Sharing some of our drawing experiments in Art 1 on my blog. Here is the link...
http://teachersafterhours.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Friday, September 5, 2014
A Proximity of Consciousness: Art and Social Action
A very exciting series of events is taking place this fall through a collaborative partnership between SAIC (Sullivan Galleries) and a number of cultural institutions including The Stockyard Institute, Hull House, etc. The series entitled Artists as changemakers invites artists, critics, and academics into a conversation around art as social practice. I urge our learning community to attend these events as it is rare to have so many excellent artists/thinkers in one city addressing the topic of art as social practice. Perhaps we can attend the exhibition A Proximity of Consciousness: Art and Social Action together. I plan on going on Saturday, October 11th and am excited to think through the possibilities of how art and social practice can make their way into your classrooms and pedagogy.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
A letter to all my students past, present, and future:
It’s 1985. Picture a teenage girl with wild, dark, curly
hair wearing a hideous pink and purple catholic school uniform. That’s me, a senior in a strict, traditional,
Catholic High School. The AP Lit teacher, Dr. Sharon Meltzer, is asking us what
we think about Socrates and his theory of the Chariot. There is a chariot, led
by the dark horse of passion and the light horse of reason. She challenged us
to understand ourselves, and whether we were driven by passion or reason. I
couldn’t believe it. Dr. Meltzer asked us what we THINK. We sat in class and
debated our ideas, a full out discussion that was more than just regurgitating
information. In that moment, I fell in love with being in that class. I’d never
really liked school, but I didn’t want THAT class to end.
It’s 1987, and I’m standing in a sunny Art Institute painting
studio. My favorite painting teacher is yelling at a boy who was distracting me
while I should have been painting. He then whirled around to me and told me
angrily to stop goofing around, to focus because I had talent and he expected a
lot from me. I was shocked that he cared so much. In later years, he proved how
much not only by being demanding, but also nurturing. He’d take a group of
students out for beers and pizza at Exchecquer and we talked for hours about painting
concepts, philosophy, science, and literature. On many occasions, he walked
into class, handed me a book and simply said, “you should read this”. It was
always complicated, brilliant, and EXACTLY what I needed to read for this or
that painting I was working on. His name was Paul Hinchliffe, and my second
daughter, also an artist, is named for him. Zoe Paula.
It’s 1989, and I’m close to graduating with a BFA degree
from art school. My old photo teacher asked me to be her assistant in the art
classes she was teaching for pre-school kids. Colleen Conley had been my
teacher since I was 12 and I already knew that I loved art, loved photography,
and loved learning from her. But, she had one more thing to teach me. Each day
of class, she’d quietly give me more responsibilities. Eventually she casually
said, “I think you should teach this lesson. Plan an interesting lesson.” I
did, even though I thought it was a bit odd. At then end of the lesson, after
all the happy kids went home with their art, she turned to me and said, “Do you
know what you are? Do you see what you just did?” I looked at her quizzically.
She looked me right in the eye and stated emphatically, “You are a teacher.”
I realize that teaching is very much about love. These
amazing teachers loved me and taught me to love them. More importantly, they gave
me the love of thinking, exploring, and creating. They inspired me to be the
artist I am today. They inspired me to be the teacher I am today. I have taken
a bit of that love from them, and internalized it. These teachers are with us today
through me, talking to you right now. The connection continues on because as a
teacher, I hand these ideals to you, and you begin to think and create. You
begin connecting to each other, to the world, to me. We will learn together in
this classroom. When others view your art, they will know you. When you leave here, you will carry this with you and connect
with others. Someday, you will be making art, or raising children, or perhaps
even teaching. You will affect THOSE people around you and continue to build
this connection.
Someone once told me about a teacher she had that used to
sing a love song to his class every day. I thought that was an amazing way to
connect. Here is my love song to you. Listen to the words, because I mean them
with all my heart.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
A Philosophical Welcome
A Philosophical Welcome
Hello Everyone,
Welcome to Spaces for Possibility: An arts-based learning community for reflective teacher practice. Just as the title suggests, we are convening and re-convening a group of dedicated professionals who teach in the arts to question, explore and challenge the possibilities of what an art education can be. Our group formed three years ago to use the Studio Thinking Framework as an analytic lens to consider specific dispositions used in the art studio. This framework gave us much to think about. We grew in our own understanding of critical thinking, and questioned the very thought of teaching art in our current climate within the Chicago Public Schools. We exhibited these questions last spring at Firecat Projects gallery and created an exhibition catalogue with artwork, essays and reflections.
