” activity by creating handmade arts-and-crafts butterflies. 
Then send them to the Museum by June 30, 2011. 
For more info go to the Museum website at http://www.hmh.org/minisite/butterfly/index.html 
Side note…  When I was in 4th grade, I read the book
“Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank.
It’s a true story and a must read for anyone interested in the Holocaust but due to subject matter, I would rate it upper elementary and suggest parents read it first. 

WOW!!!
Check out this awesome web site and take a virtual tour of the Great Wall.
http://www.thebeijingguide.com/great_wall_of_china/index.html 
Look out the tower windows and notice how ground lines, size changing and color are used to show distance.  Notice the perspective of “The Wall” itself.

Great story starters… reflect on what is going on in the world!
The Big Picture is a photo blog of current events for the Boston Globe. 
Entries are posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by Alan Taylor.