Concentration #1

Sorry, everyone, for the delay. I found myself suddenly having a strong urge to start over completely on my project. So I did. Here is the result. My big idea is the various types of intelligences, the minds for the future. This particular piece is a tribute to the mind that I best relate to :) , the creative mind.

I created my first piece to represent the minds of creative people. The minds float above unspecific figures, representative of the creative collective, showcasing the variety of energy brought into the world by this group of people. I plan to create each piece of the series in honor of the group it represents, emphasizing that all minds have strengths, and each strength has an important role in the culture we live in.

Body as Medium

This is an idea in art that I struggle to relate to... just as I struggle to relate to some of the most extreme ends of the art spectrum. I do know that choosing to create artwork through the body can be used to create very powerful and conceptuall work. I was intrigued that Bird chose to include the cave paintings of the Tehuelche people, who created movement and pattern by covering their hands with mineral pigments. This method of artwork could be used in a classroom with young students, not only to learn about the artwork found in the Cave of the Hands, but also to practice kinesthetic learning.

I also think that it could be very interesting to channel Richard Long's A Line Made by Walking. I think the paths we walk throughout the day and where we choose to stand tell a lot about who we are and what we do. This concept could make for a very interesting installation project or even performance piece. This is an interesting concept also juxtaposed against the digital world in which we live. People often "check in" through social media to tell people where they are and what they are doing... What if everyone had a unique set/design of footprints that highlight the places they frequented throughout the day?

Facilitating Critical and Aesthetic Inquiry

Response

As Mary Franco explained during a visit to our class a few weeks ago, it is critical to select artwork that is appropriate and of interest to the students so that they can engage in it. To help students in analyzing a work of art, I can use strategies in the classroom: tools to isolate or examine parts (magnifiers, view finders); diagraming or tracing; the creation of studies to find patterns; or the consideration of similarities and differences. I find it interesting that many of the strategies listed above are used in creating art as well as analyzing it.

I believe that kinesthetic learning should absolutely be a part of learning in the art classroom, and I was excited to see sound and movement strategies listed as a way to engage students with art objects. Through kinesthetic learning, students have heightened memory, creativity and understanding.

Here are a few ideas I would LOVE to use in the elementary art room:

• Have students work on comparing and contrasting visual concepts through movements with their bodies (ex: rough and smooth, straight and curved, symmetrical and asymmetrical)
• Ask students to think about the movement and sound of a piece and then create or select or corresponding song for the piece

In asking my students questions about artwork, I can ask them leading questions to help guide them in searching for similarities and differences in artwork and what they think it means. I also want to include sketchbook activities that ask the students to create their own questions about analyzing their own artwork or the artwork of others. Asking hypothetical questions will push the students' thinking further and help them see the perspectives of others.

In teaching students about artists and their work, it is important that I present accurate and authentic information about the artists and their lives. I do not want to only focus on bizarre details because they are more interesting, I want to show the artist for who they are and what they contributed to the art world, hopefully inspiring the students in their own artwork.

To help my students more deeply interpret artwork, I can give give them a variety of strategies to do so. From talking about metaphors and making comparisons, to relating the artwork to music and movement, giving students a variety of forms of self expression shows them that there are no wrong answers in interpretation.

Article that relates

3 Ways to "Do" Kinesthetic Learning in the Art Room

I love the ideas mentioned in the article above to be used with young children with the art room. This activity is perfect for little ones not only because kinesthetic learning is a great way to make new concepts memorable, but also because it works on gross motor skills and gives them a chance to move around. The art room is a place for experimentation, movement, and untraditional learning. I want to give my students the opportunity to learn using different strategies they are not using in their other classes. Again, creating the positive risk-taking environment for my students.

Anatomy

Drawing and understanding a subject from observation is an important part of any art curriculum, but creating the human form, that is the real feat. The body is a complex and unique form that can be studied through its anatomy. During my fieldwork last semester, I watched as the students studied the skeleton and drew it with a white crayon on black paper. Almost all of the students struggled with this task and found the skeleton to be very frustrating. I think that the human form could possibly better be approached by studying the body and how it works before attempting to draw it, just as artists like da Vinci have done throughout history. This would also be an opportunity for the art curriculum to be integrated with the science and math courses.

Anatomy is an idea in art that I was not authentically exposed to until college. I drew my first nude models in drawing and painting courses where I was able to pay close attention to the human form. I enjoyed doing the quick sketches with charcoal (30 seconds-several minutes) because as much as it was restrictive, it was also freeing. Creating a perfect drawing was not a possibility in this assignment, so I felt free to experiment with how I drew the form and the motions I made. This is definitely a strategy I will use in my own classroom someday. For my own artwork, it could be a great sketchbook exercise to rapidly sketch ideas or objects and quickly, loosely put my thoughts on paper.