Internal expertise with on-going questioning
What has become clear to us over the course of convening this learning community is that we need dedicated time and space for substantive conversations around our teaching practices.
We have heard over and over again that teachers yearn for a space to share what you are doing each day. You also need time to explore different concepts, methods and practices for teaching within public education. Internally, our group contains vast amounts of expertise. As a member of our learning community mentioned last year, teachers need a space where you don't feel as if you are broken and need to be fixed.
What we hope that this learning community allows you to do on the most profound level is to re-examine your own practices in the company of others. That means that you are open to seeing what you cannot see as individual teachers on your own. Through dialogue, reflection, readings, images, and conversation, we come together to think about what is possible within an art education.
The late art education philosopher Maxine Greene talks of the value of making ourselves strangers. We must defamiliarize ourselves with our own patterns and habitual practices to see differently. At the heart of this process, we ask ourselves difficult questions about what we do each day. Within this learning community we trust that you inherently know your own classrooms and that your are ultimately responsible for your own education as teachers. Within this learning community we provide a space to ask pertinent questions and gently nudge each other towards a more complex practice. We include ourselves in this process as facilitators.
Multiplicity of Spaces
Exploring the concept of space takes on many different meanings. For some it is the physical spaces we teach in, the art studio, and for others it has to do with concepts in the mind, for others it is simply the time to be reflective/reflexive within a practice.
We can consider the philosopher Gilles Deleuze when talking about breaking old patterns, and how he refers to the idea of "deterritorialization" - "a movement by which we leave the territory or move away from spaces regulated by dominant systems of signification that keep us confined within old patterns, in order make new connections." The system of teaching is full of insidious patterns of reproducing predictable movements. If we remain open to new possibilities, new patterns, new ways of emerging, that doesn't mean we have to leave what works behind. Instead, we remain perceptually aware and wide-awake to what might happen in the moment. As art educators, we have a unique role within education to work with this kind of space and thinking. So, Spaces for Possibility has to do with a state of mind. Being open to what might happen, listening to each other, checking in with ourselves, asking questions, reading and viewing the work of professional artists and educators beyond the classroom, and being present to what is before us.
Perspectives of Others
We have an incredible group of teachers this year. Many are returning, while half of the group is new. We have high school and elementary group members. All teachers work within CPS. There is a wealth of experience within our group and we are asking Olivia Gude, founder of the Spiral Workshop and writing team member for the new visual arts standards, to lead two workshops, one on curriculum development and the other skeptical assessment. We also have our dear friend Dr. Cynthia Gehrie working with us to think about student feedback as way to improve our practice. These outside educators come in to help us practice a state of "wide-awakeness" through a type of shock. Here Greene would say that shock allows us to move into a "new province of meaning" and out of which new visions arise. Greene would say that after this shock "an event or feeling may precipitate a change in attitude."
Often our funders ask us to think about how teacher practice will change. We find it difficult to explain how change occurs in grant writing terms, but when we read Maxine Greene's concepts of wide-awakeness and shock leading to new insights and actions this makes a great deal of sense.
However you as a teacher come to understand your own practice, this community can serve as place to tackle both the mundane and philosophical aspects of teaching.
We are very excited to work with you this year.
If you are interested in these philosopher ideas, Maxine Greene's work can be found in The Passionate Mind of Maxine Greene edited by William Pinar. The title of the essay is "Existential and Phenomenological Influences on Maxine Greene" and Gilles Deleauze's ideas can be found in Teachers in Nomadic Spaces: Deleuze and Curriculum by Kaustuv Roy.
Internal expertise with on-going questioning
What has become clear to us over the course of convening this learning community is that we need dedicated time and space for substantive conversations around our teaching practices.
We have heard over and over again that teachers yearn for a space to share what you are doing each day. You also need time to explore different concepts, methods and practices for teaching within public education. Internally, our group contains vast amounts of expertise. As a member of our learning community mentioned last year, teachers need a space where you don't feel as if you are broken and need to be fixed.
