Hey, I've got a new computer and I'm back in business.
I'm going to continue the theme of my last post: artists who may not be great, but who are wonderful in their more modest endeavors. This time I am going to consider a group: the Dutch 17th century painters who have come to be known as "the little Dutch Masters".
The environment for painters in Holland in the 17th century was unique, and it led to a new and "modern" way of conducting business. For the first time in European art, the creation of paintings was not dominated by the church and the nobility. Instead, art was purchased in quantity by the rising mercantile class, and they were looking for art that expressed their wealth to be sure, but also reflected underlying Calvinist values…
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Snow Farm, the New England Craft Program, will be the setting for my week long workshop on Paper and Thread. May 2-8, 2010,
Everyone loves beautiful paper. We buy, hoard and admire paper, keeping it in stacks for the sheer enjoyment of the beautiful designs and surfaces. Just as fabric scraps can be turned into a work of art, so can paper scraps. Learn to alter and embellish paper surfaces, then focus on design to create amazing and unique compositions. Sewing can be done by hand or machine. Even those with no experience can do this with ease.…
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Join me at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina the week of April 4 for a unique class in designing with Roman Letters…
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by teaching_kids_art , February 25, 2009—12:00 AM
Topics: Education, Ideas, art education, defining art, evaluating art, inspiration, originality, teaching, teaching art
There are two distinct areas of study to focus upon when teaching kids art production: the technical, and the analytical. The far easier of the two is the technical aspects of whatever media is being explored in a given project. Demonstrating and familiarizing student s with the various processes and procedures associated with a specific medium is always fun and relatively straightforward. Typically the students are excited to get to work and dive into their projects eager to make a calculated mess with the newly discovered materials. It is only then that a majority of them realize they lack the second and more important ingredient of art making: the ever illusive idea…
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I'm very excited about my upcoming class, "Shrine of a Lifetime", that I'll be teaching this February 21 and 28 (2009). It will be held at Edmonds Community College in beautiful Washington state.
We will be creating a fabulous shrine dedicated to a beloved person, pet, place, or idea. Learn about Mexican shrines_such as ofrendas and home altars_and their history and place in contemporary society. Discover how to manipulate various mixed media using acrylics, fabric, paper, and found objects, while also learning the art of simple attachments. Express yourself with cherished photos, handwritten notes and your own sacred objects. Your completed shrine will truly be "art from the heart."
For more information or about how to sign up, go to
http://www.edcc…
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He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches. George Bernard Shaw is credited with this line from his 1903 play Man and Superman, although it is unknown whether this was actually the opinion of Shaw, or merely a line of dialogue for one of his many characters. Either way, it is a platitude that still finds its way into our modern conversations with a great degree of regularity. And while there is no definitive way to determine how many believe this sentiment, the fact that it shows no sign of fading into obscurity after a century of use says a great deal.
Misconceptions like this one are so unfortunate because not only are they fueled by ignorance, but they perpetuate it as well…
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Before my own children were born, I would spend my summer breaks teaching kids art. Only instead of big kids, I was teaching little kids, typically four to six year olds. I've often said that after nine months of teenagers, teaching little kids was like desert. While I do love my high school kids, and the depth in which we can explore the arts together, they lack a few of the admirable attributes found in their toddling counterparts.
Try as I might, I do not believe I have ever managed to inspire those tiny artists as much as they did me. Paul Klee understood this when he noted, "Children also have artistic ability, and there is wisdom in their having it! The more helpless they are, the more instructive are the examples they furnish us…
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A few months ago I wrote about the propagation of what I have often called The Drawing Myth and its role in the spreading of misinformation concerning the accessibility of drawing as a learnable skill. This is a fascinating topic for me and one which I find myself returning to with each new semester of teaching kids art. The beginning of this school year was no different, and in fact, I found myself just this week delivering my Drawing Myth speech to a collection of eager new faces. My mind is often prone to wander while my mouth is delivering familiar words, and I'm often just as prone to allow it; I'm curious to see where it might go…
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There is a tangible energy in an art room; a palatable excitement that at times I have to force myself to slow down and savor. You can sense it when the students are really enthused about an assignment and they're eagerly immersing themselves in their work. I float around the room encouraging creativity, nudging inspiration, and playfully joking with the kids. Amidst the flurry of noise and activity there are days I must simply stop and smile as I take a moment to remind myself that teaching kids art was my dream, and I'm living it.
I've known I wanted to be a high school art teacher ever since I, myself, was a high school art student. Under the tutelage of some exemplary instructors I heard my future vocation beckoning me…
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CONTINUING THE ADVENTURES OF TEACHING KIDS ART !