Body as Surface

After reading about the idea of body as surface, I feel that my mind has been opened as to what "body as surface" could mean. I had not considered a traditional tattoo under the category of art using body as surface. However, now that I have read about the uses throughout history of the body in art, a tattoo is the most obvious uses of the body as surface. Whether or not one recognizes this, a tattoo is a form of self-expression, often designed by the person getting the tattoo. It is interesting to consider how the meaning of the tattoo could change depending on who created it. If you designed/created the tattoo, you are wearing your own art. However, if someone else designed/created the tattoo, you are actually wearing (often for the rest of your life) their artwork, their expression. A tattoo is not limited to expression for an individual. Often the marks and symbols people wear represent their belonging to a group or culture. It does not set them apart from all other individuals in the world but rather associates them with specific individuals. These markings could range from temporary painted elements for spiritual or religious purposes to a permanent tattoo that represents membership in a gang.

There are countless reasons an individual may choose to mark on his/her body, and I think it would be extremely interesting to study the ways in which the body has been used as a surface. Looking back, it would have made an AWESOME big idea for the conceptual art project. How interesting would it be to see a series of images showing the large variety of ways people use their bodies as a surface? There is so much meaning and importance behind these works of art because of their medium. The world is the viewer, and the art is on display for anyone whom he/she encounters.

Alleogry

Allegory gives artists the ability to represent abstract concepts visually in their artwork, whether the idea be portrayed through personification or an object. This idea in art has been used for the purpose of politics throughout history. Even one of the most well-known brands, Nike, borrowed meaning from the statue of the goddess Nike who represented victory for the Greek people. Allegory is a powerful idea that has been used often within art for centuries.

I would have to argue against philosopher Walter Benjamin's perspective on an allegorical object, that it "relies on the meaning ascribed to it by its maker, becoming 'incapable of eliminating any meaning ... on it's own."' This idea contradicts that of the VTS structure in that meaning is created through the perspectives, experiences and ideologies of the viewer.

In my own work I could use allegory by personifying abstract concepts through people and objects, particularly in my conceptual series I will be creating for studio thinking. Because I am creating pieces that talk about the various types of intelligences and what they contribute to humanity, this could be an opportunity to experiment with allegory and use people or figures to represent abstract ideas. I can represent the intelligences through the figures that embody the characteristics of that mind. Rather than choosing a specific identifiable person, I want the viewer to view themselves within the figure so that they can better relate.

Chance

After reading about chance, I believe that whether artists have recognized it or not, there has always been an element of chance involved in the art-making process. Whether the chance occurred in the changing color of drying paint, blending of watercolors when they run together in a painting, or the way the ink reacts on a plate during printmaking, as artists we can never be exactly sure what the final result will be as we begin a new piece. I had not known the background behind the word Dada before reading this text, and now I will always remember the meaning of this "idea" in art. The perfect nonsense word to represent work created with such a lack of control - "the voluntary destruction of the bourgeois world of ideas."

I find this concept to be extremely refreshing. There are times when we create artwork simply because it pleases us. Some of these works turn out to be the most aesthetically beautiful. I am one who love the element of chance in artwork and I think it's equally as important to teach in art that "mistakes" are opportunity as much as it's important to be intentional in creating. I plan to give my students a variety of exercises throughout the year that encourage them to simply experiment, play and take chances! I think it's important for me to remember in my own artwork to take time to make art with chance because that is where some of the greatest discoveries happen. How can I expect my students to take chances in their artwork if I don't take time to experience chance myself?

Facilitating Engagement with the Art-Making Process

This is an idea in art that I get excited about. I absolutely love trying new processes, mixing different medias and solving problems in art. I want the give my students the opportunity to explore these realms of art to their fullest potential. I love the idea of exploring a theme or subject matter in different media. Using different media allows students to learn how to strategically use media to create specific characteristics of the subject matter. It's important that students take note of the visual qualities that can be created with various types of media. This could be a good journaling prompt for students in their artist journals.

At a very young age, it is important that we do not give students a prompt that is too open in order to give them an opportunity to work on specific skills. We want students to have options in how they choose to craft a solution to a problem, but we also want to give them some requirements or constraints so that the options are not "endless." Asking essential questions that provoke deep thought engages the students in a more meaningful art making experience. (ex: How>what) As students gain more experience in art making becoming more familiar with materials in processes, the questions should become bigger as well. Students should have multiple options and routes for decision making.

