Spirit Week at Smithtown

It's "Spirit Week" in Smithtown and we are collecting images and video of celebrating: Pajama Day, Tie Dye Day, Superhero Day, Wild Wild East Day, and the PepRally for our MSG Varstiy page.

Volunteering at The 2011 Hamptons Film Festival

This weekend a group of students from Mr.Needles classes and the Art Honor Society and Media Art Honor Society spent time volunteering for the 2011 Hampton's Film Festival in East Hampton, Sag Harbor, Montauk, & Southampton. Students had an opportunity to meet and work with professionals from the film industry such as: Alec Baldwin, Steven Spielberg, Wim Wenders, & Alexander Skarsgard.

Photography in the classroom

The Art Honor Society & Media Art Honor Society are teaming up with Mr. Needles Media & Photography classes to participate in JR's amazing, TED winning photography Inside Out project

Japan Society's Going Global Social Networking Project

We have begun collaborating with students in Japan, Pakistan, and throughout the United States as part of The Japan Society's Going Global Social Networking Project. The AP Art and Photography classes started in September and the Art Honor Society and media classes will begin this month.

The 2011 Hamptons Film Festival

Next week we will once again be volunteering at The Hamptons Film Festivalon the east end and there will be some information given out on Wednesday in a joint meeting of the Art & Media Art Honor Society afterschool. If you're interested be sure to fill out the volunteer application here.
This year the festival will be showing some great films such as: The Rum Diary, The Descendants, & Jeff Who Lives At Home. Among those expected to attend the Festival are: Lauren Ambrose, David Bailey, Bob Balaban, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Barkin, Harry Belafonte, Matthew Broderick, Jay Duplass, Felicity Jones, Penelope Ann Miller, Matthew Modine, Susan Sarandon, Bobby Valentine, Rufus Wainwright, Lucy Walker, Wim Wenders, and Anton Yelchin.

Art Honor Society mural

This week the Art Honor Society we worked on designing a mural for the art wing based on black & white student portraits. Here's a demo of what the mural will look like.

Shanti Peace Poster Contest

Here are some of the student works created for this year's Shanti Fund Peace Poster Contest.

Illustration Friday: Mesmerizing

This week's Illustration Friday themes is Mesmerizing, here are some student examples.

Upcoming Art Contests

Shanti Fund Poster Contest - Due September 23, 2011


Young Arts - Due: October 14, 2011

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Due: January 6, 2012

2011 National Art Honor Society

This week the 2011 National Art Honor Society met for the first time and discussed this years activites such as: the homecoming parade, Halloween, the school murals, workshops, field trips, volunteering, and some exciting new art projects that we will be working on throughout the year. Any students with an intrest in art, design, & media are welcome and students that meet the credentals can also be inducted officially at the end of the year. Seniors are also eligible for the Charles M. Robertson Memorial Scholarship, a four-year scholarship to Pratt Institute School of Art and Design in Brooklyn.

We will be meeting weekly on Wednesdays afterschool in Mr. Needles artroom 161.

Illustration Friday

Every Friday we will be participating on the Illustration Friday blog this quarter in AP Art. Here's some examples from the class for this week's assignment "boundries".

AP Art 2010-2011 Class

Best of luck to all the graduates of the AP Art 2010-2011 Class, stay open and creative!

Critiquing with Henri Cartier Bresson

After watching Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Impassioned Eye , choose any of his images (or drawings) and write an educated critique of at least 200 words to be handed in on Monday.

Congressional art show finalists

Congradulations to our 4 finalists in this year's Congressional art show. Each of the students work was included at a show in the new Lyceum Gallery in Riverhead and was given a certificate of recognition by Congessman Tim Bishop.

Assignments for the upcoming AP Art 2011-2012

On Thursday June 2 there was a meeting in art room 161 for all incoming AP Studio Art students in which went over some of the important information about the class and the summer assignments. If you missed it make sure you see Mr. Needles and get the assignments and information.

In addition to the four breadth pieces below you should complete at least 10 sketchbook pages with sketches and ideas for what you might want to concentrate on for the AP class as well as 10 sketches or paintings from life.

Below are the first four major breadth assignments due the first week of class (I suggest you email an image of the work in progress before August 1 so that you can get feedback):

These are strictly 2-D assignments and should be complete with a foreground, mid-ground, and background.

Assignment #1: Monster
This can be done in monochrome (black, white, gray) or in color using any medium, technique and style you desire. The important thing here is to illustrate a monster (real or imagined) including some background that makes sense in context.

Assignment #2: An mixed-media portrait
This can be done in monochrome or in color using any medium you desire (ink, collage, newspaper, paint, & other mixed media). The style may be handled in any way you wish: realistic, abstract, expressive, impressionistic or cubistic, etc. It’s your decision. (Note: select the style of your favorite historical artist to use in this assignment.)
This portrait should reveal something significant about the model. Hands, torso and face are important features and should be included in the work. Try an unusual surface. The portrait may be done on any flat smooth unbreakable surface such as cardboard, mural paper, plywood, masonite, plexiglass, homasote board, etc. It’s up to you. The portrait cannot be smaller than 16”x 20” and no bigger than 22” x 28”.

Assignment #3: One large landscape (outdoor or indoor)
This is strictly a 2-D assignment! The landscape must show depth and distance (receding space or informal perspective). The landscape can be done from any angle (bird’s-eye view or worm’s-eye view). Overlapping and repetition helps to create a sense of depth and distance. NO OUTLINES PERMITTED IN NATURE! Emphasize dark and light shapes, textures and space. Be sure to obtain a strong contrast!!! The landscape must be done in color. Any medium you wish - paint, collage, mixed media. The landscape must be done on a flat, smooth, 2-dimensional surface. Minimum size: 18” x 24”. All landscapes must have a foreground, middle ground and background. Lighting is important and should be dramatic!