What we hope that this learning community allows you to do on the most profound level is to re-examine your own practices in the company of others. That means that you are open to seeing what you cannot see as individual teachers on your own. Through dialogue, reflection, readings, images, and conversation, we come together to think about what is possible within an art education.
The late art education philosopher Maxine Greene talks of the value of making ourselves strangers. We must defamiliarize ourselves with our own patterns and habitual practices to see differently. At the heart of this process, we ask ourselves difficult questions about what we do each day. Within this learning community we trust that you inherently know your own classrooms and that your are ultimately responsible for your own education as teachers. Within this learning community we provide a space to ask pertinent questions and gently nudge each other towards a more complex practice. We include ourselves in this process as facilitators.
Multiplicity of Spaces
Exploring the concept of space takes on many different meanings. For some it is the physical spaces we teach in, the art studio, and for others it has to do with concepts in the mind, for others it is simply the time to be reflective/reflexive within a practice.
We can consider the philosopher Gilles Deleuze when talking about breaking old patterns, and how he refers to the idea of "deterritorialization" - "a movement by which we leave the territory or move away from spaces regulated by dominant systems of signification that keep us confined within old patterns, in order make new connections." The system of teaching is full of insidious patterns of reproducing predictable movements. If we remain open to new possibilities, new patterns, new ways of emerging, that doesn't mean we have to leave what works behind. Instead, we remain perceptually aware and wide-awake to what might happen in the moment. As art educators, we have a unique role within education to work with this kind of space and thinking. So, Spaces for Possibility has to do with a state of mind. Being open to what might happen, listening to each other, checking in with ourselves, asking questions, reading and viewing the work of professional artists and educators beyond the classroom, and being present to what is before us.
Perspectives of Others
We have an incredible group of teachers this year. Many are returning, while half of the group is new. We have high school and elementary group members. All teachers work within CPS. There is a wealth of experience within our group and we are asking Olivia Gude, founder of the Spiral Workshop and writing team member for the new visual arts standards, to lead two workshops, one on curriculum development and the other skeptical assessment. We also have our dear friend Dr. Cynthia Gehrie working with us to think about student feedback as way to improve our practice. These outside educators come in to help us practice a state of "wide-awakeness" through a type of shock. Here Greene would say that shock allows us to move into a "new province of meaning" and out of which new visions arise. Greene would say that after this shock "an event or feeling may precipitate a change in attitude."
Often our funders ask us to think about how teacher practice will change. We find it difficult to explain how change occurs in grant writing terms, but when we read Maxine Greene's concepts of wide-awakeness and shock leading to new insights and actions this makes a great deal of sense.
However you as a teacher come to understand your own practice, this community can serve as place to tackle both the mundane and philosophical aspects of teaching.
We are very excited to work with you this year.
If you are interested in these philosopher ideas, Maxine Greene's work can be found in The Passionate Mind of Maxine Greene edited by William Pinar. The title of the essay is "Existential and Phenomenological Influences on Maxine Greene" and Gilles Deleauze's ideas can be found in Teachers in Nomadic Spaces: Deleuze and Curriculum by Kaustuv Roy.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Recertification: I had HOW many hours?
Sharing post from my personal blog Teachers After Hours...
For those of you who are not public school teachers, you may not be familiar with our recertification process. But, likes lots of jobs that require a license or certificate, we have to do professional development and log it in a state database as proof. We do this every 5 years. We need about 120 CPDU's (the units our development is measured by) and half of that has to relate to Special Education. We can achieve this through a variety of ways, from continued education, workshops, committees to presenting at conferences or creating student portfolios as "data".
I just finished entering my proof and clocked in over 300 hours. That was just for the past 3 years and didn't even enter all that I do. It really made me think:
1) Wow, I seriously love teaching, learning, and working for my students because all this stuff is done OUTSIDE the classroom
2) I feel good about this (warm glow, sentimental music) regarding how hard I work. <pat on back>
3) I know soooo many teachers who do lots and lots of stuff outside of classrooms too. We are awesome! <swelling music, collective pats on backs>
4)Ummmm, maybe I need to do a little more personal stuff in my life. How many paintings do I finish each year? How often do I go out for fun? Must work on being a bit more selfish.
