ESPrit de Corps

What Choices Are We Making?
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum with PS 88

Teaching Artist: Antonia Perez
Classroom Teacher: Katia Vacchio

Grades 3-5, Special Education
Fall 2008 – Spring 2009

Walk in the Park
Student Artists: Maggie, Nicole, Yonorys, Alinda, Joshua, Gabriel, Tyreik, Arifur
Combined collograph printed figures and painted background on paper

This mural grew out of a process that began with a conversation between the teaching artist and classroom teacher in which it was decided that the theme for the year would be “choice.” Eventually the essential question “What choices are we making?” was decided upon. Classroom curricula devoted to the study of shapes and of the body was incorporated into the design of the collograph printmaking project, in which students made full figure self-portraits. They learned to make many artistic choices, such as choosing shapes and colors to represent parts of the body. They learned the names of each part of the body.  As they learned to make artistic choices their teacher was also emphasizing behavioral choices in school. Eventually the collograph plates were also used to print onto a long paper that would become the mural. Students chose their placements in the composition. They made color choices and each painted a large segment of the mural.
Listen to Teaching Artist Antonia Perez talk about how much time a project like this takes.
Guggenheim_Time.mp3 (2016 KB)

Listen to Teaching Artist Antonia Perez discuss the theme of this mural.

Guggenheim_Theme.mp3 (1597 KB)

A short overview of the making of this mural - who was involved, where the idea for it came from, and what the students took away from the process and outcomes.
Guggenheim_Overview.mp3 (5129 KB)