Art Program
| Elementary School Art | Middle School Art | High School Art |
Elementary Art
Staff
Susan Keefe (Brooks)
Patty Davis (Brooks)
Diana Nobrega (Columbus and Curtis/Tufts)
Julia Roberts (Columbus)
Jen Belanger (McGlynn)
Kathleen Shanley (Roberts)
Middle School Art
McGlynn Middle School
Students at the McGlynn Middle School experience a wide variety of the Arts. Students explore the concepts and techniques of drawing, painting, digitial photography, and pottery. They gain an in-depth understanding of Art History and its relationship to the world. Students also study the many cultures of the world and their contributions to the art world.
The Art Suite at the Mcglynn has a large work and storage area. The Kiln Room has a computerized kiln and Grade 8 students do pottery.
Essential Learnings for the Middle School Art Program follow the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Students learn the position of the arts in the world around them. Through research and exploration, students can compare and contrast the arts of past times to today. Students also explore many different media in expressing their creativity. They may begin with pencil drawings and move on to charcoal, pen and ink, watercolors, pastels and maybe even oils.
The curriculum at the McGlynn is project-based and is sometime integrated with Federal Teaching America History Grants. The McGlynn students are asked at times to enter local art shows at the Mall, for the Medford Family Network and at the Mystic River Festival.
In May of 2011 fifty of McGlynn Middle School’s most accomplished artists displayed their work at Springstep in Medford Square. Below are some samples. Pictured: Mushroom by Owen Bailey, Sea Scene by John Mucci-Riley, and Flower by Anothony DeSouza.
Photos from Ms. Corleto’s class:
Yearbook Club
Ms. Corleto runs the Yearbook Club at the McGlynn Middle School for students in grades 7 and 8.
Mural up the School (M.U.T.S) Club
The M.U.T.S (Mural up the School Club) is well under way at the McGlynn. Seventh and eighth graders, under the direction of Mrs. Fee and Mr. Villard, are hard at work on a geography themed mural in the seventh grade hallway. They have also been commissioned to paint the backdrop in the media room for the school newscast. They have lots of other projects underway as well!
Andrews Middle School
Art at Andrews Middle School – Overview of Projects
Grade 6
Calendar
The goal of the calendar project is to create a quarterly calendar that will be displayed at the front of the art room. The calendar is a valuable tool in keeping track of days through the quarter. Students use the calendar to see how many days they have left to complete projects. This project will also introduce students new to art at Andrews Middle School to proper art room procedures.
Animal Mosaics
The goal of the animal mosaic is to recreate the image of an animal native to New England in mosaic form. Students will learn how to enlarge the scale of an original photograph, and begin to understand how to transform many tiny individual tiles into a single cohesive image.
Dinosaurs and Dodgeballs
This project acts as an introduction to the painting process. Students are introduced or reintroduced to basic painting skills like color mixing, paint application, and the creation of highlight and shade. Students also work with visual art principles like negative space, positive space, and perspective.
Expressive Masks
Students build 3-D masks in order to gain an understanding of human facial structure and expression. This project starts with a discussion that includes a basic diagram of the human face. Students are given construction paper in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes and asked to construct facial features by cutting out appropriately shaped pieces and the placing them correctly on the base they’ve created. Symmetry and asymmetry are major components of this project.
Grade 7
Color Wheel
This project is a precursor to the following painting project. It gives seventh graders experience mixing colors, understanding color value, and the opportunity to learn and implement important color terms like primary, secondary, tertiary, analogous, complimentary tint and shade.
Still Life to Abstract Painting
In completing this project students learn to understand and experience the process by which an abstract painting can be created. Abstract Paintings are not random, they require as much planning as any work of art. In 2 rounds of still life sketching students increase the scale of objects and isolate an active area in a sketch. The scale of the chosen area is increased many times and becomes the basis for a painting.
Motif Cubes
Students create a series of different size cubes and then are given a variety of materials with which to decorate their cubes. Students must match and repeat the decorative style they create on each of their cubes creating a recurring visual theme known as a motif.
Cityscape
Students begin to gain an understanding of 2-point perspective with this project. Students work to overcome the urge to draw what they think they see and replace it with what is really there. The basic principles of 2-point perspective are covered, including vanishing points and the horizon line.
Zoetrope and Motion Pictures
This project provides students an understanding of moving pictures. The basics of animation and filmmaking are touched on. Students learn about the importance of a storyboarding, how make an animated short in the form of a flip card book. New this year will be the creation of a movie poster promoting their animation.
Grade 8
Elements of Art and Principles of Design
Create images showing an understanding of the elements and principles
Namescape
The namescape project has two goals. The first is for students to gain an understanding of 2-point perspective by creating a rendering of their names that appear to exist in 3 dimensions. Secondly, the background illustration students create will be based on their own unique personal traits.
Descriptive 3-D Cube
Students select something and attempt to capture its primary visual characteristics in a five-inch cube. Successful subject matter includes animals, foods, and anything that has bold visual characteristics. This project is designed to stimulate students conceptual and craft construction abilities.
Understanding Space
This project will help students understand the relationship between negative and positive forms in an artwork. Students will begin to understand how to discern and change positive and negative forms
Photos from Mr. Gallagher’s class:
Andrews Middle School Art Club
Art club meets once a week from October through June, as long as late buses are running. Meetings start at 2:15pm and wrap up at 3pm. Art club is a place for all students to do more artwork, mainly drawing and painting, regardless of experience or expertise. Projects will involve paint and other supplies that can stain clothes so you’ll need an apron or a smock. A baggy, old T-shirt will work just fine. Contact the AMS office at 781-393-2228 or the club advisor, Peter Gallagher, at pgallagher@medford.k12.ma.us for club meeting days.