You know, I am really proud of myself and the teachers I know. We are hard-working, self-sacrificing, loving, and perhaps a bit obsessive with our impact on Chicago's youth. My experience as an art teacher is not really all that unusual. We all work so freaking hard, day and night, school year and summer. My student's appreciate it, other teachers appreciate it, parents appreciate it. Hey most of the time we have the appreciation from the people who count. The system, not so much. But I'm not holding my breath.
I hope to take a bit away from this post, and spend more time on myself and family. Paint more, enjoy more, love more, explore more and NOT as professional development. That said, this summer I'm doing the MCA Teacher Institute, have a most awesome year long partnership with the MCA for the 14-15 school year, and plan to be a delegate to Finland with some other art teachers (fingers crossed I raise that money). Not to mention stage 2 with the inspiring Every Art Every Child program that gave me back my hope as a teacher.
So next time you see me, give me a gentle slap and hug, and tell me to go paint something!
For those of you who are not public school teachers, you may not be familiar with our recertification process. But, likes lots of jobs that require a license or certificate, we have to do professional development and log it in a state database as proof. We do this every 5 years. We need about 120 CPDU's (the units our development is measured by) and half of that has to relate to Special Education. We can achieve this through a variety of ways, from continued education, workshops, committees to presenting at conferences or creating student portfolios as "data".
I just finished entering my proof and clocked in over 300 hours. That was just for the past 3 years and didn't even enter all that I do. It really made me think:
1) Wow, I seriously love teaching, learning, and working for my students because all this stuff is done OUTSIDE the classroom
2) I feel good about this (warm glow, sentimental music) regarding how hard I work. <pat on back>
3) I know soooo many teachers who do lots and lots of stuff outside of classrooms too. We are awesome! <swelling music, collective pats on backs>
4)Ummmm, maybe I need to do a little more personal stuff in my life. How many paintings do I finish each year? How often do I go out for fun? Must work on being a bit more selfish.
You know, I am really proud of myself and the teachers I know. We are hard-working, self-sacrificing, loving, and perhaps a bit obsessive with our impact on Chicago's youth. My experience as an art teacher is not really all that unusual. We all work so freaking hard, day and night, school year and summer. My student's appreciate it, other teachers appreciate it, parents appreciate it. Hey most of the time we have the appreciation from the people who count. The system, not so much. But I'm not holding my breath.
I hope to take a bit away from this post, and spend more time on myself and family. Paint more, enjoy more, love more, explore more and NOT as professional development. That said, this summer I'm doing the MCA Teacher Institute, have a most awesome year long partnership with the MCA for the 14-15 school year, and plan to be a delegate to Finland with some other art teachers (fingers crossed I raise that money). Not to mention stage 2 with the inspiring Every Art Every Child program that gave me back my hope as a teacher.
So next time you see me, give me a gentle slap and hug, and tell me to go paint something!
Friday, May 16, 2014
Opening Reception - May 22nd!
It's Not Just Art: A "Complicated Conversation"with Teachers
Join us for the Opening Reception of this teacher created art exhibition.
Firecat Projects
2124 N Damen Ave
May 22nd, 6:00-10:00
What are our preconceived notions around the role of the art teacher within public education? How can we better understand the complicated and rich teaching practices of teachers within the art studio and core content classrooms? A new understanding is created through this rigorous conversation. We invite you to come and participate.
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Monday, April 28, 2014
"It's Not Just Art: A Complicated Conversation with Teachers"
SAVE the DATE
“It’s Not Just Art: A
Complicated Conversation with Teachers"
Opening reception:
Thursday, May 22nd, 2014 from 6:00-10:00 p.m.
