sourcing inspiration 2a and 2b

A)
Heart, imagination, conscience, intellect, memory, intelligence, spirt, thought, vision, sorrow, impulses. opinions, inkings, anguish, ethics, greif, comfort, security, beauty, ambition, bliss, despondence, rage and distress

B)Solo, sustained, spontaneous, constructive, evolutionary, passionate and trial and error.

Reflection

During this course I have learned a lot about the secondary classroom environment. Visiting High school one opened my eyes to the challenges of motivating students and keeping them interested in their work and the class. Before this I did not realize that students who had absolutely no interest in art would take just for an easy grade. I always assumed that there would be some shred of interest.or motivation I have learned from this experience that I will always need to be coming up with new and exciting lesson plans. I had such a positive experience when I observed it was frustrating to see a classroom that lacked enthusiasm. Visiting the other two classrooms helped restore my hope for creating a good high school art room experience. I now have tools to use in my own classroom as well as ideas to avoid.

Visiting the Middle School was a great experience because it was a great contrast to the room I had visited during my observation. The assignments had less structure and more room for the students to add their own ideas too. From this teacher I learned how to manage a classroom while retaining an element of fun. Before this experience I would have not considered teaching middle school, but now I could see myself with that grade level. Middle school students surprised me with their willingness to learn and ability to be creative.

Positive Identity

To help students foster a positive self identity in the classroom I will create projects that allow them to explore their identities. In order to get them comfortable with sharing such personal feelings, I want to create a welcoming environment. Also, I think that the better able I am to get to know the students on a persona level they will be more open. As a teacher I hope to set the precedent for tolerance in my classroom. This means not only for identity issues but ideas that the students have for their work. If students that they will not be criticized for their ideas they will be more comfortable. I think that it is important to create a classroom where students can be their true selves. I have found the art room to be an outlet for me to be myself and I hope that I can do the same.
For the projects that the students do I want them to do self portraits of themselves that capture how they see themselves. This will hopefully help them explore what they like or don't like about themselves. From this I can also gain more information into where they may be having issues in their lives or with their identities. If you can be yourself in the art room then there is no way you can create meaningful work that you can be proud of.

Collaboration

I have never been a big fan of collaborative work because there can be many problems in the equity of the project and in who gets to keep the final result. A project that could involve everyone would be a mural project. The students would get to pitch ideas and then vote for the final design. When the final idea was chosen a sketch would be made with the help of the teacher. Each student would be able to contribute to a project and the final product would stay with the school. This project could be done in conjunction with an unit on larger scale mural project. This would help students understand what can be communicated through art and the idea of urban beautification. I would help students feel like they were part of something greater than themselves and give them pride both in the piece of work and in their school. The mural's them could also relate to a subject that they are learning about in another class. This would add a further layer of collaboration and make art seem less about skill. Students may feel more pressure to participate and do well when their work will be viewed by a large audience and their peers are counting on them. Overall, I think that this would be a good way to get all students to participate in the arts.

In the Making 27A

The photo "Alpha Phi Alpha Basketball Team," by James Van Der Zee glamorizes the Harlem Renaissance by photographing a fraternity basketball team. He captures the pride and strength of the team by using a direct perspective and straight lines. He uses the team to represent the greater brotherhood of the community. In contrast Dorthea Lange's, "Migrant Mother" is an example of lamenting a time period. In the simplicity of her image she captures the disparity of the depression. We see a the pain and despair in the mothers face and her children's sorrow. The clarity of the image is a stark image of life, for what the title tells us is a migrant family.

Art Advocacy

I will advocate for arts in my school district by being an active and present member of the staff. I think that it is easy for the arts to be segregated from the rest of the core classes. As an instructor I want to build relationships with these other departments, so they will know what is going on in the art classroom. That way when it comes time to advocate for my program, I will have support from other departments and staff members. I think that pushing students to create great art is a form of art advocacy. When other students and staff see the visual evidence of what the program is accomplishing they will be able to better understand the value of the program. Helping the students in the arts succeed shows that advantages that the arts have of reaching students who may not excel in the traditional classroom. Students are also the most effective at promoting art classes. If they enjoy what they are taking they are more likely to encourage their peers to be involved as well.
The risk in advocating for the arts may be that it alienates other teachers, because they may feel that you think your program is more important theirs. However, I don't think that advocating for the arts would do more harm than good. If the statistics are any proof, art education is a valuable resource for developing successful students in all classes and should be advocated for!

Disabilities

It is hard for me to think of a particular experience with a person with a disability. During my elementary education students with the greater physical and mental disabilities were not integrated into the regular classroom, like they are today. I remember realizing when some peers of mine were not as smart as the rest of the students in class and required extra help. This never made me treat them any differently in the classroom though and I often enjoyed helping them with something that I had already mastered. I will expect the same tolerance from the students in my classroom. I don't want any child to discriminated against because they may have a physical or mental disability. I think that the art room can be a wonderful place for those with disabilities because everyone has different artistic strengths. I think art classes can also be accommodating for students by allowing them the ability to use different tools and techniques.

