Tying up some loose ends. With wire.

This is Leonardo the lion. He's a wire sculpture. We learned about disabilities and how they affect (or don't affect) creating art. Every disability I'm sure had its obstacles, but the sculptures turned out great. I made Leo blindfolded- which was my disability. This led to Leo being a little disabled too. But he turned out pretty handsome I think. Wire sculptures are awesome! So is Alexander Caulder! The end.

Remember those days when I used to post stuff I did in class?

Yeah. me too. Well, here's all the stuff we've been doing!

Printmaking! O so fun. We made imprints into Styrofoam, laid on the ink, and printed things in our "visual culture." Mine is toothpaste! I made three other prints on different colored paper.

Vincent Van Gogh was a little bit crazy, but he was also a genius! We used oil pastels to paint a scene we saw outside our windows in a Van Gogh like manner, then painted over it with black paint. This was great to experiment with watercolor and oil resist and learn about Van Gogh.

By far my favorite assignment. Okay, so I'm a little biased towards water color. :) We got to taste different things, then tried to paint what we tasted with different water color techniques. It was a little tough to not use the color schemes of the food- to detach yourself from what you know it looks like and just paint a representation of the taste, but it was a lot of fun.

Google sketchup is magical. That's all you really need to know. We learned about different parts of Greek architecture then made buildings in this program I can't believe I didn't know existed until now. So, I probably should have done a more modern looking building with a purpose in mind, but I thought this looked cool! See the relief in the pediment? If you guessed those were the faces of Mount Rushmore, then, ding ding ding! you're right.


We colored thick with crayons on medium weight paper, then covered it with tempera and a drop of dish soap. After it was dry, we scratched in this continuous line alphabet and filled in the negative spaces with texture.

Coil Pots!
S0- after this we did some pots out of real clay that we got to glaze and and fire and all that jazz, but I wasn't able to make it up! But pinch pots and coil pots are elementary art staples. I still have a pinch pot that I made in third grade and a coil pot I made in high school. Fun stuff.

I think pots are a great to incorporate with social studies- they've been made throughout time and across cultures. Though I didn't get the full experience (I didn't get to use my awesome yarn stamps!), I would definitely teach this in a classroom.

Here's my pretty portfolio cover. :) The assignment was to cut out the block letters of your name and glue on the negative space on one side and the positive on the other. I stretched the assignment a little. cool huh?

So this one time, we drew a map of our neighborhood. Then we took a field trip and looked at maps in the Library and looked at the art gallery and talked about maps and glued the map we made on the back of another map and colored in on the map where Logan is and looked at more stuff in the gallery... It was a really long field trip. Then we were supposed to fold the map and cut the map and, well, quite frankly, I'm not really sure what we were supposed to do with the map. So I made mine into a book. This is that book.

This is an authentic African mask! ... ok, so really it's a milk carton with tape, shoe polish, paint, and raffia. But it's pretty cool lookin! If you'd like to know more about African masks, please reference the blog entry entitled "research on African masks." Or google it.

Well, that's all folks! ...for now

Research on African Masks

In class, we got to make African masks out of milk jugs. Original African masks varied from tribe to tribe, but were generally made to represent gods and spirits, either an ancestor, mythological hero, or a combination with an animal spirit (1). Commonly seen animals were hawks, crocodiles, and buffalo (2). These different masks were used for ceremonies of different occasions such as initiations, agricultural festivals, rituals for luck, ancestor cults, fertility rites, and other rituals (1).
At times of war, special masks designed to inspire fear were also worn by tribes(2). Some examples of specific masks are:

• Punu Mask: The Punu Mask is associated with the Gabon people and is painted white. This mask represents the spirit of ancestors. The Gabon people used to wear this mask during celebrations and festivals. The use of Punu Masks in the masquerade dance was a common practice.
• Guro Mask: The native people living along the Ivory coast wore this mask. This mask represented the spirit of 'Gu'. A character from tribal mythology, 'Gu' was the wife of a supernatural entity.
• Funeral Mask: The Funeral Mask was used by the Bete and Yoruba people from Africa. The belief/purpose of the Bete people behind wearing these masks was to keep sorcerers, who would possibly cause harm, at bay. As per the Yoruba people of Nigeria, Funeral Masks were believed to embody the spirit of deceased people. It was also believed that the person wearing such masks would be able to speak to the souls of the dead.
• Ngil Mask: People of the 'Fang' tribe wore the Ngil Mask. The mask was used to initiate new members into the male secret society. (3)
  

