21st Century Art Ed.-Looking back on my own Art Education, I see many examples of the traditional principles and foundations of art ed. In elementary and high school, we spent a majority of the time learning what Gude calls the "7 +7". The formal design elements were focused on almost exclusively. Not only was that boring, but I think it lead to many people deciding by themselves or being told by their art teachers that they were "bad" at art. It pains me to think of all of the people who have told me that they are "bad" at art. There is so much more to art and artmaking than being able to realistically represent something. Ms. Gude's articles show some of the creative and meaningful possibilities available to art students, if they and their teachers are willing to let go of tradition. The technological world is changing and expanding constantly. Kids aren't scared of the technology. As an art teacher, I will try really hard not to be scared of it either. At one point, Gude mentioned "the important artistic lesson that artists do not know the outcomes of their works before they begin." Many people seem to assume that the point of making art is to know the outcome and if it isn't as expected, then it's not "good". It's time to widen the experiences of Art students and show them possibilities for personal creativity that go far beyond line, shape or color.
Art:21- I chose Kiki Smith, an American sculptor who uses the human body to create a personal mythology. The Big Idea for her episode was "Stories". She mentioned that Art moves from your insides to the physical world, which reminded me of Dr. Unrath saying that Art is the physical representation of an idea. Ms. Smith uses the same mold of her (I think) body over and over again. She makes new casts, then rearranges the parts to suit her. She said she thinks of it as a character that she can use again and again. My idea for an art lesson would ask each student to create a "character" that represents him/herself. Not a cartoon character exactly, more like an image or symbol specific to that student. Then I would ask them to create two different "stories" taken from the personal mythology of their character. I think it would be interesting and probably enlightening for them to think about their identities and how to portray their insides out in the physical world.
Excellent response Lisa. I agree with you that " There is so much more to art and artmaking than being able to realistically represent something. " We are in the business of making ideas real or as Kiki said:" Art moves from your insides to the physical world". Well done!
ReplyDeleteThe comment you made about how it pains you to think about all the people who said they are bad at art is a very common one. One of my professors at UCM stressed all of the time that artists are made, not born. I agree completely with that. Students should know that if they are making art important to them and that they love than they are “good” at art. They are artists. For the students to be able to make meaningful art they will have to pay attention to the world around them, and in turn what is meaningful to them will most likely be meaningful in someone else’s life as well.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your point about integrating technology into the classroom. Not only does it make sense because our students will be surrounded by technology, but also because it’s used so often in art today. Just look at video/installation art. Even a lot of famous performance art pieces can be found all over the internet for free. If we teach about all the different types of art used today, these cannot be forgotten; they’re everywhere. And if I were a student learning about these different types of art, I would rather learn and experience the work as opposed to just reading about it.
ReplyDeleteThe line, "Many people seem to assume that the point of making art is to know the outcome and if it isn't as expected, then it's not 'good'" seems to resonate a bit more in my mind than the rest of this entry - probably because of the great importance of that statement. Art is not just about creating something: it is about finding out what there is to be created; it is about learning how to create; and it is about understanding that your creation is "good" just for having been created at all.
ReplyDelete-Christopher Lee Mayfield
Frankly I couldn’t agree more. I had to laugh after reading this blog because I was thinking the same things as I wrote my own. The first art class I took in high school resulted in nothing but images of still-lifes and color wheels. I found half a dozen drawing form that class and they were all the same and all boring. There was no concept and no influence from other artists. How much good did that class really do me. I already knew how to accurately copy what I saw in life which is probably why I got an A. I don’t know how long Art:21 has been around but we certainly never watched it in my high school art classes. My art teacher for junior and senior year had images of his work up as well as artist past and present, but I don’t remember being inspired for my own work. In the NAHS we went on field trips to places like the Kemper and the Nelson but as students in the art class we didn’t explore many contemporary artists. Technology too was not the same as today and I find myself more often than not confused and bewildered. If I am to be effective as an art teacher in the future I have to catch up with the times. That makes me sound old and I’m not so I don’t know how I got left so far behind. I think this is why artist like Kiki Smith or William Kentridge so impress me. Smith uses the same “body” over and over without ever feeling the old, but translates into a rich and powerful body of work. Kentridge has blended technology magnificently with is scraps of paper and random lines. He has fully embarrassed the 21st century, yet never forgotten the traditional methods of art making like the hand weaving of South Africa.
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