HS Art

The SIS High School Art students have continued creating fabulous work to start off our second semester.  Their work will be displayed for all to enjoy on April 15th and 16th during our student led conferences. Here’s a sneak peak of some of things we have been working on.

Art I artists are in the midst of their sculpture unit.  Artists began with creating small wire sculptures using Twisteez colored wires.  Sculptures are currently displayed in the display case outside of the art rooms in the upper elementary school hallway.  To continue the unit, artists are currently combing two types of sculpture, found object and recycled, to create animals. Found object sculptures are sculptures created by objects found around the house (silverware, paperclips, shoes, etc.).  Recycled sculptures are made from manipulating materials to create a desired form (plastic bottles, bottle caps, glass jars, etc.).

Art II artists are continuing their paper unit by studying origami. Origami is the art of folding paper.  Artists are working on individual projects, but will combine them to create an origami installation. Each artist is creating pieces based on their expertise and ability level.  The final piece will be displayed in our End of the Year Art Show on April 15th and 16th. 

AP Studio Art 2D Design artists have begun working on their concentration section of their portfolio.  Each artist needs to create 15 pieces of art concentrating on a specific topic for all of the pieces. Artists are able to choose their topic along with the medium they would like to work in.  Throughout the 15 pieces of art, the artists needs to show that their artistic skills have grown. A strong use of elements and principles of design is also expected. 

Scenery and Set Design artists are currently working in collaboration with the drama department creating backdrops, sets, and props for the upcoming Secondary School Theater Production, Falling, which will take place in the Little Theater at 6:30pm on April 4th and 5th. Under the guidance of Ms. Leadbetter and Ms. Wiest design students brainstormed possible backdrop ideas, voted, and are in the process of drawing the backdrop on large boards.  The backdrop will then be painted and used for the theater performances. T-shirts, posters, and tickets are also being designed by this class. Set design students will also be helping with set changes, lighting, and sound for the performance, as well as performing in the production. 

Middle School Drama

Grade 7 Drama

Students began their studies with an Introduction to Drama unit and learned some basic conventions and components of the subject; inclusive of Freeze Frame, Stage Grid, Character Hot Seat and the basic Elements of Drama, such as Role, Relationship, Time and Place. Students investigated the importance of these elements in a group devised piece of drama, which was presented to the class. The group had the opportunity to reflect upon their own acting work, as well as critiquing the performance of other class members as well.

For our second unit, students learnt about the style of theatre known as Melodrama and the numerous conventions that make this theatre style so unique.  Some of these conventions include; the use of the aside, audience participation with cheering and booing at relevant moments in the drama, standard plot lines and the use of the stock character, such as the villain, the hero and the heroine.  These conventions have been practically imagined in numerous scripted activities. Grade 7 students have enjoyed the opportunity to be melodramatic in drama class activities!

Grade 8A Drama

In the 8A Drama class, students delved into how an actor can communicate a message to a given audience though non-verbal communication and through the form of Mime. The class began by experimenting with basic mime activities, which was followed by the exploration of character emotion without words and finally to the creation of story with the use of mime only. Throughout their journey in the topic of mime, students created excellent pieces of theatre which revealed strong skills of non-verbal communication.

The class then went back to the beginnings of the ancient western world and learned about Greek Drama and how theatre evolved from rituals performed for the God Dionysus to the creation of plays for competition. The class explored the historical period and the way that theatre proved to be a central component of the ancient Greek civilization. The importance of mask, costume and the Greek Theatre, known as the Amphitheatre, were central to our study. The use of a theatrical chorus was also a relevant part of the theatre during this time period in history. It has been a pleasure to work with the students of 8A, who consistently work harmoniously as a positive Drama ensemble.