Masks were made out of a variety of materials such as metal, leather, and fabric, (1) but according to African Tribal art.net, they were mainly crafted with wood and decorated with paints, shells, colored glass, nails, plant fibers, and even horns. Most were just face masks, but some were worn like helmets, and a few were full body "masks." (3) To make a mask, tribes would first ask for guidance, then cut down a tree. They'd wait a couple days for the spirit of that tree to find a new home, then begin carving(4). Spirits can then possess the dancer that's wearing the mask.

African tribes today still use traditional masks, but infrequently. However, they're a rich part of art history. They can be seen in museums, and have inspired artists, namely Picasso. (5)
Making masks in the art classroom can teach symmetry and expression, but also gives an opportunity to integrate their fascinating culture.

1) http://www.mask-and-more-masks.com/masks-of-africa.html
2)http://www.ehow.com/facts_4856201_facts-african-masks.html
3)http://www.buzzle.com/articles/african-masks-history.html
4)http://www.african-tribal-art.net/?page_id=2
5)http://www.theaccidentalartist.com/content/art-history/about-picasso%27s-african-art

Incorporating technology in my classroom

Alright, alright- those last few paragraphs were not very productive, so I decided to post them anyway and start a new post to actually answer the question. :)

I loved the sketchup experience in class. I would definitely use that. I think blogging is a great way to have organized feedback. It'd be fun to post a piece of artwork like an online gallery that the class could respond to. As the book said, you can learn about line, color, shape, etc. through computer resources. On the Art Core Rainbow Chart it gives a link to this awesome website where you can see a super detailed color wheel and play around with hue and intensity or just view analogous colors or complimentary.

I taught a ten year old sunday school class with a power point once and they loved it. It held their attention better, it was animated, they could read info as well as hear it, and it helped me stay organized. For an art class, I could make a fun powerpoint for any principle from color to balance to composition, or even to introduce a project. For any age, kindergarten through high school, utilizing the things you can do with computers is so advantageous to their learning. You can more easily cater to the varied learning styles of your students. However, it's best if it's used in moderation. "That which we obtain too cheaply we esteem to lightly." It's the same with teaching. If I were to pull off an amazing power point display every day, where's the "WOW" factor in that? The novelty of it is gone. Not going to lie- my power point primary lesson was awesome- but I think the main reason for its success was that it was different. It's best to expose your students to a variety of teaching methods to keep their interest, and technology should be a key player.

My little cousin was telling me about the primary colors and what the make when they mix. How'd she know? A computer game. That's so cool! If kids are old enough to work a computer, that sort of game would be a really beneficial asset. Teaching from a traditional standpoint is essential, but so is using stuff like this. You can't have you're students thinking you're an irrelevant, behind-the-times dinosaur.

In my own art experience, I've found computers really helpful in composing pieces. I had an art class when I was maybe eight, and the teacher had a library of art books on tons of subjects. If I wanted to draw a dog, we'd have to go searching for the dog book. In the art class I taught last summer, I'd have a boy say, "I want to draw Indiana Jones," and I could have a reference printed for him in no time at all. I still think a library of art books and magazines is a good thing to have as an art teacher so the kids can actually go through stuff and discover images that appeal to them, but a computer is a vital resource too.

I think it's good to go online to look at art. I had a high school teacher that would read us articles about contemporary artists and show us cool art peices made possible through the wonderful world wide web.

Despite my resentment towards technology at the moment, it is good. It is useful. I could go on about more ways you could incorporate it, but I feel like I'm rambling and I'd rather just refer you to this article- this dear woman has already written it for me in an extremely sensible manner. I'd use every idea she mentions if it fit with my curriculum.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5509292/using_technology_in_the_elementary.html?cat=4

Technology. Oi vey.

