Art teachers Maria Goldwyn, Chelsea Xidis and their eighth grade Digital Art classes at Corning-Painted Post Middle School created digital collages inspired by works of art in The Rockwell Museum’s collection. Students learned about the artworks through The Rockwell’s first virtual outreach program and were encouraged to explore how a portrait can reveal a story.
This program involved 150 middle school students through an outreach initiative which brought Rockwell educator, Amy Ruza, to the classroom virtually. Through a pre-recorded video that featured selected artwork from The Rockwell collection, the students were prompted to think about themes emphasized in the artwork including symbolism, cultural heritage, identity, astronomy, the night sky, music and poetry.
Maria and Chelsea introduced students to Adobe Photoshop and taught them how to digitally manipulate, scan and create images using layering techniques, transparency and geometry. Students experimented with the digital tools to blend, overlap and integrate symbols, stories and drawings into their one-of-a-kind creations.
Students considered what defines them, what they love and what they are curious about, using their imagination to express themselves through their artwork. Students creatively designed their digital collage portraits to include aspects about their personal identity and incorporated personal symbols to express their voice and their place within their lives.
The Rockwell is excited to collaborate with the Corning-Painted Post Area School District on this project that brings The Rockwell collection to classrooms virtually, merging art-making with digital technology. Find these artworks on display in The Rockwell’s Student Gallery now through January 22, 2020.