Art Auction Drawing Near…

In a few weeks on the 7^th June 2013 we will be having our huge fundraising event for Kindergarten, our ‘ART AUCTION!’ We are using all funds raised to go towards the upgrade of our art studio area. As you well know art is a very important part of our curriculum at Mairtown and we see great value in all it has to offer our children and their families.

“Creating art expands a child's ability to interact with the world around them, and provides a new set of skills for self-expression and communication. Not only does art help to develop the right side of the brain, it also cultivates important skills that benefit a child's development. But art goes far beyond the tangible statistics measured by studies -- it can become a pivotal mode of uninhibited self-expression and amazement for a child. Art matters the same way language matters -- or the way breathing matters! It is a fundamental component of what makes us uniquely human.” (Kohl)

One of the components of our fundraiser is beautiful pieces of art that our children have been working on. Over the last couple of weeks the children have started to create a range of different masterpieces that will be on sale for their families to purchase at our auction.

A lot of time and thought from the children has gone into these art works. They have been inspired by artists like Hundertwasser, as well as by images of iconic Māori legends like the Taniwha. Some of the children have even used a piece of art that has been donated for the auction as inspiration.

 

Some of the children have been using black PVA paints on canvas. This type of paint creates a puffed, raised look when applied. Once this is dry the children have then used a range of beautifully coloured dyes to fill in all the white spaces. As you can see the effects of this art process are dramatic and stunning.

Other children have been working on paintings which require a lot of revisiting. They start off by painting with bold colours, creating strong shapes and patterns. Once dry they then go around these bold colours with Indian ink. Again, they wait till this is dry and then they use metallic pens to make patterns in the black lines. These pieces are also incredibly striking and look great in their frames ready to hang.

 

 

When some of our donated art works started to arrive at Kindergarten we shared them with our children. One piece in particular by the artist Kymiri sparked quite a lot of interest.  When a group of the children saw this they were inspired to create a similar painting. This work of art allowed the children to represent what they had observed in this painting through their own pieces of work. It also brought them copious amounts of joy as the re-enacted the upside down swinging technique that the girl in the painting is doing.

 

By providing children with examples of artists’ works we are inviting them to revisit and revise their own working theories of their world. This is an example of inquiry based learning, which opens up endless opportunities for self-expression and exploration. Being immersed in an environment that values art is beautiful and empowering. Art supports our children’s development in so many different ways.

 

“Children are eager explorers- explorers with an intense desire and will to make sense of their world. Some of the most effective means they have for explaining things to themselves are drawing and painting. While using them to make images, they explore feelings and ideas, and through their images they communicate thoughts to others as well as themselves.” (Kolbe, 2003)

 

 

It is so exciting watching these works of art come to life. The children are filled with anticipation and excitement about this event and can’t wait show off their art works to their families. They are so proud of what they have done, as are we. This event is getting closer and coming together wonderfully. Remember to put the 7^th June in your diary and come along to this fantastic event.

 

DON’T FORGET TO CLICK ON THIS LINK AND JOIN OUR FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE>>> SHARE THIS WITH ALL YOUR FRIENDS… SPREAD THE WORD!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/177920712370761/

 

Zair :)