This is my final project. In the spirit of the documentary, Rip Remix Manifesto, I bring to you the
Artistic Thinking: Week 14
· Structuring the art education curriculum on academic and modernist traditions does not give students the range of knowledge and skills NEEDED to authentically investigate contemporary life (Olivia Gude)
I had an “AHA!” moment while reading chapter Eight in Hetland, the explanation that stated, “Jim asks students to express the relationship between the two figures in the empty space between them” clicked inside me and I saw a grand unfolding of the connections that are between us all and within everything we create. It’s all about "relationships". Giving students an opportunity to see how this works within a simple observation can be profound and powerful insight for their art and their daily lives. "The essential contribution that arts education can make to our students and to our communities is to teach skills and concepts while creating opportunities to investigate and represent one’s own experiences-generating personal and shared meaning.” (Gude, 2007) I may be getting a little philosophical but I cant help noticing that the concept of relationships underlies all other concepts and constructs in general, on a molecular level, within our bodies and psyches, in life, in teaching, in learning in creating meaningful art. In our relationships with family, friends or teachers, we feel a connection, we know how to interact, play, talk and exchange within each type of relationship. However the process of building trust and creating a deeper bond takes time to investigate how to communicate, play, be empathetic, sensitive to our own and others needs and relate and share in a democratic way. These are similar practices that Olivia Gude speaks of in her Principles of Possibility’s. Just as our relationships, and we, evolve so must our ideas and modes of guiding students toward meaningful art making. “Buy its nature art is an open concept that is always evolving and changing (Weitz, 1962). (Gude, 2007) And so must our curriculums. In Hetland, the art teacher Jim Woodside introduces the idea of going beyond the basic drawing lesson, look closely and draw, to expressing how the objects or figures are in relationship. The students have something more to think about and create besides going cross-eyed staring at the positive and negative spaces and trying to mimic the lines, curves and shapes. He gives students a lesson in story telling, visual literacy and dramatic scene building. They learn to look beyond the obvious, notice the placement, space, mood and context of two figures in a setting and then show how these are all related by adding their own personal perspective and meaning. This moves an art lesson from the formal principles of art to a postmodern art making practice. Olivia Gude demonstrates how her eight postmodern art making practices are a fusion of a visual form and a conceptual art making strategy. “In true postmodern fashion, these principles are not a set of discrete entities, but are rhizomatic.” (Gude, 2004)
Meaning is created when our students can connect their personal internal questions and emotions with their direct experience in the external world. They then begin to engage in a relationship with themselves. “Artmaking can be an important opportunity…to help formulate a sense of who they are, and who they might become. Quality projects aid students in exploring how one’s sense of self is constructed within complex family, social, and media experiences.” (Gude, 2007) If we provide art lessons that are in direct relationship with our students lives, more authentic , symbolic and meaningful expression can flow.
Value: eclectic curriculum – intertwining formal, expressive, realist, and postmodern – methods of making over recapitulating past monological making
I chose this value because this is how real life operates, in an eclectic collaboration and intertwining of formal, casual, expressive, realistic, and spontaneous events and situations. Our students are constantly constructing and sharing meaning through their daily dose of stimulus both random and chosen. Presenting one style or rout of production is counterproductive in our multi-mediated, multi-cultural world.
I want my students to be well rounded by showing them how and why certain art came to be. How previous artists were influenced by their times and society and in return how these artists reactions and self expression affected and helped to shape the future.
I want my students to be well rounded by showing them how and why certain art came to be. How previous artists were influenced by their times and society and in return how these artists reactions and self expression affected and helped to shape the future.
“Contemporary theories of meaning making recognize that
all meaning making involves borrowing from previous meaning making.”
