Umpqua Valley Arts Association

Arts in Education

Overview | Application for Residency | Artist Bios | Apply as an Artist | AIE Check-off

Susan Applegate (Nature Journaling, Murals, Portraiture, Ceramic Tile and Mask Making)

About the Artist

Susan Applegate is a visual artist, versatile in application of visual art projects for primary, elementary, middle and high school residencies. Among her offerings are Nature Journaling, Murals, Bookmaking and Illustration, and Mask Making.

Nature Journaling is best in the spring or fall, when the weather is best for field sketching and possible nature walks.

Interior and exterior murals using acrylic paints (house paint) make a wonderful visual thematic project for involving students school-wide, while also enhancing the school's appearance.

Creating a schoolbook on community. She has worked with students in creating a school wide book, which explored the history of the Kalapuya people from this area.

Mask making projects may involve study of a variety of cultures with mask making traditions. Masks may be made from paper mache, plaster or clay.

Drawing, painting or printmaking are also areas of art that she has shared in the schools.

Grade Levels

1 - 8

Personal Statement

It is my belief that any time students apply their own ideas to express some aspect of fact, they take ownership of that knowledge. When students create artworks based on folklore and traditions from world cultures, they enlarge their capacity to appreciate diversity amongst people. As children recognize patterns that are repeated throughout nature, they develop their own intuitive sense of design.

Teaching Objectives

Whatever the medium or whatever the specific project, my over arching teaching objective for students is to enable idea formation for creative problem solving. This is the crux of inspiration and the way in which the arts transfer most directly to other areas of life.

Variations of the nature journal are available to schools through this residency - such as nature illustration, drawing and watercolor techniques and murals. For journal production, materials could include pre-constructed journals or handmade journals compiled of students works, including writings, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, watercolors, brushes, pencils, erasers, drawing paper, tracing paper, transfer pens and burnishing tool, fine point black pens. Within this residency children learn about the elements and principles of design through observing, drawing and painting the world around them. They make personal choices to solve design and technical problems. They gain skill in drawing and in applying color through a variety of media.

Content Standards

Create, Present, Perform: Apply artistic elements and technical skills to create, present and/or perform works of art for a variety of purposes. The residency will also explore the art of journals. Creating a journal or journal entries, students will practice designing the page using the artistic elements and principles. Historical and Cultural Perspectives: Understanding how the arts serve a variety of personal, professional, practical and cultural needs (Common Curriculum Goal). Describing how historical and cultural contexts influence works of art. Relating works of art from various time periods and cultures to each other. This residency will look at artworks from many cultures that focus on the illustrations of plants, animals and landscape. Understanding that people draw and paint the natural world around them for a variety of purposes, the residency will also explore the art of journals.

Staff Development

At Face Value: The Art and Craft of Making Paper Masks.

Overview | Application for Residency | Artist Bios | Apply as an Artist | AIE Check-off

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