Seventh and Eighth grade Notan cut-outs are on display in the cafeteria.  They look so great displayed together and translate visually regardless of where one may happen to be in the large space.  I was really impressed with what they were able to achieve with no access to an x-acto/craft knife.  They used only scissors to cut out their shapes.  Nicely done, scholars!

Notan (a Japanese word meaning “light-dark”) is a guiding principle in Eastern art & design and focuses on the interaction between positive and negative space.  Students learned about positive and negative space and about the interplay between a shape and it’s background.  Students also considered and discussed the concepts of contrast and variety.

  Each of the three groups was presented with the challenge a bit differently.  One class was given an example notan, a piece of large, rectangular white paper, a smaller square of black paper, a pencil and additional supplies upon their request; they were challenged to recreate what they saw.  There were some interesting approaches to solving the problem.  Eventually, working together with classmates, everyone got there.  The other two groups were given more background on Notan, the design concepts, and process of creating a Notan paper-cut-out.  These students pursued their own designs.