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What's new in
Advanced Arts?

Advanced Arts Remote Learning Update #6

5/26/2020

 
Spring Showcase and the end of the year are almost upon us.  The 2019 - 2020 school year is our 20th anniversary, and while it brought us some unexpected twists and turns, we are proud to say our school is going strong.  We look forward to seeing where we are in another 20 years.  Students and Staff have been hard at work this week putting the finishing touches on their Showcase Exhibits which will be completely virtual this year.  Let's check in and see what everyone worked on last week...

Animation & Sequential Arts

Students completed their short films for our Virtual Spring Showcase and the results are fantastic.  With their individual films combined, students have created a Stop Motion Short Film Collection over 20 minutes in length.  This Collection will debut in our Virtual Spring Showcase!  Students are currently working on a Zine that chronicles their personal quarantine stories, and some might even submit their Zines to Chicago Zine Fest for their upcoming youth voice readings! We are excited to see if any of their work is accepted!

Creative Arts Ceramics

No Update.

Culinary Arts

This week, most of the culinary students are recovering from AP tests and winding down the year by safely making comfort food for their friends and families. Culinary Arts is also working on their final submissions to be displayed in our Virtual Showcase.

Dance

Let's just say our Dancers are "Feelin' Good!"

Drawing & Painting

Mr. Alex & Mr. Matt have been collecting up a lot of work from their students, and it all looks AMAZING!  Considering all of the obstacles the students have faced, this work is a testament to the talent and hard work of our Drawing & Painting class.  We are excited to honor them.  Here's a little teaser of the latest work that will be in the show!  To see this and more, join us for our Virtual Showcase!

Photography

Our photography students worked with the photo teaching team to create and curate an original photo series. They experience photography as a way to communicate and heal.  
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Theatre

Work, Werk, Wurrrrk!! Our Theatre students were moving and shaking over in AAP TheatreLand this week! Students recorded monologues that would impress any agent, created funny skits, wrote poetry, wrote monologues, wrote and acted in an original scene, wrote a mysterious new one-act play, sang a song about the beauty of coming together, and learn more about creating/recording/editing videos. Ms. Mostad and Mr. Weddington met with students to dig deeper into their craft and help with recording. It's been hard work, and it's been extremely fun. This is such a terrific group of students! We cannot wait for you to check out our section in our Virtual Showcase!

Video Production

This week, the video students worked on their independent projects! They continued preparing for Showcase by uploading their work from the past year with short artist statements. At our weekly meeting, we reviewed the itinerary for the next week. Teachers had check-ins on the students' current progress and independent work on their independent project treatments as they develop them into their final form.

We're super excited for everyone to see our students' videos in Showcase!


Vocal Arts

No Update.

Come back next week for more updates from our Advanced Arts Classrooms!
Until then...
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Home!

Advanced Arts Remote Learning Update #5

5/18/2020

 
It's hard to believe we are already half way through May, and that graduation looms ahead for all our Seniors at Advanced Arts.  Some of our Seniors have been taking classes at our school for multiple years, and it will be hard to imagine our halls next year without them walking within them.

Our Virtual Spring Showcase is Friday May 29th, and all our classes have been hard at work in their virtual classrooms preparing in their own ways.  While we won't be able to celebrate in our large Center Space Gallery, we will still be united digitally, in celebration.

Let's check in on what our classes were up to last week!

Animation & Sequential Arts

This class had a blast last week catching up with each other.  This classroom opens an hour earlier than any other in our school and it is often full before class with students getting a head start on work, catching up with each-other, and sharing stories about their individual days.  Utilizing virtual classrooms simply cannot substitute the shared comradely found within "The Lair," which is the students' affectionate name for their tiny but mighty classroom.  This week teachers made time for everyone to share updates on their individual lives, talk about cool recipes, share what cartoons everyone should be watching, and reminisce on silly inside classroom jokes.  Even apart, our animators have a strong community.

