Volunteering on Campus

Art Masterpiece volunteers are assigned to a class rather than a grade, but you can combine grades/classes if that works for you and the teachers.
You don’t need to use prints with your lesson, but can display an image on the doc cam, use Powerpoint or books

General process:
Work directly with the teacher and other Art Masterpiece volunteer(s) in the classroom to coordinate your projects, dates and times

1. Find out how many students there are so you can bring the right number of supplies
2. Ask how much time you have to fill
3. You can ask the teacher what the class is studying if you want to compliment the lessons
4. It’s your responsibility, not the teacher’s, to come up with a lesson plan and project. Teachers are happy to talk to you about it but they don’t have time for planning, which is why they need you!
5. It’s a good idea to email the teacher before the lesson to let them know what supplies are needed from class (ie. Each student will need a glue stick and scissors, I’ll need this link on the board, Do you have construction paper we can use?, etc.)

Check with the teacher about allergies (nuts, latex, eggs, etc.) in the classroom, even having supplies in the classroom can cause an allergic reaction for some students. Crayola products are the most free of allergens.

Create a grade-appropriate lesson about the artist (could include info about the background of artist, time period when he/she lived, his/her style, other artists of the time period, etc.)

Develop a grade-appropriate project to go along with the lesson:

1. Allow the children to be creative in their work, can use recycled materials
2. Vary types of artists (movements, time periods, genres, sexes, races, countries, etc.)
3. Vary mediums (paint, oil pastels, watercolor, decoupage, clay, etc.)

Allow for as much creativity as you can

Can meet with or email the teacher about your plans, offer to have them review any videos or Powerpoint presentation that may be used. Links are often blocked in emails to school. When sending a link, make sure it is regular text and not an actual link and let the teacher know to copy and paste.

Check the supply closet for supplies needed, don’t wait until the day of for consumables. Sign out what you take from the closet and return non-consumables as soon as you can.

If supplies are not available in the closet, you can buy what you need and make it a donation or turn in a receipt. Each classroom has a $50.00 budget for the year, so please be very thoughtful of the supplies for which you need to be reimbursed, working with the other volunteers in your classroom. Use the reimbursement form.

Please store recyclables and large supplies at home

Provide a take-home sheet that students can share with family about the artist and/or the project for the day

If you’re not comfortable doing an art lesson alone you can always assist someone else or work as a team

Arts Walks take place twice a year and display student art for each classroom. For each of these events, please save one project that each student completed (best stored at home).  This can be the same project or several different projects. It is important that each student is represented as best as possible. It is your responsibility to set up/clean up for your class at Art Walks.

1. Plan on how you’d like art displayed (table, hanging on wall or gate, some unique structure, etc.)
2. More information about signs for each class and volunteer needs will come closer to each event

A list of volunteers and contact info will be provided. We can also talk to each other via the STCS Art Masterpiece Facebook page! It is a closed group, invitations will arrive via email. Please post your projects throughout the year, it is so fun to see what everyone is working on and provides a lot of inspiration!

Lesson Resources

• School Binders stay at school but lessons can be emailed to you
• Books, the public library has some GREAT ones! If you find a good picture book about an artist, you can read that as your lesson
• Some school districts have ideas online
• Pinterest

Supply Resources

• Art Supply Closet (supplies, prints, binder, art books, etc.)
• The Art Resource Center (free items) 1820 W University Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281  602-828-1987 info@artresourcecenter.org.
• Treasures for Teachers  (would have to join) 3025 S 48th St #101, Tempe, AZ 85282  480-751-1122
• Your own supply closet, recycled materials
• Teachers may have construction paper, paint, brushes, etc. you can use if you ask ahead of time. Most students have glue, scissors, coloring supplies, etc. that they can use.

Additional Training from the Phoenix Art Museum:

• Art Masterpiece Bootcamp.
• Training Manual – Download
• Art Guides for Educators

Tour of the Art Supply Closet

• Across from the library, you will need to ask one of our wonderful office ladies to unlock it. Our supplies are labeled Art Masterpiece and are in the back, right corner.
• Prints can be taken to show
• Binder and art books
• Always sign out all supplies you take! The form is on the shelf with our supplies in the closet.

Sample lessons/project ideas
Please save what you do if possible to add to our binder and/or website

Some Tentative Dates to Remember

• In December at 5:30 pm, aligned with Holiday concert
• In May, at 5:00 pm, aligned with Spring concert

Art and Allergies

• It’s a good idea to ask your teacher what things the students are allergic to and how serious the problems are before you begin providing the class with art. Many art supplies may contain egg or other common allergens. Crayola is the safest bet when choosing a brand but not all of their products are guaranteed to be safe for everyone. If you are teaching in a class with a student with serious allergies, you may want to contact supply manufacturers to find out what their ingredients are (or ask the student’s parents to help you with that). Having a student with serious allergies may mean planning your projects and supplies more in advance so that you can make sure what you want to use is safe.
• Please keep in mind that students from other classes will also be exposed to your art projects. It’s okay to use recyclables but never anything that ever contained nuts or eggs, even if it is washed. This can be a life or death issue for some of our school’s students. Avoid supplies that contain or ever contained other common allergens like milk, soy, wheat, and fish. Visit WebMD For additional information.