Dara Kane

Gallery Exhibit: Piecing it Together

2012-02-18T13:54:00.001-05:00

Piecing it Together at the Mount Vernon Public Library

February 9 - March 27, 2012

Artists:

Natalya Aikens

Michael Albert

Dara Kane

Luis Perelman

Piecing it Together is an exhibition of works by four Westchester artists who exemplify the range of this quintessentially modernist medium in the 21st century. Their pieced-together art works challenge the expected and the everyday.

Mount Vernon Public Library
28 South First Avenue
Mount Vernon, NY 10550
http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/home

Art work credit: "Brillo Flag" by Michael Albert

BASC Spring '12: Flaps

2012-02-17T22:21:00.001-05:00

During my pop-up class I introduced four different types of flaps - regular flaps, hinge flaps, any shape flaps and fold out flaps. Flaps are made out of paper and are affixed to another support. They can cover an illustration, text or movable illustration. When the flap is lifted it reveals an image or word. I demonstrated how to make each type of flap; I used a pop-up book to show examples of each type of flap; and gave students a handout on flaps to use as a visual aid. The students who are older and more confident sat together to work on their flaps. At another table I worked one-on-one with a smaller group of students who needed my guidance. Once students mastered making the flaps they set to work on drawings that would give their viewer the biggest surprise. I think they showed a lot of creativity with the designs they put on and under their flaps. Yum, yum!

BASC Spring '12: Pop-Ups

2012-02-06T20:56:00.001-05:00

The Bronxville After School Club (BASC) started Spring Classes last week. I am teaching a new art class that focuses mostly on pop-ups. Pop-ups have always intrigued me, so I am excited about learning and teaching students how to create all types of pop-ups. During the first class students learned how to make a "step". Although it was difficult at first to cut and fold the paper properly to create a crisp "step" many students quickly got the hang of it. I was impressed that some students even took the time to create a scene around their pop-up. Each student got a blank book which they will fill weekly with the pop-up they learned that day. By the end of the course each student will have made their very own pop-up book.

Connections: The Teaching Artists of Westchester

2012-01-05T18:55:00.001-05:00

View four of my original collages in a group show

at the ArtsWestchester Bank Building, White Plains, NY

Please join me on

January 13th for the opening reception

from 6 - 7:30pm

CONNECTIONS: THE TEACHING ARTISTS OF ARTSWESTCHESTER

Friday January 13, 2012 - Saturday February 11, 2012

Artists from ArtsWestchester’s teaching artist directory present their work of painting, sculpture, digital art, photography, film-making and acting in an all media exhibition

DATE(S):

Friday January 13, 2012 - Saturday February 11, 2012

DAYS:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

TIMES:

Tues-Sat, 12-5pm;

Opening Reception: 1/13, 6-7:30pm

WEBSITE:

www.artswestchester.org

BASC Fall 2011: Sculpture Class Photos

2011-12-16T22:29:00.003-05:00

BASC Fall 2011: Sculpture Class

Click on photo to access photo album then select slideshow

Selected Person of the Week on Patch.Com

2011-12-15T06:57:00.002-05:00

Proud to be selected Person of the Week by my local Patch.Com. Writer Monica Orbe does a great job capturing the essence of what I do in her feature article. I am very thankful to everyone who has supported me over the past few years. I love teaching art to young people in Southern Westchester and hope to continue doing this for many years to come!

http://bronxville.patch.com/articles/person-of-the-week-dara-kane

BASC Fall 2011: Wooden Sculptures

2011-12-02T22:42:00.005-05:00

I opened the plain, brown cardboard box and I was immediately excited by what I saw - hundreds of odd shaped wood pieces! Lumber stores and online school suppliers often sell inexpensive bags of left over wooden pieces. It is a great way to recycle wood bits that might otherwise get thrown away. In addition, the wood bits provide children with a very open-ended activity. Each child got about 25 pieces of wood. Some children liked the round shapes while others stuck with traditional Popsicle sticks and a few interesting shapes. Everyone came up with unique ways to put the pieces together on their support. As each sculpture evolved the children saw an apple, people, a castle, or a tea party. One girl decided to make a pleasing design using the assorted shapes. Wood Glue and Tacky Glue dried fast and held the wooden pieces together well. Next week the children will paint their wooden sculpture.

