TITLE Culture, Community and the Classroom: Introduction to Mosaic and the Collaboration Tree Project
AUTHOR AND TEACHER Christine Crossgrove
ARTIST COLLABORATOR Luigi Gobbo, Italian Mosaic Artist
SUBJECT AND GRADE LEVEL High School Visual Art
LENGTH 2 class periods for Residency, 5-7 more for Mosaic Extension
Find the complete lesson plans in the sidebar under “Downloads.”
New York State Standards for the Fine Arts Addressed:
Teacher Christine Crossgrove with artist Luigi Gobbo and The Collaboration Tree mosaic completed through this project.
PURPOSE/CONNECTION
Teaching mosaic art processes and history provided students an authentic art experience under the guidance of a local master mosaic artist, Luigi Gobbo. Students experienced an ancient artform and learned that this is one of the longest lasting types of art. We discussed being connected to mosaic artists from all over the world and from almost every historical era. [see History of Mosaics Worksheet]
We considered mosaics that students see in their daily lives and others located in the Southern Tier. We introduced the possibility of creating more mosaic art in the future because of the depth of knowledge shared seven weeks of working side by side with an experienced master artist of Italian Mosaic. The experience also enriched students’ connection to each other and their sense of purpose. Creating a beautiful work as a team with the artist and teacher’s guidance allowed them to realize that each of their contributions is important artistically and created a beautiful, meaningful outcome in Our Collaboration Tree. [Lesson Extension]
A Student Reflection at the end of the project.