Students have been working on the finishing touches for their "Main Stop Motion Event" for Spring Showcase.  This project from pre-production to post has taken a little over a month, and the students used this time to prepare storyboards, plan sets, film, and edit their animations.  All Stop Motion Animation has been done within the free app, Stop Motion Studio.  The class is excited to show everyone what they have been up to in this new project!

Creative Arts Ceramics

This week this class has been finalizing projects for our spring showcase. Some students are working on some stop motion animation and computer generated animation as well. Other students are focusing on working with more traditional approaches using found and fabricated materials to create 3D and 2D works. The theme is how they are responding to and dealing with remote learning, staying at home and the effect the pandemic is having on their view of the world.

Culinary Arts

This week, many of our culinary students are taking their AP tests and we wish them so much luck. Assignment-wise, teachers asked the kids to think outside of the box and try to cook something in a different way than usual. This was a lot of fun and inspired a lot of creativity. One student perfected a stove-top cake that was beautiful and springy and a huge success. Another student made the world's most perfect flan using a sous vide technique.

We really miss seeing these amazing students every day.... and eating their amazing creations too!


Dance

Our Dance class spent the week choreographing a special COVID-19 Dance about dealing with the virus that will debut at our Digital Spring Showcase!
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Drawing & Painting

Our Drawing and Painting students are racing towards the finish line!  With the deadline for our Virtual Showcase coming up, the work is pouring in!  Though we are all a little sad that we won't have a traditional showcase with physical work this Spring, students have been working really hard and sending in some amazing art.  Their inspiration and excitement is contagious.  Check out just a few examples, but by all means, stay tuned to see all of their portfolio work at our Showcase!


Photography

Photo students produced some thoughtful work as they walked in the shoes of Alessandra Sanguinetti. Dancing between poetic, staged and documentary, Sanguinetti's photos key in on details of a gesture, a texture, the light or an environment.

Theatre

Theatre has had another very busy week creating, creating, creating, revising, and creating some more. Students are recording monologues and songs, creating voice over projects featuring pets and siblings, making videos of perception vs. reality in the pandemic, movement to music, slide shows with original text, and writing plays. We can't wait to share their work with you! Students have met individually with Mr. Weddington and Ms. Mostad on google meets for feedback, brainstorming, tweaking, and adjusting. Working in this way has giving rise to very specific individualized student voices.

Shout out to Marla Chinbat for her interview with Steppenwolf ensemble member Laurie Metcalf. She was terrific and helped Steppenwolf for Young Adults raise funds for next season. So cool!

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Video Production

This week, the students finished up their Anti-Virus projects! They started preparing for Showcase by uploading their work from the past year with short artist statements. At our weekly meeting, we gave important updates to our grading system & talked through the final month of our class. Some students are getting a head start on their final independent projects for the semester. The class had check-ins on current progress and independent work on their anti-virus rough cuts as they develop them into more polished videos.

We're super excited for everyone to see our students' videos in Showcase!


Vocal Arts

No Update.

Come back next week for more updates from our Advanced Arts Classrooms!
Until then...
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Home!

Advanced Arts Remote Learning Update #4

5/11/2020

 
Welcome to week four of our remote learning updates. It's hard to imagine we have now been making blog updates like this for a full month.  As we look ahead, our Spring Showcase is in two weeks.  While it will not be the in-person celebration we are used to, our staff and students alike are excited for our #Virtual Spring Showcase, now set for Friday May 29th.  More details to come soon, but we will be displaying work from both our visual and culinary arts students along with recorded performances from our performing arts classes.  A virtual showcase is a first for us, but we are so proud of our students rising to meet this new challenge.  Let's check in on what happened in our classrooms last week

Stay tuned for more classroom and showcase updates from AAP!