Questioning is such an important part of the art-making process. For students to better their work, deepen their thinking, and consider the meaning they are creating, we as educators must ask the right questions and provide enough time for the students to give thoughtful answers.

An important part of engaging students in the art-making process involves creating interesting problems for them to solve. In creating problems for our students to solve the following should be considered:
1. Learners must be able to engage with the problem.
2. Good problems involve choice making.
3. A good problem sparks original thinking.
4. There should be an opportunity for elaborations (of the idea and or with the form)
5. The problem should be worth solving! We want our students to be excited about the question we prompt them with to get them brainstorming and full of inspiration.

Article: Learning: Engage and Empower

I chose to review an article of a .ed.gov site because it so largely affects what will be considered "important" in the classroom as an art teacher. I pleasantly found that they too, agree on the importance of engaging students through active problem solving and critical thinking. The tools and strategies that I have mentioned above after reading the Carroll text would be great ways to complement the standards that are mentioned in the article: creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, and critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. How relevant are these standards in the art room??! The article is talking about technology specifically, but these are all areas that could be developed in the art room, with technology or without.

Whiteness

Whiteness is an idea in art that can carry unique importance across the mediums it graces. In watercolor, the white is the canvas, and can be included in the final painting only if it is planned to be included from the very beginning. In sculpture, an artist may choose to sculpt his or her work in silver or ivory to capture the spirituality of what he/she wishes to represent. Whiteness has been an important element to many artworks created in the name of the church as well as classical Greek mythology. The color white is often linked with a theme of purity, holiness and innocence.

In my own artwork I can be mindful of whiteness in the choices I make when painting with watercolor. The whiteness of the paper represents the lightest, purist, parts of the paper and can be used to beautifully highlight some of the more transparent hues. Also, I would love to create a work of art using only pure shades of whites and light neutrals. I think that the aesthetic created here is beautiful and subtly powerful. I think that having students create a study of a work of art centered around the idea of whiteness would be a great addition to a color unit. Neutrals are equally as important in the color spectrum as the traditional colors that make up the color wheel.

Developing a Repertoire of Skills for Visual Perception and Artistic Response

Response to Carroll text:

Drawing on Imagination, Memory, and Experience

I realized the importance of this topic from the moment I read the first few lines of the Carroll text. I had experienced watching a student struggle with the expression of an idea from memory during Tiger Artists. This was extremely frustrating for him, and no matter what I said in attempt to help him visualize this experience seemed to actually help. The pre-visualization strategy had worked with most students, recalling a climactic moment in their life and what it looked and felt like. I think that giving the student the opportunity to describe the memory verbally or by writing would have been more effective in this situation.

I loved what Carroll said about recognizing that memory and imagination imagery can be developed with visual sources. Just because a student is creating an image recalled from their mind does not mean that they can not use resources such as pictures and images for references. This will make their work stronger and richer.

Tapping the Narrative Impulse

Storytelling in art not only allows for deep learning experiences, but also serving "a very personal and human need." Storytelling begins in early childhood and continues to be a powerful tool for a lifetime. Narratives in art give students the opportunity to find and create meaning. As an art teacher, I can inspire students to tell/create their story by prompting them with questions and asking them to reflect on experiences. Inspiration for narratives can also come from other texts such as literature, music, art, storybooks, cartoons, etc.

Suggested prompts to use in my classroom:

• What if...
• Create characters and imagine how they would interact
• Invent a story explaining a phenomenon
• Create a story with a moral
• Illustrate a story
• Create an animated flip book
• Create a puppet/puppet show
• Build yourself a character costume (maps, props, etc.)

Allowing students to be multi-modal in their thinking can enhance their learning and help them work through challenges. 

Working from Observation

It had not occurred to me the degree to which observational drawing is generally not included in the K-5 art room until I tried to think of an example I had seen. The only observational drawing that I recall observing in the elementary art classroom occurred if a student specifically asked for a reference in drawing something difficult to recall from memory. Observational drawing is a great way to help students develop drawing strategies and problem-solving skills. If we teach children from an early age to focus more on "looking" and less on "drawing," they may begin to be more confident as artists knowing that they understand how to draw. Process portfolios can be a great tool in building students confidence as their drawings improve over the course of the semester or year.

Developing an Expanded Vocabulary for Visual Form

I found this section interesting having recently talked about VTS and its power to include and engage all students. When Carroll posed the question, "is there such a thing as a universal language of form?" I thought to myself... not in the way one might think. I think that there is a universal visual language, however, the meaning the forms create may be interpreted differently by each individual. I found that I appreciated the intuitive approach to exploring form, allowing students to make discovering about visual form through experimentation and meaning making.

