The 11th Annual Alumni Event–Full of Ideas, Info, Food, and Fun!
August 7th, 2010
It was so great to reconnect with teachers who participated in the Art & Language Arts program over the past 11 years. This year’s alumni event focused on the theme of food in art. Teachers who attended the event explored the relationship of food, art, and history through tours, art-making activities, artistic food preparation, and a lecture by food educator and author Linda Civitello.
We can’t wait to hear how teachers will incorporate today’s information and activities in their classrooms.
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- Museum educator Sandy Rodriguez describes how to sketch from a still life.
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- After viewing how artists like Cezanne created a still life, teachers were ready to create their own.
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- Teachers were so focused on their sketches that you could hear a pin drop in the room.
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- Museum educator Kelly Williams leads an activity on creating decorative plates based on a 16th-century dish and an 18th-century centerpiece depicting ingredients for a stew.
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- Teachers decorated their plates with everything from patterns and seascapes to life cycles, as depicted here.
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- Teachers also molded food ingredients and animals to adhere to their plates.
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- Inspired by a Man Ray photograph created for an ad, teachers created sun prints using basic shapes.
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- They then incorporated their sun prints into collages.
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- And finally, they wrote slogans to go with their ads. What a great way to integrate art and language arts!
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- Chef Viviane Arlotto leads an activity on preparing banquets for students like the banquet depicted in a French tapestry.
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- Food educator Linda Civitello, author of Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People, shares ideas with teachers.
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- Teacher Frank Cooper shows off an artfully decorated cookie to his colleagues.
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- Teachers use cookie cutters to make tea sandwiches as pretty as they are tasty.
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- Teachers had a great time turning pineapple skewers into sculptural creations.
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- And the result…sculptural skewers and artful tea sandwiches!
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Attending the Alumni workshop was a blast! The activities were great to bring back to the classroom. Looking and examining at many of the art pieces I gained ideas to help students get a deeper understanding of the different painting styles of different artists.
I felt “full” after Saturday’s workshops in a great way! I especially enjoyed the gallery tour led by Nancy Real (Banquets and Feasts). She offered a wealth of information about the banquet pieces and gave great ideas for teaching. A teacher from my school had an idea using the tureens and connecting it with California regions. The class can create/draw a feast using California’s produce. If the tureen’s lids indicated what was being served, the students can draw tureens using products from California’s Central Valley.
Monica, we’re thrilled that you gained a variety of ideas!@Monica Polanco
@Marichelle Matic
Love this idea about connecting to California’s produce, Marichelle!
What a great way to spend Saturday! Connecting with other like-minded teachers about the importance of art education, with a focus on food, made the day enjoyable and educational!