After reading others blogs I remembered that I have family friend who's son as aspergers. He could be very challenging at times, but had amazing insight into all kinds of topics. I know that he got teased a lot in middle school and high school because students thought he was strange. His parents were also reluctant to admit that there may be something that was holding him back socially. I haven't seen him in a while but I know he was able to graduate from high school and I hope that in the future he can do great things...even though they may not be what his parents had planned for him when he was young!

Alter Ego

My alter ego won't necessarily be made up things that I am not, but rather things I would aspire to be. My alter ego will be courageous, assertive, compulsive and enlightened. The time period in which my alter ego lives will be in the late 1800's early 1900's in northern Minnesota. I'm still developing the course of my alter ego's life, but look forward to learning about the time period surrounding her life.

Sexual Identities

If I were approached by a student who came out to me I would try to be as supportive as possible. I would refer them to the guidance counselor because they may have more practice dealing with these situations. However, I would want the student to know that if they had any issues or needed to talk, my door would be open. If the student had not come out to family/friends I would let them know that I would keep what they told me confidential. I had a friend who was struggling with his sexuality in college, so I have some experience helping others dealing with identity issues. In order to make my room a safe space I would try to create a welcoming atmosphere for everyone. Negative language of any kind would not be allowed and students would be expected to treat everyone with respect. When discussing artists both past and present I would include their sexuality to provide positive role models in the art world.

A couple well know GLBT artists that I would include would be Michelangelo and Andy Warhol.

Discrimination

I can't say that I have faced much discrimination in my life. I one time that I did feel like I was judged solely on where I came from was when I studied abroad. I was telling my friends that were from Las Vegas that my father was a farmer. One of the friends then ask why I wanted to study abroad? As if people who are from rural areas are closed minded and have no desire to see the world. I didn't really know what to say when she made the comment and I'm not really sure what I said in response. I tend to internalize things anyway so I did not make a big deal about it. Looking back I wish that I had defended myself and my background. A time when I discriminated against someone would be making assumptions about a person based on their political beliefs. I'm not proud about about making these assumptions and I continue to challenge myself to be open minded. I think that I can use both experiences in my classroom to remind me to learn about student before making judgements. Appearances can be deceiving and I don't want to count someone out based on initial impressions.

classroom rules and lesson plan

I'm going to create a lesson plan for communicating to a contemporaneous audience. This lesson revolves around students picking something unique to their generation. I chose this idea because I think that students can make it personal to their experience. The students may also take pride in making a piece of work that they understand but adults (parents and teachers) may not. I will teach this by introducing some contemporary artists that make work that addresses this topic. It may also be interesting to use work from past generations that is difficult to understand because it was part of a different generation. I want students to realize that they are part of a unique generation with its own special traits. I imagine that it may be difficult to get students to come with ideas that are unique to them. They may also have a difficult time incorporating their ideas into a project. I want to allow them to use different mediums, especially digital photography and imaging,because it represents modernity in art.

Crafting an Artistic Self

3a.
What do you do that makes you guilty? Lots of things! When I should be doing homework and I'm not. Anytime I choose to do something for myself instead of doing something for someone else..even if I deserve to.
What do you do that makes you feel worthy? When I do something for someone else and I can tell they appreciate it. The look that my Grandpa gives me that makes me feel I could do no wrong. Accomplishing something difficult.
What Makes you Laugh? My family, my friends, my dog Charlie. The office and other TV shows.
What Embarrasses you? Falling down
What infuriates you? People who are judgemental, LITTERING!, people who have no desire to learn about other cultures/countries, child and animal abusers, and the destruction of the rain forest.
What Thrills you? Travelling to other places, heights (even though they scare me), getting a good grade, seeing a member of my family really happy and my cabin in Minnesota.
What comforts you? Going home to visit! Mom, Dad and my cat. Being outdoors.
What makes you sad? Sappy movies, death, and seeing animals hurt/killed/die.
3b.
Words that describe me.
conventional, pragmatic, joyful, truthful, courageous, constant, insecure, modest, timid, progressive, opinionated, humorous, pious, cynic, idealist, coy, secretive, subtle, ethical, ambitious, polite passive, inactive, determined, group-centered, casual, stylized, anxious, cautious, stoic, shy, average.
3c.

Family: Daughter, Sister, Granddaughter
Gender: Female
Education: College Graduate
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Nationhood: American
Neighborhood: Swedesburg
Race: White
Body Type: Tall, Average
Preferred Leisure Activity: Photography
Political Belief: Liberal
Religious Affiliation: None
State of Heath: Healthy
Economic Status: Poor
Age:23
Generational Identity: gen-y?
Marital Status: Single
Diet: Not the best
Preferred Web Sites: Yahoo!, Hulu, Pandora
Taste in Music: Indie
Taste in Fashion: What I like
Taste in Art: I can enjoy almost anything.

