UIL Creative Arts 2015

It was another successful year for NJHS students at the UIL Creative Arts competition! Students worked hard, for weeks, to transform their original ideas into works of art. Below are the place winners in each category...

8th Grade Drawing

1st place Alana A.

Krystal R.

5th place Kendall C.

8th grade Painting

1st place Jennifer P.

6th place Anissa V.



8th Grade 3-D

4th place Hope E.

6th place Cole D.

7th Grade Drawing

2nd place Ty M.


 7th grade Painting

2nd place Kaylee L.


7th Grade 3-D 

4th place Logan S.

7th grade Mixed Media

4th place Crystal R.

5th place Elijah A.

 The other students who entered but didn't place deserve a shout-out because their work was awesome! Here they are: 

 

 

 

I really feel that this year, our artwork stood out as having a lot of deep and conceptual ideas behind the subject matter. The imaginations and minds of (pre)teens! What will they think of next?

The 2nd Annual Empty Bowls Project

In November, the advanced art students and our after-school art club hosted our 2nd Empty Bowls event. After last year's smashing success we had high hopes and expectations. While we didn't have as good of a turn-out, we were able to raise a good amount to send to our local food bank. This is in conjunction with the school-wide food drive we hold each holiday season. Together, we were able to make an impact in the daily lives of people in our community.  Better yet, students created beautiful and artistic ceramic bowls and were able to experience selling their creations for a greater purpose than themselves. Which is really what it's all about, right?

Students photographed the bowls since most have new homes.

To learn more about The Empty Bowls Project go here, or to check out last year's event go here.

JrVASE

 I'd like to premise this post by saying that, the junior Visual Art Scholastic Event is  a pretty big deal. It's not just your run-of-the-mill put-it-up and get a ribbon contest. JrVASE inspires students to grow as artists, hones their interpersonal skills and sparks creativity through competition. Students have to go before a juror for a one-on-one interview and discuss their work and defend their aesthetic choices and ideas. This can be a truly empowering experience for students. I know it was for me, when I participated in VASE many moons ago.

 I always tell my students that art is like a sport. In which, natural talent is bunk and you have to work hard and practice to get better! Well these students and their amazing work makes me question my own philosophy. Oh, they work hard but their work is just SO good! They were up against over 200 other artworks, an interview, and a bus break-down. They were poised, professional, and made me so proud.

 The following work received the highest scores possible and moved onto the final round of judging!

 Bailey- 8th, Daydream, mixed-media

Dayton- 8th, Flipped, linoleum block print

Hailey- 8th, The Arch, acrylic

Hannah- 7th, Encouraging Words, mixed-media

Laney- 8th, Elixir of the Sea, mixed-media

Brynn Stadtmueller was also awarded the Silver Seal. It was only given to 11 other students in her division!

Brynn- 8th, Three Wise Monkeys, mixed-media

I am so proud of you guys! Well done!

UIL Creative Arts

WOW! The UIL Creative Arts participants representing our school really impressed me this year (and last :)). Long hours, mess-ups, start-overs and learning curves were all a part of the process but, I wouldn't have it any other way. Many 8th grade contestants are repeat winners from last year and my new crop of 7th graders are so full of potential it's kind of staggering. To think these students have had little-to-no visual art exposure or experience before they get to me is amazing because they continue to impress me daily! So, without further ado, here are the place winners for the 2014 UIL Creative Arts competition:

1st place 8th gr. painting: Hailey W.

3rd place 8th gr. painting: Dominik J.

2nd place 8th gr. drawing: Brynn S. 

3rd place 8th gr. drawing: Laney J. 

2nd place 7th gr. painting: Ashton M. 

6th place 7th gr. drawing: Hannah H. 

4th place 7th gr. mixed/misc: Gabriela M. 

Here is a group shot of all the other submissions that are also totally medal-worthy!

My ArtSmart team also cleaned house this weekend. It was our first year competing so nerves were a little high but, they really brought their a-game. 

7th gr. 2nd-Ashlea F., 3rd- Jacob U. 4th- Cassandra M. 5th- Hannah H. 6th- Tyler M. 

8th gr. 2nd-Laney J., 3rd- Tate F. 4th- Tucker F. 5th-Andrea F.

I am so grateful that we have the opportunity to participate in these two contests! I love it, the students love it, and it's a great way to bring exposure to the amazing things students are creating in art.

Empty Bowls Project

   The Empty Bowls Project is a grassroots movement with an aim to help end and bring awareness to hunger and food insecurity in our communities. I first learned of the Empty Bowls Project during a ceramics course my junior year of college. Since then, it has always been at the back of my mind. That place all teachers have dedicated in their brains for future school ideas (or now referred to simply as Pinterest). In August, I started researching nearby events. None of them were really right for us. Most events wouldn't take volunteers under 16, or were too far away, or were for professional potters only. So I did what I usually do, dove head-first into a pretty ambitious idea. Thus, the very first Navarro JHS Empty Bowls project was born.
Here is a link to a local newspaper article for the event!
 

 Students used food-safe glaze, slump molds, and some throwing on the wheel to create these functional masterpieces!

Students began working in early October to make our mid-November deadline. We discussed statistics of people (especially children) who lived with hunger or food insecurity, in our state. My plan was for each student to create 3 ceramic bowls; each a different size, style, or technique. Their results blew me away. We had 70+ bowls to sell and only had a hand-full leftover after the event. There wasn't a single student who did not make a sale! All of the proceeds went to a local food bank!