[METHOW ARTS EDUCATION REPORT]

Third graders at Brewster Elementary School integrated biology, watercolors, and 3D design in a residency that allowed them a close study of owls. The art residency was preceded by a classroom unit on the habits, characteristics, and habitats of various nocturnal animals.

Working with Twisp artist and naturalist Bruce Morrison, students examined the physical characteristics of owls, including the colors and texture of the feathers. They then refined their brush technique and used their watercolor palettes to paint two-dimensional owl heads on tagboard. When the paint dried, students made slight cuts in the owl heads that allowed them to bend and fold the flat paper into three-dimensional masks, which they promptly held up to their faces, turning a class of 8-year-olds into a parliament of colorful owls.

In addition to learning about the characteristics of nocturnality, students continued to develop manual dexterity and an understanding of color use.

The masks are currently displayed in the halls at Brewster Elementary School.

This residency was created by Methow Arts Alliance and is sponsored by the Community Foundation of North Central WA, Webster Furniture, Confluence Health, the Brewster BearBackers, the Brewster Masons, the Brewster School District, the National Endowment for the Arts, and ArtsWA.

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CONTACT: Methow Arts Alliance, 509.997.4004, info@methowartsalliance.org