Insights from the 2020/21 school year

The seven students from a 5th grade class initially worked with colorful glass beads and anodized aluminum wire. With concentration and skill, the children used the tools to bend free forms, twist spirals and thread tiny glass beads. In addition to necklaces, very delicate earrings and rings were also created. The pupils then learned the technique of sand casting – now they were working with liquid tin. They had brought small finds with them, which were carefully pressed into the sand. Letter punches were also used. Pendants and name plates were created – small lucky charms that are worn with pride. The general aim of the project days is to teach the children how to handle the materials and tools, some of which are unfamiliar, safely. The haptic experience is very important in the special school. As a result, the pupils get to know their creative and motor skills and also their limits very well and also go beyond them.

The focus of the project work was the experience with clay as an original element for sculptural work. The children were taken on a discovery tour into the world of clay. Animals, landscapes or simply blob castles were created. The aim was essentially not to complete sculptures, but to experiment with different states of the material. Learning about processes and the different possibilities, but also the limits of sound, served as a breeding ground for the children’s imagination.

Bamboo, paper drinking straws, pieces of polystyrene packaging, old fragments of costume jewelry, some examples of African jewelry history, various cords, paints, brushes and scissors served as the basis for designing jewelry with special needs students of different ages from the Levana School in Eisleben. The pupils worked with the materials in a very carefree and spontaneous way; stimulated by their haptic and sensual senses, they were surprisingly confident in their choice of colors and shapes and with what they really wanted to create. Interesting objects were created, for example a “planet chain”, long, colorful, cheerful-looking paper chains in several rows, floating strings of pearls on invisible nylon threads, chains made of actually worthless plastic particles, which were given an astonishingly different material aesthetic and effect.

Eleven Year 10 pupils designed walls in the school building on the theme of “Underwater World”. After exploring various creatures of the (deep) sea together, the pupils drew animals and plants. The resulting drawings served as a direct template and were traced onto the walls with chalks, transferred freehand or enlarged with auxiliary dots and lines and then painted under and over using the glazing technique. Ceramic and glazed underwater creatures, which had been created in a previous course under the direction of Julia Baum, were finally returned to their original place on the wall.

The project involved working with clay and plaster. A solid piece of clay acted as a matrix from which material was removed and carved. The children poured liquid plaster into the resulting molds. The plaster was then removed from the clay. The moment when the plaster is separated from the clay is very exciting. The result is an interplay between positive and negative images. The results were plaster reliefs – or as one child said: plaster fossils.

Graffiti was created on the outer schoolyard wall, making it accessible to the general public. The pupils work in groups of two to three children. As the wall consists of individual panels, each group had 70×100 cm (panel size) at their disposal. They sprayed the motif on this predetermined surface. The artistic realization using the graffiti technique encouraged the creative potential of the pupils, allowing them to develop freely. They were free to choose the motif and color.

Classes two to four made their own individual Advent calendar book with painted messages. For this, 24 sheets were first colored using the bubble technique. An origami folding technique transformed the bubble paper into envelopes in just a few steps. Each envelope was then filled with a painted card and stamped with the numbers from one to twenty-four. Finally, the envelopes were glued to a long fanfold made of colored cardboard. The second part was a comprehensive school project. The children built a large house out of boxes and fold-out Leporellos inside. The children learn about marbling in the traditional way and create their boxes in this way. Inside the box is a mini-leporello on which the pupils drew their own rooms.

As part of the art project “Working with acrylic paints” at Georg-Cantor-Gymnasium, interested fifth-graders were encouraged to create their own designs. They learned to find creative ways of expression, also to discover themselves, and familiarized themselves with the technique of acrylic painting. They worked intensively with color and image design and painted impressive, abstract and realistic motifs. Through their work, they also became acquainted with the painting techniques of Van Gogh and Picasso.

