Arts Consortium Projects on India
The first stage of the Arts Consortium Project got underway in December. Students of all grade leves have been involved in art projects related to India. To see examples of the art created by the children, click on the links below.
| Chhau masks: K & 1 |
| Terracotta horses: 2 & 3 |
| Mithila drawings: 4 & 5 |
| Henna hands: B.O.C. |
Kindergartners
and first-graders learned about Chhau masks, used in the dance-drama of Purulia,
a region in east India. They made simple masks, to a design adapted from the
Chhau model by mask-maker Nathan Kumar Scott. Like the Chhau masks, the Stanford
School students' masks are very colorful, and the crowns of the masks are detailed,
to attract the eye and add interest to the dance performance. Go to the mask
page to see some beautiful examples of what the children produced.
Through this project, students practiced their cutting, folding, pasting, and drawing skills. Wearing their masks, students then learned some simple Chhau dance movements, which they shared in a short performance for their older reading buddies. They also demonstrated the Indian greeting, "Namaste."
Second-graders
and third-graders learned about the terracotta horses of Tamil Nadu, in India,
dedicated to Ayyanar, guardian of the village boundaries. The horses come to
life in the spirit world and are ridden throughout the night by Ayyanar and
his helpers to safeguard the village. Students made small terracotta horses,
using a model brought from India, and techniques adapted for young students
by arts teacher Florence Knowles. Horses were fired in the school's new kiln;
some students also chose to paint their horses with bright colors, like the
Indian originals. Go to the terracotta horses page
to see some of the horses made by the 2nd and 3rd graders.
Through this project, students were introduced to ceramics techniques and practiced simple cutting, pinching, and modeling skills. Fourth-graders and fifth-graders, at their own request, will do this project later in the school year.
Fourth-graders
and fifth-graders learned about the drawings done by the women of Mithila, in
India, and how their traditional techniques are being adapted to contemporary
settings and materials. Elaborate drawings are traditionally created on the
walls of a marriage chamber, at the house of the bride. Typically the drawing
begins from a single point, and grows out from the center, much as the seed
of a lotus plant grows and eventually fills the entire pond. Each figure or
image occupies its own space; no shading or overlapping of images establishes
perspective or depth. Using this style, and inspired by Indian designs, students
created their own detailed drawings with thin felt markers. Go to the Mithila
drawings page to see some of the 4th and 5th graders drawings.
Through this project students developed and refined their drawing skills and worked with patterns in making borders for their drawings.
The International Arts Consortium is one of only thirty Arts Education Community Consortia Grants funded statewide by the Washington State Arts Commission. These grants enable "communities to build strong arts education programming that responds to the state's essential academic learning requirements in the arts, fully utilizes local resources, and helps develop local arts education expertise."
Thanks also to the many individuals and groups that have helped to support this project, including:
Return to the Past Highlights main page.