Theme 1: Viewing and Responding to Art

     Beginning class I already felt that viewing and responding to art was incredibly important.  Having several art history classes as well as studio art courses I felt as though I already understood the concept of "viewing and responding" however, I wasn't aware that the term for viewing and responding to an artist's work was VTS (visual thinking strategy) and I never took into consideration how much learning can be accomplished through such a thinking strategy.  I think part of the reason I never realized how much learning came from a VTS is because I never had to do one until I was in college as an art student.  I find myself baffled at such a concept since I was active in my art classes K-12.  I realized this semester that showing students (especially those not that interested in art) a work and letting them respond or even create their own story for the piece can get them excited about art.  A simple VTS is enough to get students thinking creatively about the art world and all the meaning that it holds.  As a teacher I will definitely incorporate VTSs as well as have active critiques to prompt students to think deeply into visual meaning.

Theme 2: Developing Art Curriculum

     Going into the school year I had no idea how substantial developing an art curriculum would be in actuality, especially creating a curriculum based on one big idea that students would find exciting.  I found in the classroom that students are rarely excited about that is centered around the big ideas from their social studies classes with strict limitations about what they can actually do.  I found while I want to have a curriculum with set limitations I want to keep my curriculum at least a little open ended since art is   and should be personal.  However, that being said, i think building a curriculum can be difficult when planning timing and budgeting since both will vary more when projects are more open ended.  Still, the stronger the curriculum the easier it becomes to assess particular aspects of the plan and change them depending upon the group of students working within it.

Theme 3:  Teaching Art

     I learned a lot about teaching art this semester partially through building upon all the themes we were working with in class but also through experience in field.  I feel like our building of the themes helped me to recognize several ways of teaching something and then through teaching I learned which ways work best for particular situations.  I really enjoyed working with our Tiger Artists groups.  I felt as though I was able to obtain a stronger grasp on how planning lessons and executing them related and effected one another.  I was truly inspired to see students who had such a strong interest in the arts, since I felt as though that was not so much the case during my field.  As much as I enjoyed going to field and liked my field teacher I felt like I learned a lot about things I wouldn't do in my classroom, which really got me thinking about how I would better execute certain situations in my own classroom.  After experiencing two opposites on the spectrum of classroom excitement and learning I feel a lot more confident in my abilities to call shots as a teacher.

Theme 4:  Peer Units Review and Unit Self Evaluation

     I learned a lot during our peer units review not only through my own lesson, but also when hearing everyone else's idea's.  By the time I was able to present I felt as though my concept or big idea of identity may not be very original since I saw there were a few people doing similar lessons.  I felt like there were a few unit plans with big ideas that I had never really considered before which had a big impact on me.  I feel like through exploring different concepts and media in lesson plans I can grow as a teacher and my students will be able to grow as artists.  I also learned that while I want to leave projects more open-ended to leave room for personal growth I also need to carefully consider how that may impact time and money constraints.  After my unit plan presentation I also noted that there were several artists mentioned that could be used as excellent exemplars for some of the lessons I planned to teach, many of the artists I had never heard of and was unfamiliar with their work.  I feel like it inspired me to do extensive research when planning my lessons and have as many example artists as I could possibly find.  It was a subtle reminder that as a teacher and artist I should constantly be submerging myself in the art world to gain consistent insight and have that information readily available for my students.

     I have gained a lot of insight this semester and feel like there was a lot of growth built on our overarching themes.  I feel more prepared than ever before to be an art educator and to make carefully considered decisions for students creating an exciting, safe, and expressive environment.

Big Idea Book

I chose to use Individuality as my big idea

For my first image I chose to use a lot of little hands with a large hand on top of them to emphasize the importance of the individual in a world of individuals.  For my statement, I chose a phrase my mother has been saying to me since I was a little girl.  "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind" -Dr. Suess

Alison chose to create an three dimensional image, individually crafted.  She defined individuality saying "Certain defects are necessary for the existence of individuality" Her statement impacted me because I have always thought of individuality as being a positive thing, and never thought of it as being a "defect" which I don't generally see as positive.  However, It made me consider that things that some people think are "defects" about their selves as individuals are truly the things that make them special.  Even if they see it as a "defect" there's someone in the world who thinks it's beautiful and it's important to see you own personal "defects" as beauty.

