Entry No. 8
7.30.23
#ClassroomManagement
thinking:
For this piece I was thinking about the theories on contemporary art and diverse artists as examples in classrooms, in collaboration with ideas around classroom management. Noise level is a big thing that has come up when teaching art, especially at Wellington Middle High. I personally do not mind when a classroom is occasionally loud, especially when all students are working and collaborating- especially when they are working on a group project and SHOULD be talking and thinking together. In the discussion on Contemporary Artists in classrooms, I posted the following:
How do you help students make personal connections with your lesson using contemporary artist examples?Contemporary artists are making art about the times our students are living in, by finding contemporary art examples we are more likely to find art that students are going to connect with and relate to. And that is important because the basis of all learning is the connections we make- if we have a comfortable studio space where people feel like they can express and explore safely, great. If we add artists as inspiration and these artists address subjects students connect with, they will feel seen and will see that they aren't alone in experiencing these things and aren't alone in expressing through art about said experiences. Finding contemporary artists who work under similar concepts and/or media that your students will be exploring can be super helpful in the ideation process for your learners.
How do you think visuals can be powerful media to tell self-stories and create a safe place for students?Visual art- in my opinion- allows for makers to express vulnerabilities or discuss events in their life or the world around them in a way that perhaps they would not do in writing or in speech. I OFTENTIMES use my art as a coping mechanism for the craziness of life, a way to express my views and feelings on politics, or ways to share information about my life in a language of symbols that requires engagement from the viewer for them to truly understand the depth of my work. Art allows creators to say something without having to literally say it, and sometimes that is the only avenue that one feels brave enough to discuss these things. By personalizing big ideas in our lesson plans we as educators can connect "big ideas" to students' lives, experiences, passions, and interests. Questioning to help this process may look like asking questions like "How is this relevant to me and my life?" "How can I integrate myself into this idea?" "What do I want to learn about this idea?" "What connections do I have to this idea?" This ideation process will allow students to create work that may venture to discuss their own vulnerabilities.
Using these ideas, I began to explore creating a digital artwork that can function as a poster when printed.
Making:
To make this piece I took inspiration from an Etsy user's printable noise level chart. I wanted to include a greater variety of art periods than the original creator had made, and also wanted to create a poster that maybe was more inclusive with a variety of artists, so I initially made the first poster (that includes the Mona Lisa). Then, upon further evaluation, I realized that this poster really was just European men of ages past and Frida Kahlo. Utilizing the desire to create an inclusive poster, I reflected on the class discussions on incorporating contemporary artists into curriculum (Teaching Meaning in Art Making, Chapter 2). And so I made a poster of entirely contemporary artworks, with artists who are female and male, Black, White, and Asian. I also thought of the language of the noise level labels- is noisy ALWAYS a bad thing? I think there can be good noisiness and so I changed some of the verbiage as shown below.
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