Academy at Palumbo
Student Teacher: Erin Steen
Cooperating Teacher: Alison Marzuoli
Lesson Plan #1: "Saltwork" Project
The “Saltwork” Project is a sculptural assignment exploring the concept of ephemeral art. Artists who work with ephemeral art explore the transience and non-permanence of a material; students created a design using a nontraditional material from their household. The design they created represents an emotion or honors something meaningful which is shown through their saltwork. If they did not have access to this medium, they could use other materials that were representational of salt. The goal of this assignment was for students to create with a non-permanent material and discover the act of creation and destruction in their art.
Left: Aniyah, 11th Grade, Grits on Paper. Top Right: Saniyah, 11th Grade, Salt on Paper. Bottom Right: Yuxin, 12th Grade, Sand.
Left: Anthony, 11th Grade, Rice. Right: Sanai, 11th Grade, Salt.
Lesson Plan #2: Visual Transformation Project
The Visual Transformation Project was inspired by contemporary and modern art. Students explored the parallels between Claude Monet and Roy Lichtenstein and created a visual transformation using their own artistic style. This assignment was created to encourage students to view art through the process of change and transformation. They created a multi-paneled visual transformation drawn by hand or digitally which includes a beginning, middle, and end. The goal of this assignment was for students to create a story through the lens of a narrator.
Top Left: Saniyaa, 11th Grade, Pencil on Paper. Top Right: Mandy, 11th Grade, Digital. Bottom: Michael 10th Grade, Digital.
Left: Natasha, 10th Grade, Pencil on Paper. Top Right: Caven, 11th Grade, Digital. Bottom Right: Dillon, 11th Grade, Digital.
Lesson Plan #3: Personal Playing Card Project
The Personal Playing Card assignment was inspired by the history of playing cards. The goal of this lesson was to encourage students to think deeply about what represents or inspires them. Students created visual illustrations that connected with their cultural or personal backgrounds. Each playing card represents the student literally or figuratively; this gave students the chance to choose how to artistically display their self-expression. This assignment encourages students to personalize and self-reflect by deciding what images or designs are important to them.
Left: Skylar, 11th Grade, Digital. Right: Jenna, 10th Grade, Digital.
Left: Skylar, 10th Grade, Digital. Right: Andy, 10th Grade, Digital.
Left: Justin, 10th Grade, Pencil on Paper. Right: Kayla, 11th Grade, Pencil on Paper.
Erin Steen
TYL ‘21, BFA in Glass with Art Education Certification
Philadelphia-based artist, Erin, has been exploring techniques through transferring imagery onto glass through the process of engraving. Through illustration, she creates contemporary art and portrait work through painting and drawing. She studies at Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University and will receive a BFA in Glass with an Art Education certificate in 2021. She has received the Partner Scholarship to Pittsburgh Glass Center and the Art Alliance for Contemporary Visionary Scholarship.
Erin volunteers at Zenaviv, an art program invested in helping people with autism discover their artistic hidden talents. She works as a one-on-one mentor, assisting a student learn skills through painting and drawing.
Through volunteering and student teaching, Erin hopes to share her love of illustration, painting, and glass blowing to all students.
Website: eristecreates.weebly.com
Erin Steen’s visual note