Expanding the Repertoire for Visual Perception and Artistic Response

A critical part of developing a repertoire of skills for visual reception and artist response includes expanding the skills of students so that they can express ideas freely in a multitude of ways. I want to empower my students and teach them that there are no limits in the world of art. I want my students to recognize that they have the power to brainstorm and carry out the best way to express themselves. I must create engaging, exciting and authentic lessons in order for my students to challenge themselves and build their skills, knowledge and potential.

Reflecting on Perceiving and Responding Visually

This last part of the reading tied all of the strategies together for me. In order to teach students how to perceive, think and form, we must introduce them to a variety of representational strategies including: working from observation, memory, experience, story, and imagination. 

Article that relates to Developing a Repertoire of Skills for Visual Perception:

Take the Boredom Out of Observational Drawing

In the article above, Jessica Balsley explains the ways in which we can engage young students through observational drawing. She argues that the subject matter is not important as long as the students are improving their drawing skills and notice the details of an object. Balsley explains that when the students choose to draw an object that engages them, they are much more interested in noticing the details of the object and as an added bonus, less classroom management is required. A few examples of objects she gave to engage students included a Wii controller, iPhone and tennis shoe. I also loved her idea of transferring the drawing to a print after the drawing was complete.

Art Instruction Inspired by Art:21 Artist: Ellen Gallagher

Lesson I could teach relating to artist his/her big idea:
Having a background in advertising and public relations, I would love to do an entire advertising unit with my students. A very exciting lesson could be inspired by the work of artist Ellen Gallagher, who creates her own meaning by altering advertisements. Students could select an advertisement (or campaign) from a variety of contexts to alter, playing with elements of satire, irony, etc. It would be an exciting opportunity for students to examine ads seen on television, billboards, magazines, newspapers, digital surfaces, and more. The opportunities are endless.

How will you help students connect the enduring idea (Art:21Theme) to the students’ lives?
I think advertising is a part of life that is experienced universally in the U.S. All students in some point throughout the day, are exposed to some type of advertising or promotoinal material. In an advertising unit, we could explore ideas ranging from reading advertisements as visual texts to altering them to create new meaning. If the students pick a product, service, or idea that is of interest to them, they are likely to be engaged throughout the unit.

How will you build the students’ knowledge base about the enduring idea as it relates to other content areas as well as to life? (authentic arts integration)
Advertising is equally of interest in a social studies and language arts classroom. The content that is produced by the advertising industry has large influence on society due to its prevalence in the every day. It would be interesting for a social studies class to examine the ways in which advertising can serve as a source of information about a culture and its values. Because advertising so often includes written text, a language arts classroom could both read and analyze texts as well as work on persuasive writing through the creation of advertisements.

How will you build the students’ knowledge base about the enduring idea as it occurs in art (art criticism, art history, aesthetics)?
I will build the students' knowledge base about advertising and the appearance of consumerism in artworks by studying both art and advertisements throughout history that relate to this theme. We will interpret and discuss advertisements throughout history and the messages they were trying to send to the consumer as well as artworks talking about consumers (Ellen Gallagher, Andy Warhol, etc.).
How will you engage students with exploring, questioning, and problematizing the enduring idea through artmaking?
I will ask my students engaging questions that provoke high level thinking...

• What do you think the advertiser does not want the consumer to know?
• What do you think the advertiser wants the consumer to think/feel/believe after viewing the advertisement?
• Who do you think the advertiser is trying to target in this advertisement?
• Do you think this ad is successful/what makes an ad successful?
• Is this advertisement truthful or deceiving?
• For art talking about advertising: What do you think this artist is trying to say about advertising?
• How would changing the context of this ad (where it is placed) change its meaning?
• How could you alter this advertisement to change its meaning?

Images for Discussion

How much do you love these fabulous images from the Mercedes advertising campaign? I think that these images would be great for discussing Duncum's principles.

Multiple Viewpoints, Unconscious, Expressing Inner States, Satire

Well, this week I learned something new - it takes a really long time to ship anything from Hawaii! Hence why I have not been able to post responses to the 100 Ideas book this week (I borrowed Kathy's book last week). Hopefully my book will arrive soon, I can't imagine it taking much more than three weeks to ship a book from Hawaii to Missouri. sigh. Thankfully, Sharyn has lent me her book for the time being. Here are my responses for the week:

MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS

Before reading the text on multiple viewpoints, I had no idea that this idea in art was originally called "cubist." I began to think about what cubist artwork looks like, and realized that it often appears to be images constructed from multiple perspectives that the viewer would normally not see while simply glancing at the subject. Cubist art represents a series of glances in time, a composite of all of the perspectives, angles and images you see while glancing at an image over a few seconds or possibly walking a few feet. It creates a much more visually interesting result because of puzzle-like image it creates, asking your brain to consider the multiple viewpoints examined in creating this work of art.

