Vintage Sculpture at Hanawalt

We are thrilled that Brad and Sundie Ruppert will be working with our fifth grade artists as they begin creating their gift of art to Hanawalt! The Rupperts own Vintage Sculpture in Norwalk Iowa. Their art sculptures are created using found and recycled objects. The objects inspire the idea behind each sculpture. You might have seen their work at the Des Moines Art Festival. Their web address is: vintagesculpture.com

Brad and Sundie will be visiting with our student artists the morning of March 7th from 8:25-10:40 a.m. They will share their art and their philosophy of creating art, and then return as guest artists for our Day in the Arts. You are welcome to stop by the morning of March 7th, and during our Day in the Arts to meet the Rupperts and experience their unique philosophy and art.

Special thanks to Hanawalt parent Alissa McKinney for introducing us to Vintage Sculpture!

Day in the Arts - April 15, 2011

“Even before the artist begins to dream, others have planted the seed in him.” -Lee Mingwei

You are invited to Hanawalt Elementary School’s Day in the Arts! We hope you can join us on Friday, April 15th. If you cannot spend the entire day, stop by for part of the day.

Hanawalt is the only Des Moines Public School to provide such a learning opportunity for their children! Thanks to our wonderful PTA, we have many guest artists offering a variety of creative and cultural experiences for our students, staff and parent community!

Workshop sessions will be throughout the morning, beginning at 8:30, with Frank Strong taking us on a musical history trip at 2:00 in the Gymnasium.

We are still recruiting volunteers to assist our guest artists from 8:15 to 11:30. This is a great way to volunteer, and you will definitely enjoy working with our children as they experience working with our artists. Please contact Alissa McKinney at alissamckinney@msn.com.

News from the Art Studio

“In art, one idea is a good as another.” -Willem deKooning

This is the time of year when our children make strong connections, and as one student said, “It all comes together!” Art experiences connect to personal experiences and previously learning knowledge. This ensures meaningful experiences and understanding.

Kindergarten Artists retold Aesop’s fable, “The Lion and the Mouse”. Using a crayon resist technique, students discovered properties of crayon and paint. Our literacy connection included sequencing.

First Grade Artists were into measuring after a classroom trip to see Inch by Inch at the Civic Center. Making connections to story and math, the children created inchworm puppets (actually ten inches long!), then measured anything and everything in the Art Studio!

Second Grade Artists have been learning about the art of Wayne Thiebaud, who loves desserts so much he uses them in a number of his paintings! Learning about horizon lines, cool colors, and shadows the children are created fabulous paintings of their own favorite desserts.

Third Grade Artists have been learning about value in art. They created value scales using black and white, and then added one color. Their new vocabulary word is monochromatic, as they apply their new knowledge to create self portraits.

Fourth Grade Artists participated in the District wide art assessment. They learned about the art of Grant Wood and Henri Rousseau, and then created a landscape painting using pattern, perspective, and color.

Fifth Grade Artists are redesigning the Google logo as they Doodle 4 Google. Using their knowledge about perspective and form, the letters are changed to reflect this year’s theme of “What I would like to do someday”.

Enjoy the change of seasons as the flowers begin to pop up! Sincerely, Sally McKenzie, Art Educator

A Day In The Arts - 04/15/11

Happy New Year! Our thoughts are quickly jumping to spring and A Day in the Arts!

On this day students have the opportunity to work with three guest artists in workshop sessions throughout the morning. In the afternoon, students will experience an all-school workshop/performance.

We are the only school in Des Moines to provide this opportunity for our students!

Planning is underway, and there are opportunities for you to be a part of this wonderful day. You can be a guest artist, and work with children in a workshop session, or volunteer to help a guest artist. The Day in the Arts committee welcomes your help and participation. We look forward to hearing from you! You can contact any of the following people:

Alissa McKinney - alissamckinney@msn.com

Carol Looney - carolyn.looney@dmps.k12.ia.us
Sally McKenzie sally.mckenzie@dmps.k12.ia.us

Thank you from the Art Studio

Thank you for continuing to send your recyclable materials to the art studio. Cardboard tubes, paper sacks, and egg cartons are favorites. We also welcome any donations of masking tape for building with these materials. We will begin working with clay in January. We are collecting plastic gallon ice cream containers with lids for that unit. If you are an ice cream lover, please save and send your containers to the art studio! Have a wonderful autumn!

