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Pulaski News & Events
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ARTWORKS
Budget cuts in the Riverhead School
District have limited the number and type of field trips that
students can take this year. In the past, students from the
Pulaski Street School have visited the Pollock-Krasner
House and Study Center in East Hampton in person to learn
first hand about Jackson Pollock and his art. After contacting
the Pollock-Krasner House and explaining their dilemma this
year, the House arranged to send one of their staff, author
and artist Joyce Raimondo, to the Pulaski Street School to
talk to the students about Pollock and other contemporary
artists and then to return to the school to help the students
experience Pollock’s technique first hand.
“My favorite artist would definitely be Jackson Pollock,”
writes Pulaski sixth grader Dillon Vanston, “because
of the abstract art he does. When I went to his house and
learned about him, it really opened me up to his work. One
unique thing about Pollock is his way of painting--drop painting.”
“It was a great follow-up experience,” explained
Michelle Baumann, one of the teachers who had taken her students
to the Pollock-Krasner House in previous years and had contacted
the House.
“The students loved the mini-workshop on contemporary
and abstract art,” concurred teacher Kathleen Devlin.
“In the first session, the students viewed a number
of slides of artworks and shared with Ms. Raimondo and each
other what they saw in the paintings.”
In her follow-up essay to the first session, Tara Smith wrote,
“I learned a lot from Ms. Raimondo. Not just about art.
About different points of view. After she would show a slide,
she would ask us to take a minute, look at it closely and
deeply, then tell her what we saw. . . I learned many things
about paintings, art and artists, but in that process, I learned
how each kid sees things differently at first.”
As if that wasn’t exciting enough, Ms. Raimondo added
color to the experience by involving the students in her next
book, Express Yourself, which is the third book in
an “Art Explorers" series.
Andrew wrote, “When Ms. Raimondo told us about her new
book . . . I thought it was awesome. I really liked the painting
‘Scream’. I thought ‘Scream’ was one
of the best paintings in the world that expressed feeling.
It was also cool how we got to pick the cover painting (for
the book). We picked ‘Scream’. There were some
really funny things in it. . . I saw a guy that looked like
he had block of Swiss cheese on his head!” Andrew concludes,
“In all I thought that it was really awesome! I can’t
wait until next week! We’re making our own paintings
that have a chance to be in her new book! Pinch me!!! Ouch!”
Her website (http://www.joyceraimondo.com/index.htm)
explains, "Her books teach children how to look at famous
artworks and utilize art history as a springboard for their
own creativity."
"Art education programs like mine help prepare children
for the English Language Arts Test and meet the New York State
Standards for the Arts,” explains Ms. Raimondo. “Students
learn skills of observation, description, analysis, and how
to summarize ideas, but more importantly they learn how art
can help them experience or express feelings and emotions
that they might not otherwise be able to express in any other
way.”
“I definitely agree with the presentor about art being
a way to express your emotions, feelings and even your style,”
writes Dillon Vanston. “Sometimes I go into a room alone
and draw about I how I feel or sometimes about what I did
during the day. Some of the emotions you can show through
your art are anger, happiness, excitement and the win or loss
of a game.”
Art works!
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