I want my students to live in a world that is environmentally and economically healthy... A world that is conscious of the natural resource depletion and that is working to co-exist with the animals in ecosystems... A world that is assisting the hungry with nutritious foods and has a safe and secure water supply not riddled with contaminants... A world that is open minded and accepting of others religious beliefs, where people are progressing to assist and help those in need, and a world that can allow you to have soft skin... These wants are not an easy task to accomplish, for this world to come about, I need my students to not just go home and turn to the FAV button on their remote control as poet Claudia Rankine describes in her poem “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: “There is a button on the remote control called FAV…”. I need them to be aware and investigating of the issues at hand in the world. I need them to start to consciously make choices about how they plan to live their lives once they leave their family home. Will they be an agent of change or are they there to hinder progression. This week's readings were a fabulous array of the challenges that youth are facing and are going to face in the upcoming future. Chuck Close gives a wonderful message in “Letter to My Future Self” that when life hands you challenges that you need to meet them head on and persevere, don't give up at the first sign of rocky waters ahead. I personally feel that us Art Teachers naturally provide this atmosphere in our classroom to meet challenges and consider what steps we can attempt to solve our dilemma. In An-My Le’s video she speaks about those who choose to work in nature and be out in the environment. We need students to know it is okay to pursue whatever career/job/trade that is interesting to them. Not everyone should want to be a Doctor or a Rocket Scientist but we all can do our part to make the world a better place. I think it is extremely important to model and provide environmental lessons in education. Doug Aitken’s Migration video installation can provide a variety of meanings but to me the strongest thought I took away from watching was that Animals need their homes to be safe and that they deserve our respect and admiration. The most current environmental project I have is coming up in May! I have collaborated with the Gundersen Nature Park and with Hardin County Conservation to have a fun filled nature and Art day with all 60 of my 3rd graders! They will be learning about the Nature Park (wetlands and prairie), creating nature brushes with a Tree Specialist, creating observational drawing to use then when painting their bird calls with their nature brushes and of course learning about the birds in the area. Most of all what I want my student to graduate with is a sense of belonging to the world and responsibility to take care of it. I want them to be open minded about others and have a willingness to work with the difficult. Resources
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“The process-event allows sensation, affect, virtual difference, and time, as “non thinking’ but ever-present aspects of artmaking, to assume significance.” This statement written by Jack Richardson and Sydney Walker in “Processing Process: The Event of Making Art” is substantial. We as Art Educators have the ability to create an environment that is open to the possibilities of chaos, a safe place for mistakes to be learned from, and an encouraging voice that Art does not have to be “beautiful” to have meaning. I want to prepare my students better than I, myself, was prepared in my education and not just Art Education (I was blessed with wonderful Art Teachers by the way) but also in social and life skill preparation. I have plans to use my school website to revamp my curriculum in exciting ways, toss out the old and bring in some new thoughts. Checking over my meat and bones of the curriculum to bring in more Contemporary Artists, switch up some of my big ideas, plus having a curation component to my classes. I want to do better with our end of the year Fine Arts Festival. Such as having students produce installation works that would be on display during that time and allow students who express interest in Performance Art a chance to showcase their bodily work. I want to take to heart what Richardson and Walker stated that “We must, however, conceive the process in a manner that nullifies the habituated and familiar, and embrace Delueze’s throw of the dice.” Resources Richardson, J., & Walker, S. (2011). Processing Process: The Event of Making Art. Studies in Art Education, 53(1), 6-19. doi:10.1080/00393541.2011.11518849
In “Technology & Experience” by Byrd he provides a plethora of examples of worldly, double-edged sword historic, experiences, many of which have life-changing pros and cons. I found these historic events relatable by the pro and con effect (thankfully not as extreme as some of the examples that are more devastating) at my High School. South Hardin is a one to one Mac laptop school and I personally love the fact that I can use this to my advantage when planning my curriculum and be providing lessons to my classes. Check us out at https://southhardinart.weebly.com/ I do however wish I had more time for updating and adjusting my site, the bulk of it is done over the summer months. This year I took a leap into the youtube world by practicing sub plans with the use of video technology. I record myself (usually with a snapchat filter) presenting the intro or the goals for the daily assignment and leave the link in my sub plans. Also on the pro side is the ability to research