Midway

Class began with the Pedagogy of Listening (as per Reggio Emilia):

I have had many conversations with peers at Pratt that revolved around the idea that whomever I spoke with took as much away from the dialog with their classmates, as was offered by the professor during class-time. The concept of The Pedagogy of Listening is the concept of group learning. It also highlights the belief (that I have developed while at Pratt) that teaching is learning, and we are learning along with our students as much as they are learning from us, and/or each other.

This was somewhat helpful to me during our critique of the letter animations, despite or because I did not have one at class time. What we learned from each other were the different ways to approach the project and the different programs that could be used. I think we might have all walked away thinking that their needed to be a little more variation to individualize our final pieces. The model of cooperative learning groups that has been an ongoing tool in our classroom, kept the critique focused and moving, with the evolving delineations of: a timer who timed three minutes per person to talk about his/her work, along with a critique leader and a note taker..... although, there might have been more fruitful dialog if there were more profound differences in the pieces. I found myself defaulting to the noticing of-and-talking about-the technology, and not using "art" language to talk about the "art".

The idea of music integration is a HUGE interest of mine, HUGE! I would love to speak more about ideas of how to incorporate music into lessons, or how to use it effectively in the classroom as a tool. As I believe that children growing up now are so used to the integration of the visual and auditory in their art and entertainment. Maybe also in regard to our conversation about presentation, and how to present with intent!

We got further into the topic of Dystopia for our graphic novels. We also meditated on the real-time project, the example of a graphic novel created by a 7th grader. We discussed the merits of someone like this particular student having the outlet of portraying violence, ruin, fear, and uncertainty through his drawings, through a creative act. I am interested in the design behind a lesson that is a controlled expression of violence. Only because of some of the things that I have heard students talking about, and what goes on in their lives.

Alphabet Video

Conversation With a Purpose

I found the exercise of taking turns to lead the discussion on the letters to be most helpful in class this week. I can sometimes lead a student to express their experience with the project, but I don't always have a very mindful or well rounded response, for the student to take with them. I have caught myself a few times in dialogs with a student with a lack of precise direction or focus, and I end up saying "why don't you try this or try that"... and they end up looking unconvinced, and I know I am not hitting my mark. I was very encouraged by Aileen's talk after the letter critique about practice, and that conversation with a purpose takes practice. Being able to use the language of art to talk about art......being able to draw connections to current artists or movements, again, something I feel I need to practice, and something I hope that develops and becomes enriched as time goes on.

Always be on the side of the learner —Herb Kohl

I also appreciated the emphasis on deliberate speaking, and the art of listening, because the wrong words at the wrong time can discourage a talent or personality that is just starting to discover possibilities.

It was interesting to me what became of our conversation about creating the book covers before understanding the rest of the project. Because I hadn't finished last week, I had to redo my paper for my cover. I did so, after the introduction of the project, and I found myself making very different choices in paper, pattern and color, as well as technique with the wax and paint.

In relation to our new project, I thought a lot about ruins this week, both man-made and natural.

My fiance and I have hiked all over Westchester and we keep stumbling upon these areas that might have been old dumping grounds in the woods. We think this because there is no other explanation for coming across abandoned cars, (that date back to the 50s), as well as bizarre appliances and household items like rusted interiors of washers and broken toilets, etc. These objects and the contrast to their organic environment give off such an uneasy vibe of forgotten civilizations; and also because you have to walk far enough to find them. I was very caught up in it the first time I saw it, the cars specifically, because they were so old. I thought that there might be a lesson plan in it, but that the nature of the experience was particular to MY environment. We have taken some found objects from these sites, and call me fantastical, but I walked away with the sensation of stealing treasure from an ancient site whose spirit might forbid the removal of its possessions. Needless to say, a ruined civilization stumbled upon in the woods is extremely evocative, and yet, I haven't designed the lesson plan! But I wonder if it can be fodder for our next project. The images above are from a path that I hike once a week. It surrounds a lake. I always take one direction. Last week, I went the other direction only to discover that many of the trees on the west side of the lake had fallen and some had been overturned in some recent storm... which made me think about visual imagery for a disturbed or ruined natural environment.........

Letters Letters Letters

for individual letters, see alphabets page

I have been in heaven this week working on the letter project. I made a discovery, again, that there are all kinds of processes that I neglect, that I need to keep in my pocket for teaching.

I am inspired by the "craft-i-ness" (both meanings) of some artists working currently. Artists such as the ones that we looked at in the book "By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art" edited by Shu Hung and Joseph Magliaro.
There was a time, my time coming up in the art community, that women artists were sometimes criticized and taken less seriously for work that seemed to hover between art and craft. Or craft was considered media belonging to women solely. I am extremely happy that I have seen a major shift away from that perspective over the last 20 or so years. This new work that we've examined in class is very inspiring. I think sometimes we fall back on traditional materials: paint, pastels, clay, etc... and I love this class for the impetus it provides for concentrated and focused consideration of materials. I also appreciate the carefully thought-out choice of using type, letters and font exploration as a theme for all the project ideas as well as all the creative trajectories that have come from the original ideas.

I was thrilled to see that our next endeavor would be a book, and book making. I was really taken a-back last semester when my cooperating teacher did a simple book with her class. The students LOVED the project. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did. There is a utilitarian element to creating a book, that the book itself is a piece/work of art , and yet can be used often to create other things, written or visual, or both. I love the intimacy of a hand-made book and the processes of working with paper-as-media, something other than a blank slate.

I appreciated our lengthy critique of the sketch-books for the reason that it sent me off in a specific creative direction for this weeks sketches. Although, I didn't quite achieve what I wanted to, as far as materials go, it has put a bee in my bonnet to experiment with several possible media to achieve the effect that I see in my head!

