Mary Proctor

Fifth Grade Art Students are taken to the International House of Blues Schoolhouse.  This field trip is amazing! A group of performers walk through the history of  the "Blues"  then we take a  tour of the Folkart.  Mary Proctor has a few pieces here and I thought it would make a very inspirational art project for the students to learn about her beforehand.  First, here is a brief description of her life.
Mary Proctor was a self-described "Junk Dealer" for years, until a tragedy struck her family. Her grandmother, aunt and uncle were all killed in a house fire. Shortly after this, a grief-struck Mary was given a vision. A voice told her to paint one of the many old doors in her junkyard. Mary listened to the voice and soon found herself painting everything she could find.
Mary sees herself as a Missionary, and her goal is to use her art to spread her message. Typical paintings show stories from her life, or members of her family, and usually include a message, or a lesson that she's learned and wants to share. Mary takes objects that she finds in her junkyard (now called her Folk Art Museum) and adds them to the paintings, usually with hot glue or liquid nails, giving the pieces a three dimensional effect. She uses just about anything in her paintings, from silverware to cut-up dollar bills. Sizes of the pieces run from a foot or so in height to her enormous and impressive doors.
Through her art, Mary has found peace with her past, and a mission in life. She enjoys having visitors to her Museum and enthusiastically guides tours through the compound. There you can see her tower of bicycles (much like Howard Finster's) and several buildings overflowing with paintings and sculptures. I particularly enjoyed her Hall of Presidents, in which she's made a life-size replica of every single U.S. President out of cut-up Coke cans, complete with a history and a quote from each one.
Article taken from: http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~dacrotty/proctor.html

To create their own inspirational art project students were asked to use a Bible verse or inspirational quote that they will depict in an image.  

Canvas Panels & Acrylic paint was used to create a background.

When paint was dry, students created their drawing.

Wallpaper, magazines, fabrics and paper were used to collage.

Buttons & cardboard were also used.

Students were encouraged to "Layer" & overlap.

Some designs were simple,,,

others alittle more complex

Overall, I think the students got their point across!

For more information on Mary Proctor visit her web-site to view her amazing pieces!

http://www.missionarymary.com/gallery.htm