PIA Project Steps
The Partners in Art program provides parents with the opportunity to lead their child’s class through art projects inspired by famous artists. Projects consist of two basic parts: (1) an overview of the artist and (2) a hands-on art activity related to the artist’s style.
No experience is needed and we have all the resources you need! Check out a more detailed breakdown of how to set everything up below.
- Sign up for the project in your child’s classroom that works best for your schedule with the Partners in Art Sign-Up Form. There are 3 volunteer spots per project. If your child is in the DLP program, they will have the opportunity to join all PIA projects in their integration classroom – so please sign up for that classroom’s slot!
- Peruse the Artist Resource Page to get ideas for your assigned artist. Each page includes a link to a Prezi presentation, an accompanying script for the presentation, more info about the artist, and project ideas. Presentations about the artist should be 5 minutes for kindergarten classes and 10 minutes for all other grades.
- Contact your fellow presenters to plan your project. You can find emails in DirectorySpot.
- Contact your child’s teacher to find a day and time to present the project within the two-month window listed in the sign-up sheet. You can also find staff emails in DirectorySpot. Projects typically last anywhere from 45 – 75 minutes depending on classroom schedules and parent availability.
- A couple weeks before your presentation, visit the red Partners in Art cabinets outside of the gym to check supplies. The cabinet lock codes are 1435. If you need any supplies that are not in the cabinets, please contact Sabrina Bauer, Anne Kulick, or Hannah Schmidt. There are also copies of artwork next to the cabinets that can be used as examples during presentations.
- Have fun on the day of your project! The kids absolutely love Partners in Art days. If you are able to take any pictures during the project, please feel free to send them our way!
Tips from Teachers:
- Focus – Ask students to raise their hands for questions. If students start talking, raise your hand with a zero, which asks them to remain silent (at a level zero). Some teachers may have a classroom bell or a countdown system (3, 2, 1) to ask students to refocus.
- Project your voice – Students respond well to strong and confident voices! Make sure all students can hear you. Wait for them to stop chatting if they are talking, so that you don’t have to speak over them.
- Make it fun! – Find one or two interesting stories about the artist to pique their interest!
- Model each step of the project – Break the project into steps and do one step at a time so that the kids can follow you. Bring visuals of the project at various stages or demonstrate with the kids so that they can see the steps. There are some completed samples of projects in the PIA closet.
- Directions – Write directions on the board to help students who may have forgotten their next step.
- Supplies – Don’t hand out supplies before giving directions!! Students will lose focus and want to start once the supplies are handed out.
- Plan the time – Try to plan how long the activity will take and make sure to bring a “just in case” idea if you finish early. For example, printing out some coloring sheets printed out relating to the artist.
Thank you so much for volunteering!
PIA Presentation List
Presentation and project ideas for each PIA artist are included below.
For more helpful prompts that can be used during all presentations, visit: General PIA Presentation Questions.