Animation & Sequential Arts

Animation & Sequential Arts students have been hard at work in their individual homes turned film-sets for their final Stop Motion Animation project of the year.  Students have been working for a full two weeks on this short film project, and at the end will have created a minute and a half long video that follows the storyboards that were turned in for approval before project production began.  Film subjects are so diverse, and the genre really allows for students to show off their individual styles and set design.  Students will also be showing work on Saturday May 15th at Chicago Zine Fest 2020, a self-publishing festival that has gone digital this year.  We are so excited for these students, as Chicago Zine Fest has become a time honored tradition in Animation & Sequential Arts.  We also would like to congratulate Joana Rodriguez, Lilian Gragert, Anyah Thompson, Caleb Hardaway, Itzel Saenz, Cindy Phan, Vance Lira, Alessandra Montero, Jazmin Hernandez, Faith Lasley, Abby Moon-Sarudi, Metzli Castellanos, and Aaron Bergante; these students all made it into the All-City Spring Visual Arts Exhibition!  This is the highest amount of Animation Students we have ever had accepted into this show, congratulations all!

Creative Arts Ceramics

No Update

Culinary Arts

Last week culinary arts had a great turnout for our weekly Google Hangout. While everyone in class has had their ups and down's, everyone has been powering through. This week's class topics were a discussion about the meat shortage, and other current events in the food industry.  The class also spent the week planning for our digital Spring Showcase. We can't wait to see what this class is cooking up!

Dance

Our dance class has been hard at work as always, even though they are missing their lovely studio at Gallery 37. It is inspiring to see our dedicated dancers turning their homes, lawns, and even neighborhood parks into their dance studios.  Watch their latest video compilation titled "Dance Inspirations!"

Drawing & Painting

We have a real cool update from our Drawing & Painting class this week.

When life gives you lemons, the best thing to do is make lemonade.  Our Drawing & Painting student Beata Semeniuk found herself without access to quality paints, so she did some research and figured out how to make her own paints! 

"So I really wanted to paint, but the paint I have at home is really crummy and every time I started to paint I hated it from the very first seconds.  So anyways I researched how to make your own paint and here are some results. (I used spinach for green, orange zest with powdered sugar for yellow(boiled), beetroot for red and strong brewed coffee for brown. I added some egg yolk to all of these (because that's what google said to do, but it actually worked). And then I also mixed some species with linseed oil (turmeric, sweet pepper, ground allspice)). The results are not astonishing (not that i was expecting to make Rembrandt quality paint) but i did have some fun!" - Beata Semeniuk

This is amazing work Beata, we all want to try making our own paint now.  Check out her results below!


Photography

No Update.

Theatre

Theatre has been busy this week creating content for our Spring Showcase Showcase at the end of May. Students have meet collectively in a group meet and met one-on-one with Ms. Mostad and Mr. Weddington as they create individually and in teams. Each student will contribute three pieces to the showcase. We will have written one-act plays, sketches, voice-over work with original content, scenework, monologues (original and from published plays), parody, and at least one narrative movement piece. 

Students and Teachers are having fun and getting stuff done!


Video Production

We continued work on our anti-virus videos this week--our responses to and reflections on the pandemic. We watched Strawberry Shortcuts by Tom Rubnitz for this week's discussion sheet. In response to the video, we discussed the the idea of artists mocking the nuclear family ideology. At our weekly class meeting, we talked about the progress on our anti-virus videos--where we're at in the process of making & what type of footage we're using (newly shot footage, found footage, etc.). We ended the week by having individual meetings about our projects.

Vocal Arts

Students practiced breathing exercises this week following along with Mrs. Hendricks' instructions and prepared for Spring Showcase.

A Week in Reflection, in the words of our Vocal Arts Students:


Adrianna Sykes:
I have learned half of a song on my piano,  and I’m doing okay.  But I need more concentration on my school work.

Johnny Raguay, Jr.:
I recently celebrated my 18th Birthday on May 2nd. I am so happy and blessed to start becoming the man I want to be. I need to concentrate and get my school work out of my way, because I am tired of it being the only thing holding me back. 