Multiple viewpoints is definitely an idea that can be applied within my own artwork, particularly the whimsical city landscapes that I love to create. I could create the buildings using multiple view points to add both an element of interest and whimsy, making the cities appear to be a place only to be traveled to in your dreams, much like the subjects of cubist work. Also, for the classroom, or for more my own creative inspiration, I thought of a fun activity: Take photos of an object from many different viewpoints and then print the photos, cut up the pictures, and recreate the object in a cubist style. The re-composed photograph could then be used to inspire a drawing, painting, etc.

A cubist artwork that I really love: Russian artist Georgy Kursaov




UNCONSCIOUS

Sigmund Freud proposed that "dreams are truthful manifestations of unconscious desires;" what a beautiful way to explain a dream. The unconscious is characterized as a "hidden region of the mind," a capacity that we are not actively aware of, but do experience throughout our lives. Freud's art was inspired by the desires that were not acknowledged due to the values of society. Freud argued that access to this hidden part of the mind could be gained through the analysis of dreams. The unconscious could also be examined through repressed memories, just as Kiefer examine Germany's Nazi history.

My artwork is often inspired by my dreams. For me, the greatest of dreams involve travelling to far away lands, that I have never before seen. Seeing architecture that would not be possible in the world we live in, rivers that run backwards, train tracks that run through the sky, etc. Often after I wake up I quickly try to sketch out my dreams so that I can remember what they looked like, although it is quite difficult to capture the sense of magic and color as I remember from my dreams. I should challenge myself to create work that captures the essence of my dream and paint what I have seen within my head, considering even how to give the work a dream like aesthetic.

EXPRESSING INNER STATES
I did not begin to grasp the idea of expressing inner states until I read the phrase, "A work becomes a work of art when one reevaluates the values of nature and adds one's own spirituality." The expression of inner states is about giving meaning to the unseen and showing the artists' perspective and influence over the subject. The lines following the quote that gave me deeper understanding felt like deja vu while reading them... "art-a public activity, since the desire to make visible implies that someone will be looking-then it must communicate." This reminded me the description Karen (shout out to you, Karen!) gave of art in the 21st century. I realize that I've included quite a few quotes in this response, but I've found several that are noteworthy. In expressing our inner states through art, what is more perfect than to say, "we are playing on our soul." It is this idea that makes art so very beautiful, being one of the very few ways to literally show people what you see inside your mind and soul.

In my own artwork, I hope to remember the power of expressing my inner state, that I can translate my thoughts, ideas and feelings into images, sculptures, installations, etc. This idea in art is particularly important when creating conceptual work because you are trying to evoke deep meaning and context. This idea yet another reason it is critical for art teachers to give their students to create artwork that they feel is meaningful and an expression of their inner self.

SATIRE
Funny art. Yet oh so much more. There is one critical component of satirical art, according to Bird: the work is clear and understandable to its audience. This idea in art has identifiable purposes and a specific meaning it wishes to convey. Satirical art is created to stir the audience, to send a political message or to present information in a sarcastic and critical way. These characteristics of satirical art can have repercussions for the artist. In the case of Honore Daumier, he served six months in prison after his offensive artwork was found to be less-than-brilliant by the then French king. This example shows the consequences the artist may face, but more importantly the power in the hands of the artist to deliver a powerful message.

I will have to disagree with Bird that "satire... impli[es] a better alternative to the state of affairs it represents". In the very image about this paragraph of "Supermarket Shopper," Duane Hanson pokes fun at American culture but does not offer a solution to the problem that he poses. I think that Bird's statement would be more correct in saying: satire has the power to ask the audience to contemplate an alternative to the state of affairs it represents. In my own artwork, I am not exactly sure how I will plan to use satire. I often am drawn to whimsical, illustrative artwork, but perhaps this is a satire in itself, an image of what my ideal world would appear to be.

Conceptual Ideas - with medium

1) The story of a city (artwork comprised of handwritten stories from (city) residents), mixed media on canvas

2) Constant connectivity of 21st century life, created with upcycled wires, gadgets, etc. from old technology, possibly a sculpture

3) Cycles that occur between generations (ex: education, lack of education, etc.), created on a circular type of canvas, painted with acrylic and ink

4) "Normal" - norms that vary by culture, major differences in norms from culture to culture, photography, use of tinted elements?