Once upon a time Caitlin's computer decided not to turn on. The end. Sad story, right? I lived in the UR lab last week and it's a wonderful place to spend time, but not having my convenient laptop seemed brutal. It made me realize how absolutely dependent on technology I am in many aspects. I wanted to listen to my ipod as I painted but couldn't 'cause it wasn't charged 'cause that's my laptop's job. I wanted to have some tv playing in the background as I worked on some 3-d homework, but I rely on hulu as my source of entertainment. I got behind on making institute posters and wedding invites for people 'cause they were all saved on that blasted device. I wanted to blog last minute at the final hour last week but alas. The time to utilize the on campus labs was past and all roommates were asleep with their own laptops locked up. Dumb.

Well, now that I've whined for a paragraph (sorry, reader), I really did just want to make the point that it's pathetic how much having an indisposed laptop impeded my everyday life. We all rely so much on technology. Such an emphasis is placed upon it. I've had people tell me to quit using messy paint and go completely digital. It's easier. Go into graphic design, it's the only way you'll ever make money. Put down the paint brush, pick up the wacom tablet.

This is all a bit off topic, but let me say this: Technology cannot replace art. Of course it will be a big part of my classroom, but I hope my classroom isn't dependent on gadgetry. Well, that's my rant, but really, I'm just resentful towards computers right now. Let me start over. Focus, Caitlin.

Arts and Crafts

Art is a craft, but not all crafts are art. So, this is as deep as it's gonna get this time, dear readers. If you'd like a philosophical explanation of what qualifies as art, please reference the entry of this blog entitled "Art?"

Crafts can be art. I think the line between crafts and art can be very fine, so for our purposes, let's be shallow.

When I think of crafts, I think of relief society. If you're not familiar with the mormon culture, relief society is a woman's organization that gets together to do be edified spiritually, but also to have activities, many of which involve "crafts." These crafts may involve, but are not limited to, toll-painting, step by step instructions, inspirational vinyl lettering, quilt tying, and modgepodge. These are crafts. Many times they're utilitarian, and it's okay if they're one-dimensional.

"Crafts," although they can be artistically executed and require creativity, do not have to be, and more often than not, do not qualify as art. Let's juxtapose the relief society experience with my 3-d art class. In this class, we're given assignments like wire sculptures, where I had to brainstorm thumbnails, experiment with and assemble the wire, and figure out how to make it aesthetically pleasing. It was so open ended. I was graded on the balance, the quality of line, and other elements of art. Art is more expressive and unique. Its point is to be analyzed, to provoke thought, and to please aesthetically. Crafts are more like cookie cutters. They can also be aesthetic, they can be decoration, they can be something functional.

Now let us apply. In a classroom, you give every kid strips of paper and teach them how to weave them together. Art?
False. Craft. It's not open ended. It's utilitarian.
You have each child look in a mirror and draw themselves. Art?
Ding ding! It's open ended. They have to work through problems, there's no set instructions, and it can be critiqued with the elements of art.

Let's not misunderstand. Crafts have their place in the classroom. It's good for kids to learn how to follow instructions. It's good to have an objective and work through obstacles to achieve it. Crafts can even involve a level of inventiveness and creativity. However. It is NOT okay to do crafts in lieu of art. It's important, whether it is a kindergarten class or a group of sixth graders, to give kids an outlet to be creative, to activate that part of the brain, to figure out how to create "art."

There is no debate between Arts and Crafts. They are in the same category. They're related. But they are different and distinctive. It must be understood that they are two different tools that are necessary to teach, but can't be used in substitution of each other.

What motivates me as a learner?

My first thoughts on this question were shallow to say the least. ummm- is it 'cause, I want knowledge? Is it because I'm a perfectionist and therefore want to achieve highly in school and if learning comes with it that's a bonus? I want to learn so I can be smart? I've just never really thought about this. I'm a college student. Learning is just-what I'm here to do. But why am I doing it? Why am I spending my time and my money to...learn?