Post 3

I think that my identity has changed greatly since high school. College and the experiences during it have given me more confidence than I had in high school. I place less importance on how others see me and what they may think about me. Not caring as much about what other people think allows me to figure out more who I am and what I want to create. Since high school, I have become a more independent person and more capable of making decisions for myself. I think that I'm almost totally different person than I was in high school and wish that i could share what I know now with myself back then.

My artwork has developed greatly since high school. Back then I rarely made artwork and did not push myself be creative. I was too worried about what other people would say about what I created to take real risks. I stayed safe and only did things that I knew I could do well. College provided me a renewed sense of creativity, although at times I'm still self-confident about what I make and my skills.

These are my artist trading cards. Each one shares a part of my identity.

High School Visit One

Our first day at the high school went really well. The students had a lot of ideas of what they wanted to do. The theme of the cake is graduation, since three of the group members will be graduating in the spring. They came up with some ideas for what they wanted to put on it, including pictures, books, a diploma. It was difficult to get one of the students involved in brain-storming. When we would ask his opinion he would defer to the other students ideas. I'm hoping that we will be able to get him more involved when it comes to the construction. It was also difficult to convince the students to try different thumbnails for what they wanted to do. They did not seem to understand the idea of making different versions of the cake.
I'm a little concerned about the construction of the cake and how will will make the layers stand up. Hopefully the students will have some creative ideas to solve the problems that arise. It would be interesting to see their past work to assess their level of knowledge about construction and see what their strenghts are. I'm excited to go back tomorrow and work on their projects with them and hope we will be able to make some more progress!

Post #2

I think that being a practicing artist will help me guide students in the classroom, because I have the experience of creating work. Knowing how difficult it can be to come up with ideas and physically create work will allow me to relate with the students experience. I will be able to better provide them with guidance and motivate them to continue with art, even when it gets difficult. Artists develop skills of persistence and expression that can lend themselves to being a great art teacher. In the classroom there will constantly be new challenges facing the teacher. Persistence and creative solutions are essential in dealing with these issues and for keeping students interested in class. As an artist, I will incorporate my work as examples to the students and to demonstrate my passion for the subject. I want the focus of my class to be on the students work, so I will keep the incorporation of my work to a minimum. I will continue to make my own work while teaching on the weekends and during break, because I think that creating your own work provides a creative outlet and serves as a stress reliever. I believe that it is also important to demonstrate to the students your desire and interest in the subject, by engaging in the process with them.

The relationship between creating work and teaching art are very similar. Both present different problems, but can be solved using the same techniques. I think that being a teacher requires a huge amount of creativity and need for constant progression, which can be said for being an artist as well. To balance technical skill and allow for personal creativity, I hope to create assignments in which students can practice their skills but also include personal meaning. I hope to make the projects open ended so students can decide what the outcome of their project will be.

In The Making Assignment 1

A) Claus Oldenburg’s “Spoonbridge and Cherry” (1988) and Raphaelle Peale’s “Melons and Morning Glories” (1813) use very different techniques to invest innocuous objects with symbolic and aesthetic significance. Oldenburg uses scale and location to create significance in his work. His works are oversized sculptures of everyday objects, placed in outdoor locations where one would not expect to see them. Peale uses lighting and placement of the object on the canvas to create a dramatic effect and to emphasize the objects importance.
B) Like Oldenburg, Charles Ray uses size to create aesthetic significance in his work. “Fire Truck,” (1993) by Ray uses size, by enlarging a toy truck and location. He placed it in a realistic street side environment to surprise the viewer. Like Peale, Jean Baptiste-Simeon Chardin uses lighting and placement of objects in “The Ray” (1726) to create drama and symbolic meaning.

Post #1

Much of my high school experience was spent waiting in anticipation for graduation and the move to college. I was a quiet student and always tried my hardest to get high grades. Unfortunately in high school I did not partake in art classes. I found myself entering the "college track," which left little free time in my schedule. Also, the art instructors reputation and course offerings at my school failed to peak my interest. Crafts 1 and 2...really?

I think that my own need for achievement as a student could hinder me from understanding students motivation in the classroom. I never needed any extra incentive to do the work and I know that that will not be the case with most students in my future classroom. This ties into my fear that I will not be able to provided students with projects that capture their attention and in which they want to devote their time. I want students to not only create, but for them to personally invested in the work. As with many new teachers, I'm also concerned about managing a classroom and keeping students on task. I think that one of the benefits of the art classroom is the collaborative environment and the ability for students to converse while creating work. I hope to be able to manage students effectively so I can create an atmosphere where students are eager to enter and create work. I'm most excited about is learning new projects and methods to teach students in the classroom. I think that one of the most thrilling parts of being a teacher is seeing what students can do with a simple idea or lesson plan.