Ms. Bell's Art Blog

Imagine a place where an extraordinary education and art go hand in hand. That place is the San Diego Cooperative Charter School led by art teacher Allison Bell. You can stay in touch with all the amazing work being created by visiting
Ms. Bell's Art.

Calder's Magic and Children at Art Night

This post is re-printed from SDCCS parent and artist Rafael López's blog. 

Alexander Calder embodied a spirit of play. He invented the whimsical mobile and created a fantastic traveling circus from cork, wire, buttons, scraps of fabric, wood and paper. He breathed life into his work with boundless imagination.

Calder's Circus suitcases at the Whitney Museum

He packed his clever circus in 5 amazing suitcases and traveled back and forth between Paris and New York delighting audiences young and old. When he was a child his artistic parents encouraged him to experiment with shapes and motion. As art and music is being cut from public schools I'm passionate about encouraging young minds to stretch their artistic muscles like Sandy did.

I teamed up with the incredible fourth graders at the San Diego Cooperative Charter School and their amazing art teacher Allison Bell. We created mobiles to evoke the spirit of Sandy Calder and students crafted original animals to re-create his circus from found materials. Ms. Merrill's fourth graders read inspiring books; Sandy's Circus by Tanya Lee Stone with illustrations by Boris Kulikov and The Calder Game written by Blue Balliett, pictures by Brett Helquist. Along with the art making each child researched books and websites like the wonderful Whitney for Kids and wrote personal essays that were put on display all about Alexander. Thanks to Duane Gardella at the City College theatre and parent volunteers who in a few short hours stepped in to help me put together the Calder mobile room for Art Night.

Inspiring Reads: Sandy's Circus and The Calder Game
by Tanya Lee Stone                 by Blue Balliett

I worked in my studio last week to assemble an art salon worthy of their creations. Visiting local thrift shops I recycled large white sheets into canvas for Calder inspired graphics. These were used to transform their classroom into a gallery that resembled a circus tent. Using cardboard and paint I created playful animals including a leaping red bull and seal that juggled beach balls. 

Juggling seal made from painted cardboard

I remember taking my son to the National Gallery of Art and we were fascinated by the shapes and shadows of Calder's mobiles and sheet metal animals. I cut circus forms out of painted cardboard and hot-glued them to sturdy plastic straws so kids could play with shadow shape and scale.

Playing with shape and scale in the shadow theatre

Paintings on white sheets pay tribute to Calder's wire sculptures

Lost in a forest of whimsical mobiles created by children.
Vintage travel stickers were pasted
on old suitcases in homage to Calder's traveling circus.

A fantastical flea circus was performed in the Calder Salon on Art Night. Children were filled with wide-eyed wonder to see the beauty of their own sculptures and marvel at their classroom changed in just one afternoon by the magic of art. 

Scratchboard Workshop

As school budgets tighten across the country we've got to do our part to make sure art is part of our children's future. Click on the link to view this video of a scratchboard workshop led by Allison Bell demonstrates the vitality of the art program at our school. Art teaches divergent, rather than convergent thinking and opens up communication within and across cultures. It helps us define who we are, replenishes our spirit and affirms our humanity.Featured in this film are fourth grade artists: Alexis, Charlotte, Esther, Paige, Santiago and TyArt Night is Coming: May 24, 2012 from 6-8pm!

Every Child is an Artist

Welcome to the San Diego Cooperative Charter School Artlogue that celebrates the vibrant art, music and dance programs at our school. We are a public school that is attracting significant attention from educators and parents alike, not only for our unique approach to learning and exceptional staff, but for our parent involvement and our diversity. What makes SDCCS special is its unique approach to learning. Principal Wendy Ranck-Buhr and her staff employ what is known as a constructivist curriculum model. This model allows students to draw from their own experiences, not only helping them to make a real-life connection to the goals and objectives of classroom instruction, but also helping them to become critical and creative thinkers.

tyle="background-color: none; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Our campus is alive with music, dance, murals, poetry and the spirit of the arts that is an integral part of our curriculum.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up”. -Pablo Picasso

The arts are necessary in our lives and in our schools because they:
Teach us divergent, rather than convergent thinking
Develop craftsmanship, the ability to apply aesthetics
Introduce us to the perceptions and understanding we could not acquire any other way.
Enlighten our understanding, making it deeper and more comprehensive
Facilitate human communication within and across cultures
Help us define who we are and articulate our own very special sense of being, distinguishing our relationship to time by showing us who we are today and who we will be in the future
Replenish our spirit and, by nurturing it consoling it and inspiring it affirm our humanity

< Mission

The San Diego Cooperative Charter School supports a progressive, developmentally based, child-centered community for active and collaborative student learning where shared values of family, diversity, relationship, creativity and academic excellence flourish.

Visual Arts

The dynamic art program is under the leadership of Art teacher Allison Bell. Each year, Art Night - a school wide multimedia event brings students, families and visitors together to showcase the amazing work of our students.

Stay updated and view photos of students work at this link:

Miss Bell's Art Class Blog

Music

Music is a rich part of the fabric of our society. Students at SDCCS benefit from exposure to a wide variety of musical instruments and singing with music teacher Stephanie Torrey.

Dance

Under the leadership of Wendy Ranck-Buhr students in the first year ballroom learn waltz, tango, rumba, cha cha, swing and salsa. Mr. Christian Wasinger has been the instructor at SDCCS since ballroom dance classes began at the school in 2006. All students begin the 8 weeks of dance followed by 8 weeks of regular physical education. The dance cours is aligned with the California Standards for Physical Education. Students who choose to continue in the spring semester have the opportunity to compete in the county ballroom competition. Students in advanced ballroom learn to refine their techniques to make them strong competitors at the annual competition. They learn more complex routines, attend dance events in the community and showcase their dancing in an annual school performance.

Art Night

Art night is a school wide multimedia event that occurs towards the end of the year. Incredible student work is displayed all over the school. All of the classrooms have projects and displays set up in their classrooms including work that pays tribute to the style of different artists. We have live musical performances and an art café. The students and parents help cook and harvest food from our gardens to be served. It is always a very special night for our school community to get together. If you want to get involved in Art Night 2012 to be held on May 24 from 6-8pm contact our art teacher Allison Bell at allisonb@sdccs.org

Large Scale Murals at SDCCS

“While we try to teach our children all about life,

our children teach us what life is about.” -Pablo Casals

In 2008 the first large scale mural was organized and painted by students, teachers and families of the San Diego Cooperative School. This was followed in 2009 by a mural that wraps around the art classroom and in 2010 in the auditorium. Designed by SDCCS parent, artist and illustrator Rafael López these murals are like giant paint by numbers. Thanks to the dedication of art teacher Allison Bell and parent volunteers they are a lasting reminder of the power of art in our school.

To view a video of the second mural filmed by artist parent Steven Morris check out this link.

Dancing at SDCCS: Flash Mob in Balboa Park San Diego

Dance lessons help kids with social skills and self-esteem not to mention it's loads of fun!

Just another day in Balboa Park...or is it?

Check out this dynamic video of 4th-8th grade students from the San Diego Cooperative Charter School who had the bright idea to create a flash mob by clicking here. Choreography by Christian Wasinger.