The answer: I love learning. That's why I'm here. I love finding out things that I didn't know before. I think everybody does. One of the most important things to learn is a love for learning. The problem is that learning isn't always fun- it's work, and many times we only learn because we messed up and had to learn from the mistake. But learning is satisfying and THAT is what motivates us. We find fulfillment in this life as we learn- we learn about each other, about ourselves, about the world around us, and about great thoughts. Even if I learn how to do something I don't necessarily want to know, I think I still recognize that it's for my benefit, so I still find fulfillment. I believe that the whole reason we exist is to learn and grow and become and utilize as much of our potential as we can.

To condense that thought, I think we have an intrinsic desire, even a passion, to learn, but I also think there are many outward motivators that help you develop that. One key force to help discover and increase the desire to learn about something is someone who already has it.

The idea of a "Role Model" is somewhat ubiquitous. Everyone has probably had to write a paper/multiple papers on who their role model is and why, we should be worried about who kids are choosing as their role models, on the USU campus there are signs that say "who mentored you?" Identifying someone you look up to and aspiring to be like them is human nature. I am no exception. I'd watch Cinderella and want to put on a blue dress and scrub the floor. When I learned about Thomas Edison, I wanted to invent something. When I see my little sister play the piano with such skill it makes me want to practice every day. When I saw my art teacher's work and his expression of why he loved art, it made me want to be an artist. He sincerely told me I had what it takes. I felt special. I felt talented. I felt like learning how to paint. A teacher can be the motivation that sparks our innate desire to learn.

I hope what will motivate my future students will be my love for art. I hope they'll see my dedication and the happiness it brings me that they'll want that too. I'll have less conceptual motivation tactics too. I'd like to have my students all enter their work in exhibits- giving them a motive to accomplish. Of course there will be grades, but I'm aiming for that not to be a main source of motivation. I hope that I can invest myself in each student's endeavors and personally give them confidence in art, push them, and help them grow. If I were a math teacher, my motivation techniques may sound less idealistic, but as an art teacher, I hope I'll have enough enthusiasm that it's inspiring, and give the right guidance so that they will succeed.

I want to learn as much as I can not only so I can be the best I can be, but so I can have the passion and wisdom to make an impact on the lives of others, just as someone impacted me.

I'd like to make a Statement

Art is so universal because it doesn't need words to convey the message. When most people were illiterate, churches would hire artists to illuminate their alter pieces with depictions of doctrine. The art did the talking. So- what is the point of an artists statement? Why attach words to something that should speak for itself?

An artist's statement is not instructions on how people should interpret the painting. Rather, it additional information. It's a window into the artist's thought process, why he chose that media, why he chose the topic, how he went about doing it. Hopefully, when someone looks at your art it inspires questions, and hopefully an artists statement answers some of them. Artists statements are essential to teach in a classroom. It's one thing for kids to produce art. It's another to ask them to express why and how they did it. Students need to understand that art should speak for itself, but that an artists statement has a purpose.

When I go to a gallery, I seldom look at the artists statement plaque next to it unless a piece really intrigues me. I usually have questions about it. To teach students how to understand and write artists statements, I'd pull out some art that either have artists statements, or some of my own art that I've written statements for, and have them ask questions. This would get them engaged with a piece and curious about it. Then we could read the artists statement and see if any of the questions were answered. A teacher could easily guide the discussion and give examples of good questions to ask about the art.

After you've questioned art and read examples of artist statements, you can move on to how to write your own. I'd write questions on the board including the ones you asked when looking at the other art to help them brainstorm. In her lesson plan, teacher Pam Stephens gives sample questions such as:

• What are your personal art values or aesthetic?
• How are your personal art values or aesthetic seen in your artwork?
• What do you like best about the finished product?
• Describe the medium you use.
• Describe your style.
• Describe a theme that runs through your work.
• Why did you decide to become an artist?
• What do you like best about making art?
• What has influenced your work (Travel? Other artists? Family? Culture?) How does your work reflect this influence? (Incredible)
• what did you enjoy about creating this piece?
• What were some difficulties you had and how did you work through them?
• What is your favorite tool? Why?
• Why did you create this piece?

In the book ”How to Write an Artist's Statement” by Melissa Wotherspoon, she poses these questions:

How does the creation of art make you feel? What emotions do you wish to convey?

