Students examined the role of art as a powerful tool for raising awareness about global issues. After analyzing contemporary artworks that address topics like climate change and pollution, students reflected on the impact artists can have in promoting change. Each student was assigned an endangered animal to research and began by designing a tile on paper, focusing on composition, symbolism, and message. These designs were then transferred onto clay, glazed, and assembled into a collaborative mural. The final piece served as a visual call to action, highlighting the urgent need to protect endangered species and the environment.
This lesson was designed for a college level advertising class. Students created custom action figure mockups of themselves, complete with personalized blister packaging. The 2D packaging design featured imagery that reflected each student’s identity, highlighting career aspirations, personal interests, or unique traits which turned self-representation into a marketable product. Students explored key advertising and design principles, including visual hierarchy, composition, typography, and color theory. Once the packaging was complete, each student’s action figure was converted into a 3D object and printed. The final product is a fully designed clamshell blister package.
12th Grade Artists
Plastic, illustration board, 3D filament
Mini Me Action Figures
(Figures are being painted currently!)
STUDENT WORK
A collection of student work categorized by project.
Mixed Media Ming Vases - Lunar New Year 2025
1st Grade Artists
Pencil, marker, and acrylic paint on colored paper
Students explored the traditions of the Ming Dynasty by designing and illustrating their own vases inspired by the iconic blue-and-white porcelain of that era. They incorporated imagery of snakes into their vases to honor and celebrate the Lunar New Year, a holiday deeply significant in Chinese culture. By blending traditional Chinese design motifs with their own personal artistic vision, students created unique and symbolic works of art that reflected both historical influences and individual creativity. Throughout the process, students looked at real examples of blue-and-white porcelain, studying the intricate patterns and cultural symbolism found in these pieces. Additionally, discussions about the Lunar New Year provided an opportunity to explore the holiday's customs and meanings, reinforcing the importance of cultural appreciation in the art-making process.
Spirit Animal Pinch Pots - Visiting Native American Artist
K - 2nd Grade Artists
Red earthenware clay and glaze
With the help and inspiration from visiting Native American artist Tony Valderrama, students explored traditional pottery techniques by creating pinch pots inspired by their chosen spirit animals. This project deepened their understanding of how art connects to identity, nature, and cultural heritage. Valderrama shared insights on the symbolism of spirit animals and the role of pottery in Native traditions, helping students see their work as both personal expression and a reflection of history. Additionally, they considered the origins of earthenware clay, fostering awareness of sustainability in art. Through this hands-on experience, students gained technical skills while engaging in meaningful discussions about artists' connections to the Earth.
Hibernating Animal Burrow Systems - Printmaking
2nd Grade Artists
Ink on paper with collage elements and oil pastel
Students explored the historical importance of printmaking as well as its potential as an artistic process. Before engaging in printing, students considered life before printmaking- How were books made? How did we spread ideas and information? By reflecting on these questions, students gained insight into the transformative impact of printmaking on literacy, communication, and artistic production. To celebrate the coming of spring and the waking of hibernating species, students worked in groups of four and designed unique ecosystems with different burrowing animals. They drew their chosen animal and then created a relief print by making indentations into foam sheets, inking the "plate", and registering onto paper. Students not only developed technical skills in printmaking, but also deepened their understanding of collaboration, composition, and visual storytelling.
Endangered Animal Tile Mural
5th Grade Artists
White stoneware clay and glaze
Students explored personal and cultural identity through the lens of food. Each student selected a food that held personal significance—reflecting their heritage, traditions, or lifestyle—and recreated it using layered paper collage techniques such as cutting, tearing, poking, and folding to mimic texture and form. Students enhanced their collages with colored pencil details to add depth and highlights. The completed artworks were paired with recipes and compiled into a collaborative class cookbook, celebrating the diverse backgrounds and stories within the classroom.
Paper Collage Cookbook
4th Grade Artists
Colored paper, glue, colored pencils
Realistic Blowpop Drawing
Students combined technical skill with conceptual thinking by creating realistic colored pencil drawings of Blow Pop lollipops taped to boards- a playful nod to Maurizio Cattelan’s conceptual artwork “The Comedian”, in which a banana taped to a wall famously sold for $6.2 million. Students explored the provocative question, “What is art?”, reflecting on the boundaries and definitions of contemporary art. Using photographs they staged of the lollipops, students learned how to work from reference images, apply color theory, and develop form through careful layering, blending, and rendering of colored pencil. The final works showcased their ability to capture three-dimensional realism in a two-dimensional medium.
9th Grade Artists
Colored pencil on paper
Rubik's Cube Mural
In this collaborative installation, 20 students worked together to create a large-scale mural of the school’s cougar logo using 380 Rubik’s Cubes. The image was carefully mapped and gridded so students could solve and orient each cube to match a specific segment of the overall design. This project not only celebrated problem-solving, pattern recognition, and teamwork, but also challenged traditional notions of artmaking by using an unconventional medium. Unveiled as a surprise for school administration, the mural will be permanently displayed in the building’s lobby near the art wing. It serves as a reminder that art can be anything and is within everything we do!
9th Grade Artists
Rubik's cubes, wood, paint, plexiglass