September 21, 2010

When the concept of lesson extensions was first presented to me (my first year at Pratt), I wasn't sure that I got it. I had it in my mind, at the time, that a project has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I absolutely loved taking the Tyvek project into a whole other realm during class when we projected it, and photographed it. It seems as though, if one is mindful, one can always take something successful a step further or several steps further....

My most recent work with high school junior and seniors, exemplified the fact that they are known for not being comfortable with the idea of a creating a self-portrait. While Alexandra and I took turns photographing each other portrait-like behind the shadows from the projected cut paper, it came to me that this might be a great self portrait project for that age group, especially since they can somewhat conceal themselves within the shadows if that is their preference, and their portrait has to do with their voice, and their written word, as well as a visual representation.

The other project idea came to me while photographing the paper through the window (as seen below) I loved the idea of two intersecting landscapes. One real, and one imagined. One static. One moving. And the interplay that can go on with those two things. Although both of these ideas involve photography, and I never will know until I am in my own classroom, what the facilities will be for video and still photography:

I am interested in theater and set design, and the relationship between the performing and visual arts. This photograph below, shows the sort of dream-like effect that the projector created around the edges. I started to think about lighting design, and how the space begs for human interaction, you want to step into that place created by light and shadow. It might be interesting to try to design a stage set around this idea of imagery that becomes sort of blurred and dreamlike around the edge and have the students actually create a diorama-like platform, maybe with large boxes or foam core to experiment with.

It always seems to happen that way....

Did you ever notice, that you will be going along, and you will be introduced to something, an idea or person, or place, and then suddenly that new thing seems to start to flow and expand, like a river current taking things along with it, and the following days, or weeks, that thing seems to be everywhere and resurfacing. It gets mentioned in other conversations. It shows up on TV or in the magazine you are reading. On top of that, you keep making random connections to that idea, or person, or place? I love when that happens!

It seems as if the things my antenna pick up on, are in a flow. In class an Artist named Jean Shin was mentioned in class and her name seemed so familiar to me. www.jeanshin.com

Alterations, 1999

Fabric (pants scraps) and wax

2 ft h x 12 ft w x 12 ft d

Collection of Peter Norton, Santa Monica

I could have sworn that I read something about a piece that she had done with the leftover cuffs from people's pants, and sure enough it was the same artist. I was curious about the piece that was discussed in class, the altered trophies that make heroes and icons out of average people doing average things. Especially because of my previous post about Slinkachu, also because of the ongoing discussion about found objects being recycled or the use of the part of the object that gets left behind (like the game pieces and the cuffs seen here). I like the idea of using objects that have an element of play inherent in them to experiment with in the classroom, and I love the idea that the element of play can be the project or piece in-and-of-itself. The next interesting thing about play with respect to this particular artist is shown here in her other piece entitled "Chemical Balance III, 2009" that uses prescription bottles, mirror and epoxy, fluorescent lights. The context: prescription bottles could carry a very heavy theme of illness or disease, but that is not the take in this piece. This piece simply beautifies an everyday household item with repetition and play. It also creates a sense of place maybe a cave, or alien geography which flows into our themes of hidden spaces and secret places.

I very much enjoyed the project for this week using the Tyvek, but it has sent me off on this "paper" project tangent, and although I am loving the theme of typography, I may want to explore the material with this secret and hidden places theme.

Everyday Monuments, 2009

Sports trophies, painted cast and sculpted resins, projections
Floor Installation: Dimensions variable, approximately 7.33 ft h x 5 ft w x 45 ft d
Wall Projection: 9.33 ft h x 42 ft w
Commissioned by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. for the exhibition,

Jean Shin: Common Threads

Chemical Balance, 2005-09

Chemical Balance III, 2009
Prescription bottles, mirror and epoxy, fluorescent lights
5 units, from 18 to 40 inches in diameter
Overall dimensions variable
Installation at Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.

The Old Marriage of Word and Image, or...

Just word as visual provocateur!

Explorations in Media and Materials..... Long has typography been a love of mine. Long has hand-rendered text, and handwriting been a love of mine. These two things as actual subject/content for a piece is certainly not a new concept for me, specifically as a recovering graphic designer....

But LORD, could I have used some of those ideas and explorations when I wanted to teach my high-schoolers about typography, while creating their own logos.

With the students, there was a stiffness about using text that I couldn't wrap my brain around. But this, of course was because the project was framed as "design", which is always a little intimidating in the beginning...

Student work: using two interlocking S as a personal logo for "Shannon"

And it occurs to me now that the project should have been approached from the perspective of our Tuesday's class, specifically for those who have never worked with text. From an abstract perspective.

I, personally, could explore these different aspects of text within design, or art endlessly. I really enjoyed the scope of artists that we looked at, who use text in different ways, for different purposes. As "Textuality" (great word) as "communication", as an invitation to a multidimensional experience. There is a richness to using text in a piece when the text melds what it sounds like, looks like, and also its meaning.  I also like the pieces that brake these things apart. Someone mentioned Text Rain by Camile Utterback, which I researched, and I think this work plays with these elements of abstract visual, and meaning (since the letters are actually not random, but from a poem) very gracefully and subtly:

If you stand long enough or in certain positions,
you can catch words or phrases.

I could have taken my cue from the other class I was teaching on street art. I had shown that class the work of Jenny Holzer and John Fekner, ...and even Poster Boy, who plays with existing text in subway ads.

And so with our class,  I am always happy to be reminded of the artists I forgot about, such as Barbara Kruger, and rethink artists/designers such as Paula Sherr who is a great example of a designer who works with words as geographic planes as in her Public theater posters for the effects of both visual dynamism and communication:

but also uses words as texture and pattern in her art pieces such as her series of infographic maps.