Under the title “Weird Heads” or “Strange Things”, the focus was on craftsmanship: grinding, drilling, nailing, screwing, painting and static considerations. An entire room was filled with a wide variety of wooden parts and blocks from which everyone could choose what they needed for their own design. In order to gain access to this topic, we looked at the history of art and famous artists who have worked in a similar abstract way. The shape could be completely dissolved into an interesting free object. However, only one child dared to do this, the others opted for heads. The objects were given imaginative names. In a second part of the project, a book with these object references was compiled by the artist Holtrud-Helene Henze.

Alternating with the “Oblique Heads” project, the pupils in the “Oblique Books” project created a leporello in which the resulting sculptures were described and supplemented. After an introduction to the project, the pupils made a small model so that they could later assemble the cover and inside pages of the book correctly. Simple folds from the Japanese art of origami paper folding were used. The children then had fun experimenting with wax batik. This old paper dyeing technique for making decorative papers is easy to implement and gives you plenty of scope to play with colors. The students were able to use the papers created in this way to design the book covers. The book covers had to be precisely covered with the colored wax paper using bookbinding techniques. In the breaks between the creative and manual work, language and spelling games were a welcome change. The slanted heads and objects built in the parallel project were given imaginative names. They had to draft their own texts. The children were then able to revise the first results of their creative writing and finally print or write them in the book.

The motto of the project at the Saale School was “Discomedusae – Shining sea creatures”. Ernst Haeckel’s book “Art Forms of Nature” from 1899 inspired the construction of luminous sea jellyfish. The participants glued strips of cotton fabric to large balloons for the jellyfish bases. These were then painted with acrylic paints. Various beads, buttons, colorful fabrics, braids, wires or papers were available for the surface structure and tentacles of the jellyfish. Finally, fairy lights were attached to the jellyfish, which made the Discomedusae glow.

The project from the 2019/20 school year was continued with third-grade pupils under the title “inside-outside”. They created large-format window paintings (150×100 cm) with symbolic references to the school’s namesake: St. Francis. Working together on a large format expanded social skills and intensified the experience of materials.

The learning group 7/8 tried out getting involved with imagination and slowness. The pupils in this project impressively demonstrated that this can also be illustrated. Her impressions were created after fantasy journeys into the fall. In various layers of pastel chalk, charcoal and self-made egg tempera, a shimmering, multi-layered glaze was built up, allowing her pictures to change and develop.

A total of 72 pupils from three 8th grade classes took part in the project. The aim was to introduce the pupils to the pastel technique by creating a still life. The focus was on design principles, color design, spatial-plastic design, which was to be developed. After sketches were made, also with pastels, a larger format was started on the second project day, which was completed on the third project day.

The artist chose the theme “Fantastic animals” for the 3rd grade lesson block. To find ideas, “Schleich” animals were used as study objects. It was a challenge for the pupils to create full-size sketches that could then be used as a template for large-format works with oil pastels. To do this, they tried out a wide variety of processing options beforehand so that each child could get an idea of the versatility of this drawing material. The next challenge was to allow the children to work loosely, generously and freely so that they could try things out. Her aim was then to use the colored cardboard surface for herself, incorporate some editing techniques and fill the format. It was with great pleasure that this goal was put into practice.

After a few short demonstrations of what is possible with the materials, the pupils began to experiment with colors and shapes in the “Color and figure collages” project, mixing chalks with acrylic paints and transferring them freely onto paper. The artist demonstrated to the children how the paint reacts to water. Together they observed the flow behavior, mixed colors with each other and researched the relationship between primary and secondary colors. The interest and the possibilities that the children were able to put into practice were almost endless and impressive. In the next step, the pupils transferred each other’s drawings onto the paper. Their task was to pay close attention to the characteristics of their counterparts. The transferred form was cut out and the figures defined in terms of design. From policemen to princesses, everything was there. The children were able to try out and discover techniques that were previously unknown to them.

The separation from the teacher and the class of many years provided the occasion to prepare small farewell gifts for the end of the school year. The theme of the project days was therefore the production and painting of small ceramic pendants painted on both sides. Hearts (9×9 cm) were painted as a heartfelt thank you, on which much of the pupils’ fantastic inner lives can be discovered. Just before the big vacation, everything that belongs to summer played a role: flowers, trees, landscapes, animals and all kinds of fantastic things. The hearts were cut out of clay slabs and fired for the first time. Then it was possible to draw on it with an oxide pen before painting with a special ink box with fireproof paints.