I've mentioned before that most dreaded assignment I give any of my students is the notorious self portrait. No single project garners more gripes and groans than the ominous chore of being left alone with pencil, paper, and mirror. It should come as no surprise that this is one of my favorite projects to assign, not because I'm sadistic and enjoy torturing my students, although they would argue otherwise. There are actually two main reasons for my enthusiasm with the self portrait; the first of which is consistently seeing students perform far better than they ever imagined…
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CONTINUING THE ADVENTURES OF TEACHING KIDS ART !
In my last post I introduced the importance of trying to teach my students, especially those in drawing, that before they can really begin to improve their abilities, they must first learn to see. Convincing teenagers, a species that is inherently omniscient, that they don't really know how to see can be, at times, a humorous endeavor. And oddly enough, one of the most valuable instructional tools I have to help facilitate this task is an empty bulletin board; its moniker emblazoned on the sign above it: 10 Foot Test.…
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I have found that one of the unexpected by-products of being a professional educator is that I'm also afforded the unique opportunity to be a professional learner. It has been my experience when teaching kids art, that with a sufficiently open mind and a healthy amount of humility, I have a chance nearly everyday to learn something from the same students I'm there to teach.
What's even more fascinating is the variety with which these occasions present themselves. Sometimes it will be in the unique perspective and clever thinking of an individual student. Or it might be something I overhear while two kids exchange ideas and offer each other advice. Very often, student performance on various projects is a great venue for gaining valuable information…
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We are closing in on the end of our Spring Session with 24 children at Heritage academy in Augusta. Have a look at our new and (we think) improved website
www.childrensartwalk.com . The kids, as always have been glorious. What a gift we have been given to serve them in this way. Kids do succeed through Art. The Jr. Leaguers of Augusta, have once again worked by our side, as have the great folks at Heritage Academy. This has truly been an interesting Session, because we have added two new Success component to the mix.
We are actively showing the Kids' Art. All the show frames were donated to us by Shishir and Tara at "the Frameworks" in Augusta…
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"When do we get to do what we want?" I've been teaching kids art, specifically teenagers, for eight years. I've taught at three different schools and in two separate cities, and yet I've always been haunted by this query. "When do we get to do what we want," is the battle cry of the creatively suppressed adolescent who has lurking deep within them an artistic arrangement that would redefine society as we know it. If only their tyrannical art teacher would release his aesthetic strangle hold and allow them to share it with the world. The real issue here, as art teachers worldwide already know, is that should you concede, this question will instantaneously be followed by the equally frustrating statement, "I don't know what to draw…
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Kids succeed through Art.
Children's Art-Walk is right in the middle of it's 4th 10 week session. We have now had over 70 children through the program. We have learned that we need to keep the class size small... 6 children to 3 volunteers. We have also provided the children with another opportunity to succeed. Each child has the option to give back to Art-Walk a percentage of their painting's sale price (20 have sold so far). The range of donation percentage is from 0% to 100%. On average the kid's give back 30%. They are learning to give...maybe the biggest success of all!
Through this and other innovative means we are now returning more than $1.30 for each donor $1.00 directly to the children in the form of materials...Yes..…
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I love teaching kids art. There are so many aspects about it that give me a strong sense of purpose and satisfaction. I simply adore art, and the opportunity to get to talk about it everyday is ideal for me. I really enjoy teenagers and the challenge of inspiring and exciting them about my subject. Much of the philosophy of teaching continues to fascinate me. And I still get excited about constantly updating, changing, and improvising my curriculum with each new semester. However, as much as there is to love about my vocation, there is one chore that time and time again fills my soul with a sense of dread and injustice: Grading.…
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CONTINUING THE ADVENTURES OF TEACHING KIDS ART !
Mondays through Thursdays as students enter my classroom they find an image waiting for them on the overhead screen. Along with this image are a few questions for them to spend five minutes considering and answering on paper. This is their Daily Dose. While I busy myself with taking roll and checking passes, the students are getting into their art frame of mind. After they've spent some time writing about the artwork of the day, we spend another five minutes or so discussing the piece and asking questions. What did they notice, think, or feel? How does the piece relate to the concepts were currently covering in class? And did a five year old paint this, because it sure looks like it.…
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TALES FROM THE ART SIDE (no. 1)
Random Thoughts from a High School Art Teacher
Each semester I teach anywhere from three to five sections of the introductory art class which my school has dubbed, "Art Experiences". Now something to note about teaching kids art is that most art teachers seem to view the intro courses with a sort of reserved contempt. They will admit that the beginning classes are a curricular necessity, but they want nothing to do with them. Intro classes are very much the grunt work of the profession. …
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