(Gude, 2009) I think history is important and gives us power of understanding and confidence in knowing. Lessons can introduce formal ideas and old masters while relating how those artists created meaning compared to how contemporary artists create meaning. “All contemporary psychological and psychoanalytic theories agree that much of who we are as individuals is created by our personal experiences and by our cultural contexts.” (Gude, 2009) Having a project which can link the students present discourse with their world to a chosen past artist will stimulate self-discovery. They will discover how they have been shaped by their interactions and can see the connection of how all artists/humans through time are shaped. This is only one idea but the value of having a curriculum that incorporates the past, present and stimulates future visions is holistic. This kind of curriculum gives all students of various levels a chance to find the best medium to express and be successful.
Value: engaging mess over keeping things neat
I have not been in an art classroom that is not somewhat or completely organized and clean. I have substituted for 6 years and been in many. The middle school art room I did my student teaching in was so clean it felt strange and very uninspiring.
The teacher was very particular and she even told me that she did not like making messes. Therefore she limited the students to certain, non-messy supplies and she wasn't even going to do clay with them because she said she hated how messy it was and did not want to deal with it. I told her I would teach them the clay lesson and be responsible for keeping things cleaned up. I chose this value because I don't think it is natural to have a perfectly clean art room or studio and because this value has two meanings, one is literal and the other is figurative. In my classroom there will be an area for creating a mess and letting that mess live within it’s boundaries. The mess will take on a life of it’s own, it will move, rearrange itself, get bigger one day and smaller the next. My mess will be made of anything and everything that the students bring in to add to it. It will be multi dimensional, very colorful and have various textures. My mess will incorporate all of the elements and principals of art. Students will be free to interact with the mess and together they will co-create interesting conversations, new concepts and creative expressions. Olivia Gude says, “Teach students to be unafraid of immersion in mess. Teach students how to observe and build on the unexpected.” (2009) Some students may feel very comfortable hanging out with the mess and others may feel the opposite. When I speak of “mess”, I literally am referring to having a space where supplies, can be laid out in a big line or semi-circle with little organization except to keep tools in a basic area so they don't get covered up by other materials. I think it is important to be able to take a visual survey, scan the stock and mentally make note of what is available for use. I am also referring to making a mess in a figurative way as far as using messy found objects, and other non-traditional materials to create meaningful artworks.
The teacher was very particular and she even told me that she did not like making messes. Therefore she limited the students to certain, non-messy supplies and she wasn't even going to do clay with them because she said she hated how messy it was and did not want to deal with it. I told her I would teach them the clay lesson and be responsible for keeping things cleaned up. I chose this value because I don't think it is natural to have a perfectly clean art room or studio and because this value has two meanings, one is literal and the other is figurative. In my classroom there will be an area for creating a mess and letting that mess live within it’s boundaries. The mess will take on a life of it’s own, it will move, rearrange itself, get bigger one day and smaller the next. My mess will be made of anything and everything that the students bring in to add to it. It will be multi dimensional, very colorful and have various textures. My mess will incorporate all of the elements and principals of art. Students will be free to interact with the mess and together they will co-create interesting conversations, new concepts and creative expressions. Olivia Gude says, “Teach students to be unafraid of immersion in mess. Teach students how to observe and build on the unexpected.” (2009) Some students may feel very comfortable hanging out with the mess and others may feel the opposite. When I speak of “mess”, I literally am referring to having a space where supplies, can be laid out in a big line or semi-circle with little organization except to keep tools in a basic area so they don't get covered up by other materials. I think it is important to be able to take a visual survey, scan the stock and mentally make note of what is available for use. I am also referring to making a mess in a figurative way as far as using messy found objects, and other non-traditional materials to create meaningful artworks.
This area would be the primary area for creative playtime. I do agree with Gude and think that it is necessary to teach students to become comfortable with some chaos, unfamiliarity, and constant change. The unexpected is living moment to moment and never knowing what might happen next. This could be a big idea, being comfortable with uncertainty. I do think students need to get their hands dirty and immerse themselves in all of the available materials, play, build, construct, deconstruct with no purpose no reason other then letting ideas flow. Much like meditaion where one practices just being in the moment and fully enjoying it.
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