Saint Vincent art grant also teaches history

Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School received a grant from the National Endowments for the Humanities titled "Picturing America," which uses art as a catalyst for the study of America - the cultural, political and historical threads woven into the nation's fabric. In the fall, Saint Vincent's received 40 quality reproductions of notable American art, giving students the opportunity to learn about history and culture in a fresh and engaging way. Parent art volunteers worked with each class to study some of these reproductions, introducing students to famous artists and art mediums so students could learn about various art elements while also learning American history

First-grade students studied Romare Bearden's "The Dove," discussing his abstract style, parts of collage, and its freedom to improvise a point of view by rearranging mass-produced images in an almost abstract way. Students then took magazines and cut out images, creating a collage for themselves. Third graders studied Louis Comfort Tiffany "Autumn Landscape - The River of Life," which examined the scene depicted and how it was put together and introducing art into daily life. Students then worked on making their own stain glass replica's in the "pursuit of beauty."

Fourth graders studied Native American history and used Picturing America's "Pottery and Baskets" section, studied the Catlin Painting "Pah-to-toh-pa -Mandan," Sans Arc Lakota Ledger Book and Wyeth's "The Last of the Mohicans."

In fifth grade students studied Mary Cassat's "The Boating Party" learning about color, foreground and backgrounds.