High School Art
The Art Department offers a wide variety of full-year courses designed to meet the needs of high school students. Those who are planning advanced studies in art, as well as those who are interested in art as a source of income, personal development or academic enrichment, will find educational opportunities available to them. Instruction in all courses builds solid technical skills on a foundation of the principles of design. Students may sample an art discipline through an introductory level class, or explore a medium in depth through advanced level courses. Students who complete a program of advanced level classes will produce the high quality work demanded for admission to most art schools and universities. All students must take and pass a Fine Arts course for graduation.
Courses
Above: photos of student work from Mrs. MacKenzie’s class
Ms. Van Aken with some of her students’ work at the West Medford Open Studios in 2010.
2012 Boston Globe Scholastic Art Winners
The Boston Globe Scholastic Art and Writing Awards recognizes excellence in the visual arts. This year, approximately 14,000 individual pieces of art were submitted for adjudication. Work was evaluated based on its standards of craftsmanship and design, originality of concept, creativity of solutions, and visualization of the individual voice.
In this highly competitive state competition, eleven awards were granted to Medford High School students. Special recognition goes to senior Christina Tran, who was recognized with a Gold Key for her portfolio of sculpture and ceramics.
The work of Gold and Silver Key winners will be displayed at the Department of Transportation Building in Boston, opening February 13, and closing April 20. Gold Key winning artwork will then go onto national competition.
Marissa Coit, Ceramics & Glass, Dreams Unbound by Time, Gold Key
Carlos deOliveira, Drawing, Unseen Death, Gold Key
Christina Tran, Art Portfolio, Gold Key
Jeremy Martins, Sculpture, Influencing Joy, Gold Key
Christina Tran, Sculpture, Identity Crisis, Silver Key
Carlos deOliveira, Sculpture, Under The Sea Turtle, Honorable Mention
Carlos deOliveira, Sculpture, Turtle, Honorable Mention
Jennifer Duong, Drawing, Self Portrait, Honorable Mention
Kayla Greeley, Sculpture, Shoe of desire, Honorable Mention
Winny Kwong Sito, Comic Art, Apology, Honorable Mention
Conor McGovern, Sculpture, Old Leather, Honorable Mention
Christina Tran, Sculpture, Cube in Ball, Honorable Mention
2011 Boston Globe Scholastic Art and Writing Winners
Congratulations to the 2011 Boston Globe Scholastic Art and Writing Winners!
In their 88-year history, the awards, administered by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, have recognized some of America’s most celebrated artists and authors while they were teenagers, including Truman Capote, John Lithgow, Robert McCloskey, Joyce Carol Oates, Sylvia Plath, Robert Redford, and Andy Warhol.
Recognition is awarded in three levels of distinction: Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention. Gold Key works are forwarded to New York City for national adjudication. Panelists of three individuals are selected by an advisory board to judge entries in fifteen art categories and ten writing genres. Silver and Gold Key recipients will be honored in an awards ceremony on March 6 at John Hancock Hall.
Art Winners
Gold Key
Thalia Borba, The Mysteries of the Sea
Crystal Chandler, King Kong’s Revenge
Diana Hien, Dance as One
Allegra Kurtz-Rossi, Sonata for a Warrior
Daniel Ridge, Security or Force?
Silver Key
Peter-Joseph DeGiovanni, Self Portrait
Dylan Eufrasio, Birthday Present for King Arthur
Diana Hien, Bamboo Teapot
Allegra Kurtz-Rossi, Japanese Fan Box
Winny Kwong Sito, Hold on to What You Have
Michelle Nguyen, Hand-Crafted
Leah Parrino, Mirrored Beauty
Honorable Mention
Catherine DeQuinzio, Phonz
Anika Chowdhury, Beauty in a Breeze
Hector Delgado, Black Sun
Dylan Eufrasio, Bonsai T-Pot
Jordan Harris, Eye Spy
Allegra Kurtz-Rossi, Pink Lily Teapot
Jeannie Nguyen, Turtle
Leah Parrino, Self Portrait
Daniel Ridge, Tea from the Sea
William Russell, The Birds
Nadya Voitenok, Brushes and an Apple
Writing Winners
Gold Key
Leila Walker, Personal Essay, “Car Wash”
Nicole Avella, Short Story, “Food for Thought”
Silver Key
Kylie Baker, Short Short Story, “Borderline”
Anika Chowdbury, Humor, “A Day at the Theater”
Renee Gramolini, Short Short Story, “Silver Lining”
Honorable Mention
Amy Lam, Personal Essay, “The Ride”
Kristen McCarthy, Personal Essay, “Hands and Memories”
Gaelle Rigaud, Personal Essay, “The Teddy I Didn’t Want”
Barbara Araya, Short Short Story, “Night”
Tommy Calautti, Short Short Story, “It’s Never Too Late”
Isabelle Thibault, Short Short Story, “Footprints at the Station”
Alexander Nguyen, Science Fiction/Fantasy, “Touf’s Quest of Love, Vengeance, and Pride”
Kevin Nguyen, Poetry, “Silent Night, Change, The End, Memories, Shoes”
Evan Nigro, Humor, “Life in the C.I.A.”
Jane Smith, Short Story, “It Takes Rain to Make a Rainbow”
Special thanks to MHS art teachers Ms. Mackenzie and Ms. Van Aken for pictures of student artwork and parent Robin Baker for information on the writing awards.