Sonoma Academy/Roseland University Prep Identity Project

The Arts & Activism class recently finished a collaborative project with Roseland University Prep. After viewing a TED talk on the French artist JR, students from both schools had their photo taken and crafted statements about identity with the prompt, when did you discover you were _______? Afterwards the students wheat-pasted the posters on both campuses and had short discussions about the process of crafting their personal statements.

Here are a few examples from both schools with photos of the installations at both locations.

Positive & Negative Space Project- Exchange with Joshibi, Tokyo, Japan 2015-2016

This fall the SA foundation arts class participated in an art exchange with the Joshibi School in Tokyo, Japan who recently finished their project.  Students were asked to use paper, glue and a cutting tool to learn about positive and negative space. The theme was Japanese and American symbols. Since we Americans don't have a long tradition of symbols like Japan (most American students think of corporate logos I found out one year when we did a similar exchange), I decided that we would look to Native American symbols for inspiration.  One SA Chinese student chose to do a symbol based on a Chinese character while one Mexican American student created a piece based on an indigenous symbol from Mexico.

 The Japanese students created work based on traditional symbols from their culture. Images such as sumo wrestlers, ogres and koi are just some of images created.

15 Years of the Visual Arts at Sonoma Academy

The VISUAL ARTS at Sonoma Academy by Hillary Younglove | Make Your Own Book

Teaching Puppetry Skills to the Students from Tongzhou Model School in China- Summer 2015

 Sonoma Academy TA's had fun this summer working with our visitors from China ages 11-18!  Students learned how to make jumping jack puppets and start a large coyote puppet for the school. Teaching assistants helped make the process move smoothly. There was a lot of excited energy in the room. Freddie Lambright, a student at the Chicago Art Institute and mentee helped out for an afternoon as a teaching assistant.

Freddie teaches students.

Caleb helps our visitors.

Hillary gives instruction.

 

All the students who worked on the two cardboard puppets.

Ecole Suger French Students and their Instructor Help Paper Mache

Students and their instructor from Ecole Suger help paper mache.

SA students working with our French visitors.

Ecole Suger is located outside of Paris.

For the last few years we have had an exchange with the Ecole Suger in Vaucresson, France, located outside of Paris. This year students helped with puppet making. Next year we hope to visit them and participate in their classes.

 

Texture Lettering Assignment

This project was assigned by the Joshibi school for beginning level students. Every year we do an art exchange with them.

Sonoma Academy Foundation Arts Class

"Bubbly" by Sebastian

"Rough" by Nelida

For examples of all the students' work watch the slideshow.

Artwork from SOLA- Students in Afghanistan

SOLA open house with snowman  1-10-2014

A year ago, I met Shabana, the founder of SOLA and suggested that we do an art exchange.  It was with SOLA in mind that I created the art project on Identity.... something every teenager in the world is grappling with.  Working with schools abroad always takes time. We are in different times zones, have a different set of constraints, and different school year schedules. The students who participated in this project have zero to minimal experience with art. The students from SOLA have never created a work of art before, let alone one that is about self-expression or identity. SOLA is an inclusionary girls' school. That is to say, they have two boys. They were founded with boys and will end with them, but after next year have none in the foreseeable future. It's impressive to see how each student expresses him or herself. I'm thrilled to finally have artwork from Afghanistan to add to our collection of student art! SOLA was the inspiration for this project.

Abida

First, in half of my picture I put our flag color because I love my country a lot. Black color means the dark time in Afghanistan the time that Afghan people had a lot of problems and in Afghanistan we had a lot of misery. The red color means violence and bloody time in our country, it means that a lot of brave Afghan people sacrificed themselves for new generation and having a good life, and the green color means emancipation and no fighting. JUST PEACE!!!

Again I want to say about my picture I mean about the colors that I have used them. I used red, green and blue colors because they mean different cultures. Culture shows the identification and tradition of one tribe to other tribes. Culture can be one of the important qualities of a county or tribe.

My family is God's biggest gift for me. I love to be with my mother, sisters and brother forever. I really love my family like the saying says:

No love is greater than mother love-----------------no care is greater than father.

My wish is that one day in Afghanistan or other place I wanna ride a bike and car but the first one is a bike. And I would love to have a horse and I love to wear a watch and I should be on time in my hole stapes of live. My big wish is to learn computer and my type should be fast in computer. I like to recite holly Quran, when I am reciting the holly Quran I will be so comfortable.

The other thing important to me is education. Education is the most necessary thing in our live if we don't have education we are like a blind people but if we have education we can make something from our self. I don't mind if I have to sit on the floor at school. All I want is education. I am afraid of no one. And the most important thing for me is being an educated girl.

That things is in my heart it is help poor people. I have a dream that one day we will not have any poor people in the Afghanistan. I want to be a person that helps poor people, because when I see a child that is begging, my heart is burning.

One of my big wishes is being peace in Afghanistan and people should love each other, and respect each other. And my dreams for Afghanistan is this that, Afghanistan should be an improved country and it improves a lot in every part - especially in education.

Lake Quargha 3-19-2014

Lailoma

Hello my name is Lailoma. I want to give some information about my Art project. It took 3 days I  worked on my art project.

I used lots of things to do my project.This art project show the things that I like. From face every one looking different. But it is necessary that we know about the feeling or characteristic of people. So we also did this project that we should think what we are? Or what we want to be? This project help us to think about our self, and let know they people know about us better.

Babur Gardens

Susa

Shogofa

Convocation 9-20-2013

Madia

Please scroll to the end of the slideshow to view the rest of the artwork by SOLA's students.

 (Slides 89-114)