Go for a walk in the leaves with your child. Smell and listen to the sounds of nature. Look for colors, shapes, and shadows.

Enjoy! Sally McKenzie, Art

Art Request - Your Trash Is Our Treasure

Please consider saving and sending your recyclables to the Art Studio! Young artists look forward to using the materials and their imagination to build sculptures. When sending materials, please make sure they are rinsed and dry. Do not send metal cans or anything with sharp edges. Thank you for helping us collect interesting materials to use! We can put any of the following materials to use:

• Egg cartons
• Cardboard cereal boxes
• Cardboard paper towel/toilet paper rolls
• Styrofoam meat trays
• Small cardboard pieces
• Plastic vegetable trays
• Small plastic containers and lids
• Ribbon, yarn, buttons, jewels
• Anything you think has creative possibilities!

Which Day Does Your Child Have Art?

Kindergarten Mrs. Genzen – Tues & Wed Mrs. Heemstra – Tues & Fri Ms. Revell – Mon & Thurs	1st Grade Mrs. Nordmeyer – Mon & Fri Mrs. Wade – Mon & Thurs	2nd Grade Mrs. Olivetta – Wed & Fri Mrs. Von Arb – Tues & Fri
3rd Grade Mrs. Carpenter – Mon & Tues Mrs. Esch – Thurs & Fri Mr. Tutt – Tues & Thurs	4th Grade Mr. Lovell – Tues & Wed Mrs. Thomas – Mon & Thurs Mrs. Yeager – Wed & Fri	5th Grade Mr. Garvey - Tues & Fri Mr. Gillaspey – Mon & Thurs Mrs. Hesse – Mon & Wed

Please note the day that your child has art, and help them dress with art in mind. Sometimes accidents happen, and children become very concerned if they are wearing a new, or special article of clothing. I appreciate your help in making their art experience a positive one!

Hanawalt Day in the Arts - Friday, April 16

The arts challenge and inspire young people. The creativity nurtured in the classroom evolves into innovations, and eventually invention. Studies have shown that children who participate in the arts are more likely to set goals and successfully achieve them. In fact, studies show that students who participate in the arts are more likely to continue education after high school.

Let’s Celebrate the Arts during our annual Hanawalt Day in the Arts Friday April 16th!

During this day students will have the opportunity to work with community artists throughout the morning, with an all school workshop by Fonziba Koster in the afternoon.

If you would like to be a part of the day by assisting a guest artist, please contact one of the parent co-chairs below:

Alissa McKinney alissamckinney@msn.com
Kay Creger kay.creger@wellsfargo.com

As always, you are invited to join us on this very special day! Sally McKenzie, Visual Arts; Carol Looney, Vocal Music and Band; Alyssa McKinney & Kay Creger, Parent Co-chairs

News From The Art Studio

"The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create." -President Barack Obama

Welcome back to a brand new year! We begin 2010 playing in the mud! Our clay unit is always a favorite. It gives children an opportunity to think in shape and form as they take a simple lump of mud and create a work of art!

All Hanawalt artists will be working with clay for the next few weeks. Please make sure your child wears ‘art friendly’ clothes on art day. Clay and continual washing tends to dry out little hands. I provide hand lotion for students to use, however, please feel free to send a small container of lotion for your child, especially if they have allergies. Please write your child’s name on the container. They may keep the lotion in the art studio.

All students are learning Visual Thinking Strategies as they analyze and make connections to a number of works of art. VTS enables students to develop aesthetic and language literacy, and critical thinking skills. Students make meaning from the world around them, gaining confidence in their own ideas, while respecting those of others. It involves interacting with art, fostering cognitive growth and boosting academic achievement. Look for more information in newsletters to come.

Fourth grade students will visit the Des Moines Art Center the morning of February 23rd. They will travel by bus, leaving Hanawalt at 9:50 a.m. and returning at approximately 11:10 a.m.. All DMPS fourth grade students are able to experience the permanent collection due to the support of the Des Moines Art Center and DMPS.

Please continue sending your recyclables to the art studio. We love building and creating with a variety of shapes and forms! Please do not send glass items or cans with sharp edges.

If you are in the building, please stop by to see the fabulous pastel snow people in the fine arts hallway! They were created by 2nd and 3rd grade artists!