Exhibition dates May
22-May 26
Firecat Projects
2124 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
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Since 2011, Arts at
the Center at the Center for College Access and Success at NEIU has been working with a group of dedicated art and content
teachers in the Chicago Public Schools using Lois Hetland’s Studio Thinking Framework as a lens for
critically examining their teaching practice and understanding student
thinking. This is an adaptive, thoughtful and responsive community committed to
learning from and sharing with each other. The group draws upon each other’s
expertise and responds to changes as they emerge in the classroom, across the
District and within their teaching practice. As a University program, we are a
hybrid of educators, artists, researchers and ethnographers that fosters
artistic thinking within an academic setting. Collectively, we are working
through and working towards a deeper understanding of the nature of artistic
thinking processes.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Public Pedagogy
Fascinating Valerie. There is so much information packed in these sites. I'm just starting to dig into vblog and yet I have so much reading to do. I was listening to Henry Giroux this morning. He is an outspoken public intellectual. In this conversation with Bill Moyers he suggests possibilities for artists and creative folks to counter the consumerist, zombie thinking so prevalent in our society today. I'm struggling with how many people are spinning their own pedagogical programs outside of school. These resources can be viewed inside public school. That's positive but how is that deep, critical questioning has to come in the form of Youtube clips and blogs rather than in our daily conversations and teaching practices within school? There isn't enough time to dig in deeply within the school day. I know you challenge time constraints and curricular limitations in your classroom. I am just really amazed that curriculum is popping up beyond the school so profusely as we are rapidly defunding public education. Are we heading for a Youtube classroom? How do we keep intellectualism alive in public education? What use is critical thinking, the buzz word of the day, if we don't have time to read challenging scholarly texts in school? Are artists taking on the challenge of pedagogy outside the classroom as a way to fill in the gap of what is not allowed to exist in schools?
I have to spend some time reading all the sites you list. These are rich resources. Thank you so much for sharing them!
I have to spend some time reading all the sites you list. These are rich resources. Thank you so much for sharing them!
New Guerrilla Class work
Hi all
The Curie HS Guerrilla Art Classes (4 and 5) have lots of new work (still adding) to see:
Learning To Love You More
(this project was amazing! When I finish the Pecha Kucha I'll share with you all)
Appropriated Artwork
Students explored "stealing" from artists. They also did a workshop with the inimitable Polly Mills for creative writing inspired by their Appropriated Artwork. The writing is being posted with the images.
Postcard Art Exchange
GA students exchanged Postcard Art with artists from all around America. Beautiful work from everyone!
Guerrilla Art 5
Guerrilla Art 4
The Curie HS Guerrilla Art Classes (4 and 5) have lots of new work (still adding) to see:
Learning To Love You More
(this project was amazing! When I finish the Pecha Kucha I'll share with you all)
Appropriated Artwork
Students explored "stealing" from artists. They also did a workshop with the inimitable Polly Mills for creative writing inspired by their Appropriated Artwork. The writing is being posted with the images.
Postcard Art Exchange
GA students exchanged Postcard Art with artists from all around America. Beautiful work from everyone!
Guerrilla Art 5
Guerrilla Art 4
More Art Actions! THE ART ASSIGNMENT: Meeting at a Midpoint
After doing Learning To Love You More (it was awesome and want to keep going with it!)
I'm now interested in this: THE ART ASSIGNMENT
http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/pbs-digital-studios-john-green/
2 artists find the EXACT midpoint between their locations and arrange to travel and meet. Refers to other similar art pieces (like Marina Abramovic)
HERE is a vid article about their first assignment posting
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/22/sarah-urist-green-art-assignment-john_n_4832949.html?utm_hp_ref=arts
HERE is the ART ASSIGNMENT youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/theartassignment
I think that this can be so interesting to not only try myself, but to discuss with my students.
It speaks to some great ideas of connection and relationships. I am thinking of dear friends or family that I never see (although we may skype or message) due to distance or even just being too busy.
I can totally see this being a project taking years, to re-connect with people at a midpoint. I feel it can be very poignant. I am very moved by this.
What do you all think?
I'm now interested in this: THE ART ASSIGNMENT
http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/pbs-digital-studios-john-green/
2 artists find the EXACT midpoint between their locations and arrange to travel and meet. Refers to other similar art pieces (like Marina Abramovic)
HERE is a vid article about their first assignment posting
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/22/sarah-urist-green-art-assignment-john_n_4832949.html?utm_hp_ref=arts
HERE is the ART ASSIGNMENT youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/theartassignment
I think that this can be so interesting to not only try myself, but to discuss with my students.
It speaks to some great ideas of connection and relationships. I am thinking of dear friends or family that I never see (although we may skype or message) due to distance or even just being too busy.
