In yesterday’s Upper School Studio class, I showed the class The American Alphabet by artist Heidi Cody. Each letter of the alphabet from A to Z is represented by the first letter of a well-known American product logo. For Example: A is from All Laundry Detergent, B is from Bubblicious Bubble Gum, C is from Campbell’s Soup, and so on. We talked about the identity of these products from popular American culture. Then I showed them the video Looking Past Symbolism: Meaning in Dutch Still Life Painting presented by Smarthistory.org. We learned about iconography: the use of symbols or images to signify meaning and concepts. I introduced them to the concept of the 17th Century vanitas style of painting that depicts the transient character of youth, beauty, and wealth. For today's class, Aiden has selected his objects that he plans to draw, and he started sketching his ideas.