BASC Fall 2011: Recycled Sculptures

2011-11-18T17:33:00.008-05:00

A cereal box, yogurt containers and toilet paper rolls are transformed when they are joined together with masking tape and painted orange. Other interesting shapes also emerged from cracker boxes, egg containers and water bottles. Seeing waste turned into art felt good. Materials for creative projects can be found everywhere even in your recycling bin.

Free Arts Day in Westchester

2011-11-07T20:58:00.012-05:00

http://www.artswestchester.org/freeartsday/

Free Arts Day

www.artswestchester.org

Things to do for free in Westchester at arts organizations and attractions.

BASC Fall 2011: Sculpture Class

2011-11-04T19:54:00.010-04:00

Recently I taught my students how to create Soft Sculptures (also called "paper stuffings" or "paper sculptures"). Students quickly came up with their ideas: an owl, a girl, a pumpkin, a spaceship, a sword, the planet and a football. Students brought their ideas to life using brown butcher paper, staples and newspaper strips for stuffing. Paint helped to add more detail. It was exciting to watch the children turn ordinary materials into realistic looking 3-D objects.

BASC Fall 2011: Sculpture Class

2011-10-23T18:38:00.007-04:00

I am excited to be teaching a sculpture class at the Bronxville After School Club. Each week I introduce new materials and guide the children on how best to use them to create their own unique objects. The first week we used gluey string and balloons to create bowl like objects. No two were alike. Children got messy while they were dipping string into glue and placing it on the balloon. A week later most of the ballons had deflated but left behind the string molded in a concave shape. The swirls the string made created interesting designs. During the second class children used Dots and mini marshmallows to connect toothpicks. We learned that the toothpick structures with square foundations or that used multiple triangles were the strongest.

Book Cover Design

2011-10-14T14:09:00.010-04:00

Honored to have designed the cover of MYLAR, a collection of poetry, which is being published by BlazeVOX. MYLAR will be available on Amazon and Kindle.

The author, Eric Wertheimer, Ph.D., is a Professor of Humanities Arts & Culture at Arizona State University in Phoenix. Eric has published poetry in Exquisite Corpse, Perihelion, Diagram, Shampoo, Adirondack Review, Muse Apprentice Guild, among other journals.

http://www.blazevox.org/

http://www.amazon.com/

Graduate Student Art Show

2011-08-22T15:59:00.003-04:00

Join me on September 7th at

Manhattanville College

for the Graduate Student Art Show

View two of my original collages as well as other student artworks

Hoff-Barthelson Preschool Teacher

2011-07-31T21:29:00.011-04:00

I have accepted a full-time teaching position at Hoff-Barthelson Preschool, a private preschool in Scarsdale, NY. I am looking forward to teaching children ages 3 & 4. The first day of school is September 12th, but I will begin working in late August to prepare for the upcoming school year.

Hoff-Barthelson Summer 2011

2011-06-28T20:34:00.006-04:00

I am teaching elementary art from June 27th - July 29th at Hoff-Barthelson Summer Arts Program in Scarsdale, NY. Hoff-Barthelson is the largest community music school in the country and known for its excellence in music training as well as the arts.

http://www.hbms.org/summer-arts-program.php

Photo Album of Mt. Vernon Public Library Artist Residency

2011-06-28T20:08:00.007-04:00

Mount Vernon Public Library Artist Residency

Click on photo to access photo album then click on slideshow

Artist Residency: Mount Vernon Public Library

2011-06-28T19:07:00.005-04:00

Children collaged with brightly colored tissue paper on wooden frames at the Mount Vernon Public Library. Using glue thinned with water and sponge brushes to apply the tissue the children quickly got to work. When the wooden frames ran out the children continued collaging using white paper as a surface to collage.

This artist residency is funded by a grant from ArtsWestchester, a nonprofit programming organization.

Artist Residency: Mount Vernon Public Library

2011-06-21T20:49:00.006-04:00

The 3rd collage workshop in a month long artist residency at the Mount Vernon Public Library focused on mosaic collage. Children collaged patterns of small pieces of colored paper on stencils and white paper. Children chatted with each other about their lives while carefully cutting and gluing small pieces of paper to their canvas. They steadily worked through the workshop and produced beautifully designed collages.

This artist residency is funded by a grant from ArtsWestchester, a nonprofit programming organization.