techniques, materials, and of course Artists. Research has never been easier but along with these immense benefits comes a variety of cons. On the top of that list is the distraction from the goals, it is easy for students and myself to get sidetracked and waste valuable time. I have a number of students who have a very hard time functioning in the classroom because they have grown so attached to their laptop. I found this classroom struggle to be very relatable to the interview “Young Boy with Autism becomes Good Friends with Siri”. (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/young-boy-autism-good-friends-siri-26316448) I do believe that many of my students who become extremely attached to their laptops find that they are in control of a device that will not stab them in the back, that will be there for them for entertainment, and will not talk down to them. They find comfort in the fact that the technology is predictable and allows them an escape from the confinements of their world. It is a perilous tightrope to accomplish allowing the right amount of positive social interaction and use of tech for these students. Each needs a different approach facilitated to become a successful student in Art. Which leads me to a statement that Hiroshi Ishiguro said in the video “Human or Machine? The Incredibly Life-Like Android Robots from Japan”. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlHrvQ7D5OU) Hiroshi Ishiguro stated that “the process of understanding our nature is the most interesting part of the study of androids.” How in comparison do these students with technology addictions process their relationship to the technology compared to others who are less influenced by its sway of intrigue? Another connection I noticed in this week's readings was to the ability that artists such as Ron Mueck (https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/10/the-hyperrealistic-sculptures-of-ron-mueck/100606/) have in replicating the human figure and the amazing adjustments that Aimee Mullins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ0iMulicgg) accomplished in her awe-inspiring prosthetic legs. Hyperrealistic art really catches quite a few of my student's attention and I have recently agreed to collaborate with Eldora Haunted Hospital for teaching staff and students FX makeup! I believe investigating more artist that work with hyperrealism and modifications of the body with help me plan and teach others better this upcoming Fall. ResourcesTechnology & Experience by Byrd
“There’s no diploma in the world that, you know, declares you as an artist. It’s not like becoming a doctor, or something. Like, you can declare yourself an artist and then figure out how to be an artist.” This statement from Kara Walker (https://art21.org/watch/extended-play/kara-walker-starting-out-short/) hits home with my belief that any and everyone can find a way to be an artist. If you have the drive and the willingness to pursue what you want, it will happen. However, this belief would not have been able to install itself in my brain unless those before my time went through the struggle for equality, which is still a constant battle. One of my favorite statements I hear in my Elementary classroom is when a student says. “I am an Artist” or tells a classmate “You are a reeeeally good artist”, sometimes I hear them reply with “You are too”. I work extremely hard at the positive self-talk and exemplifying positive critical feedback. The fact that I work so hard at this is in contrast to In Identity & Art by Byrd when he writes that if you were not a white male artist you simply were not taken seriously. Especially “If they worked in a style dominated by men (Abstract Expressionism, for example), they faced the challenge of remaining in the in shadow of the men who got far more attention.” Luckily, “due to the work of historians and critics like Nochlin, this oversight has been corrected in recent decades as the work of underrated women has been reevaluated and popularized.” When I prep for shows I save aside work of students who not only went above and beyond on the requirements but also work of students that show deeper thought process or a unique self-style. I promote that not all Art needs to fit in this perfect pretty parameter, which I feel helps with the self-worth of my students with different levels of fine motor skills. Another part of the readings that really struck home was Mary Kelly’s statement in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaKXUVDSZdQ that “You can see the relations between men and women are very different of a younger generation and that men are very involved, often without credit, in childcare”. This really got me in the soft spot considering I am the bacon bringer in our family and my other half is a stay-at-home father and also a farm hand to my father. I am extremely thankful for this lifestyle and that Daniel is such a spectacular father. ResourcesIdentity & Art by Byrd
