H-F's Collaborative Artists Journal Project
 

  
     As part of the H-F Reads program, students and staff were invited to read any of five selected books for discussion throughout the year. During the 08-09 school year, journaling wass encouraged and one of the selected books is about journaling.
Original journal book
   A group of teachers got together and decided to organize a collaborative art journal project as a response to this call to journaling. The group had 14 participants. A theme was assigned each month and each person started a page in their sketchbook responding to the theme. The book was then passed on to another predetermined participant who, in turn, added to that page (or even began more pages).

   The book switched four times before it was returned to its owner and a new theme was begun.

   A show was held in the school library at the end of the school year.

(Note: all images are copyrighted by the artists.)
 

  
  Round 1a: Your sense of humor is your greatest asset.
 		   Here is a sample page using a theme taken from a fortune cookie. The fortune said, "Your sense of humor is your greatest asset."    
  Round 1b: A difference, to be a difference, must make a difference.
 		   This page also began with theme taken from a fortune cookie. The fortune said, "A difference, to be a difference, must make a difference."    
  Round 1c: Bring something off the back burner
 		   Another fortune said, "Bring something up from the back burner." One artist burned the edges of the page. A second glued the page to another page and created a pocket. A finished painting was inserted into the pocket. A third artist added flames, and a fourth artist added words and a person.    
 
 		   One participant used her fortune cookie theme to create  a pocket on the page with a cut-out fortune cookie nestled within. Other participants added background elements.    
 
The second round involves color as a theme. Each participant was assigned a color. The color was to be incorporated into a phrase that would become the theme for the start of an image.		    
 
 		   Orange (obviously) was the theme for this color-related page done with torn paper, photographs, and ink..    
 
 		   Yellow was combined with the theme "caution" in this piece.    
 
 		   This page used "Tickled Pink"as the theme.    
 
 		   The color blue was related to the blues as a music movement.    
     Here is another response to the color blue.    
 


The third theme was organized by a participant who assigned a different quote to each artist. The quotes were taken from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.

    
 
 		   "Sometimes we choose the path we follow,  sometimes the choice is made for us, and sometimes we have no choice at all."    
 
 		  
"Destinations are often a surprise to the destined."		    
 
 		  
"Our existence deforms the universe...That's responsibility."		    
 


The fourth theme was organized by a participant who assigned a different saying to each artist.

   
     This image and the one directly below both began with the saying, "Hold your horses."    
         
 


The fifth theme was organized by a participant who assigned a different book title to each artist.

   
    This page used the book The Secret Life of Bees as the starting point.     
 


Participants also did some open themed pages that others could collaborate on:

    
 
 		  
Remember is a collage done with torn paper, lettering on paper, and cut star shapes. 		   
 
 		  
Laughter is the shock absorber that eases life's blows was created using images, torn paper, ink and paint.		    
 
 		   A double-page spread was created on death.    
 
 		   Live in harmony was created with cut images, paper, thread, and color pencil.    
    This portrait images was created with pen, pencil, cut paper, photos and lettering.    
    This image used paper, color pencils, feathers, magazine photo, and straw.