What I gleaned from these articles is that we as Mormons, humans and members of the community, have a responsibility to the environment.
"Mormons want to save the planet — it’s part of their theology — but many shy away from being called environmentalists” (Salt Lake City Tribune) I was able to identify with this statement I hadn’t even really thought about it but it’s something I’ve felt before. As the article discussed I also shy away from the term because almost exactly as the article said I find environmental tactics to be unpleasant. “LDS women, in general, are a little more prim and proper about certain things, and how they appear in public is one of them. They don’t want to be seen as one of those screeching, angry women that they see carrying a sign.” I’m beginning to care less and less about the image I feel like most of my friends go to the rallies and protest for change. These images are shared on instagram and facebook and for me have really improved the image of protestors because they are women I know and love. Place based education is something I became aware of when I read the book “Holler If You Hear Me” by Gregory Michie. He was a teacher in the ganglands of Chicago and He learned early on if he didn’t engage the kids in subject matter relevant to their location and interests they would drop out. He had to explore their neighborhoods meet their families and participate in their cultural events. Critical place- based pedagogy that blends the local and ecological with cultural awareness and social critique illuminate important relationships that students and teachers might not be aware of. If we don’t experience nature and the ecology around where we live how can we protect it or no when it’s gone. “Community-based art can define common interests, traditions, and cultural heritage and be the catalyst for meaningful integration of the visual arts into everyday lives.” (Graham) This is an idea I’ve been toying with for awhile especially as we have such a unique culture and ecologic situation here in Utah. It’s a desert but we have so many farms. We are a close knit community as we share many fundamental beliefs and we want to preserve our lands and public parks yet we are party to a political party that is working against that. I think there is so much material here in the place where we are planted to explore and expand our curriculum for students. “Natural history education recognizes profound relationships between experiences with nature and creativity, imagination, and emotional health” (louv, 2008) I think here in Utah we have so much to offer when it comes to this idea. Natural is healing and can foster so much creativity and imagination. I’m excited to start involving it in lessons.
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I did some research on the author Keri Smith, she is an illustrator and Guerrilla artist. She also wrote another really fun book called wreck this journal. Which I’d really like to see and think would make a really good lesson for students who don’t like sketchbooks.
The opening of the book is very exciting because you see garish colors and a list of 59 explorations along with an exciting mission statement telling you that: “You Are An Explorer your mission is to document and observe the world around you as if you’ve never seen it before. Take notes. Collect things you find on your travels. Document your findings. Notice patterns. Copy. Trace. Focus on one thing at a time. Record what you are drawn to.” I’m going to discuss three of the explorations because the book as a whole is a treasure hunt of awesome and really helped me not just explore the world but be a better artist. Exploration # 1: Write ten things about where you are sitting right now that you hadn’t noticed when you sat down. Use your senses. Do it quickly. Do not censor. Okay, begin. I feel like Smith is allowing people to be artist without them realizing it. It just seems fun and exciting. They don’t feel intimidated or overwhelmed at the idea of being an Artist. I did this exercises and it really opened me up to being present I feel like usually I’m distracted by emails, homework, phone calls and texts I’m rarely looking at my space or being mentally present in the space I’m currently occupying. I feel like all of these explorations would make awesome assignments for early finishers or students claiming artist blocks. Exploration # 22: Sit in a public location and document people you see for one hour. Take detailed notes. Make sketches of one item that stands out most about each person. When I read this exploration I knew that Smith understood people, especially young people. We all spend our time watching each other and trying to find out who we are by observing what we see around ourselves. Exploration # 49: Found Words using the experience log, document an overheard conversation. Alternate: collect words you find interesting. I laughed out loud when I thought about doing this. This book really got me inspired about my own work and Lessons I could create. I can’t believe how excited and inspired I felt after doing these exercises. What is significant about her approach to curriculum design? Where do you think the elements and principles of design fit into curriculum and teaching?
-I don't know if she is the first ever but this is the first article I have read where she is questioning fundamental art practices. "When visiting K-12 school art programs, I rarely see meaningful connections being made between these formal descriptors and understanding works of art or analyzing the quality of everyday design. I ponder the piles of exercises on line, shape, or color harmonies left behind by hundreds and hundreds of students each year. I wonder why what is still considered by many to be the appropriate organizing content for the foundations of 21st century art curriculum is but a shadow of what was modern, fresh, and inspirational 100 years ago." Olivia Gude She goes on to explain how the government mandated standards have forced teachers to engrain in students the big seven elements and seven principles of art or the 7+7. She explains how these 7+7 leave students without the ability to assess modern art, contemporary art, or conceptual art. Students are left with a gap pertaining to arts most current movements. Gude mentions a few classic modernist text such as If one consults a number of classic modernist texts about teaching art and design, such as Arthur Wesley Dow's Composition :A Series of Exercises in Art Structure for the Use of Students and Teachers (1920), Johannes Itten's Design and Form: the Basic Course at the Bauhaus (1964), or Maurice de Sausmarez's Basic Design: The Dynamics of Visual Form (1971). I thought it was interesting that the Bauhaus textbook of 1964 doesn’t even mention the 7+7 as they were considered a ground shaking art institution that produced so many important artists. She went on in her article to talk about how none of the examples of student work from these texts looked anything like the contemporary textbook art exercises. I had never considered we were limiting ourselves by trying to fit all art into the elements and principles of design but she’s right we can’t simplify art by ignoring the most contemporary movements of art. I think reviewing the curriculum I teaching and making sure I’m incorporating social themes effecting the youths I’m working with and exposing them to current living artists. I plan on using her 8 important postmodernist principles to lead discussions in my class. 1. Appropriation 2. Juxtaposition 3. Recontextualization 4. Layering 5. Interaction of Text and Image 6. Hybridity 7. Gazing 8. Representin’ I would like to use any information or tools I can for my students. The 7x7 works well for basic exercises but they shouldn’t be the only tools used by to address art. I plan on using her 8 principles and elements of design to build on top of the 7x7. Then hopefully I will have exposed my students to all the resources available to me and they will be able to understand contemporary art as well as they understand the classics. |
Myleka Bevans
Classwork for Art 450 Archives
December 2018
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