Artist Residency: Mount Vernon Public Library

2011-06-14T20:25:00.004-04:00

As I read Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats to the children at the Mount Vernon Public Library I asked them to think back to what it was like just a few short months ago when their neighborhood streets were piled high with snow. The children were quiet and focused on the story as I read. I pointed out the bright colors and shapes Keats uses in the book. After the read aloud I gave each child a shoe box, colored construction paper and cotton balls to collage a scene from Snowy Day. Using mostly colored construction paper the children came up with their own wintery scenes inspired by the book Snowy Day.

Artist Residency: Mount Vernon Public Library

2011-06-07T18:54:00.005-04:00

Jennie's Hat by Ezra Jack Keats was inspiration for a collaging project at the Mount Vernon Public Library. Children collaged their own hats using a wide variety of materials and glue. Students were excited about the selection of materials - ribbon, fabric, tissue paper, origami paper, maps, lego instruction booklets and so much more. Each hat was unique and expressed the children's own point of view.

This artist residency is funded by a grant from ArtsWestchester, a non-profit programming organization.

Masters of Arts in Teaching with Distinction

2011-05-22T22:33:00.006-04:00

I received my Masters of Arts in Teaching with distinction on Thursday May 20, 2011 from Manhattanville College. I will be certified by New York State to teach Early Childhood (birth - grade 2), Childhood Education (grades 1 -6) and Visual Arts (K -12).

Artist Residency: Mount Vernon Public Library

2011-05-07T20:54:00.007-04:00

I will teach free collage classes every Tuesday afternoon throughout the month of June at the Mount Vernon Public Library. Children will collage in a small group setting with hands-on instruction. Reserve your spot today! Classes will be held June 7, 14, 21, 28 from 3:30pm to 5pm.

This artist residency is funded by a grant from ArtsWestchester, a nonprofit programming organization.

Mount Vernon Public Library

28 South 1st Avenue
Mount Vernon, NY 10550-3473
(914) 668-1840

Student Teaching Blog

2011-04-15T17:43:00.007-04:00

Since January I have been blogging several times a week about my experiences student teaching at an urban elementary school in Southern New York State. Share my journey as a student teacher in the 4th grade and now in the 1st grade at: http://darakane.wordpress.com/

2nd Annual Student Research Day

2011-04-07T16:24:00.011-04:00

http://mville.digication.com/kaned1/Self-Study_A_Novice_Teacher_Transfers_Knowledge/published

On Wednesday April 6, 2011 I presented "Moving from Intuition to Formal Self-Study: A Novice Teacher Documents Knowledge Transferred" at Manhattanville College during the 2nd Annual Student Research Presentation Day. You can visit my E-Portfolio to read this article and see the powerpoint presentation.

E-Portfolio

2011-03-29T17:20:00.004-04:00

http://mville.digication.com/kaned1/Home/published

I have created an E-Portfolio where you can review my resume, learn more about my teaching philosophies, and see images of me teaching in the classroom. Click on the link below my photo to go directly to my E-Portfolio.

Dara Kane

Gallery Exhibit: Piecing it Together

BASC Spring '12: Flaps

BASC Spring '12: Pop-Ups

Connections: The Teaching Artists of Westchester

BASC Fall 2011: Sculpture Class Photos

Selected Person of the Week on Patch.Com

BASC Fall 2011: Wooden Sculptures

BASC Fall 2011: Recycled Sculptures

Free Arts Day in Westchester

Westchester will hold its annual Free Arts Day on December 4, 2011. Throughout the county arts organizations and cultural institutions will offer free admission and activities. To learn more about Free Arts Day click on the link http://www.artswestchester.org/freeartsday/

BASC Fall 2011: Sculpture Class

BASC Fall 2011: Sculpture Class

Book Cover Design

Graduate Student Art Show

Hoff-Barthelson Preschool Teacher

Hoff-Barthelson Summer 2011

Photo Album of Mt. Vernon Public Library Artist Residency

Artist Residency: Mount Vernon Public Library

Artist Residency: Mount Vernon Public Library

Artist Residency: Mount Vernon Public Library

Artist Residency: Mount Vernon Public Library

Masters of Arts in Teaching with Distinction

Artist Residency: Mount Vernon Public Library

Student Teaching Blog

2nd Annual Student Research Day

E-Portfolio

http://www.artswestchester.org/freeartsday/