Assignment #4: Reinterpret a Master Painting
Choose a painting by a well known artist from before 1960 and do your own version of the same painting. You shouldn’t mimic or technique the style of the original, just the subject matter and basic elements which can be rearranged to your liking. This can be done in any media but should be proportionate to the size of the original.

Japan Society

Here are a few images from our recent trip to the Japan Society in Manhattan where we viewed their show on Zen painting entitled "The Art of One Clap Clapping" and studied painting alongside students from The Museum School in NY in a workshop with Zen Master Max Gimblett

A Thousand Paper Cranes

This week we are doing a project where we are going to create 1000 individual origami paper cranes (known as a Senbazuru, it’s a symbol of peace and good fortune- in Japanese lore if you make 1000 you are granted a wish) and we will photograph each one to make a large photo montage. I had the idea after looking at a photograph I took in Hiroshima of Sadako Sasaki's final crane- http://goo.gl/QOSsK when I had a chance to see her brother speak at her memorial site.

Each student will create and photograph their own crane and we will combine each of them into one larger piece which we would like to share with a school in Japan. Prints will be sold to raise funds for the Japan Society's relief fund and the montage will be delivered to a school near where the disaster occurred as a symbol of hope and support.

AP Alumni Visit: Jen Yu

The AP Art class had a chance to meet with some alumni who are currently in art schools to begin the year. Here's some photos of the presentation given by alumnus Jen Yu who is currently attending the Maryland Institute College of Art. She showed the class her most recent project which was a powerful collection of drawings and paintings based on her family in China.

Here are some samples of Jen's work that which was shown to the class

And here's an image of Jen in class working on a self portrait from back in 2008.

Senior Art Shows

Our Senior art shows have seen a great turnout so far this year with a eclectic group of artists, below are some images from the first semester shows.

Needles AP History Artists

Damien Hirst £50m Diamond Skull
Uploaded by emalyse. - Watch the latest news videos.

Here's this year's list of artists that we are covering as part of our modern art project, an eclectic list. Make sure you are familiar with the work visually as well as their biographical information and style notes. Our test is on Tuesday and Wednesday, bueno suerte!

Alberto Giacometti
Andrew Wyeth
Andy Goldsworthy
Annie Liebovitz
Ashley Wood
Banksy
Barry McGee
Chuck Close
Damien Hirst
David Downton
Francis Bacon
Frank Miller
Gregory Crewdson
H.R. Giger
Henri Matisse
Howard Schatz
Janet Fish
Jean Paul Basquiat
Jean-Philippe Delhomme
Jeff Koons
Jenny Saville
Joan Miro
Joel Peter Witkin
Katsushika Hokusai
Lauri Anderson
Laurie Simmons
Lucian Freud
Margaret Kilgallen
Marilyn Minter
Matthew Barney
Michelle White
Mr Brainwash
Paul Klee
Peter Beard
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Wilson
Romare Bearden
Sally Mann
Shepard Fairey
Sket One
Starn Brothers
Takashi Murakami
Tom Wesselmann
Tommy Kane
Umberto Boccioni
Victor Vasarely
Wassily Kandinsky
Wayne Thiebaud
William Eggleston
William Kentridge

Japan Society's zen art workshop with artist Max Gimblett

Next month we'll be participating in a series of workshops that are facilitated by the Japan Society in New York City featuring: prominent New Zealand artist Max Gimblett (who is featured in the video above), and museum educators Petra Pankow and Suzanne De Vegh. We will be working with students from different schools in Manhattan as we learn about Zen Art and later create it ourselves. The results of the experience will be exhibited at the Japan Society in conjunction with the current show "The Sound of One Hand: Paintings and Calligraphy by Zen Master Hakuin" which runs through January 9, 2011.

2010 Summer Assignments

Welcome to all the incoming AP art students, below are the summer assignments for next year's class. These are general thematic assignments so they are open to interpretation, be sure to bring to it your own sense of style and creativity!

Complete the first set of assignments by August 1 and the second set of assignments are due the first week of class. If you have any questions about the assignments please email Mr. Needles and take a look at the examples on the blog that will be posted over the summer.


Part I:

1. Self Portrait Without a Face

2. Design a New Animal

3. “Man vs. Nature” Landscape

4. Antediluvian (Very, very old) Portrait



Part II

5. Ennui
–noun
A feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom: The endless lecture produced an unbearable ennui.

6. Noir
–adjective French
Black; noting the black numbers in roulette or the film noir style which incorporates deep shadows and a grim urban setting, photographed in somber tones and permeated by a feeling of disillusionment, pessimism, and despair.

7. Nouveau
–adjective
Newly or recently created, developed, or come to prominence: The sudden success of the firm created several nouveau millionaires.

8. Voix De Ville (“Voice of the City” led to the term vaudeville):
-noun
Stage entertainment offering a variety of short acts such as slapstick… Also a light comic play that often includes songs, pantomime, and dances or a popular, often satirical song.

2010 AP Art Class

Congrats to the AP art class of 2010! Fantastic job enjoy a safe and happy summer and best of luck to all of you in the future!

Completion of Smithtown's "Fundred" dollar bill program

Pictured above are leaders from the Media Art Honor Society serving as guards along with Mr. Needles and driver Tory Tepp as we deliver the money in front of Smithtown East.

After years of creating and collecting student produced "Fundred" dollars bills to raise money and awareness for the Katrina relief in Louisiana Tory Tepp stopped by the school today to collect the bills in Mel Chin's Bio-fuel driven Armored Car. If all goes to plan we should end up having raised over $360,000 thanks to the all Suffolk County students and teachers who participated.