Monday, November 14, 2011

Alexa Meade- Contemporary artist working with identity.

Alexa Meade
I came across Meade's work when looking through a magazine and found it very striking. At first glance I thought her work was a typical oil on canvas portrait. But, as I continued to read the article I became astounded when I learned that she paints directly on her subjects, and then photographs them!
Meade's approach to portraiture questions our understanding of the body and identity. The painted skin perceptually dissolves the body into a 2D caricature. Her subjects become art objects as they are transformed into reinterpretations of themselves. The model's identities become altered by their new skin.


Saturday, November 12, 2011

Middle School Radio Show Reflection

I enjoyed listening to the radio production. I like the different discussions based off of many views of middle school. I was thinking back to what I was feeling and thinking during my middle school years, and I could agree to a lot of what they were talking about. I felt misunderstood, and was always trying to find myself, or find a right cliche to fit in. I never successfully found my own niche and felt like a floater, which I really didn't mind. As art educators, it's important to keep this in mind when sculpting lessons, or even when trying to make connections as teachers to students. Something that Ward and the radio production talked about incorporating in lessons with students was empathy. I thought that this was intriguing. I like the idea of having young students, think and reflect upon this concept. I think its especially important for middle students to think about empathy because this is the age where a lot of their morals develop. If empathy was more prominent within school systems I believe students would have an easier time relating to each other, and there would be less bullying. Overall, I feel like I have a lot of thoughts to meditate on, and felt it very insightful.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Art Education Portfolio

Untitled, photo, 8 1/2" x 11"

Untitled, photo, 13" x 19"

Untitled, photo, 13" x 19"

Untitled, photo, 17" x 22"

Bus Stop, photo, 13" x 19"

Coffee Break, photo, 8 1/2" x 11"

Eggs and a Duck, ceramic casts, 12" x 4" x 3"

Still Life, oil painting, 20" x 24"

Surveillance Still, acrylic painting, 24" x 30"

Camera Case, wooden sculpture, 11" x 8" x 7"

Thursday, September 22, 2011

FASHION!

As of right now this is my outfit of choice for observations!


Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Studio Exploration Overview

A) describe the place you are dealing with
- Library
B) the questions you are asking/exploring about the space/place
- Why are they necessary?
- How do people interact in them?
- What are the many reasons people use them?
- What is their order?
- What is inside or can you find?
C) how you plan to investigate the space/place
- I plan on looking around taking notes on how different people interact and use the space inside. Taking my time to see how it works.
D) artists whose work you are using for inspiration
- not sure at the moment.
E) ideas for artmaking that you may have at this point
- making some sort of poster that emphasizes my findings in this space

Trimis and Savva Reading


What is chorotopos and its forms?

Considering the stages mentioned, which of the four is most important?

What if the stages are followed out of order?

What if a stage is skipped?

How does one produce and perceive art?

What is the most important kind of scaffolding in art education?

What is the first step in scaffolding?

What kind of museum should a student be first introduced to?

What kind of examples are appropriate?

What is the first medium children should be introduced to?

What is the most important influence in art education: teachers, family, environment, school?

Friday, September 16, 2011

Early Learners

It is clear from the videos that children of different ages have a different qualities when it comes to art. In the first video it is clear that the 5 year old is very verbal about their artwork and creating representational art. While the 2 1/2 year old is very concentrated on making strokes, and is not as verbal.
The second video shows children building dough towers. There is a little girl who make a dough tower and the teacher is trying to make hers as tall as the students. The teacher does this and then the student doesn't agree it is as tall as hers. They also share clay. Te student creates a representational sculpture and calls it an apple. Then student and teacher roll out the dough in a long skinny coil and the student recognizes that it is longer.
The next video is about large group time or circle time. When all the students come together to participate in activities. It gives students a sense of community and encourage them to come into leadership roles. This is an important part to any classroom to allow the class to bond and share experiences.
The following video is about small-group time. This is when a group of 5-10 students meet with an adult to experience in a different environment. This is when the students can learn individually. It is important to have a balance of large group and small group time within a classroom.
The last video was a teacher and her student making clay snakes. The child says after making snakes (green clay coils) they should cook then eat them. While another student pretends to cook, a waffle. The use the fake classroom oven to cook. Different students bring out additions to their cooked snakes such as pepper and ketchup.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Studio Exploration

For the studio exploration project, I contemplated a number of places and locations. As of right now I am thinking of using a library as my location. There are many types of relationships that a person can have with a library, and I think I'd like to investigate this further.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Artist Statement and Work


Relatable. Recognizable. Identifiable. I think of myself as a growing artist who is inspired by the ordinary. I enjoy finding new appreciation for everyday items and tasks. I like to make viewers rethink mundane objects, places, and errands. I do this by portraying them in color balanced compositions. For me this is done through a variety of mediums such as painting, photography, sculpture, and ceramics. I want my work to make viewers expand upon their feelings and gain inspiration. Because, I think that finding inspiration from the mundane, is sublime.



Untitled, photo, 8 1/2" x 11"

Untitled, photo, 13" x 19"

Untitled, photo, 13" x 19"

Untitled, photo, 17" x 22"

Bus Stop, photo, 13" x 19"

Coffee Break, photo, 8 1/2" x 11"

Eggs and a Duck, ceramic casts, 12" x 4" x 3"

Still Life, oil painting, 20" x 24"

Surveillance Still, acrylic painting, 24" x 30"

Camera Case, wooden sculpture, 11" x 8" x 7"

Reflection

In today's discussion we came up with five major components in contemporary approaches to art education:
1. teacher's action
2. contextual environment
3. student development
4. ongoing processes
5. student actions


I took many points away with me from today's class discussion. That even though we came up with these separate components, that doesn't mean they can't intertwine when applying them to teaching. For example, having a welcoming classroom atmosphere can be understood to fit into number 1 (teacher's actions), and number 2 (contextual environment).


With that in mind, there are many other thinks to consider when teaching. This includes but is not limited to age groups, what children are like, how to teach effectively, professional community, your identity as a teacher, how young people learn, 
relationships, problems, environment, budgets and time constraints.


Transforming knowledge into relevant meaningful experiences is a main goal for me as a future art educator. There are many factors to keep in mind while trying to successfully teaching art. Teachers, parents, friends, museums, and the world around a student can all have an impact on learning art. It is important for teachers to understand all students have different abilities and strengths. No student is created equal and to teach to the student.


Art teachers should always be aware of where art began. Art history is something that should be covered in an art classroom. Teachers should also be aware of the individuality of students and their backgrounds. That should be emphasized when teaching art because individuality and discovering oneself is important in any art. In any subject of education, I believe it's important to think of the future but remember the past.