October

1. The Art Shirt Friday phenomenon that I’ve been seeing each week on Instagram has been great. I love wearing art-related shirts, and I think it really does reinforce concepts with students. When they see you wear a shirt of a famous painting or inspirational phrase, they love making that connection themselves. I think Katie Allain took this one step further by wearing a gyotaku printed shirt. Apparently there is a store in Chatham, Massachusetts called Blue Water Fish Rubbings, that make these shirts using the traditional Japanese printing technique.

2. I really love art that toys with our preconceived notions of what beauty is, which is why I am really into this illustration of an overflowing garbage can by artist, Tim Lahan.

3. Kristina Latraverse’s Instagram feed is simply outstanding. It almost makes me want to teach middle school again :-). Even though all of the projects are blockbuster, I particularly like these cardboard self portraits by seventh graders:

4. Erica Grainger’s collaborative collage mural (grades 1-5), paying homage to Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Be sure to check it out on her Instagram feed for more info on the process!

5. It is funny how people can be on the same wave length sometimes. Last week, an art teacher friend emailed me a video showing the playful work of street artist, David Zinn. Unbeknownst to her, I was showing my fourth graders some of his work for a street art project they were working on. The timing was perfect. I really admire street art, and think this is an artist that elementary age kids can really appreciate: