Same Assignment, Creative Outcomes

April 27, 2020 | Clara Buckley

Ally’s Savanna

At school, students in grades 6-8 collaborated in small groups to create a chimera (animal hybrid). Now working at home, students received the assignment to create a visual of their chimera’s habitat. It could be anywhere in the world, but the flora and fauna would be native to that habitat. Given the different resources and materials available at home, compared to school, a wide variety of artistic outcomes was acceptable.

Theo’s Savanna

Lily’s Great Southern Reef

Caroline’s Island

Sean’s Rainforest

Students showed immense creativity with the art materials they found at home. They used collage, slideshows, diagrams, drawings, textiles, and 3D construction to convey the necessary information.

Leonor’s Tundra

Emily’s Tundra

Dallas’s Beach

Isabella’s Ocean

It was an impressive demonstration of independence drawing on skills learned over many years of Mustard Seed art classes.

Clara Buckley

Preschool Art Specialist; Middle School Art

Clara Buckley’s teaching spans the ages of Mustard Seed School, from the youngest students in the preschool to students in the graduating class. She’s found many similarities between teaching three-year-olds and thirteen-year-olds!

As an art teacher who never enjoyed drawing, Ms Buckley’s hope is that each child she teaches discovers a way to create art that they enjoy, whether it be sculpture, printing, textiles, architectural drawing, or collage.

Ms. Buckley loves living in Jersey City, a place whose diversity and welcome for immigrants reflects her own family experience. When planning future travel destinations, art, food, and time with family are featured items on her list.

Same Assignment, Creative Outcomes

Clara Buckley

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