The art project on the subject of “Bauhaus” began with an introductory presentation on the art school of the Weimar Republic and the constructions with the basic shapes of circle, square and triangle. Using the linoleum and wooden forms previously prepared by the artist, the pupils stamped and collaged a picture based on a freely chosen theme. The children learned how the heritage of the Bauhaus can be found in urban spaces, on walls and in architecture. Their very own ideas were incorporated into the image design. The pupils were very interested. This made it possible to delve deeper into the topic over three project days, for example with short theoretical excursions into color theory.

The aim of the “Schön-Schräg – Neuinterpretation von Werken aus der Kunstgeschichte” project was to encourage pupils’ creativity in dealing with models from art history in a playful way. Copies of details of works by Paul Klee, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Gustav Klimt and Lyonel Feininger served as a starting point. The group discussed terms and situations that are the opposite of the originals that are perceived as “beautiful”. The cut-outs could then be glued anywhere on the sheet of paper and then continued. The existing lines were drawn on with pencil and designed with color.

A large work of art was created from numerous individual objects in the “In den Wassern” project, which now adorns the stairwell of the school. It provides an insight into the underwater world – populated with known and unknown animals, plants, creatures and objects. The 14 pupils in Year 4 worked on the papier-mâché half-reliefs and two-dimensional cardboard figures with a great deal of imagination and a sense of community. They gave the works vibrant colors. It was important to examine the significance of water and to interact with each other when working on a complete work of art.

The children in Year 4 explored various artistic techniques, including sculpture, color, graphic design and printing. The focus was on artistic techniques that would otherwise not be covered in class. The concept of the project was not to work together on a specific topic, but to convey content from art lessons that had previously been neglected.

Under the title “Pure Nature”, 26 children chose what they wanted to explore and combine from a pool of natural materials they had collected themselves. From this, they developed game ideas together in two rooms. Plenty of willow cuttings from the artist’s farm formed the basic material from which the construction was made. Willow structures developed in the large group room in a lively atmosphere. During the project hours, the children immersed themselves intensively in their own fantasy worlds.

The classic children’s book “Ronja the Robber’s Daughter” was the theme of the project. In the beginning, he worked with pencil on paper. The next step was to add clay and ceramic colors. In the course of the project, reliefs and small figures were created. The gray gnomes and Ronja, the Mattisburg, the thunderstorm and Birk have been given a ceramic form. They were colored with engobes and glazes and then fired in a ceramic kiln. The sound makes the story of the robbers tangible in the truest sense of the word. Working with the material clay gave the pupils experience in the field of sculpture. In addition, small collages were created from the experience with pencil and paper.

What can I create with chocolate? Where does it grow? Which artists have worked with chocolate? What does the chocolate fairy recommend for enjoying chocolate? Which fairy tales feature chocolate? Examples from children’s books. Trying out the edible materials. First pouring and dripping pictures. The first sketches for the gingerbread house from “Hansel and Gretel” were created. The fairy tale was acted out beforehand. Collages, chance and movement play an important role when creating with brushes, funnels and spatulas. The children scribbled, wrote sweet love letters and dared us to mold their first chocolates and fonts. Even a Santa Claus was filled, crumbled, covered in chocolate, filled and poured over. New kinds of beings emerged.

Seven pupils from Burg-Gymnasium Wettin-Löbejün spent a week working intensively on the topic: “Fashion? Trash? Art!” for a week. At the beginning of the project week, they looked at the conventionally produced fashion industry and its effects and questioned and discussed their relationship to fashion and consumption. These findings were translated into textile sculptures made from old clothes. In order to introduce the pupils to the diverse design possibilities of a textile sculpture, they tried out various techniques. Over the course of the week, a wide variety of sculptures were created, both in terms of content and design.