Pinwheels!

This is one my favorite projects.  The students love it too . . . even the boys!  I start off every semester with a variation of this same project.  I introduce five artists and a different technique with each artist.  This allows me to start the semester with a good dose of Art History and with each different technique I address the skills involved as well as how to clean up and store things properly.  I have adapted this project to papier mache, t-shirt design and many other two-dimensional projects.  For the pinwheels we started out with a 12×12″ piece of white tagboard.  We use both sides of the tag so students have to keep it nice and clean.  I take a few days introducing each artist, demonstrating the technique and giving students time to practice before apply the final to their 12×12″ square.  Our final artist is always Jackson Pollock . . . a class favorite.  We splatter paint the back of the paper taking care to keep the front paint free.  I cut and drill a wooden dowel for each student and that is painted to coordinate with their pinwheel.  We use brass paper fasteners to attach them to the dowel rod and they even spin!  The final pinwheels are displayed in bouquets throughout the building.  They are always a hit!