Alisha Anderson

Ecological Artist

Amano Takashi

 Aquascapes

Photography

Sacred Space

Tempoary Mandala and Digital Mandala

ARTED 450 Spirit Collage Curriculum Sketch

Spirituality and Collage

Learning Goals: 
Students will learn about design and composition.
Students will learn to think about how to be in the present.
Students will experience peace and have the opportunity to explore their spirituality.

Rational:
Students will be able to learn about design and other important parts of art making through collage which is a forgiving art form. The repetitive nature of collage will help students to experience a soothing and peaceful atmosphere. This will also give them the opportunity to focus on something that is fully in the present. This is a good opportunity to discuss and evaluate spirituality and what it means to each individual.

Provoking Questions:
What images are spiritual for you?
What is the difference between spirituality and religion?
What does it mean to experience peace?
What does it mean to experience balance?
How do/can you represent the Spirit?
What makes you, you? What is the spiritual part of your identity?

Artists:
Mandala Artists
Elliot Hurdley
Bill Viola
Hannah Hoch
Rothko
Burnett Newman
 

Utah Art Standards: 
Standard L1.V.CR.1: Use multiple approaches to begin creative endeavors.
Standard L1.V.CR.2: Shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using traditional or contemporary practices of art or design.
Standard L1.V.CR.3: Engage in making a work of art or design without having a preconceived plan.
Standard L1.V.R.2: Analyze how one’s understanding of the world is affected by experiencing visual imagery.
Standard L1.V.R.3: Interpret an artwork or collection of works, supported by relevant and sufficient evidence found in the work and it various contexts.

Instructional Plans:
Collages using colored paper based on Matisse
Discuss what makes a good or bad collage. Talk about design principles.
Collages mixing Romare Bearden and Matisse
Create your own collage with colored paper and various supplies
Discuss spirituality vs. religion using some of the provoking questions from above
Discuss why it is important to live in the present and the value of finding peace/balance
Watch a video of monks making a Mandala
Discuss the meaning of Mandala's
Create a Mandala collage
Create a Mandala and destroy it and then document it


Culminating Project:
Students will be given a large piece of cardstock or some kind of sturdier material to use as a base. Pulling from the discussions we had about the purpose of mandala's students will make a mandala that is meaningful to them in some way on a spiritual level. They can use any materials such as magazines, photos, string, chalk, etc. They can create any design they like but it must include circles and squares to reference mandalas.

Assessment: 
Students will be graded on whether they effectively create a good design with their final mandala. The design will be compared to their earlier attempts to see if there has been any improvement. They will also be evaluated to see if they understand the concept of spirituality as we discuss it. This will be done solely through the discussion and evaluating their comments. Students will also be evaluated to see if they had opportunities to find peace through the class atmosphere.

Olivia Gude Response

While reading Gude's articles a few things stood out to me. One of the things that caught my eye was when she said "white people don't know their own culture". I think this statement has a lot of truth to it. Often I have looked at white culture as the absence of things I see in other cultures. After taking multi cultural education I am less this way, but I think it is true that white people are unaware of their own culture. We see it as 'normal', which is not true.
I also really liked what was said in another article that creativity is fostered by psychological safety and freedom. So in other words, students will feel that they can be creative when they feel like it is a safe environment and that they have the freedom to do so. I think a hard thing as an art teacher will be getting kids to stop worrying about what is the 'right' way to do something or trying to make sure they fulfill the assignment. Schools are set up so that this becomes the focus of student's learning. They want to get the good grade and that means doing everything the right way. I'm not entirely sure how to help students let go of this idea in my classroom. It might just be practice over time. Or seeing me work on projects and make mistakes along side them might help too. It's hard to say without having taught yet, but its something I want to make sure and be aware of.

Adv Studio Methods Reading Thoughts

"Graphic Novels as Contemporary Art?"
I love the idea of students creating a graphic novel together. It would be something that could get students really engaged and excited about problem solving and working together. I feel like this wouldn't work with all classes though. I'm not sure how I would be able to help students be motivated to work on this kind of project together if they don't have the initial excitement. And how could a teacher help students stay excited through the semester? It's hard even as a college student to stay motivated with longer projects sometimes.

"How the Teaching Artists Can Change the Dynamics of Teaching and Learning"
Keith Williams is one of those art teachers I think every art teacher aspires to be. Hearing stories like his about how excited the students are gets me excited to teach. While I don't plan on having a classroom like Williams, I do want to find ways to help my students be enthusiastic about making. I'm trying to make lesson plans that will help with this, but I also think it is something that comes with experience and getting to know students.

