It is mid- December and the hallways at Oakland Hebrew Day School are pulsing with excitement. Hanukkah may be in full swing and winter break is soon to come, but this enthusiasm is not generated by these. No, our entire school is impatiently awaiting the annual Maccabia.
The final tekiah gedolah has yet to be heard but, in the Art Studio at Oakland Hebrew Day School, it is already beginning to look a lot like Sukkot.
This year’s decorations – diffusion circles, laminated, painted with watercolors and sporting leaf rubbings hang from the light fixtures. The Sukkah panels we painted in years past are draped in a corner and a panel of painted, laminated leaves is hanging on the loom (for lack of another spot). It is my responsibility to fulfill the obligation of hiddur mitzvah (beautifying the commandment) for our school’s sukkah. Given that our spacious sukkah can seat somewhere around 60 students for lunch, this is a daunting undertaking every year.
Posted in Art Projects, Laurie Bellet, Stuff From Laurie Bellet, Sukkot
There is a map of Israel (or is it a mural?) hanging in the hallway across from the Art Studio at Oakland Hebrew Day School. No ordinary map, this piece is active with the combined experiences and emotions of our entire school community. The inspiration for the map came to me at the NAEA (Art Educators) conference. I was passing the Twisteez Wire exhibit, when I stopped to marvel at a 3-dimensional mural of New York, crafted with Twisteez and all manner of odds and ends. As I was avidly photographing this piece, I quickly realized that it was much more complex than I originally thought and, much more exciting. Then to my great delight, the Twisteez representative (Twisteez is a Rabinowitz family business.) explained that his sister is the artist who created the piece and that she lives in my area!
Along the back shelves in the Art Studio at Oakland Hebrew Day School are fabrics — books of fabric samples, boxes of fabric remnants, fabric on rolls and brand new fabrics in packages. Yet, I do not sew in any meaningful fashion. I can hand stitch a button or a hem, blanket stitch a craft or run a straight line of stitches on a sewing machine but that is the extent of my stitchery skills. So, it is a great wonder that my students (K through 8) are well known for turning out many fine pieces of fabric art. We make quilts and collages, dolls and silk hoops, challah covers and wimplen (the plural of ‘wimple’).
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The study of Edot Yisraeil is a staple of 5th grade curriculum in both day schools and in supplemental programs. At Oakland Hebrew Day School, midway through the year, our 5th grade students become immersed in the cultural life of each of five edot (Iraq, Morocco, Yemen, Ethiopia and Ashkenaz) through experiences in cooking, music, dance, history and art. Over the course of the past few years, I have worked closely with our Judaic studies teachers and our Israeli shlichim to innovate art activities which are of authentic quality, offer challenging processes to the students and which culminate in satisfying products. Over the next few weeks, I will focus on art experiences to enhance your edot unit. Each activity, process and product, can be adapted for other learning content areas.
