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| Paper Folders created Origami Boxes out of Collage Paper. Teacher Demo Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
Written by: Liz Ebanks
National Art Teacher Award Recipient
I invite you to learn more about the Romare Bearden's Exhibit by clicking on this link to the Tampa Museum of Art.
Volunteer Museum Educator
Xie xie in pinyin or thank you in Mandarin, for joining me at the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts in Tampa, Florida. Xie xie in pinyin is pronounced 'sheh sheh'. We all had so much fun at the Children's Activities Tent creating these simple Origami Boxes. Children of all ages connected to the Tampa Museum of Art Exhibit featuring Romare Bearden's Collages through this fabulous hands-on art activity.
Origami has its cultural roots as a Chinese Tradition of folding scraps of paper.
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| Origami Star Box Template Photo: Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
Discover more about Origami History at these links:
According to Wikipedia, the word "Origami is a compound Japanese word meaning to _______ _________."
The kids loved designing their own collages.
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| Left: The Triangular Origami Box Water Lotus Design Right: Origami Star Box Teacher Demos Created by: Liz Ebanks©2012 |
The Origami Star Box Template
was the most popular with the kids as a change purse. Whereas, the larger Origami Triangular Box is the perfect size as a gift box for candy with the bold "Water Lotus" graphic design.
I challenged students to identify Bruce Holwerda's surreal portrait that I incorporated into my "Water Lotus Collection" Origami Box Teacher Demo.
Holwerda's design won the Gasparilla Arts Festival T-shirt and Poster Contest.
Check out this link to Holwerda's webpage:
The children discovered how to create pattern and rhythm while exploring collage on the back of the Origami Template.
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Children created collages filled with patterns, line, and color. The collages became decorative paper to fold into Origami Boxes. Photo by: Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
The young paper masters created their own decorative paper out of magazine images to fold into Origami. Each collage looked like an abstract stained glass window.
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| Photo by: Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
TIP: Glue Sticks created a smooth ripple free collage with quick clean up with baby wipes.
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| Teacher Collage Demo Photo: Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
Can you draw Romare Bearden's Collage onto my Teacher Demo? Bearden as an African American Artist, is best known for his collages of life in the South.
Bearden's collage exhibit entitled, Southern Recollections at the Tampa Museum of Art.
Cubism and Diego Riveria's murals influenced him in developing his own style. Successfully, he merged photocopies, photographs, and painting to Establish Emphasis to focus the viewer's attention parts within each collage.
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| Photo by: Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
When students shifted their focus from subject to abstracting color and pattern they experimented with Bearden's collage technique to create Visual Textures. Meaning light reflects differently off surfaces within each collage. Bearden contrasted the reflective light from glossy photo clippings against the matte finish of photocopy textures in grayscale.
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| Students flipped over the collage to cut out the Origami Star Box Template. Teacher Demo Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
Themes in Bearden's Artwork:
Trains
Cats
Families
Musicians
List a few more themes in Bearden's Collages:
___________, ___________, ____________, _____________
Find the answers at this link:
http://www.tampamuseum.org/sites/tampamuseum.org/files/Romare%20Bearden%20Family%20Guide%20lores_0.pdf
Cats
Families
Musicians
List a few more themes in Bearden's Collages:
___________, ___________, ____________, _____________
Find the answers at this link:
http://www.tampamuseum.org/sites/tampamuseum.org/files/Romare%20Bearden%20Family%20Guide%20lores_0.pdf
I invite you to learn more about the Romare Bearden's Exhibit by clicking on this link to the Tampa Museum of Art.
Bearden's Southern Series are characterized by ______colors, _______ perspective, highly stylized compositions.
This is why I encouraged students to create the collage on the back of the Origami template. However, Origami is the Chinese Art of paper folding to create decorative pieces. Romare embraced the timeless quality of Chinese Art Traditions.
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| "Stained Glass Collection" Origami Teacher Demo Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
See how the same collage was transformed when used for Origami on the smaller Star Box on the right in my "Stained Glass Collection." Students were surprised that they could no longer recognize Romare Bearden's portrait. Participants repurposed the discarded magazines to create inexpensive decorative paper. They explored collage. Historically, only the rich were able to afford decorative paper in Japan. Therefore, paper was used exclusively for ceremonies and celebrations.
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| "The Lorax Upcycled Origami Triangular Box" Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
All the young artists were thrilled to see how I Upcycled the Lorax's picture and T.W Curtis painting onto the larger Origami box. I was inspired to celebrate the release of the Lorax in the movie theaters.
Can you find the Lorax?
Students discovered when they repurposed magazine images they not only recycle they Upcycle. This reduces landfill waste and reduces supply costs in the art classroom.
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| "Fiery Origami Triangular Box" Teacher Demo Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
Thank you, for showing your support.
As a National Art Teacher Award Recipient, my classes are perfect for camps, birthdays, schools, and special events. For more information on registering for my Award Winning Art Workshops- Tampa.
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| "Miss Independence" Custom Painted Stilettos Liz Ebanks ©2012 |
Email: Liz@RescueTeam.com
Thanks, for joining us in the Upcycling Studio where we give new life and repurpose objects in new ways through art. By Upcycling we reduce waste headed to the redemption center and trim supply costs. As artists we focus on community involvement in fostering the growth of the ecosystem.
