Winter Birch Trees and African Clay Masks

Hello All!!!

The students are working hard in the art room! We are now learning about the art and culture of Africa! 

4th graders: Explored watercolors to create a beautiful sky and then had fun using cardboard and black paint to create these beautiful winter landscapes! We discussed shading techniques and students shading the trees to appear on the snow.

8th grade: Students explore techniques in clay to create these african masks.

African masks should be seen as part of a ceremonial costume. They are used in religious and social events to represent the spirits of ancestors or to control the good and evil forces in the community. They come to life, possessed by their spirit in the performance of the dance, and are enhanced by both the music and atmosphere of the occasion. Some combine human and animal features to unite man with his natural environment. This bond with nature is of great importance to the African and through the ages masks have always been used to express this relationship