If the statement refers to a specific piece, why did you choose to represent this piece in this way? What do you call the piece and why? What materials did you use? What are the dimensions of the piece? (This can also apply to a series of works, like for our show)

What inspires you? How are your inspirations expressed in your work?

What message are you trying to convey to the viewer?

How much time is spent creating your pieces?

How is your work a reflection of you?

What is your vision/philosophy?

What are your techniques and style and how do these relate to the medium?

How do your techniques and style relate to your vision/philosophy?

Why do you create art and what does it mean to you?(How to)

All these questions are great, but you as the teacher should decide on the best ones to use as examples. The maturity of your students should guide you in choosing appropriate questions. For younger grades, have them answer around three, for older kids more depth should be expected.

Christopher Bruce, a secondary art teacher, had his students interview each other about their art (Monthly). I think that would be another great exercise to help the students see what other people want to know about their pieces.

Artist Statements do have a point and they're worth teaching. I don't remember learning about them in school, and I don't see them really mentioned in our textbook. I'm glad I got to research them because I find it important for students to formulate and express and write about their art.

Sources:
Incredible art lessons http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/Files/Pam-Artist.htm

How to Write an Artists Statement http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=439570646&blogId=488273481#ixzz11sqfLRgq
Monthly mentor http://naea.typepad.com/naea/2010/07/how-does-writing-about-art-help-students-in-the-assessment-process.html

Stop bugging me!

For this project we created a bug! First we observed bugs, then researched them and drew them, then made our own bug. We even got to act out how our bug interacts with other bugs. After drawing our new bug, we cut out and layered construction paper to make a "plate" to print. We used the plate to do rubbings with crayons and an actual print.
I wanted mine to be a little different, so I tried to do a more ambiguous rendition of my bug and print a collage of them. I liked this idea in theory, but I kind of wish I'd just done one big bug in retrospect. I hope to use this in the future with a class, but I'd probably just do the crayon rubbings with younger grades.

Bamboo and "Chinese" Writing

In class, we learned techniques to paint bamboo on rice paper. I like how mine turned out once I got the hang of it- but I had a couple that were disastrous- mainly because there was a shortage of black paint. But it was fun to learn different ways to handle a paintbrush, and even more fun, I think to design the Chinese- like writing out of English letters. It took me a long time arrange 7 letters then decide on which one I liked best, but it was worth it- I really like it! I would definitely use this in a classroom.

Let's Assess the Situation

Art teacher Linda Carson stated "Grading art isn't subjective, it's qualitative. Instead of tallying the number of answers you get right, an art teacher assesses the qualities of the work, such as your choice of subject, handling of media, and control of the composition. That means, incidentally, that it's harder to grade art than a spelling test, an arithmetic quiz, or a multiple choice history exam. In general, it's hard to grade any assignment where the answers don't fit neatly on a computer card."

I completely agree. A teacher has to know his stuff to slap a grade on something a student's put her heart and soul into. In thinking about being an art teacher, I'm actually terrified of grading students. Grades were super important to me and stressed me out. I want art class to be something that's not stressful for my students, but that's hard to do while still maintaining high-quality expectations. This is what I had in mind when I thought of my formative and summative evaluation strategies-

Formative:
I think it's very important to be encouraging throughout the formative process, guiding a student through their piece not in a constrictive way, but with open suggestions and an attitude of helpfulness. This way you can make sure they're going in the right direction and fulfilling the assignment requirements. Ask questions about the art to steer them in a good direction, and also be very accessable so they can ask you, the teacher questions.

Give adequate time for them to complete the project. It's important to be lenient when it comes to art. I'd have them turn it in, but they can always keep working on it if they want a higher grade. I'd give final grades after viewing their entire portfolios.

Have a healthy mix of exercises and projects. You may not want to hang up a color wheel, but it's important to know that kids understand colors, and a color wheel's the best way to do that.

Finally, it's the teachers job to keep the class under control. My last formative strategy is to remove distractions, and pay attention to the effort the students are putting in. You can usually tell when someone is trying hard and when they're goofing off, and it almost always reflects in their craftsmanship.