I can totally see this being a project taking years, to re-connect with people at a midpoint. I feel it can be very poignant. I am very moved by this.
What do you all think?
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Valerie Slams San Diego!
A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Valerie Xanos, art teacher at Curie HS, for being accepted to participate in the Museum of Contemporary Art's "Curriculum Slam!" at this year's National Art Education Association annual convention to be held in Sand Diego this March.
Olivia Gude is facilitating the "Curriculum Slam!", which highlights how teachers engage their students with the contemporary by embracing the spirit of inquiry and innovation. Valerie will be presenting work from her classroom connected to Fletcher and Harrell's Learning to Love You More project, as well as representing our work within the Studio Thinking and American Art project.
As Valerie continues to work with this project in her classroom, we will gather documentation of the students working on their LTLYM assignments and photographs of their final pieces. This documentation of the students and their work will be the focus of her Pecha Kucha at the NAEA "Curriculum Slam!" The image below is from a LTLYM workshop Valerie co-led at a conference for teachers last fall.
Olivia Gude is facilitating the "Curriculum Slam!", which highlights how teachers engage their students with the contemporary by embracing the spirit of inquiry and innovation. Valerie will be presenting work from her classroom connected to Fletcher and Harrell's Learning to Love You More project, as well as representing our work within the Studio Thinking and American Art project.
As Valerie continues to work with this project in her classroom, we will gather documentation of the students working on their LTLYM assignments and photographs of their final pieces. This documentation of the students and their work will be the focus of her Pecha Kucha at the NAEA "Curriculum Slam!" The image below is from a LTLYM workshop Valerie co-led at a conference for teachers last fall.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Possibilities and Ideas for our Teacher Exhibition
We had a wonderful work session in mid January with DiDi, Liz Chisholm,
Valerie, Viera, Rebekah, and Roxane. They had so many inspirational
ideas and have put some critical thought into your Exhibition. A lot was
covered and I still need to go through my notes to pull out some more
details to share, but I wanted to bring the rest of the group into some
of the things we talked about.
During the work session, we went around the room and shared what we
were working on and/or thinking of working on and had a great dialogue
about adaptations and possibilities that stemmed from these ideas. Here
is just a quick blurp about what people are thinking about:
Rebekah talked about an avalanche/pillar/tidal wave of cut-up
mandates/guidelines that are all connected into one large piece (she
brought in an example her students did). She is really interested in
working with the mounds of paper that are apart of her life.
Liz wants to work on the voice of teachers in a video of interviews
and she wants to coordinate panel of art teachers presenting Pecha
Kuchas. She is interested in, among other things, really exploring the
Role of the Art Teacher. Please see her blog posts and email with details regarding this.
DiDi really wants to incorporate the ST student reflections and how
students told her it was the first time a teacher asked them how they
felt. She's going to work with a couple of students and a past student
in creating something around the idea of "nest."
Stephanie is working on a personal piece of art that resembles
wiping the fog off a windshield in order to see clearly as a metaphor
for how ST has allowed her to focus on her teaching amidst all the other
extras.
Viera was still organizing her thoughts about what her contribution
will look like, but she is interested in demonstrating the rigor of the
art teachers' practice and the expansion of students' minds and their
personal growth.
Roxy wants to collect to-do lists from the group and create a piece
out of the lists and the materials in their to-do lists as a
demonstration of everything that art teachers do beyond teaching art.
She also wants to create a piece from a sign system she uses in her
classroom to track student behavior (in a classroom management sense).
Valerie wants to contribute to as many collaborative pieces as
possible (i.e. Rebekah's manipulation of mandates, Liz's teacher
interview, etc.) and is working on individual pieces- small paintings
of bonded and brutalized birds as a metaphor for how she currently feels
trapped as a teacher. But, she also wants to include positive imagery -
small paintings of birds breaking free from their bondage.
This is just a beginning to the conversations we had. It's going to be amazing! We are so lucky to be working with such a great group of teachers.
This is just a beginning to the conversations we had. It's going to be amazing! We are so lucky to be working with such a great group of teachers.
There is a lot to follow up on and I will do everything I can to coordinate most of that. In the mean time, PLEASE give us an idea of what you have been working on or plan to be working on. As we move into securing a space, we will have a better idea of what we can accommodate. More details on that will be coming VERY soon!