5) Women and societal roles - how they've changed from 50 years ago to today, artwork created from old and modern advertisements to make up a larger picture

6) Animals and their similarities to humans - emotions, relationships, roles, create illustrations or whimsical paintings that show animals and humans expressing similar body language/emotions

7) Anthropology - the study of a culture through a series of artwork, appropriation opportunity, take old images of artwork and create a "new" artwork on top of it showing how the culture has changed/adapted from then to now

8) Health's role in your life - how it can affect your life, taint the glass, change daily perspective, small artworks (3x3" canvases) depicting things that are taken away or missed due to a health related problem

9) The Sea - an underwater world, watercolor studies that combine elements of nature, salt, water, etc.

10) Handwriting - variations of handwriting and what they mean, a study of handwriting, collage created of many people writing phrases with the same prompt: My dream is _____, showing that we all speak a common language but each have a unique mark to make (in handwriting and our role in society)

11) Everyday objects turned into works of art - finding beauty in the everyday, painting intricate objects we make use of every single day but pay very little attention to

12) A novel transformed into an elaborately illustrated story through a series of fine artworks, artworks created from the pages of the book

13) The story of a letter, series of works showing its content developed to its delivery, series: 1: content of the letter happens 2. letter is written 3. letter is carried/delivered 4. letter is read (paintings on envelopes)

14) Classroom installations - installations to teach lessons in the art classroom; create four installations that teach students about different elements of art... example: 1. cover a room in string in various forms to show line on a major scale

15) Typography - expressive typography that expresses mood, concepts, themes, etc (giant letters); give famous artists, important historical figures, pop stars, scientists, a typographical letter to represent them...how would it be designed? created in a stamp that can be reused?

16) Upcycled stories - original stories created by taking words, phrases, illustrations, etc from upcycled books - new stories created from old stories, within a book that is permanently open...

17) Upcycled letters - original personal stories created by taking words and phrases from vintage letters, old junk mail, etc., -->create a fake letter from someone throughout history or character.. what would it look like? what would it say?

18) Monoprints with makeup - the "female face" painted onto acrylic then pressed onto paper

19) Upcycling - modern art created from throw away products, such as glass bottles, old notebooks, etc.

20) Least favorite artworks sectioned into pieces to create a new piece of artwork, process, process, process, playing on the idea that we do not always know what the result will be

21) Children's artwork - the development of their process and abilities

22) The world inside a seashell.. needs further development --> don't want to do this idea anymore... but if I did I would create it through chunky wood paint showing a beautiful aesthetic that the world does not see because we only see the exterior

23) Small worlds, eco-systems, ponds, etc.... creating geographical maps of these mini eco-systems, much like we have world maps, showing that each species has its own "world" in which it lives

24) Homes - types of homes, city apartment, suburban home, igloo, what different types of homes mean, highlighting characteristics of homes through visuals, ex: warm, cozy, busy, loud, quiet, etc. how can colors and style speak to solitude? how can line and space speak to chaos?

25) Portraits of 5 different types of geniuses falling into the 5 minds of the future categories, creating images of these geniuses in mediums that relate to their strengths, ex: musical genius will be created in a portrait made of staff paper, etc.

26) The human language - body language that go across languages... need some ideas for this!

27) A study of monuments and what they mean to a culture - if a monument represents freedom, could it be recreated in a material that represents freedom? not crazy about this idea... could be pushed further

28) Miniatures... a look into a world the public does not usually see: odd places of work, a sunken ship, life on the moon, the inside of a volcano (almost like a fairytale/children's book of what it could look like)

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29) A study of keys, keys as a metaphor? what are the keys of life and what doors do they open? supportive family, education, money - all things that can be keys, could make large keys that are crafted from these materials (fake money (resources), pencils and books (education), love (family photos), safe home, etc.)

30) "Modern/social news" (Ex. facebook news feed) presented through classic journalism, example: laid out w/ vintage letters (stamps) or written with typewriter (what's relevant changes when information is limited)

31) Country/border study, create a series of work showing one nation's geographical & cultural changes, a work created with layers, velum and transpaerencies that can possibly be lifted to see how things have changed

32) School art and "real art" comparisons, a comparison of art projects in classrooms today to what they could be (or how an artist would redesign that concept) -->this could be used as a type of propaganda to show the ways in which art curriculum can be pushed

33) Wardrobe quilts - 4 quilts, each quilt representing a different "type of person"... one quilt is made of business clothes, another quilt is made of uniforms, one made of food (chef) etc.

