Spotted by Speyer’s Art Studio: The Art Materials Center

The Art Materials Center is an art-on-a-cart supplemental initiative that travels to our Kindergarten classrooms each week. In addition to weekly class in the Art Room, this special new program is focused on the creation of making ephemeralor temporary art. The supplies in the bins are not consumables. Instead, they are used to create art compositions that will be disassembled after use. After the art is created and then disassembled, the objects used are returned (without alteration) to their designated bin. 

So you may be asking, "How does this work?" LS Art Teacher Ms. Isabelle explains it this way: Each student gets a black building mat. I pass out bins to small groups to share. The students share the materials in their assigned bin to create their compositions on the mats. Students must work with the materials given and not “shop around” at other tables. 

After they build their art, they document it and break it down. The class then has a group reflection conversation where our artists may discuss: 
— What was challenging about working with the materials you were given today?
— What did you enjoy? 
— How would you describe the composition you created today using your "Artist Vocabulary?" (i.e., Was your sculpture mainly horizontal or vertical in its composition? Were there elements of texture or depth to your sculpture?)
— How did color impact your choices?

This is a wonderful new way for our gifted students to explore their creativity and challenges them to shift their focus to the process of creating rather than on the finished piece of art!