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.