34) Giant clock made up of blocks of time portraying daily life... different slivers of images within the clock represent the various allotment of one person's time in a given day (series could be of each clock representing a different culture and how they dedicate their time)

35) A study of re-creation: famous artworks recreated using people and props and then captured through photography

36) House murals - what homes would look like if a mural was painted on each exterior to represent the family within (could do this on 2' paper - mache houses)

37) Giant letters (we're talking 5' tall) comprised of all the objects that start with that letter... either painted or the objects themselves.. could do a theme of what types of words..

38) Playing with the idea of moveable homes, homes that can travel all over the world. Inspired by the movie Up - hot air balloons, balloons..

39) What does a colorless world look like? A series of paintings in gray scale... I would hate doing this, but would definitely push the concept of what color means in this world. 

40) One piece - created across four mediums - painting, ceramics, 3D, installation, illustrator etc.

41) Illustrated children's book real-life photography using people, props, etc. ex: Le Petit Prince

42) Abstracting a portrait, taking an image of a person and gradually abstracting them over a series of 4 images (the last being the most relatable for the largest group of people because it has the least specific details)

43) What would Picasso's, DaVinci's, Georgia O'Keefe's, etc. Facebook profile look like - this could be better for a lesson someday, engaging students in studying backgrounds and personas of artists

44) Objects abstracted in a series of four, from most specific to least specific

45) Create one piece of art using every medium of art I have ever learned + a new medium

46) A study of trees, 3D sculptures, each tree representing a tree metaphor, the money tree, the giving tree, the forbidden fruit tree..

47) A study of sound and how it has been produced over the past century... possibly a sculpture series?

48) Clothing created from art materials, paper, canvas, paint, string, fabric - The Artist's Wardrobe

49) A study of important symbols in various regions of the world and what the icons represent (ex: eagle in U.S.,... cross, flags, etc.

50) Study of flag colors - what different colors mean in different regions of the world

51) Miniature homes made of only recyclable or natural materials...

52) Paper dolls - global paper dolls, what the various types of clothing mean in certain cultures

53) Paper dolls - identities we try on and off through adolescence 

Seven Principles for Visual Culture Education

After reading "Seven Principles for Visual Culture Education", I realize how strongly Duncum's principles correlate with the type of curriculum emphasized in our art education program at MU. The principles Duncum has described require deep, high-level thinking that can engage students from kindergarten up to high school. Each of these principles apply to real life and real lessons that can be learned through art. I have outlined some of my thoughts and ideas about each of the principles:

1. Power:
Art is a powerful tool in our culture, and allowing children (and adults) to create art is giving them the power of self-expression. I found Duncum's opinion that the most "powerful" or common creators of images fall somewhere in commercialized or advertising industries extremely interesting. Businesses create images and media that often will relate to, or follow the traditions of, the largest target audiences. This is all the more reason we must equip our students with the vocabulary and ability to interpret the hundreds of advertisements each day. Advertisements are not necessarily equal to reality, and it is important that we teach our students to recognize this through visual literacy.

2. Ideology
I loved this line: "in creating images, we share our assumptions about the way of the world." This is so true! I immediately thought about the list of 50 conceptual ideas we created for Studio Thinking and how all of our big ideas are based on our experiences and beliefs about the world. Through art, we can share perspectives, experiences, and so much more. Ideology can be seen throughout history, from cavemen depicting their way of the world to churches hiring artists to create biblical images.

3. Representation
It was evident to me that the principle of representation discussed what images represent, but what I did not know was that art gain allow us to gain insights about what images do not represent. I love the idea of having students break down advertisements and what the various body language, facial expressions, color choices, etc. represent. I think that this could be done at all levels, almost like a VTS of images seen in our every day lives.

4. Seduction
This principle was interesting to me because it involved so much more than what you first think of upon hearing the word "seduction". Seduction involves subject matter, confirmation of beliefs and sensory factors. All of these factors play a role in what draws us to an image. Once I thought about this concept,  the factors of seduction in the art world apply to most areas of life. Humans are typically attracted to something because of its subject matter (based on personal interests), his/her senses, and agreement of beliefs. I think it would be incredible to have students present a selection of their favorite and least favorite artworks and talk about why they feel the way they do about the particular pieces. In this way, they would be explaining what seduced them to the images while learning more about themselves.

5. Gaze
This principle would be very interesting to examine in the contexts of VTS. While asking students what they see in an image, we also ask them why they think that, therefore asking them where they are coming from. Through their opinion about the artwork, we gain insight as to what their gaze may look like. The gaze adds context to the piece and shows the ways in which the artwork can mean very different things to different people.

