Butterflies in the Sky

The second graders have been studying insects in their home room classes, so in art class we created “insect” art as well. To get inspired, Miss Horsley showed the second graders a series of butterfly prints that Andy Warhol created in 1983. These prints were created to help raise awareness of endangered animals. We discussed how butterflies have symmetrical balance. Symmetrical balance is seen in images with mirror images. This project also allowed the students the opportunity to collaborate with another artist from their class to create a unified work of art that featured both of their butterflies. The students read the story, “The Yellow House,” by Susan Goldman Rubin to learn about other artists who worked with each other. This story tells the tale of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin working with each other in Arles, France. Even though, the two artists didn’t see eye to eye all the time, they still learned a lot from each other. After reading the story, the second grade classes discussed why it is important for artist’s to collaborate with others. It was wonderful to see the second graders work so well with each other and the art turned out fabulous!