KINDERGARTEN . . . We are artists in a museum!

Kindergarten students completed their self portraits today for the cover of their books, "All About Me!". Next week, we will begin working on the illustrations for the inside pages of our books.

Once everyone was finished with their portraits, I photographed the drawings and uploaded each image to Artsonia.com, the world's largest art museum for children. Artsonia brings together the artwork of students from many different countries to celebrate creativity in the classroom. All students at Ranney School are automatically a member of this international museum and can build their own personal portfolios. Families are encouraged to browse the museum and view school exhibitions and student artwork. Students develop a sense of pride as their work becomes published on the site and is viewed by friends and family.

All published artwork is archived by Artsonia as long as your child is a student at Ranney School. The student’s personal portfolio will continue to build through their years at our school. Kindergarten artwork, for example, will still be present in the student’s online portfolio as your child advances to first grade and beyond. You will be able to access your child’s artwork from any grade as they move ahead through the divisions.

Artsonia was created for schools and respects the privacy of all participating students. The student’s last name and any other personal information will never be revealed to anyone visiting the museum. Only the art teacher and registered parents have access to the student’s account.  I will be sending home a slip of paper with your student's special registration name and code so that families can register. I look forward to filling these online portfolios with beautiful work all year long!

Here are two examples of finished portraits I uploaded to Artsonia. Check out the Ranney School homepage on Artsonia.com to see everyone's work. http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839

Portrait by Herbani

Portrait by Eli

Note to families . . .
    This art blog will be updated regularly with new posts sharing our daily activities in the art room and news about upcoming art exhibits. To respect the privacy of our students, names will always be limited to first name only and identifiable photos will never be accompanied with a name. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write in the comment box below or send me an email at blevine@ranneyschool.org. I would love to hear from you!
    In my class, students are given the chance to explore different materials and fun new techniques as they develop their signature style. Some young artists love to draw with a pencil, some like to paint on canvas or create images in a digital format, while others prefer working with clay and molding three-dimensional forms. In my classroom, we use a variety of materials allowing all artists to experiment and figure out which type of art they like the best. At Ranney School, we place a strong emphasis on originality and celebrate artistic differences, always nurturing and encouraging the imagination of every student.
     Remember to check out our display of finished artwork and student portfolios in the Ranney home page of Artsonia.com.  http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839