Fish printing supplies are here!

I'm really excited about trying out these rubber fish replicas for printmaking.  I know they won't be as slimy or stinky as the real ones.  I wonder how they will work?  The leaves are pretty cool too.

Great start to another great year!!

It's been great to see all of my returning students this school year and meet lots of new ones!  As the year progresses, I'll post pictures of all the exciting artwork going on at Sigsbee. 

First up this year is our Square 1 Art Fundraiser project.  This is the only fundraiser that I participate in and the main funding for the art program here at Sigsbee.  Square 1 Art is a great company that will print your child's artwork on all sorts of fun items.  This year, students will be completing a symbolic self portrait.  Some students have already started practicing for this with a self portrait sketch.  If you'd like a sneak peak at the items available from Square 1 Art this year, please visit www.square1art.com/shop.  I've arranged to have any items ordered delivered to us well before the holidays.  Keep an eye out for your order forms...they arrive October 26th. 

See you tomorrow!!

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone at school tomorrow!  Art classes start on Tuesday and your class will attend for 50 minutes once a week.  The first time you come to art, you will get your seating assignment, create your portfolio, and complete a scavenger hunt drawing to familiarize yourself with the art room. 

Getting things ready!!

I can't believe that summer is nearly over and school begins so soon!  I've been working hard to prepare the art classroom for all of you Sigsbee Sailfish students.  I'm very excited about getting started.  We are going to start off the year with a unit of study called Methods and Materials in Art.  Students will experiment with all sorts of materials to develop a better understanding of what various media can do in a work of art.  During this time, they will complete a symbolic self-portrait for their Square 1 Art project.  See you Monday!!

The Citizen's article on Jim Toia and the Petri Island project

Click this link to read the article.  Sigsbee Charter School is mentioned and one of our students is mentioned.  Read the article to find out who!
Petri Island article from The Citizen

The Petri Island Show

Jim Toia's "Petri Island" show opened tonight at The Studios of Key West.  What a fantastic show! Lots of great work by lots of great artists, but the highlight for me was, of course, "Petri Island". Thank you, Jim, for doing such a wonderful job displaying the work of our Sigsbee artists amongst the work of so many others. I also loved the binder of collected written explanations my students wrote to accompany their work. This show was one of the proudest moments for me as an art teacher. Thank you Sigsbee students for doing such an amazing job!  Go see the show!!

"Petri Island"

Mrs. Kirk holding the binder of student explanations

Jim Toia with Mrs. Kirk...two very proud artists!

Exciting art events!

Tonight, there will be a Pop Up Gallery at Fast Buck Freddies starting at 7:15pm.  It's going to be great!  Please come!

This Thursday, July 19th, is the official opening of Jim Toia's petri dish show.  This is the one all my students made a petri dish for.  Openings are always exciting events.  I'd love to see students and parents in attendance!  The opening lasts from 6 - 9 pm at The Studios of Key West.