"Engaging Minds"
I had never thought of copying in quite this way before. I really liked the chapter excerpt and would have liked to have read more. It makes me want to experiment with this myself and in a classroom. I have applied this kind of theory to my musical practice but I haven't done it as thoroughly with art making. In a classroom though I would have to find the balance so that I didn't spent too much time repeating things so that students grew bored. I would have to allow them time to experiment and try their own things. This is the one thing I really wish I had had more opportunities for in my art classes when I was younger.

Curriculum Article Responses

"Translations"
I agree with the idea of teaching students things beyond the arts. Teaching them how to really look at the visuals around them and to become aware of their visual culture is something worth while. When she wrote about teaching students things that apply"Pod to their lives, I agree.  But it does make me think of the conversation we had in class when we talked about my Art History lesson and finding the balance between teaching things that are interesting to the students and not letting them stay in just one type or style of art.

"Postmodern Principles"
I feel like I straddle the line between Olivia Gude's teaching style and the traditional elements and principles method. I think it is important to know the vocabulary of art and to learn how to recognize things like balance and texture. But I don't think that it should be all that is taught. It should be integrated within other things like the methods Gude shares.

"Color Coding"
I like the idea of talking about how the Munsell Color Tree has colors added to it and how it helps students to think about how "knowledge is constructed and presented". Its a smart way to teach color and more advanced ideas at the same time. And I think it is a good idea to teach more than just basic color wheel theories when possible. It helps people look beyond basic colors and experiment more.

ARTED 478 Chapter 5 Questions

1. By talking with other teachers we can find out what students have been studying in past classes or what they are currently studying. Also by doing some kind of pre-assessment. This can be anything from a quiz to a discussion to a short assignment.

2. To teach for deep understanding I would try to challenge my students with deeper questions. I wouldn't provide all the answers but give them opportunities to figure things out. I would also use a variety of methods to teach the same idea such as images, hands-on projects and discussions.

3. Teaching to relevance is best done I think by finding things that are interesting to the students. And relating larger topics to their community. So for example if you are talking about feminism ask them questions about how they see women portrayed in the shows they watch or magazines they read. Giving students a chance to talk about themselves and their ideas always makes things more relevant to them. Teachers should do prior research and have discussion questions ready to help this along. 

4.  Teaching for relevance might make a subject too narrow. If teachers narrow down a subject it can get bogged down in the smaller things and students will loose sight of the big picture.

5. I'm still not entirely sure, but I think I would like to start with having the students paint their eye colors. This would most likely take a whole class period, but then I would like to talk about what they thought about as they painted their eyes and have a student led discussion. I would try to direct them towards ideas of self and identity. I would ask them questions about scars, hair color, skin color, etc. and how they identify themselves or others based on these characteristics. 

6. Some other questions are; "what do you think the artist wanted you to notice?", "What do you think is the message or idea behind this painting?"or, "why is this art valuable?".

7. Asking students questions that are engaging is an important step in this process. If it is a question that feels relevant to them and that doesn't have immediate answers. Also being forced to work within constraints helps students be forced to find new ways to problem solve. It reminds me of the TED talk "Embrace the Shake". The artist is limited by his hand tremors so he uses that problem to force himself to find new solutions. As teachers we can put similar constraints on our students projects. An example of how I might do this in the classroom would be a size requirement, or the subject of the work must be a _____, or they cannot use a pencil in this drawing.These kind of situations create problems that the students must creatively solve.

8. Identity
-Painting eye colors
-Discussion about self and identity
-Art History Project
-Symbols discussion
-Symbols Project
-Family project
-Point of View Project
-Drawing/gesture lessons
-Fashion project as a final project

9. If the students are engaged in the discussions and if they are creating things that fulfill the assignments. I also think it would be successful if the students are frustrated sometimes. Not all students will be and not all in the same lesson, but this would mean I am not giving them all the easy answers and that they are thinking and having to figure things out on their own. If I see growth in their art work or students asking thoughtful questions I will find the lessons as successful.


10. At the end of the unit students will have learned how to ask self-reflecting questions and how to work towards and answer creatively. Students will have learned various artistic skills and will have learned more about how identities are influenced by family and cultures. I want students to learn how to look inside themselves better and also how to look outside to see that people come from many different perspectives. I also want students to understand that identity is not a solid, unchanging thing but that it is something that flows and evolves as we age. I also want students to learn how to use different materials and feel comfortable with using them.

