Spontaneous, Intuitive, and Exciting!
CAW Teaching Artist Kibrom Araya guides 6th-grade students in an art project inspired by Paleolithic cave painting (cave not included).
“I think approaching the subject matter from a different point of view, from a different angle, is an amazing experience for students. As the weeks go by, I’m seeing the students engaging with the subject matter more. They are excited when they get to class.”
Middle school students at IS 254 in The Bronx understand and appreciate social studies better, thanks to an integrated CAW artmaking program.
At IS 254 in The Bronx, sixth-grade students are learning about world cultures in a direct and tactile way by creating their own works of art inspired by objects they are learning about in their social studies class. It’s a great way to get students excited about the curriculum, and it engages different modalities of learning. So far, students have recreated Paleolithic cave paintings, created mandalas on coffee filters, and made foam plate prints that emulate patterns found in Islamic art and architecture.
Making a pinch pot.
Most recently, they made pinch pots in the style of classical Greek amphora. CAW Teaching Artist Kibrom Araya said this particular project really captivated his students. “This was a very engaging medium. The students really enjoyed touching, pinching and reshaping the clay. To some extent, painting and drawing requires a certain skill level, but with clay, you can just go for it. It has that spontaneity. It's very intuitive. Starting tomorrow, they're going to be painting their vases, and that’s when the magic will happen.”
CAW also offers art-making programs that integrate with language arts, civics, anatomy & physiology, and earth sciences. And our own Art Around the World program encorporates social studies and artmaking for primary-school students. These hands-on programs offer authentic experiences that engage and motivate students while also fostering imagination, creativity and personal connections to ideas and topics.
IS 254 students have recreated Paleolithic cave paintings, created mandalas on coffee filters, and made foam plate prints that emulate patterns found in Islamic art and architecture.
Teaching Artists and Program Staff
Kibrom Araya, Teaching Artist
Donna Manganello, Program Manager
Ivory Nunez-Medrano, Program Manager | Teaching and Learning
Madeline De Léon, Program Associate
This program was made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This program is also made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
