Revolution

Our group's lesson 3 big idea is "Revolution." So I chose to do fashion as revolution and create wearable art that voices some kind of message through the fashion. Students would decide on a contemporary issue and create a way to display that or send a message of change within a fashion piece. As a class we'd look at celebrity fashion revolutionaries, such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Lady Gaga, of course. We'd also explore the fashion hats of Stephen Jones, the social justice graphics of Luba Lukova, and the truisms of Jenny Holzer.

My future art room!

Oh, the scary yet exciting first year

I feel a lot of excitement when thinking about my first year of teaching. I look forward to getting in there and getting my hands dirty, actually doing the real thing and putting all of this theory into practice. It is hard not to be a bit fearful or nervous though.

I'm afraid of classroom management. I am not the best at dealing with discipline problems and I fear being walked all over. I tend to be very idealistic and don't always approach situations realistically. For instance, ideally I would love if every student came in, even the ones who hate school, and loved my class. But realistically, not every student will love me, my class, or art. But I'm going to try my hardest to not let that happen.

I fear setting up lessons that keep my students engaged and that meet the standards. Above a lot of things, I don't want my students to be bored. And I don't want to be bored. I want us, as a class, to laugh, explore and discover.

Those are a few of my fears. But before these fears are faced, I have to face another: getting a job.

Walker 6: Developing Plans

Reading chapter 6, I felt as though it was information we've heard quite often in our educational experience in Art Ed. We've been taught to start with a big idea and set up essential questions and keep concepts. One thing I found helpful was her breakdown of the research on the teacher's side of planning. She included researching the big idea and the several ways it can be approached, as well as resources to support the lesson.

She also included researching artist's personal history, which was something I don't always think about. I think it is easy to get wrapped up in the fun of the lesson and developing the big idea, that the artist bio can get lost in the process. I hadn't thought about how inquisitive students are and that they are more than likely going to want additional information on an artist that is presented. This is something for me personally to remember and work on as I develop lessons.

She went on to continue artistic context and social context, both very important inclusions in presenting big ideas and artmaking lessons as they form a better understanding of the art history and development of the idea over time.

One thing that I struggle with is how to include this method of lesson planning all the time. In our preparation for the field, our experience is so heavily grounded in big ideas and making meaning in art; however, often in field observations, this isn't always happening. For instance, right now I'm in a foundation course at the high school level and there is little meaning being made. For the most part, their focus is on technical skills. While I see the importance of gaining technical skills, especially at a foundational level, I think it can be approached in a manner much better than this. Why do big ideas have to be introduced half way through the year, or only in advanced classes? We are trying to hook students with how exciting art is and much potential they have as artists, but this is not the way to do it. So is where practical application and theoretical planning bump heads. So as teachers on the cusp of our first year, how do we steer clear of boring, empty, technique-heavy lessons?

UPDATE: self-portrait (work-in-progress)

I had some wonderful feedback and interest in my fibers project so I wanted to post what I've done so far. I created this statement "WHO I AM" in Photoshop by collaging images from visual culture and then printed it digitally on to cotton. I'm moving on to the next phase of adding a fabric border and handwritten adjectives of society's definition of who I am. More to come!

Walker 4 & 5: Problem Solving and Boundaries

In reading Walker chapter 4, I really appreciated her discussion of creating artistic problems and using big ideas within a big idea to create those problems. This brought to realization that we often discuss big ideas that alone wouldn't be as enriching or meaningful. Walker brings up the example of transformation saying that too often classroom activities lack the edge of altering reality and forcing the audience to question what they know. Transformation works more effectively and conceptually when it is paired with another big idea. Cindy Sherman for example works within the big idea of Identity but uses transformation as the edge to push her concept.

This chapter had a lot of great examples that can be brought into the classroom. I especially liked the self-portrait boxes done by the university students. How wonderful would this project be in a high school art class? In that setting, the discussion of stereotypes, gender roles, sexual orientation and cultural ideologies could all set the foundation for some great self-portrait boxes. Even doing this project as a reaction to Speak would be great, talking about what people see on the outside and how someone thinks and feels that they don't voice or show to everyone.

I loved that she mentioned Kruger and a discussion of ads. I already have an attachment to this idea of "the invisibility of everyday" and using Kruger as an exemplar was an idea I had. She suggests having a discussion with students about both the implicit and explicit messages of ads as a basis for students to create their own photomontages. I love this idea. In a way they would be creating anti-ads.

In chapter 5, Walker discusses boundaries and how this is often boosts creativity instead of hindering it. I thought of Imagination First, because one of their "sparks" is thinking inside the box and having those boundaries in order to push creative thinking. I think students need those boundaries as a bit of security. Often when teachers say, "there are no certain guidelines, you can do what you want," student respond with blank stares or panicked expressions. This vast freedom doesn't always drive focused ideas. I think it's important for us as teachers to give them boundaries that give them focus and pushes their questioning and creativity, but likewise doesn't hinder their imagination and deprive them of enriching experiences.

We like turtles: staying connected

Our department decided to stay connected through our very own blog. Check it out!

melissamuddlikesturtles.blogspot.com

And if you haven't seen the video we are referencing, watch it here!

Flickr: maybe not the most appropriate

So I wanted to check out Flickr as a source for our students. On one hand, it has some really strong, artful photography and work published from working artists (and student artists), which would be great for image storming. On the other hand, I searched 'sex' and some not-so-tasteful images popped up as a result. By no means did these come close to what one might find when Googling the word, but school appropriate? Maybe not. So there is the conundrum. How do we allow a useful image site, but control content results while searching? Any thoughts?

The Spiral Curriculum

The Spiral Curriculum had so many wonderful lesson ideas. I especially liked the Collaborative Wall Collections. This was a great way to incorporate some of those technical skills required at most lower levels, such as line, shape, negative and positive space, outlines, etc. They are also gaining some graphic design skills-- a great opportunity to discuss commercial art and how powerful symbols are in our visual culture (restroom signs, company logos, street signs, etc.) But more importantly it adds that layer that we always strive to include. The use of symbols is a powerful thing. Students are learning how to conceptualize big ideas and format them into simple and elegant forms. In the example on the site, the students were working with majors events in American History. A topic like this is a great way for students to start synthesizing broad topics and breaking it down into a single representation. What else is wonderful about this lesson is the collaboration aspect. In Walker, we read about postponement of meaning as an artist habit. This is especially true with this assignment. The students are creating their own meaning within their individual work, but once their piece(s) are combined with those of fellow classmates, the juxtaposition and combination create entirely new meanings, or at least expanded meanings.

I really like this idea because you can take symbols into any big idea. Think about the wonderful results if this were done with a social justice theme, or visual culture symbols of ideologies. I'd love to use Luba Lukova as an exemplar artist for social justice. On the Spiral site, she mentions that this lesson could be modified with colored symbols or backgrounds, which could be an affective use of color as symbolic messages. Let's not forget of course Kara Walker. Students could use her storytelling techniques to convey symbols of memory, emotions, identity, etc. This idea could go in a thousand directions.

I love the idea of displaying these along the hallways of the school; it would become a nice interactive piece with the other students and teachers. A display in the classroom might be successful as well, especially if the lesson was expanded upon and additional artwork was added to create more juxtaposition and expansion of meaning.