Suncoast Credit Union

The goal of this project is to introduce 5th grade students to the pop art of Peter Max. Students will learn about the bright color combinations, repeated shapes, use of negative space, and other characteristics of Peter Max pop art. After studying the art of Peter Max, students will use permanent markers and oil pastels to make their own pop art.

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Peter Max Pop Art

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School:
Pinecrest Elementary 
Subject:
Art 
Teacher:
Keith Barber 
Students Impacted:
125 
Grade:
5 
Date:
August 31, 2021

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

 

In Memory of Larry Zywica - $308.50

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Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 120

     The 5th grade students learned about the pop artist Peter Max.  His work became popular in the middle to late 1960's as our nation was facing many social problems.  Among them were the war in Vietnam, racial unrest which was often violent, distrust in our government, drug abuse, and the assasinations of Martin Luther King and others in the civil rights movement.  The last few years our country has seen similar problems with the deaths of George Floyd and other African Americans, distrust in government, political discord, COVID 19, and immigration.

     "The art of Peter Max has done to the art world what the Beatles did to the music world," one critic has stated.  That could be interpreted in different ways, but I see it as a light in a darkening world.  Peter Max used various artistic tools to make this happen.  Among them:  color saturation, graduated colors, the pairing of complimentary colors to provide contrast, popular subjects, and a sense of the psychadelic.

     I felt that this project was an uplifting experience for the students as they face the realities of modern life.  Also, I wanted them to see that not all well-known art was created by the master artists of the past, but the current artists are still hard at work trying to make sense of the world and remind us that there are ways to celebrate that which is good in life.

     The students enjoyed making art with the purpose of making others see happiness and joy.  They were also able to look back on past art projects that used these same skills, but not to this level so they had a sense of accomplishment.

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Focal point is first to be drawn

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Then repeated shapes are added

 

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The focal point is painted first with a graduated

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More colors are added to the focal point. The col

 

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The repeated shapes are painted with a color schem

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The background is

 

Original Grant Overview

Goal

The goal of this project is to introduce 5th grade students to the pop art of Peter Max. Students will learn about the bright color combinations, repeated shapes, use of negative space, and other characteristics of Peter Max pop art. After studying the art of Peter Max, students will use permanent markers and oil pastels to make their own pop art. 

 

What will be done with my students

This project usually lasts 4-6 weeks (meeting once a week) so it is an ongoing project. It is also an ongoing project in the sense that previous lessons/projects teach skills necessary to make pop art in the style of Peter Max.

The students will examine several examples of Peter Max's work and compare and contrast them. The students will choose a focal point such as a peace symbol, Statue of Liberty, or a fantasy scene. They will draw their focal point and then add elements of art that Peter Max uses. Examples are stars, clouds, peace symbols, doves, flowers, negative space, radiating lines, and use of contrasting and complimentary colors. 

 

Benefits to my students

My school is a Title I school that serves children from impoverished families, most of which are employed in agricultural work. Few of our students use English as their primary language at home. Despite their circumstances our students have a positive outlook and hope for a future which is better than that of their parents. While middle class and affluent students are often exposed to the arts at home, most impoverished students are not. Arts education in the schools helps close the gap between impoverished students and affluent students. According to a 2005 report by the Rand Corporation the arts "can connect people more deeply to the world and open them to new ways of seeing." Students exposed to quality arts education show gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork. Pop art is based on modern popular culture and the mass media. The bright colors and subject matter are highly motivating to 5th grade students.
These works will be shared with students of other grade levels to express optimism and positivity. 

 

Budget Narrative

The budget includes enough permanent markers and oil pastels for all 5th grade classes to complete the Peter Max Pop Art project during the 2021-2022 school year. Some of the used markers and oil pastels may be able to be used for future projects.  

 

Items

# Item Cost
1 240 Sharpie fine tip permanent markers $160.00
2 10 boxes Sakura Cray Pas oil pastels $131.10
3 150 sheets Tru-Ray white construction paper 12" x 18" $17.40
  Total: $308.50

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