Summative:

At the beginning of the year, I'd ask the students to do a picture of whatever they wanted with no instruction, just to show me what they can do, then I know what level their starting out on. What a great summation technique to have a visual comparison of how they improved when they compare that to their final pieces.

I find it really hard and time consuming to self analyze, but it's still helpful. I think they should tell me what grade they deserve and why before I determine their final grade.

I'd use a rubric for parents' sakes and probably write a note too. See http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/rubric3.html - it had some great criteria.

Rather than having them take assessments I would have them keep a sketchbook. I'd give them a little bit of time in class, but they could always make it up by doing a sketch at home. At the end, they'd turn in their sketches. I think this is a vital way to tell if a student is learning how to perceive shapes and growing as an artist.

In the book, it mentioned a summative evaluation method that I actually saw my teacher use. "From the following list of what we did in art this year, mark those activities that you really liked, or from which you learned a lot. Write if there was anything about the activity that made it especially good." I think this would help SO much in choosing what things to keep in the curriculum.

I gave a few more than 6, but I find all these practices important. It's hard to grade art, and it was brought up in class- what if a student produces a beautiful piece that doesn't follow the instructions? I think, if you're doing your job as a teacher, it wouldn't even come to that. If students are working closely with an art mentor, it's unlikely that they would go in the completely wrong direction. However, if it came to that, I think you should doc a good chunk of points. There of course should be some given for artistic merit, craftsmanship, creativity, etc, but until they turn in a piece fitting the criteria, full points should not be given.

In short, if students have everything turned in, make good use of class time, and you can tell puts effort into their work, they deserve high marks.


http://lindateachesart.typepad.com/linda_teaches_art/2008/09/how-to-you-grade-art-assignments.html
Text
http://www.suite101.com/content/teacher-strategies-for-improving-instruction-a202797
www.goshen.edu/art/ed/rubric3.html

Line upon line

Here are some lovely still life contour line drawings made with a view finder. I threw in one I did of my apartment last year cause it's my favorite contour line drawing- and it's actually because of the only part that's not just a line! I love the soup can. It's on a really clear emphasis and I just love the juxtaposition of all the lines, then a super detailed can of soup, which is somewhat iconic because of Andy Warhol.
It's fun to be in 3-D design because I'm beginning to see how strong lines are important in every media.

A critical subject...

How should an elementary critique be run? Critiques can be harsh in college. I had a professor tell me how he had his peice ripped up in front of the entire class during a critique. Thankfully, I've never had a critique that harsh.
Critiques for elementary students are a completely different ball game. The main purpose of an art class for younger grades is to promote a love and appreciation of art- not scare them away with feelings of inadequacy. On the Kennedy Center's ArtsEdge website, it emphasizes that the teacher should lead the critique in a positive direction, prompting students with the right questions to help them hone their persuasive, oral and writing, information-gathering, and justification skills.
I have had really positive experiences with critiques and have gathered what I thought was constructive. My professor would usually ask the artist what he thought of his piece, to describe it to the class, and at the end, asked the artist to identify things he would change, wrapping up with constructive criticism. For elementary students, I don't think any realm of negativity should exist in the critique, but I think the aspect of the artist presenting the peice is an important component of a successful critique. Shirley Ende-Saxe, a teacher at an elementary in Ohio, wrote of how she had the artist run the critique, giving them the freedom to call on classmates once the critique was opened for comments.
I once had to judge artwork of the Reflections Contest, a PTA art competition. It was one of the hardest things! Children are so creative, but sometimes their motor skills aren't completely there, and it's hard to judge the level of effort and craftsmanship. The reason I bring this up is because I had to decide which piece was better than another, comparing them side by side. This is NOT the mindset we should be in at a critique. It is so important to avoid comparisons; rather, we should completely focus on each piece one at a time.
As an art teacher, I plan to post up the students' art and go through them piece by piece. I'd let the student tell about it, then open it up for positive comments and let the student call on them (I really liked that idea!). I'd prompt questions if necessary to emphasize judgment, description, analysis, and interpretation, then wrap up each one with my comments. This way, I feel like I could keep control of the class, boost the confidence of each student, and help students learn how to critique.
In FranCoise Barbe-Gall 's book How to Talk to Children about Art, he writes that we need to educate kids about paintings by artists as diverse as Botticelli, Vermeer, Degas, Chagall, and Pollack. In addition to critiquing each other's art in an elementary class, I think teachers should consider choosing a piece of fine art each day for the students to write about, then talk about it once they've thought through their responses. I think analyzing great artwork would greatly benefit the discussions in classroom critiques.
If a teacher can initiate and maintain a positive atmosphere for students to think and talk about their artwork, guided by questions and inspired by analyzing recognized artworks, critiques are a positive activity for a classroom of any grade level.

