Crossroads Art Gallery: May 2009

Using digital cameras students will take a conventional head and shoulders self portrait. Then using Picassa and Paint students will manipulate self portraits and post to the Crossroads Art Gallery.

REVEAL/CONCEAL

What inner truths can masks reveal? What truths can masks conceal? 7th and 8th grade art students asked themselves these questions as they began making plaster life-masks.

Michigan author, Ruth Vanderzee's, wonderful and tough picture book, Mississippi Morning, provided art students with some food for thought as they considered the infamous hood worn by KKK members in the American South in the 1930's. A discussion of how masks can hide ugly secrets or, as in the case of a superhero mask, reveal honorable truths, followed.

Check back later to see the truths revealed as students finish their life-masks.

Hunger by Austin

Hunger in America is huge. People are hungry because of the rising cost of food, and they are beginning to not be able to afford it. Some people might have a disability of some sort and are not able to make money and/or have a job. Some people are just dirt poor and can barely afford a single can of pop and have little or no education; and that’s why they can’t seem to get their hands on a job.

The ceramic bowl project helps out and feeds people. We auction the bowl off for money and the money goes to charity because 1 out of 8 people in America go hungry every day. If everyone in the world made a bowl, we would feed a lot of people.

America should donate more to charities around the world. The bowl I made (I can’t wait to see it!) has a big swirl at the bottom of the base and the sides are made to look like triangle-shapes. I didn’t have much trouble with my bowl and it was pretty easy to make for me.

HUNGER by Hannah

More people in America are hungry everyday than you would think. 4.2 million American households are not getting enough food to eat. In every 1 and 8 Americans, hunger is a reality. We do have enough food for everyone, it’s just that some people don’t have enough money for it, or they don’t have a way of getting it.

People like Ulysses, from the website feedingamerica.org, have grandchildren or children that they cannot feed. Starving people are getting help from people like this one lady Larissa. She is from Ukraine and she now lives in central California. She volunteers at their local food pantries and soup kitchens. I never knew that so many people were hungry in our country. I think people should help them out by bringing them food, lowering food prices, volunteering at soup kitchens etc.

I made a bowl that I am going to auction off. And the money I get for it is going to go to the soup kitchen to get more food to feed the hungry! Making the bowl was kind of easy, but yet it was hard. I enjoyed it because it was fun and I liked playing with the clay.

I am proud of myself for two reasons. One, because I accomplished making a bowl. Second because I am giving the money from my bowl to someone that is starving so they can get food and not be that hungry anymore. I hope that people will realize that there are very hungry people in this world and that they can help change that by providing food for people.

Job Loss and Hunger by Selena

There are many things that cause hunger. Loss of jobs is a big part. If a person does not have a job, they don’t have any money and they lose their homes. When people have no money they can’t support their family or buy groceries, or pay bills. These people are being helped by associations and local clubs that help provide meals and study areas for kids.

The USA’s economy isn’t at its best right now, and this is why so many jobs in America no longer exist. The economy is more than half of the reason why people don’t have jobs. Also in families, if a parent or child is injured, maybe they don’t have money for insurance.

The top 4 states that have the biggest percentage of hungry children are Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. In the year of 2007, about 49 percent of children were already using food stamps. 51 percent of households with children under 3 enrolled themselves in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program. This is for woman, infants, and children. All of this hunger can be helped. If all of America pitches in, each and every year there will be less and less hunger. It could make the world a better place.

The ceramic bowl project is something we can do to pitch in for the hungry. The money raised from each bowl we made could go to someone who needs meals. I thought this project was very easy.

If you are happy about helping, and if you feel like you are going to make a difference, then that will help you make your bowl. I am contributing to the community. All I simply want is for the money from my bowl to go to a hungry person on Thanksgiving, or Christmas, and for them to be able to have a nice, nutritious meal that they can enjoy.

Hunger in America by Mackenzie

There is a big problem of hunger in America. Some people go to bed starving because the family doesn’t have enough money to buy food. Even the poverty rate for people living in suburban areas was about 9% last year, so they probably went to bed hungry quite a few times.

Do you know that more than 9 million kids are being served by ‘Feeding America’, a group that feeds people without money? And another thing, 49% of emergency vehicles are reporting more kids coming to them in the summer. There are many families going hungry. There are two national organizations helping them. Those are the ‘Kids Café’ and the ‘BackPack Program’.

It makes me sad whenever I hear about something like this happening in my own neighborhood. I think Americans can help by giving food and/or money to the community.

We did a ceramic bowl project, making bowls to help make money for people like this in need. All I did was take a slab of clay and make a bunch of coils, and shaped it into a bowl. And I let it dry. It is simply that easy! I did get frustrated a couple of times when my bowl wouldn’t do what I wanted it too, and I had to redo it, but otherwise it was very enjoyable.

I am contributing to the community by making this bowl for organizations that have people come to them for food. I am very happy with helping the community, and I hope that not as many people go hungry.