“I Am So BRAVE” by Stephen Krensky    “I was scared of big dogs.   Then I made a new friend.  I was scared of the water.  Now I love the deep end.  I was scared of the dark.  Then I saw the stars shine.  I was scared of loud horns.  Then I got to beep mine.  I was scared of good-byes.  Now I’m happy to wave.  I’m not scared like before.  I am so brave!”  

Come back next week for more updates from our Advanced Arts Classrooms!
Until then...
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Home!

Advanced Arts Remote Learning Update #3

5/4/2020

 
Welcome to week three of our remote learning updates.  We are so proud of our educators and how they have stepped up to make remote learning fun and educational for all our students.  While we will not be able to hold our annual Spring Showcase in person, we are working hard to create a virtual edition of the exhibition. Stay tuned for more classroom and showcase updates from AAP!

Animation & Sequential Arts

Our animation & sequential arts students were hard at work last week.  After getting their storyboard concepts approved, students were allowed to move forward with their Stop Motion Film Projects.  Students must create a film that is at least a minute and a half long and twelve frames per secon using the free app Stop Motion Studio.  With three weeks to work on the film, students are expected to animate thirty frames a week.  Film concepts have ranged from an epic car chase to a fight between chess pieces.  Students are using their homebound environments to their advantage, using rooms and items around the home as set pieces.  The final films will be shown in our virtual Spring Showcase.  Last week the class also submitted work to the All-City Visual Arts show, fingers crossed the pixel art they submitted gets in!

Creative Arts Ceramics

The class continued to work on their anti-viral project.  Here is some student work!
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Dantaysha Garland, Mixed Media, The Anti-Virus Project
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Antonio Nieto, Mixed Media, The Anti-Virus Project
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Gabryelle Harmon, Mixed Media, The Anti-Virus Project


Culinary Arts

We are so proud of our culinary kiddos! This week worked on plating skills. It allowed some of our culinary students to try something new. Last week, they took an examination of food in times of crisis or wartime in America and focused on making something out of nothing. 

Dance

Our dance class celebrated International Dance Day last week with some fun activities, one of which is highlighted in this great video!

Drawing & Painting

​Each week students post things they've been working on!  Many are making great strides in finishing their portfolio.  Some have switched their ideas to reflect our current situation, some making art on Social Distancing, or feelings of isolation.  We've been encouraging students to make art that is close to their experience, to use this time to make art as a kind of visual journal.  There have been some really good beginnings, but more than anything, some very fun afternoons of students working with us on camera via Google Meetup.
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Photography

The students studied the work of photographer Larry Sultan. They then made original photographs responding to what they observed and appreciated in his work.

Theatre

This week our theatre class have been engaging in discussions and preparations (through google meet and google classroom) for our online presence through the AAP Remote Gallery and our Virtual Gallery Showcase. Students have nearly completed our Sonnet project, have discussed several options for our digital presence, and students are collaborating on ideas for recorded performance for our showcase and other forms of online presence: sketch, scenes from student written plays, movement and dance, monologues and scenes. With our theatre students in the hive mind - we are in good hands!

Video Production

Our Video Production class worked on our anti-virus videos this week-- their responses to and reflections on the pandemic. They watched Germs by Rachel Maclean for this week's discussion sheet. In response to the video, the class discussed the allure of advertisements & world-building within moving image. At their weekly class meeting, they talked about the progress on their anti-virus videos--where they're at in the process of making & what type of footage they're using (newly shot footage, found footage, etc.). The class ended the week by having individual meetings with students about their projects.

Vocal Arts

This week the class learned that Johnny Raquez and Iyanna Herring were accepted to Berklee College of Music. The class has been meeting to discuss college questions, giving feedback on video lessons, and talking about career options after college. For many of our Vocal seniors, Decision Day is upon us and they are making life choices. Iyanna is deciding between Jazz Vocal and Forensic Psychology!

Come back next week for more updates from our Advanced Arts Classrooms!
Until then...
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Home!

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CPS Advanced Arts Program
Gallery 37 Center for the Arts
66 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601
p. 312.578.9485 - f. 312.578.9487
AdvancedArts@cps.edu

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