Accordion Bookmaking: Story Development and History of the Technique
Led by Teacher Candidate Gwendolyn Johnston,
under Supervising Practitioner
Sepi Golestani
at Lilja Elementary School
In this lesson, students will learn about accordion book making as a way of self-publishing, storytelling, and how the technique originated in China and Japan many centuries ago while being used today by many contemporary artists! The source material for their accordion books will be personal reflection on something that is meaningful to them. Students will be made aware of the idea that stories can be told without text. The class will discuss where artists can gather inspiration from. Students will understand that they can use their interests as inspiration for their art whether those interests are internal or external to their lives. This lesson was inspired by my own artistic practice and how I made and presented an accordion book to a favorite musician.
Lucas, “A Day at the Beach”
Sharpie, Pencil, Watercolor, Crayon, Tape
Inspired by days at the beach in the summer with family, shells,
summer weather, and the water.
​
GWEN JOHNSTON
Meet Gwen...
Gwen aspires to cultivate a lifelong love of artmaking in her students. She firmly believes that artmaking offers a way for every student to access their unique strengths and practice the artistic languages we all have inside of us. A lifelong artist, Gwen's journey to becoming an art educator was facilitated and nurtured by beloved art teachers throughout her education from elementary to graduate school.
In her own art practice, Gwen engages with mixed media, illustration, watercolor, bookmaking, and textile art. In addition to visual art, Gwen is engaged in the world of music, which has greatly influenced her personal artmaking and her teaching philosophy. As a fiddle player, Gwen often finds inspiration for her art in music and enjoys having more than one artistic language with which she can express herself. She can be found performing with local musicians, busking, and occasionally playing for her students.