Post-modern artists challenge the traditional concept of creativity on several fronts because they believe that no meaning is fixed that things can have different meanings at different times or to different people. This belief is not only noticeably accepted among my generation but also in a large portion of my student population, especially when we analyze and critique works of working, deceased, and even peer artists. Byrd writes in Post-Modernism: Rules and Systems that Post-Modern Artists proposed that there are multiple truths that all might be true. This type of thinking is very inline with my schools slowly progressing teaching styles. Such as how one of our Math Teachers is allowing students to use any means possible to find the end result of an equation. He is allowing them to use their past knowledge in a different way instead of forcing them to learn one truth about how to get the answer. This happens regularly in the Art room as students know what the requirements of the assignment are but how to process and get to that end product is up to them. We as teachers are allowing them conceptually to form their own truths about concepts, supplies, and materials instead of telling them how to, step by step, all make the same work. In doing this more students can widen their mindset and find value in how they create and be personally happy with the end result. This line of thinking was also accepted by the loosely organized group of Fluxus artists who George Maciunas is historically considered the primary founder and organizer of the movement. These “artists did not agree with the authority of museums to determine the value of art, nor did they believe that one must be educated to view and understand a piece of art. Fluxus not only wanted art to be available to the masses, they also wanted everyone to produce art all the time.” (http://www.theartstory.org/movement-fluxus.htm) I also find that students who have a broader mindset also critique their work and others work with more consideration which falls in line with Roland Barthes who “proposed that perhaps the way we analyze something in a work has just as much to do with ourselves as it does the author, perhaps even more.” (Post Modernism: Rules and Systems by Byrd) In regards to originality on this topic, I find that my students are more adept to manipulate the requirements of an assignment and even when a student finds inspiration from a work of another they easily accept that I want them to put their own spin on the work to create it to be more pertinent to them. This manipulation falls in line with appropriation that both Andy Warhol and John Cage used in their work. Appropriation “is a common strategy in Post-Modern art where the artist uses something that already exists as part of their work. Warhol would use photographs taken from magazines or easily recognizable package designs like Campbell soup cans. For Cage, it might be a recording of something or a song made by someone else. In one work, Cage instructs the performer to select cabaret songs by Erik Satire to perform in the middle of his work. The idea here is that we are surrounded by human-made things.“ (Post Modernism: Rules and Systems by Byrd) As the artist, Yoko Ono said “Artists must not create more objects. The world is full of everything it needs.” and with this thought, one can assume that teaching students to manipulate and apply what is already available to them has great importance to continue the growth of society into a more understanding global community. ResourcesPost Modernism: Rules and Systems by Byrd
Wall of Tea TinsInspiration for image: Campbell's Soup Cans by Andy Warhol Finding YellowArtist Inspiration for image: Louise Nevelson Teacher with the Golden EarringInspiration for image: Girl with a pearl earring by Johannes Vermeer Neigh Neighs at the SinkInspiration for image: Mustangs at Las Colinas by Robert Glen Self-Portrait with Toy MonkeyInspiration for image: Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird by Frida Kahlo Tiger in Artificial GreeneryInspiration for image: Tiger in a Tropical Storm by Henri Rousseau Fruity ImaginationInspiration for image: Pulp Fiction by Banksy
Sunday, March 24th was a snow-laden day of family fun! The Walking Score Project was one my whole family enjoyed and got out of the house to participate in. As we started our adventure I began to realize we were going to have to get a little creative with the directions as I felt my neighbors would frown upon us walking through their lawns (especially since there has been a rash of local break-ins, we did not feel that they would appreciate finding strange footprints near their homes). My children were more than willing to help step count as we did this out loud together and made use of the nearby biking path. My other half, children, and fur baby also were extremely useful to bounce ideas off of and made the whole experience more memorable. When asked for a Dog's interest we waited for Athena (our fur baby) to find something she found intriguing and used her eye level for the photo, our three year old checked a whole parking lot just looking for a single leaf as the place was blanketed in snow, and when I needed a bystander to photograph images I had my five-year-old and my other half snap pictures to assist. I was surprised at how close we actually stuck around our house as I thought this project would lead us farther away. Even though I thought about the rule of thirds and focus of the shot having a shooting area relatively small and doing so in the time frame really enhanced the continuity of the photos, which can be hard for me personally because I am easily distracted. Overall, the time frame, vicinity, and opinion based questions created a creative strategy that not only influenced the photos to have continuity but allowed for freedom of decisions within parameters. When we made it home and I started compiling all the photos and evaluating what would work together I was pleased with the amount that “worked”. Later that became an issue in deciding what to save for the six and how to allow the eye flow over the images. A few photos I became too attached to and had to manipulate the layout to keep them in the final collage. I am personally pleased with my end result and so is my family as they see images that they helped influence.
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