How to talk to Children About Art, FranCoise Barbe-Gall

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3338/

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+elementary+critique%3A+talking+about+children%27s+art-a09048848

I'm SO Vain...

I probably think this blog is about me...
Haha but really! I feel so vain after doing a life time of self portraits. A self portrait is like an art autobiography. Rembrandt, one of my favorite painters, did more than 90 portraits of himself from the start of his career in the 1620s to the year of his death in 1669. I haven't done that many, but I've done enough that I feel vain when I showcase my art!

I remember attempting self portraits all growing up from memory, from mirrors, and from review mirrors on vacations. It wasn't until I was sixteen that I did a really respectable one using a photograph and grid method. In high school, I did a self portrait of me in a broken mirror (see slideshow), and a quick sketch of me falling asleep reading a textbook...which happened all too often! Then enter college. O MY. My first and last assignments of both my drawing classes were infamous self portraits, plus all the in class ones. When we were assigned to bring pictures of ourselves in El. Art Methods, I knew what was coming. Self portraits are a staple for art classes, why would this class be an exception?

This self portrait assignment taught us different methods of drawing which yielded different levels of accuracy. I already had a self portrait done via grid method, so I decided to turn that one in rather than do another one. Here's the two I did in class, and a myriad of other random recent- ish self portraits. (click to enlarge)

Textures, blind contours, and Picasso

In this assignment, we did a few blind contours of our neighbors, then for a separate assignment we demonstrated color schemes and textures in different boxes. We then used these textures to fill in our Picasso- like blind contours. I wasn't a huge fan of my textures, so I threw in some ones I loved on my Picasso head and really liked how it turned out!

Why is it important to teach art?

I feel as though I would have answered this question differently just three months ago. Art has been a quintessential part of my existence and identity for as long as I can remember, but just this last summer I attempted to teach drawing and share my love for it. I noticed a few things.
One was that each student grew in confidence. They had no idea they were capable of creating a masterpiece.

Whenever I tell someone I'm an art major, I often get an shrugging response of "Haha, cool, I can't even draw a stick figure" or "I have no artistic ability." What they don't understand is that they do. Creativity is intrinsic to all human beings. They don't understand what my students learned.

Everyone has a basic understanding of math, but that is only because at some point, someone walked them step by step through math problems until they gained the confidence to work through problems on their own. Seldom does the average person practice algebra in their every day life, but being required to learn it gave them skills of logic that are beneficial.

What boggles me is that art is much the same way, but people don't treat it as such! Anyone can be taught step by step how to draw (just ask Bob Ross). Art, like math, involves a process of encountering errors and coming up with how to fix them. Like it said in The Arts and the Creation of Mind, every medium in art poses a wide range of problems you have to work through. PLUS it makes you use your imagination, something math never made me do!
I saw my students gain a sense of pride and confidence in their work, but they also learned that anything worth while comes with a price. I saw them persevere through dilemmas, analyze their work and recognize how to improve. “Arts education helps develop the skills necessary to persistently and adaptively work through problems,” said Kim Kanatani, Deputy Director and Gail Engelberg Director of Education, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. “By asking students to think like artists, we are imparting 21st-century skills in encouraging them to approach problems with creativity and analytic thought rather than just recitation of facts.” I love that! I feel that so much of my education has been mindless recitation of facts. Thinking like an artist is something everyone should have the opportunity of doing.