Friday, January 24, 2014
what I want you to help me with part 2
HI- me again.
The other aspect of the exhibition I want to make/spearhead is a video/audio piece.
I would like (Matt will help) to interview a lot of art teachers, both those in this group and those outside of this group. I want to ask you a few questions that center around the role of the art teacher and what we do on a daily basis and why it is important. I don't want it to be cheesy or vague, but rather informative and personal. I will then piece together the voices and answers from this and get some help editing from some art education students... (interns). The video would be something you can listen to (with headphones?) in the gallery space. To go with your voice I would maybe film your room and your school/it's location. I would also LOVE it if you could set up a tri-pod/camera in one spot in your room and let it run/record you for as long as the battery will last throughout the day. Then we can make time-lapsed, sped up videos of what art teachers do all day long (since no one seems to know...) :) I am picturing using this footage behind the voices of teachers in the interview. The voices do not need to match the teacher in the time-lapse. This would represent our collective role in the lives of our students and our solidarity. You can choose to have your face shown in the video or just have your voice heard. It would be edited of course so you can even curse if you need to. ;)
Please let me know by commenting on this post or e-mailing me, if you would be interested in one of the following ways to contribute:
1. ask art teachers (music and drama) included, or really any teacher in your building, and others you know in general, if they would be willing to be interviewed. Get me their name and e-mail address or phone number.
2. volunteer to be interviewed
3. commit to setting up a camera in your room or having a student film you.
4. find someone who will edit footage for free
5. all of the above!
The other aspect of the exhibition I want to make/spearhead is a video/audio piece.
I would like (Matt will help) to interview a lot of art teachers, both those in this group and those outside of this group. I want to ask you a few questions that center around the role of the art teacher and what we do on a daily basis and why it is important. I don't want it to be cheesy or vague, but rather informative and personal. I will then piece together the voices and answers from this and get some help editing from some art education students... (interns). The video would be something you can listen to (with headphones?) in the gallery space. To go with your voice I would maybe film your room and your school/it's location. I would also LOVE it if you could set up a tri-pod/camera in one spot in your room and let it run/record you for as long as the battery will last throughout the day. Then we can make time-lapsed, sped up videos of what art teachers do all day long (since no one seems to know...) :) I am picturing using this footage behind the voices of teachers in the interview. The voices do not need to match the teacher in the time-lapse. This would represent our collective role in the lives of our students and our solidarity. You can choose to have your face shown in the video or just have your voice heard. It would be edited of course so you can even curse if you need to. ;)
Please let me know by commenting on this post or e-mailing me, if you would be interested in one of the following ways to contribute:
1. ask art teachers (music and drama) included, or really any teacher in your building, and others you know in general, if they would be willing to be interviewed. Get me their name and e-mail address or phone number.
2. volunteer to be interviewed
3. commit to setting up a camera in your room or having a student film you.
4. find someone who will edit footage for free
5. all of the above!
About the Exhibition and How you can help me out- please comment
Hello Group,
I wanted to reach out to you via both the blog and possibly e-mail.
I am interested in contributing to/organizing 2 different aspects of the exhibition and I need your help.
The first idea is that I would like as many of you as possible to sign up to be part of
a panel of speakers that would each give a brief talk on what I imagine will be the day the exhibition opens. I am modeling this talk on an exhibition I go to every year of artwork by Michigan prisoners sponsored by the Prisoners Creative Arts Project. Each year a gallery in Ann Arbor hosts close to 100 works of art by incarcerated men and women from across Michigan, and in conjunction there are panels of guests that discuss and speak about related issues to the audience of gallery goers. It is very moving to hear the voices of those who are linked to the work in different ways. It deepens the art and I often find myself looking at the exhibition again after hearing the speakers, seeing the work with new eyes. Also, I am really into TED talks...
The thing that I want to explore in this exhibition is the voice of the art teacher in general, and specifically the voices of those in this group speaking about some aspect of their teaching practice.