Thank you for your continual appreciation and support of arts education for our children. It is so rewarding to see their excitement as they discover something they did not previous know, or make a connection to something they did know!

Stay warm! Sincerely, Sally McKenzie

A Day In The Arts! - April 16, 2010

"The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation." First Lady Michelle Obama

Hanawalt’s Day in the Arts is April 16th. It is a day when our students have an opportunity to learn and create with community artists. It is made possible through the support of our wonderful parents, staff, and PTA.

Hanawalt is the only Des Moines Public School to provide such a learning experience for their students! The focus of the day is learning in and through the arts. Workshop experiences encourage students to think in new and different ways, while providing rich cultural and cross-curricular connections.

Many parents donate their time to help make the day run smoothly. You can be a part of the day in a number of ways:

• Facilitating a workshop for students—YOU can be a guest artist!
• Assisting a guest artist for the morning
• Setting up the rooms the afternoon of April 15th
• Donating supplies for the workshops

Our parent co-chairs are Kay Creger and Alissa McKinney. Please feel free to contact any of the following people if you have questions or would like to be a part of the day. You can reach us by email or call Hanawalt at 242-8411.

Kay Creger kay.creger@wellsfargo.com
Alissa McKinney alissamckinney@msn.com
Carol Looney carolyn.looney@dmps.k12.ia.us
Sally McKenzie sally.mckenzie@dmps.k12.ia.us

News From the Art Studio

"Every child deserves to have someone smile their biggest smile just because that child entered the room.” (Source Unknown)

It is hard to believe that November is almost over and December is soon to begin, however, pictures of turkeys, and the cutting snowflakes in the art studio definitely confirms it!

5th Grade Artists are working on their two dimensional Vehicles of Inquiry which will be a mixed media piece when they are finished. The process included deep thinking and a variety of techniques and materials. Their ideas are wonderful, and we cannot wait to share them with you!

4th Grade Artists have completed their watercolor landscapes, and created some imaginary November collage scenes using magazines. Laughter was heard in the art studio as students pieced together unlikely object to create their picture!

3rd and 2nd Grade Artists have been learning how to create the illusion of a three dimensional object on a two dimensional surface as they drew a cornucopia. Curved lines and shading was added to the drawing. It was then placed on another surface to look like a table. Symmetry and basic perspective was included in the lesson.

1st Grade Artists discovered that they can draw a turkey using straight lines, curved lines, and a circle. After adding background to their drawing, the works of art were a treat. It is always amazing to young children when they realize that they already have the tools to create the drawing, they simple need to put them together!

Kindergarten Artists learned about patterns and symmetry as they fold and cut feather shapes. Each feather is placed on a large drawing of a turkey, becoming a collaborative work of art. Each lesson is based on previous art experiences, so the young ones easily find success! We hope you enjoyed our ‘hand turkeys’. Did you notice our sneaky trick? Be sure to ask your little one.

Please consider hanging up your child’s art. It does not need to be framed, and can even be placed on the refrigerator! Take a moment to ask them about their work. Art is a language, and every artist has a story. When your child sees that you value what they create, it lets them know that you value them. Enjoy family time, and the change of seasons!

Sincerely, Sally McKenzie, Art Educator

Hanawalt Art Work on Display

If you go to the Metro Arts Expo this weekend you will see a work of art designed and painted by Hanawalt student artists! There are ten wooden boxes that will be up for auction. A group of Hanawalt artists had the opportunity to add their creative touch to one of the boxes! You will certainly enjoy their creativity, as they have done a fabulous job!

Metro Arts Expo
November 7-8
10AM-6PM Saturday
10AM-4PM Sunday
HyVee Hall-Iowa Events Center

Fall News From The Art Studio

Autumn is the time of year that nature becomes an artist! Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. The colors outside seem to come alive! Be sure to find some time to enjoy the change in the seasons with your child. Take a walk and look for colors, shapes, and shadows. Our Hanawalt artists are looking for interesting things to add to our nature center, so feel free to send items to the art studio. Enjoy!

Kindergarten Artists are learning how to create many colors from the three primary colors of red, yellow, and blue—add a little white and you can make a tint!

Color mixing is always magical, with a lot of “oohs” and “ahhs” that can be heard! Expanding on their knowledge of painting, the young artists learn about the North Wind and the Sun as they retell the story through images in paint. This story is a favorite Aesop’s fable. Look for fabulous paintings and a copy of the fable for you to take home at conference time.

