Mosaic Introduction

My class took a six month hiatus from major art projects. We have been very busy learning about how school children around the world cope with hardships such as natural disasters and poverty; we have been participating in activities for our fossil study that is making us feel like paleontologists- putting together fragments of skeletons and writing museum display labels for fossils found in tar and tree resin. 
This whole time I have been sneaking in art where it made sense, but I needed more inspiration (and materials!) to start something bigger. That's where the Richmond Art Center came in. They held an Art Educator workshop last month that exposed a small group of interested teachers to different art forms and how to make them accessible to their students. They even donated a full bin of art supplies to each participant teacher- including 50 pounds of mexo, an air-dry clay.  I know how time flies when you're teaching, and didn't hesitate to start using those precious art materials right away. Last Wednesday, I set up my whole class for our mosaic exploration activity. The students were jazzed about the little slide show showcasing ancient mosaics as well as local favorites such as the beautiful  San Fransisco mosaic steps.
The day after we created our beautiful bean and mixed gem mosaic pieces, we received the dramatic news that our school may be closing for three weeks due to the covid-19 virus we'd all been hearing about on the news. It was a time of uncertainty and confusion for our young scholars. It was very comforting to return to the art pieces we had put together the previous day. The students admired their work, and found solace in walking around and sketching their favorite pieces- which usually ended up being their own. At a time when it felt like the sky was falling, mosaics created by the students' own hands gave them a sense of control over their lives, and an appreciation for the power of creation.