Fashion and the Figure Curriculum Unit Sketch

Fashion and the Figure

1.Rationale: This unit will teach students how to feel comfortable with different modes of drawing. They will have the chance to experiment with several different mediums and styles before their final project. They will also gain the ability to be more comfortable with making mistakes and not seeing their work as too precious. Students will be able to gain better knowledge of the human body and more aware of themselves as individuals as they pay more attention to clothing choices.

2.Students: This unit is aimed at students in late junior high/early high school

3.Unit Objectives: This unit will help students to become more aware of social constructs that have to do with clothing. We will have discussions about things such as stereotypes, context, and symbols to help students better access these ideas. Students will be able to recognize the value of different painting styles. Students will be able to create a larger scale piece of art.

4.Artists to possibly explore: Fidalis Buehler, James Christansen, Jack Taylor (illustration), Edgar Degas, Cayce Zavagalia, Mariana Santos, David Walker, Jennifer Nehrbass, Picasso, Anna Mendieta, Linda Stojak, Kerry James Marshall, David Downton, Tanya LIng, Elizabeth Peyton, Adrian Tomime. We will also discuss clothing from different time periods.

 

5.Essential Questions: What impact does clothing have on how we perceive others and ourselves? What kind of impact does our culture and time in history have on our clothes? How are these artists handling the human figure? What does this artwork convey about the figure?

6.Utah Art Learning Standards:

- Standard 7–8.V.CR.2: Document early stages of the creative process visually and/or verbally in traditional or new media.

-Standard 7–8.V.CR.5: Demonstrate persistence in developing skills with various materials, methods, and approaches in creating works of art or design.

-Standard 7–8.V.CR.6: Demonstrate willingness to experiment, innovate, and take risks to pursue ideas, forms, and meanings that emerge in the process of art-making or designing.

- Standard 7–8.V.CR.11: Reflect on and explain important information about personal artwork in an artist statement or another format, and apply relevant criteria to examine, reflect on, and plan revisions for a work of art or design in progress.

- Standard 7–8.V.R.2: Explain how a person’s aesthetic choices are influenced by culture and environment.

- Standard L1.V.CR.1: Use multiple approaches to begin creative endeavors.

- Standard L1.V.CR.2: Shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using traditional or contemporary practices of art or design

7.Instructional Plan:

-Painting on large sheets of paper with large brushes only. This way students will be forced to try new things and they can’t become finicky with the work.

-Talking about color theory and trips/tricks of paint mixing they learned.

-Cut down these images into new paintings. This will help students see the work as less precious.
-Gesture drawings with charcoal or pastels.

-Looking at bones and/or anatomy.

-Creating textured collages to draw on top of.  

-Draw from other artists such as fashion artists or old masters.
-Show artists and their various techniques and discuss them as a class.

-Visit a museum and talk about various techniques.

Sample questions for discussion within the museum or later:

-What is your first thought when you see these clothes?

-How does this painting express an idea? How does the

figure

-How does clothing give us power?

-Is this a good painting?

-What is beauty in the human figure?

-Who cares? Why?

-Discussion about clothing and short lesson on historical clothing.
-Gesture or loose drawings with a variety of materials (ink, paint, chalk, pastels, crayon, watercolors,etc). Students will be required to rotate through different materials and try new techniques. They will be encouraged to fail and try layering images or other such techniques.

-Rotating pieces with other students so that the layer underneath is from a different student.
-More careful look at clothing choices. Explain the larger project and students will be given the chance to do research or practice skills to prepare.

- Demo if students want one.

8.Culminating Project: Students will create a large painting or pastel drawing of a person they know (themselves, a friend, a family member, etc.) and pay special attention to the clothing on the person. The clothing can be from any time period and in any style. The students will write a short paragraph on why they choose the clothing they did. They must also put some thought into the background.

9. Possible Problems and Solutions:

-Students who are stuck and can’t decide who/what to paint or can’t choose a style will be assigned to do a self portrait of themselves in their favorite clothing or dream clothing and be told to write about why it is their favorite clothing. They will answer the question ‘what does your clothing say about you?’.

-Students who feel discouraged by the idea of painting a realistic figure can paint a figure in the style of an artist such as Picasso, Fidalis Buhler or some such artist. As long as they are looking to a real person and not an imaginary person or someone from the internet this will still fulfill the assignment.

10.Assessment: Students will be graded on fulfilling the large culminating project. They will also be given participation points every day. There will be a write up after at least one of the discussion days to help students formalize their thoughts and give everyone a chance to share new ideas.

*Dr Graham: I emailed you a better formatted copy of this, but my blog and I were fighting each other on the formatting.