Our 6th and 7th grade students collaborated to create an art piece that combined the digital and visual arts. Each group created one unified piece that showed how design choices, color schemes and imagery would enhance and support the overall emotion and tone of the piece. Students learned how color psychology helps artists understand the power of color, and students applied color theory to help them develop color schemes and palettes. Students designed custom fonts by hand which conveyed the tone of their piece, then used Adobe Illustrator to create a vector graphic version of their typography, necessary for use with a laser cutter.

Teacher Reflections:

Students take separate visual and digital arts classes over the course of their middle school experience. This project offered students an opportunity to see how it is possible to blend different types of media in the creation of an art product. The integration of our classes helped students to see how the arts are composed of multiple styles, mediums and techniques; no longer was hand made art and technology separate in the art process. Creative Collective helped students to understand the process involved in solving creative problems/challenges and how art can be a beautiful by-product of this process. Students were more open to the art process and engaged in finding solutions as a result of being given these creative challenges.

Student Reflection:

It was fun to combine these two types of art classes, and to work with the 7th graders. I used to think art was either on the computer or handmade. Now I see how they can be used together to make one stronger art piece. At first the creative challenges were hard, but after a while we worked together and came up with good ideas and solutions. The project ended up being so much bigger by mixing the classes and the grades.

—Giselle, 6th grade

To learn more visit: dp.hightechhigh.org/~mvasquez or
dp.hightechhigh.org/~clinnik