Lovin' Loopy, Long, Lilting, Lithe Lines

Paola is teaching our kids about LINES and lines they are a' plenty.

Fast lines, slow lines
lines that holler
whisper or weep
strike and creep
hasten, tarry or scoot
all the way home
to circle, square or fancy dome
All in a tangle
needing a friend
to mangle the mess
and wrangle
a dress or a boat
or ink well or moat
amidst paper bag towers
and fast skittish flowers.

Kindergarten explores straight lines using black construction paper:

First grade explores line and feeling using colored pencil:

4th and 5h grade explore still life through lines...

...creating negative spaces, complex forms and varied textures.

4th

 5th

Enjoy! 

Making is Connecting

Almost 2 months into 2014 there are signs of children, families and teachers connecting with each other through the arts everywhere in our halls! With new classrooms, new routines, new friends and teachers, BNSers are exploring and expressing who they are while getting to know each other and while building community. 

Our families (Tammy's 1st grade class):

Ourselves (Greta's 2nd grade):

Our hopes and dreams (Kori's K):

First grade hopes:

I hope you enjoy our posts! If you see anything that inspires you in the hallways please consider taking a snap or two and jotting a few words and sending it to artscommittee@bns146.org. We'll gladly post it!

Flying Paper

Between forms to be filled, reams to be gathered, dismissal notes, and backpacks full of pencil-outlined sad-missing-mommy-faces and/or I'm-a-big-boy-now rainbows, the beginning of the school year always generates an abundance of paper. In the BNS hallways paper is flying! What seems to be a math project focused on abundance and cumulation and comprised of graph paper cut into ten 100-square sections has culminated in a sculptural installation of that waves to excited children hurrying by! 

Meanwhile, more discreet investigations ensue: Pre-k kids explore contrasting colors through tearing paper and gluing curled pieces down; first graders' collages jump and tease as they cut, fold and play with volume. 

Great Small Works at Ecorama: "Sandy, Sandy, Sandy"

Great Small Works is a local theater troupe that works in equal parts to delight audiences with drama and puppetry and to provoke them with thoughtful, edgy commentary about current events. At Ecorama, for the 4th and 5th grade, GSW transformed room 323 into a spooky underwater enclave complete with mini enclaves (fishtanks) used for the puppet play. Therein was told the tale of Coral (sea coral), Salty (a 400 year old pirate) and Lucia (a blue heron) struggling to manage life's challenges post hurricane Sandy.

The "rich people" puppets who employed private fire fighters. The one on the left is about to lose his head!

For every class, the fact that one of the puppet's heads came off fascinated the children. Roberto Rossi aka "Coral" explained that a few days before the show, the puppet broke! Ack, what to do?? He decided to work with this new, two part iteration of the puppet and weave a decapitation into the play. So resourceful!

Following the performance, students asked the troupe many excellent questions: How old is Salty? And why is "Salty" his name? How did you create your costumes? How did you create the characters? Is that your real hair? Where were you during the hurricane? What are you doing about climate change? (Wise kids we have). When and where can we see more GSW puppet plays? (Click here to find out more about GSW's where and when-abouts). As much as GSW put out for our kids, our kids in turn put out for them with their knowledge and bold curiosity. 


Thank you, GSW, for your wisdom, ingenuity, humor and hard work!

Meredith Holch as Blue Heron

Roberto Rossi as Coral

And, thank you, Barbara and Johanna for facilitating the event's production in conjunction with Ecorama, Mia for videotaping the whole thing from every angle possible, Justin Weiner for his awesome photography, and all the volunteers and teachers who participated.

The final words of show and overall gist of the event in its entirety? Whether you are dealing with environmental destruction, political action, or making and producing puppet plays, success depends on working together. Viva!

Jenny Romaine and Salty

Honoring Ann Rosen

Are these the last days of school, or the first of Summer? With ceremonies and celebrations -- and watermelon – in the offing, we take a moment to honor and thank Ann Rosen, who has helped enrich the BNS community for almost two decades. A practicing artist and a devoted teacher, Ann inaugurated the school’s art department, and later the first floor art studio. And she worked with classroom and department teachers to integrate visual arts programming into their curricula at every grade level. Only a few recent examples: Beautifully re-imagined Gowanus landscapes, part of the 4^th grade’s sustainability and social studies unit. 

The 1^st grade’s bug study, happily infesting the halls of 610 Henry Street. 

Mayan masks with the 5^th grade, the 3^rd grade’s clay figures and bamboo drawings. The list goes on.

BNS prizes the arts as a vital component of learning, and Ann Rosen has worked steadfastly to nurture and celebrate opportunities for our kids to dig in with their hands and their hearts. A hearty kudos to you, Ann. And many thanks for your generosity, spirit and dedication!