THE ART: The 3rd Grade took on what might have been their most fun project to date in art class! Keeley Jennings based this unit off American sculptor and dancer Nick Cave. Cave originally created his unique form of art to represent a type of "armor." Over time, the suits became vehicles for empowerment. "Cave and his team of artists and dancers wear Soundsuits in meticulously planned performances, sparking joy, but most importantly conversation," said Jennings.

THE PROCESS: Third grade artists took a base layer of old hoodies and sweatpants that would have ended up donated or thrown away. They then planned out sections of colors on their suits. After the planning stage, the artists used strips of wrapping or scrap paper, donated by GA families after the holidays, to create fringe that covered the entire suit. In a meticulous process, they worked section by section to create their wearable art. The students practiced dance moves for their eventual performances.

THE PERFORMANCE: There was a complete Soundsuit Invasion! Performers descended upon unsuspecting classes, students in the library, and the GA community in the Pavilion. The invasion was a huge hit!

"My 3rd Grade artists did an incredible job executing this project!" said Jennings. "This project has come to fruition due to the endless support we received from the GA community- material donations, donations of time, and being open to allowing us to interrupt classes and public spaces with our performances. Nick Cave and his work as an artist reflects many of the things that 3rd Graders are studying in their spring curriculum, as African culture, textiles, and music is a huge inspiration for Cave in his work. To be able to tie many things the students are learning about into their Soundsuit project made the work truly come to life!"

Here's what some of our 3rd Grade artists said about the project:

Isaiah H. - The designing was my favorite part because we got to design anything we wanted, even if it wasn’t possible to make, we could still design it.

Sophia L. - Doing the hood was fun because I feel like with the colors, it’s kind of like hair and you got to choose what color hair you had.

Roman S. - You get to express your creativity and you get to make goofy Halloween-like costumes that sound like this (as he waved his paper around).