Ashley also chose to use materials in her image to define individuality.  Her quote said "Today you are you, that is truer than true.  There is no one alive who is youer than you" by Dr. Suess.  The quote impacted me because I found it ironic that she chose to use a Dr. Suess quote as well, perhaps not knowing that my personal quote was by the same man.  It proved to me that we as individuals are more similar than we suspect or realize.  It also built on Alison's idea of accepting yourself, because there is no one else like you.

For my last image I decided to use material objects to express my idea, like Alison and Ashley to follow through with the idea that we as individuals are different, but can also have similarities if we look thorough enough.  I chose to use a quote by Steve Jobs, that once again my mother told me. "Here's to the crazy ones.  The misfits.  The rebels.  The troublemakers.  The round pegs in the square holes.  The ones who see things differently.  They're not fond of rules.  And they have no respect for the status quo.  You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.  About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."  It proves the individual to be just as important as we the people.

Assessment

Assessment in the art educators classroom is very important in order to evaluate student success.  I think a good way to assess learning in the art classroom is to begin with a basic assignment in a specific area, that way there a basis with which to judge how much a student already knows about that area as well as something to compare later work with. While growth in techniques is important I think growth in a content shows a higher level of success.  After all it always seems that beginning level art courses begin teaching students about techniques, and the latter deal more in creating a conceptual cohesive body of work.  However, I feel it would be infinitely beneficial for students to create conceptual art work while learning techniques.  I feel that if it had been instilled in me from the beginning that my work need be cohesive I would have been putting a lot more thought into my art making.  Last year when I was taking a portfolio painting class, my grade depended upon my success creating a content cohesive body of work.  We were able to do the content of our choice, and I struggled because I felt the project was just too open ended and I wasn't ready to pick one area to deal in.  This year I'm taking a more assignment oriented painting class, but directed around a content area chosen for us.  I've never agreed with the saying "You don't know what you have until it's gone" so much.  My grade, or my success, this semester is based upon how far I can advance the content I was given and I've come to believe that it's not really a fair way to judge success.  I believe success in the art classroom comes from surprises and discovery.  It's important to not rule anything out in the art classroom, it's important for students to know that in art there aren't mistakes but rather opportunities.  It's okay for a student to start out making projects about one thing and later decide through their experiences that they'd rather work in a different area.  It's okay to try out different media and techniques and see how far you can get.  I think success is not based on how well a student can render something, but rather the discoveries they make while attempting to render something.  Like I said last week (and i genuinely believe), without surprise there can be no discoveries and without discovery there can be no progress.  And progress is success in my future classroom.

Why Teach Art?

Art has always been an important aspect in my life and for as long as I can remember I wanted to be an art teacher.  However, when I came to college my plans changed slightly.  I took a year off from the education department and pursued a bachelors in Fine Arts.  A large part of succeess when dealing with the arts is having a "big idea" or concept to build a body of work from.  In search for my big idea I began looking into the dealings of my classmates.  I came to the realization that most of the arts students began their schooling pursuing other areas like English or Biology, but found the arts as a better way of dealing with their subject matter. I must admit it was a bit discouraging, since I came into school with a strong interest in art and a lack of attraction to most other areas.  Yet, it was at that point that I realized all there is to learn from the arts.  When students look at art history there is so much to learn from artist's conceptual big idea's. No matter what the subject matter, you can literally find an artist's work who pertains to it.  Any subject matter can be displayed visually and sometimes understood more as a result.  I know from personal experience that there is much to be learned through the arts.  I've learned a lot about different subjects from looking at art, and a lot about myself from making art.  At first I felt I had a disadvantage from having no prior content interests, but now I feel as though the opportunities are endless as I research and find out more about the subjects art deals in.  I also find Eisner's fourth point to be rather insightful when learning from as well as about the arts.  Surprise is not to be seen as an intruder in the process of inquiry, but as a part of the rewards one reaps when working artistically. Without surprise there is no discovery, and without discovery there is no progress.  Just as one discovers new points when learning about other school subjects, one can learn identical points when viewing art and discover so much more when making their own art.  Why teach art?  Because through teaching art I am teaching my students to look further into things and discover all there is to know about subjects taught in a school setting and in cognition.

My Journey

For my journey map I decided to create a map box with cards symbolizing important events in my life.

My journey actually began here at Mizzou.  While I was in the womb, my mom was taking art classes here at the university.  I was born a month before my mom graduated from Mizzou with a degree in early childhood education.  Less than a year later, my dad had the opportunity to work for the conservation department in Cape Girardeau, so my journey quickly moved to the boot heel.  

I was always fond of the arts but my enthusiasm really became apparent when I began attending school.

