Creative Self-Portraits at Young Art Show

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Rina Vinetz

For over 80 years, the San Diego Museum of Art has held a juried exhibition of student art. This year’s show is all about identity. Young Art ‘The Story of Me’ is on display right now at the Museum at the Center for Community and Cultural Art. Learn more in this article.

Our school had a record 12 pieces in this year’s show. Congratulations to all our young artists! Here are all their fabulous projects, arranged by grade:

First Grade: Clay Self-Portraits

First Grade: Royal Self Portrait

L. and her royal self-portrait

Second Grade: Super Hero Self Portraits

Third Grade: Heritage Self Portrait

Gavin’s heritage self-portrait, ‘Flag Face’, incorporates the flags of France and Italy.

Fourth Grade: CD Case Double Portraits

Fifth Grade: Charm bracelets and dog tags

Mo’s self-portrait is a T-shirt and neck chain, with charms for skiing and Spiderman.

Bella's charm bracelet has charms for Mexico, swimming, Disneyland and more.

Bella’s self-portrait charm bracelet includes charms for Mexico, swimming, and Disneyland.

Jacob’s salute to his family’s military background includes a camouflage shirt and individual dog tags for family members in the service.

Well done artists!!!! The show is up until May 26, 2013. Hope you can visit!

Thanks to the fabulous art education team at SDMART for making Young Art happen. Our community truly appreciates all your hard work.

Enjoy!

Yoga at the Museums!

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Rina Vinetz

Can you believe it? TWO San Diego art museums are holding yoga events this April.

The San Diego Museum of Art will hold a series of four weekly yoga classes Monday nights in April, 2013. Click here for more information.

Experience art in context during Yoga at the Museum. Strengthen your mind and body as you practice yoga in the San Diego Museum of Art’s Hibben Gallery and meditate on the art around you. Instructor Amy Pachowicz will offer a four-week course focusing on renewal, creation, and lifeforce. The goals are to increase energy through basic pranayama (breath work), supported backbends, beginning inversions and twists, and restorative poses. Hip-opening poses will also be taught as a way to increase creativity. Each class will be a mixture of poses and is appropriate for all levels.

How fabulous is that?

On April 19, 2013 The New Children’s Museum is hosting Namaste at NCM – An Evening of Yoga and Wine for a Purpose. This is a fundraiser to benefit camp scholarships for low-income children.

This special event will take place on the New Children’s Museum’s main level. The breathtaking architecture of NCM’s beautiful and modern museum space, surrounded by the twinkling lights of downtown San Diego, will help inspire your “inner yogi”– all while raising money for a great cause! The yoga practice will be led by Sabrina Garland of Garland Yoga, assisted by the talented instructors of Urban Yogi, while DJ Paul Peterson spins the evening’s tunes. BRING YOUR MAT! Sushi, bites, dessert, and wine will be served immediately following the yoga practice.

How fabulous is that?

Tickets are $45/person, $40 for NCM members. Click here for more info.

Journey Through the City: Interactive Sculpture

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Rina Vinetz

It’s winter break here in San Diego, and I celebrated with a trip to the San Diego Museum of Art. I enjoyed a FABULOUS, fun, free exhibit that will definitely appeal to children: Beneath the Moon II: Journey through the City by Miquel Navarro. It is an interactive sculpture/game/artwork made of 1000+ pieces of cast metal, ready to be assembled by visitors of all ages.

Navarro created this artwork in 1994 for the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Since then, it has toured the world, delighting children in Europe, Asia and Mexico. Here is a video of French school children enjoying Beneath the Moon.

Discussion:

What can you do in the art room to tie into Beneath the Moon II: Journey Through the City? You may want to start with a discussion. What is a city? What do we see in the city? We might see houses, factories, roads, trains, freeways, rivers, bridges or skyscrapers. Swimming pools and skate parks! Do cities stay the same forever or do they change?

Lesson Ideas:

Drawing: Draw your own imaginary city.
Writing: Create a narrative around your city.
Sculpting: make your own city with wooden blocks
Observational drawing: draw a small section of your wooden block city. These could be simple line drawings or tone drawings, emphasizing form and value.

If you visit:

The exhibit is open during regular Museum hours through April 30, 2013. There is no charge for this special exhibition, located in the new Welcome Gallery on the first floor. For docent-led school tours and group visits, click here.

The San Diego Museum of Art is located in beautiful Balboa Park, home to 15 major museums, the world-famous San Diego Zoo, theaters, gardens and much more.

A final tip: allot some time….YOUR KID WON’T WANT TO LEAVE!!!

NOTE TO SAN DIEGO COUNTY TEACHERS/ART TEACHERS, K-12

Would you like to see your students’ artworks exhibited at the San Diego Museum of Art? Young Art, the Museum’s exhibition of local student art, opens April 13, 2013. The theme is ‘The Story of Me’. This is a juried exhibition. Click here for more information. The deadline for submission is February 9, 2013.

Vochol: Coolest Art Car Ever!

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Rina Vinetz

Here is a museum exhibit you don’t want to miss! ‘Vochol’ – a VW bug COMPLETELY covered with colorful hand-set seed beads. ‘Vochol’ takes its name from ‘Vocho’ (the Mexican nickname for VW bugs) and Huichol (the Mexican people famous for their yarn paintings and beadwork).

This amazing bug has 2,227,000 beads on it! It was created by eight Huichol craftsmen. On exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art until March 11, 2012. Vochol is next traveling to Washington, D.C. from March 20, 2012 – May 6, 2012. Check out the Vochol Blog for more info. Vochol is even on Facebook!

If you have a chance to see this amazing artwork, please go. And bring children with you….they will love it!

Even the hubcaps are covered with beads!

Beaded mirror

A peek inside shows a beaded steering wheel and dashboard.

Map of Mexico showing region where the Huichol people live.

Alexander Calder’s Jewelry

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Rina Vinetz

: Calder’s necklace of glass jewels

Alexander Calder made this pin for his wife, Louisa

Calder’s earrings are miniature mobiles.

Did you know Calder designed wire jewelry? He made 1,800 pieces of jewelry during his long career. Learn more in this New York Times article and related New York Times slideshow of Calder’s jewelry. I was fortunate to see the Calder jewelry exhibit when it came to the San Diego Museum of Art in 2010.

The San Diego Museum of Art has a Calder inspired jewelry and wire sculpture lesson plan for upper elementary students.

Line drawing of Calder jewelry forms. Imagine your students making them in wire!

Calder jewelry-making techniques from SDMART lesson plan

Looking for a wire sculpture lesson plan? Check out my previous post: Calder wire sculpture lesson for 5th grade.

UPDATE: lots more Calder posts:

How to Make a Calder Mobile

Two Calder books to read online for free

Calder wire portraits

K – 6 Art

Art lessons for kids ages 5-12 – fresh from the art room!

Tag Archives: San Diego Museum of Art