First Grade Artists have been learning about various painting techniques. Starting with different kinds of lines they applied black lines across their paper. Taking a closer look at the space between the lines helps in understanding negative and positive spaces. Variations of primary colors and white are used to create warm and cool colors. The colors seem to pop off of the paper—absolutely stunning designs that will soon be coming your way!

Second and Third Grade Artists are learning about the art of Faith Ringgold. She uses fabric, paint, and the written word to tell stories. Students are working on personal stories of people and pets they love. Using shapes they know to create images, they add texture with crayon rubbings, and follow up with watercolor paint. Paper shapes are added to represent quilted fabric, and words are included to clearly convey their thoughts. These personal art pieces will be treasures you will want to save.

Fourth and Fifth Grade Artists are learning about letterforms. Once students master the use of guidelines, they learn about techniques to change the shape of the lettering. Each artist chooses a word, and then designs their art piece in such a way that the word reflects the meaning. Look for these on the bulletin boards by the art studio during conferences, each art piece is very cleverly designed. -

Artfully Yours! Sally McKenzie, Art Educator

Your Trash Is Our Treasure

Please consider saving and sending your recyclables to the Art Studio! Young artists look forward to using the materials, and their imagination, to build and create sculptures. It is a good way for them to begin seeing and using everyday objects in new and unusual ways. When sending materials, please make sure they are rinsed and dry. For safety reasons, please do not send metal cans or glass containers. We can put any of the following materials to use:

• Egg cartons
• Small plastic containers and lids
• Cardboard paper towel/toilet paper rolls
• Ribbon, yarn, buttons, jewels
• Small cardboard pieces and boxes
• Anything you think has creative possibilities!

If you have items, but are not sure whether to send them or not, feel free to give me a call (Hanawalt: 242-8411) or email me at sally.mackenzie@dmps.k12.ia.us. Thank you for helping us collect interesting materials to use!

Work, Play and Create Together

Looking for a creative activity that you can do Saturday mornings with your child? The RDG Dahlquist Art Studio is offering classes for adults, but there is one that is specifically designed for a child over the age of 6 AND an adult. (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or family friend). The “Play with Clay” class begins September 26 and concludes October 31.

Call 284-1675 for more information or go to www.RDGARTEDUCATION.com for more information. This would be an opportunity to work, play, and create together!

A Day in the Arts - Huge Success

A Day in the Arts 2009 was a huge success! In the morning our students experienced lots of different arts experiences from fish printing to African dance to creating a collage to drawing cartoons to playing the harmonica to learning about photography to dance choreography to musical theater just to name a few. Over 18 artists shared their talents during the workshops. Then in the afternoon Opera Iowa conducted workshops for the 5th Grade class and then performed The Story of George Washington Carver to the entire school. It was a full but exciting day!

A special thank you to Principal Mrs. Burton, our teachers and staff. A huge thanks to all our parent volunteers and parent artists. A Day in the Arts would not be possible without everyone's support - it helps make Hanawalt a very special place!

Thank you again!

Kay Creger - Parent Co- Chair
Alissa McKinney - Parent Co-Chair
Sally McKenzie, Art Educator
Carol Looney, Music Education

Pictures from a Day in the Arts are available here:

Day in the Arts 2009

News from the Art Studio

May is always a busy time in the art studio but such an exciting time, too! I always enjoy this time of year, when, with a sense of amazement, students realize that all they have learned does “come together”!

• Thank you for your support of the fine arts in your child’s education. It is such an important part of learning. I cannot imagine education and childhood without the arts. Each of your children is an artist looking at the world with a sense of wonder and possibility. What magic that is!
• Thank you for continually recycling materials by bringing them to the art studio. I appreciate your efforts throughout the year, and so do the children!
• Thank you for sharing your child with me this past year. I consider myself fortunate to be a part of your child’s educational experience at Hanawalt. It’s amazing to see the growth in each and every child from year to year, and I must admit, it is always hard for me to say farewell to students moving on the Middle School.

I hope you find some quiet moments this summer. Invite your child to share a walk with you, and simply enjoy the natural world. Ask your child what he or she thinks and sees, then draw a picture. Look at the world through the eyes of an artist. See the usual in new and unusual ways. Young children’s minds are always turning, thinking looking around, and making connections. They see the world in not only what it is, but what it can be.