I am interested in having as many of you speak as possible. I am picturing our main audience being other teachers and then parents, friends, teaching artists, students, administrators. What do you want to tell them about your work and what you do on a daily basis? I would like the speakers to be limited to around 2-5 minutes each with time for questions after everyone on the panel has had a turn to present. The presentations could be in the style of Pecha Kucha where 20 slides (or so) come up automatically and advance automatically. This would keep the talks moving but we do not have to use this format. I originally imagined we would all present something related to Studio Thinking- what we discovered, got better at, threw out, think is brilliant or bunk or obvious. BUT you can certainly suggest a different topic.
What would you possibly talk about if you were on the panel???
here are a few ideas to get you started: (remember that this would be a little nugget of a talk and should therefore be very focused)
1. how has this 3 year group study/journey changed your teaching or helped it evolve? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher or about your students?
2. how do you incorporate or include Studio Thinking in your classroom? What is useful about it for teachers? Does it align with what you perceive your role as art teacher to be?
3. present another practice you have honed or explored since we started 3 years ago such as a Close Read and it's results
4. present a nugget/body of work/PPT. that you have already presented to our group in some way but that you feel needs to be brought to a larger audience.
5. ask a question of the audience related to teaching, art making, CPS, student growth.
6. speak about why teaching art is so important and/or about your role as an art teacher
7. speak about how your role has changed for worse or better over the years
8. describe what you do in one day
PLEASE RESPOND back to this post and let me know what you think about this panel idea. If you are interested in speaking let me know via commenting on this post or e-mailing me directly what topic you want to work with and maybe a working title for your presentation (which would ideally include images). The wonderful Matt and/or myself can workshop it with you as the date gets closer.
Thanks for reading!
I wanted to reach out to you via both the blog and possibly e-mail.
I am interested in contributing to/organizing 2 different aspects of the exhibition and I need your help.
The first idea is that I would like as many of you as possible to sign up to be part of
a panel of speakers that would each give a brief talk on what I imagine will be the day the exhibition opens. I am modeling this talk on an exhibition I go to every year of artwork by Michigan prisoners sponsored by the Prisoners Creative Arts Project. Each year a gallery in Ann Arbor hosts close to 100 works of art by incarcerated men and women from across Michigan, and in conjunction there are panels of guests that discuss and speak about related issues to the audience of gallery goers. It is very moving to hear the voices of those who are linked to the work in different ways. It deepens the art and I often find myself looking at the exhibition again after hearing the speakers, seeing the work with new eyes. Also, I am really into TED talks...
The thing that I want to explore in this exhibition is the voice of the art teacher in general, and specifically the voices of those in this group speaking about some aspect of their teaching practice.
I am interested in having as many of you speak as possible. I am picturing our main audience being other teachers and then parents, friends, teaching artists, students, administrators. What do you want to tell them about your work and what you do on a daily basis? I would like the speakers to be limited to around 2-5 minutes each with time for questions after everyone on the panel has had a turn to present. The presentations could be in the style of Pecha Kucha where 20 slides (or so) come up automatically and advance automatically. This would keep the talks moving but we do not have to use this format. I originally imagined we would all present something related to Studio Thinking- what we discovered, got better at, threw out, think is brilliant or bunk or obvious. BUT you can certainly suggest a different topic.
What would you possibly talk about if you were on the panel???
here are a few ideas to get you started: (remember that this would be a little nugget of a talk and should therefore be very focused)
1. how has this 3 year group study/journey changed your teaching or helped it evolve? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher or about your students?
2. how do you incorporate or include Studio Thinking in your classroom? What is useful about it for teachers? Does it align with what you perceive your role as art teacher to be?
3. present another practice you have honed or explored since we started 3 years ago such as a Close Read and it's results
4. present a nugget/body of work/PPT. that you have already presented to our group in some way but that you feel needs to be brought to a larger audience.
5. ask a question of the audience related to teaching, art making, CPS, student growth.
6. speak about why teaching art is so important and/or about your role as an art teacher
7. speak about how your role has changed for worse or better over the years
8. describe what you do in one day
PLEASE RESPOND back to this post and let me know what you think about this panel idea. If you are interested in speaking let me know via commenting on this post or e-mailing me directly what topic you want to work with and maybe a working title for your presentation (which would ideally include images). The wonderful Matt and/or myself can workshop it with you as the date gets closer.
Thanks for reading!
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