Aboriginal Art

The Aborigines are native to Australia and have contributed richly to the art culture there. One of the more common styles incorporates dots into artwork.  Subject matter often includes animals native to the country.  Paintings are often done on natural surfaces such as bark or stone.  

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State Superintendent's 

Art Show

Youth Art Month at 

The Birmingham Museum of Art

Art Show 2015

Aztec Sun Calendars

This calendar was made by the Aztecs of Mexico.  It was found hidden and buried in the main square of Mexico City in 1790.  It measures three feet thick by twelve feet in diameter and weighs twenty four tons.  There are twenty days in each months and eighteen months in the Aztec year.  The days were named after various aspects of nature, such as rain, eagle, and water.  The Central figure is the sun, Tonatiuh, which they worshiped.  

First grade students compared our calendar to the Aztec sun calendar.  They used simple shapes to fill the outer ring and then created a sun in the middle.  As you can see, many of them decided to mimic Tonatiuh and his protruding tongue.

Metal Tooling

The art of metal tooling dates back many centuries. Tooling is the process in which soft metal is worked on from both sides to create a raised design. This Mycenaean Mask of Agamemnon is an example of tooling done in gold.

Fifth grade students tooled their design on aluminum metal. Lines were first added to divide the space and then patterns were created within each space.  After the tooling process was complete, the metal was attached to paper and the patterns were extended to the edges.