8 Art projects, the MacLeod way

 I always loved doing art and craft projects and doing them with students.

When I was in a University Art class, we were doing three dimensional art projects.

One was a paper mache`  project which I was trying to make a Frankenstein head bust.

Because it was wet and heavy when I left it to dry, the left side of the face drooped down.

Almost like the face was the result of a stroke.  The Prof gave me high marks for my interpretation 

of Picassio's  Art.  We were doing an object inspired by Rodan and I made a coffee cup.  He is 

known for his torso statue's  in clay.  Mine was of a very fat torso of a woman but the glaze dripped

down over her boobs and belly roll. I got good marks as the Prof said "it looked like she was 

sweating." LOL.  The best one I did was of a mermaid sitting on a rock.  We were to create "beauty

in the eye of the beholder". I was trying to hurry the clean up and put her in the kiln. I was thinking of 

how I would glaze her and another student said he'd place her in the kiln for me.  Sadly, he bumped

her neck and head on the side of the kiln and the crack in the neck dried so her head fell off.

I couldn't glue her head on. Also, he had lifted her by her left boob and it dried with his fingerprint

indented in the clay. I had no time o do another project before the deadline.  So I glazed it and handed 

it in.  The Prof gave me the highest mark.  His remarks were "by leaving the head off, it was in the eye

 of the beholder what kind of beauty she was, it allowed us to envision our own idea of beauty".  

Also, he said "I am not sure of this mark on her breast, I can only say that nothing is perfect  and that

everything no matter how beautiful, always has some flaw no matter how small."  That Prof was my 

hero.  I got such a good mark due to all the crazy errors I had made by accident.

During  a summer break during my University years, I got a job as the Arts and Crafts teacher at

the YMCA. The students age five to twelve went to three sessions in the day. Mine was one, in the

gym doing games and exercise was another one and the third one was swimming in the pool.

One day the manager told me I had to keep my door closed because our laughter was so loud.

I can't remember what we were making but I found out later that the glue I was using was making

us all high.  It was a very happy day, but I was told not to use that glue again. Live and Learn.

Years later, I was teaching a grade two and three classroom. I was expecting my first child and I

was very big.  It was hard for me to bend over to pick things up.  We were making paper mache` 

masks.  The students were dressed in old dad shirts and had taken their shoes off so they could keep

clean as possible. They also were carrying the buckets filled with the mixture of flour and water

paste.   Sadly, one boy bumped another one who was carrying a full bucket. They fell down

and the mixture went all over the floor.  As they tried to get up, they slipped and slid on the floor 

like greased pigs.  Other kids tried to help and they ended up slipping and sliding in the mess.

I couldn't bend over to help and I was worried if I fell I'd have trouble getting up. 

It was so funny and we were laughing.  Someone in the hallway heard us.  Next thing, I know

the janitor and the principal were at my door.  I told them I would make sure it was cleaned up

but they were livid,  I was told I couldn't do anymore messy art projects in my room again.

Not to worry, we did our projects outside from then on. The memories the kids had was of the

fun we had.  Parents didn't complain and they often mentioned the stories their kids told them

about our Art and Science projects ( an Ant + worm colony,  Pond life where things hatched and

flew around in the room, gluing macaroni to old  shoes and spray painting them, and putting

cracked marbles in a plastic prescription container and melting them in the oven for paper weights.)

Kids in other classes wanted to do some of the same projects that they heard about from my

class, so I often traded doing Art in other classes while the other teacher taught something in my

room.  So many good memories, I have had and mostly of the students and myself laughing.

Til next time, Faith always !!!