 I remember being in first grade and having the opportunity to work with clay to make small bowls in my art class.  I stayed in during my recess to work in the art classroom making my bowl heart shaped.  After that, I spent most of my recesses in the art classroom.  My teacher, Ms. Sharon Williams had a huge impact on me.   I became very acquainted with her after spending years in her classroom during recess and after school.  I often went home with her in the afternoons until my mom could pick me up.  

My mom said she thought I just liked Ms. Williams a lot, but when I got to high school it became apparent that it was not just Ms. Williams but the art that I enjoyed and I quickly formed the same kind of relationship with my high school art teacher.

Ms. Westerich not only inspired me to create, but she was also my inspiration to teach.  I learned so many techniques in her class and was constantly encouraged.  When I was a senior she actually created a class specifically for me to take during my study hall because I had already taken all of the art classes in the course schedule.  I had the opportunity to work in her personal studio space downtown and put some work in a show.   After I graduated high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to pursue in college.  I wanted to get my degree in Art Education so I could inspire others the way Ms. Westerich and Ms. Williams inspired me.

Since coming to Mizzou I have had many art opportunities.  I decided to dual major in both Art Education and Fine Arts and I hope to graduate with my BFA and teaching degree hopefully within the next year or so.  I also lived in Italy for a month this past summer, studying painting with the Art department.  I have also had many teaching opportunities because I am currently employed at the Craft Studio on campus.  I've taught classes in the past and am currently teaching the free crafternoons on Fridays.  I'm sure the next few years will provide me with many more teaching and art opportunities.  I left a few blank cards in my map box for such occasions.

warbonnet

The art object I chose was in Swallow Hall.  “BONNET” was in fact a traditional war bonnet from the Great Plains made up of eagle feathers, otter tails, cloth, rawhide, and sinew.   Great Plains tribes consisted of Sioux, Crow, Blackfeet, Cheyenne, and Plains Cree who believed that the headdresses were a sacred display of honor and courage, and each feather told a story.  Generally only chiefs wore such headdresses.  I would ask my students to think about the stories the feathers of their headdresses would tell if they were a chief. Each student would make their own war bonnet with feathers that made statements with the big idea of individuality.  They would investigate questions like: What makes me who I am? How am I different?  What characteristics do I possess? What is something incredible that has happened to me?  What is my heritage? Etc.  Students could develop art-making knowledge of parts as a whole using the feathers to create an entire piece of a headdress.  Creating the bonnet would be a way of making meaning about aspects in their lives as well as others.  Through discussion students would be able to make distinctions about individuality.  They would learn how they are different from their classmates in many aspects and make meaning about specific cultures.

Art in the New Age

When reading Walker and Gude I agreed that the shift to ideas and concepts is necessary in teaching art in the contemporary world.  However, I feel the 7 elements and principles are still somewhat important.  I believe there should be a balance.  I read into other student’s blogs and felt as though there was a complete stray away from teaching the basics.  I also found that most with that opinion had art classes with dismal creativity and little to no conceptual elements in art making.  It’s sad to hear that other’s art experiences were so bleak. Personally, my art teachers incorporated both standard concepts of art making (elements and principles) as well as conceptual ideas, and I feel I am an overall better artist because of them.  Ultimately, knowing the elements and principles is still an important aspect of art making.  When I took my first painting class here at Mizzou we painted stools.  What’s the concept behind that?  All beginning classes teach art students the basics in creating art then move on to conceptual ideas.  I feel my art teachers completely prepared me for art at a college level.  My high school art classes incorporated knowledge of the elements and principles and major movements and artists in art history, as well as the free liberty to create projects with any conceptual idea our hearts desired.  We were even taught how to build and stretch our own canvas.  So, while I agree that concept is important to emphasize I also believe an equal balance of the basics is necessary (elements, principles, art history, contemporary events, techniques, etc.) When working as a teacher I hope to succeed in all that my art teachers achieved in their classrooms.  After all, they are my inspiration for working within a classroom. 

When dealing with conceptual ideas I felt there was no better artist on Art21 than Barbara Kruger.  Kruger’s work requires little to no technique, but focuses purely on conceptual themes (which I found to suit this weeks readings).  The video did not cover Kruger’s work specifically, but rather concepts she deals with in her work (the video dealt with consumption, an easy yet broad theme). Most of Kruger’s work involves overlaying photographs with declarative captions.  I feel such work can be easily incorporated into contemporary art classrooms implementing both concept and technologic art forms.  As a teacher I would give my students the liberty of choosing whatever images and words they choose to impose any concept of their choice.