I hope you all have a wonderful summer break, and I will see you in August! Sincerely, Sally McKenzie, Art Educator



10 Artful Things to Do This Summer!

1. Paint with water on the sidewalk.
2. Lie down in the grass and draw what you would see if you were an ant.
3. Play in the sprinkler and look for a rainbow.
4. Ask a friend to draw around your shadow with chalk then fill it in with things you like.
5. Take a closer look at a flower.
6. Arrange stones in an interesting pattern.
7. Look for animals and shapes in the clouds.
8. Plant a rainbow garden.
9. Place paper on the sidewalk and color with crayons to make an interesting texture.
10. Go for a walk and draw what you see

March - The Art of Grant Wood - Inspiring our Hanawalt Artists

Each grade has been taking a closer look at the art of Grant Wood, including American Gothic. What fun we have had discovering Grant Wood’s clever use of pattern repeating shapes and lines, including some that are very well hidden. Using magnifying glasses we actually saw Grant Wood’s fingerprint in the paint! It seems that the more we study and analyze this work of art, the more we see.


Kindergarten, First and Second Grade Artists are learning about background, middle-ground, and foreground, as they begin to create depth in their drawings and paintings. Each student created their own scene building with shapes they know, adding crayon lines, and then watercolor paint. The completed works of are delightful, and we hope you have an opportunity to see them in the arts hallway.


Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Artists are learning about parodies and creating their own parody based on American Gothic. Each artist is challenged to think in clever and creative ways as they change some existing elements, make some similar to the original, and keep some the same. Our sketches become contour drawings with marking pen then colored pencil is added.


I hope you are able to stop by the Art Center to see American Gothic and the other Regionalism works of art. The exhibit is not one to miss. There is no admission cost. And…don’t forget to look for the fingerprint along the right side of the farmer’s nose!

March - Hanawalt's Day in the Arts - Friday April 3rd

We hope you can join us Friday, April 3rd. If you cannot spend the entire day, stop by for part of the day. This is a wonderful opportunity to volunteer and we could use your help! If you are available to assist a guest artist please contact one of our co-chairs this week:


Kay Creger kay.creger@wellsfargo.com 556-2448
Alissa McKinney alissamckinney@msn.com 710-7794


Thanks to our PTA, we have many guest artists offering a variety of creative experiences for our students, staff and parent community! Workshop sessions will be throughout the morning, from 8:30 until 11:30, with an afternoon 1:45 all-school performance by Opera Iowa. Please stop by and enjoy the day, thinking, imagining and creating!


Sincerely,
Julia Burton, Principal
Sally Ann McKenzie, Art Educator
Carol Looney, Music Education

Feburary - News from the Art Studio

We have been playing in the mud!
All Hanawalt artists have been working with mud (clay) in the art Studio. Each grade builds on previously learned techniques as they create their own sculptures.
And, did I mention how much fun it is?


Kindergarten Artists roll the clay into a ball and create a pinch pot by pushing down in the middle and pinching around the edges. A variety of tools are used to make impressions in the clay pot.


First Grade Artists roll out their clay into slabs. Symmetrical shapes are cut out of the slabs and impressions added to the surface. These works of art will become hanging pieces.


Second and Third Grade Artists review how to create a pinch pot and slab and learn how to make a coil. They learn about a pinch and pull technique to add extensions to their sculpture. Each artist uses the techniques to create their own sculptures.


Fourth Grade Artists learn how to slip and score to add extensions to their sculptures. Using this technique and what they have already learned, students are given the opportunity to design and create their own individual works.


Fifth Grade Artists form a pinch pot and slab, and attach a coil to create a whistle. Each artist can complete their whistle in a variety of ways, adding detail through carving, glazing, or adding additional pieces of clay to recreate the shape of the whistle.


Ceramics has its own unique language and the students learn new vocabulary:
wedge, coil, slab, kiln, fire, greenware, bisque, glaze, slip, score, impression, pinch

Thank you for saving and sending your recyclables to the art studio!

The children absolutely love working with recyclable materials, and it is so good for their imagination. They are always excited to see what is in the ‘blue bins’ we have in the art studio!
We are also in need of Gerber plastic baby food containers. They are rectangular in shape and have a snap on lid. If you have a little one at home and use this brand of food, please consider sending the empty containers to us.