Like Sir Ken Robinson suggested, we need to develop our whole beings, not just one side of our brains. In his lecture, he presented the idea that no child could know if they were creatively minded unless presented the opportunity to explore and grow in things besides academics. People seem to think that there's not room enough to give students a well rounded education, but having things like art increases a child's likelihood of succeeding. According to a study in '93, SAT takers who had four year’s study in the arts scored 53 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 37 points higher on the math portion than did the students who had no arts coursework. The arts obviously has an effect on academic performance along with developing personality and a sense of self and accomplishment outside the academic realm.

According to an official statement by the U.S. department of education responding to why art was required in the No Child Left Behind Act,
"Similar to English, math, science and the other core subjects, the arts (dance, music, theater, and visual arts) are challenging subjects with rigorous content and achievement standards at the state and national levels. They require highly qualified teachers who challenge all students, not just those who are considered artistically talented, to perform works of art, create their own works, and respond to works of art and the ideas they impart.

In addition to studying the arts for their own sake, experiencing and making works of art benefits students in their intellectual, personal, and social development, and can be particularly beneficial for students from economically disadvantaged circumstances and those who are at risk of not succeeding in school. Research studies point to strong relationships between learning in the arts and fundamental cognitive skills and capacities used to master other core subjects, including reading, writing, and mathematics."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

I was a novice art teacher last summer, but I saw first hand that every kid in my class gained not only an understanding of color and proportion, but also patience, grace under pressure, and a new way of seeing. Most importantly, I know each one of them left with the thought of "I'm good at art." The best part of my experience was always taking the art they'd focused on for hours and revealing it to them from more of a distance. The satisfaction and pride can't be described. Getting a good test score can be great too, but nothing compares to that. Nothing can replace that. I think anyone skeptical of the arts in public school would have much of the same reaction- satisfaction in the long run. Art being a beneficial and valid thing to learn and teach is not just a theory. Art enriches lives and that's a fact. It must be taught.

*Sir Ken Robinson, ideas worth spreading
*The Arts and the Creation of the Mind
*http://www2.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/updates/040826.html
*http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/press-room/releases/3400-aps-release

Symmetry

Mandalas then and now...The first is from seventh grade and took me a week. The second is from now and took me a day! I think this is a great project for students to do. I like it now and I liked it in seventh grade as a student. For the one we did in class, the mandala had to represent our personality and interests, which would teach creativity and be a good beginning assignment. The way I did it in the past focused more on shapes and symmetry. I like both!

Art?

There have been many attempts to come up with a philosophical, articulate definition of "art,"(as in visual art) but the fact is, every time you put rules on what art is, someone breaks them. So what is art? What should be considered art? How is the value of art determined?
In my opinion, art is not a product, it's a perception.
Finding yourself intrigued by how light is reflected or how an egg shell cracks, seeing the beauty or allure in the banal; this is what it means to perceive like an artist. With that definition, I consider Marcel Duchamp an artist, who took a commonplace object and saw art, naming the urinal "Fountain" and putting it in a museum. At first, I didn't appreciate "Fountain" to say the least. But it has line, form, shape, color, and in a museum, it would hold my attention for more than three seconds (every artists goal). It is art.
But does "Fountain" deserve to be put next to the work of Van Gogh and Vermeer? No. (At this point you may be thinking, 'but Caitlin, you just said "Fountain" is art! I'm so confused.') Well dear reader, "Fountain" is art, but according to me it is not artwork. It's called 'artwork' for a reason. Art is work! It takes time, energy, creativity, thought, flexibility, skill, and patience. If an artist actually creates something, that's a work of art. Duchamp didn't create the urinal, he only created the idea.
On a slightly different train of thought, I honestly believe the work of Jackson Polluck, the finger paintings of a child, and the paintbrush strokes of an elephant all have artistic merit. The uses of colors, composition, and processes each have value and interest me. So what makes one painting sell for thousands and the other get hung up on the fridge to eventually be thrown away?
The name.
It's as simple as the signature. It's the same reason my paintings sell for enough to pay rent for a month while others sell for well over the cost of my parent's house. Besides the dollar value, the worth of art solely depends on who's looking at it and what they choose to see.
In short, 'art' is determined by perception. Its value, determined by a name. Its overall worth, determined by the process and impact.

Hooray for starting a blog!