Chihuly Art Lessons from DuPont Elementary

I began this lesson with my 3rd and 4th graders, but I am thinking about involving the entire school.
We have done several lessons already this year to study Dale Chihuly's art, which is leading up to a field trip to Cheekwood and an installation project in the school library.
Here is a basic overview of my Chihuly unit:

• I began with the Macchia unit that my fellow metro art teachers came up with. We looked at Chihuly's Macchias on his website, and then created our own.

• We also did some Macchia paintings, similiar to Mr. E's lesson. We used tints and shades to paint an organic shape, shades in the middle, tints around the edge (which created a little depth). Then, students used chalk and pastel to add the lines and spots on top of the painting. They looked fabulous! (A little like an Amoeba, but still fabulous!)



• We then moved into looking at Chihulys Ikebana's and Towers. Students sketched designs for their own Ikebana's, and a design for an installation to be put in our library.

Some students chose to sketch like Chihuly and use more than one pencil! FUN!
• Next, students brought in milk jugs and we cut them into flower petal shapes. The opening of the jug was the center of the flower, and the bottom of the jug was another layer. We put the two parts of the jug together by using a tissue paper flower and pulling it through the center.



• I am currently in the process of creating a tower installation on a pole in our library.

The most challenging things I have run into with this project: Cutting all the jugs, and figuring out how to get them on the pole!


You can visit my blog to find out more about our projects at DuPont, just go to O'Neills Art Room Blog.