6. Intertextuality
All images relate to other texts. I loved the way that Duncum applied this concept to a lesson. This visual map of how images relate builds contexts and connections in students' eyes. It would be a great way to introduce a new concept and gather what your students already know using visual literacy. It also would be a great way to use technology in the classroom because images can be quickly pulled from the internet and arranged in a digital map. This would also be a great principle to apply in showing students how art throughout history connects to the world today.

7. Multimodality
I must admit that this is the principle I probably still do not entirely understand. I can see how all images usually have a context (as in a gallery or newspaper, for example), but I do not understand how there are no "purely visual images". I could be misunderstanding the meaning of the phrase, or taking it too literally. However, I would argue that some images are interpreted without sound or other "noise". Take a photograph for example, what is the other noise? I am curious to see what other students have said about multimodality...

Conceptual ideas - 50

1) The story of a city (artwork comprised of handwritten stories from (city) residents)

2) Constant connectivity of 21st century life

3) Cycles that occur between generations (ex: education, lack of education, etc.)

4) "Normal" - norms that vary by culture, major differences in norms from culture to culture

5) Women and societal roles - how they've changed from 50 years ago to today

6) Animals and their similarities to humans - emotions, relationships, roles

7) Anthropology - the study of a culture through a series of artwork

8) Health's role in your life - how it can affect your life, taint the glass, change daily perspective

9) The Sea - an underwater world

10) Handwriting - variations of handwriting and what they mean, a study of handwriting

11) Everyday objects turned into works of art - finding beauty in the everyday

12) A novel transformed into an elaborately illustrated story through a series of fine artworks

13) The story of a letter, series of works showing its content developed to its delivery

14) Classroom installations - installations to teach lessons in the art classroom

15) Typography - expressive typography that expresses mood, concepts, themes, etc (giant letters)

16) Upcycled stories - original stories created by taking words, phrases, illustrations, etc from upcycled books

17) Upcycled letters - original personal stories created by taking words and phrases from vintage letters, old junk mail, etc.

18) Monoprints with makeup - the "female face" painted onto acrylic then pressed onto paper

19) Upcycling - modern art created from throw away products, such as glass bottles, old notebooks, etc.

20) Least favorite artworks sectioned into pieces to create a new piece of artwork, process, process, process, playing on the idea that we do not always know what the result will be

21) Children's artwork - the development of their process and abilities

22) The world inside a seashell.. needs further development

23) Small worlds, eco-systems, ponds, etc.

24) Homes - types of homes, city apartment, suburban home, igloo, what different types of homes mean

25) Portraits of 5 different types of geniuses falling into the 5 minds of the future categories

26) The human language - body language that go across languages

27) A study of monuments and what they mean to a culture

28) Miniatures... a look into a world the public does not usually see 

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29) A study of keys, keys as a metaphor?

30) "Modern/social news" (Ex. facebook news feed) presented through classic journalism, example: laid out w/ vintage letters (stamps) or written with typewriter (what's relevant changes when information is limited)

31) Country/border study, create a series of work showing one nation's geographical & cultural changes

32) School art and "real art" comparisons, a comparison of art projects in classrooms today to what they could be (or how an artist would redesign that concept) -->this could be used as a type of propaganda to show the ways in which art curriculum can be pushed

33) Wardrobe quilts - 4 quilts, each quilt representing a different "type of person"... one quilt is made of business clothes, another quilt is made of uniforms, one made of food (chef) etc.

34) Giant clock made up of blocks of time portraying daily life... different slivers of images within the clock represent the various allotment of one person's time in a given day

35) A study of re-creation: famous artworks recreated using people and props and then capture through photography

36) House murals - what homes would look like if a mural was painted on each exterior to represent the family within (could do this on 2" paper - mache houses)

37) Giant letters (we're talking 5" tall) comprised of all the objects that start with that letter... either painted or the objects themselves.. could do a theme of what types of words..

38) Playing with the idea of moveable homes, homes that can travel all over the world. Inspired by the movie Up - hot air balloons, balloons..

39) What does a colorless world look like? A series of paintings in gray scale... I would hate doing this, but would definitely push the concept of what color means in this world. 

40) One piece - created across four mediums - painting, ceramics, 3D, installation, illustrator etc.

41) Illustrated children's book real-life photography using people, props, etc. ex: Le Petit Prince

42) Abstracting a portrait, taking an image of a person and gradually abstracting them over a series of 4 images (the last being the most relatable for the largest group of people because it has the least specific details)

43) What would Picasso's, DaVinci's, Georgia O'Keefe's, etc. Facebook profile look like - this could be better for a lesson someday, engaging students in studying backgrounds and personas of artists

44) Objects abstracted in a series of four, from most specific to least specific

45) Create one piece of art using every medium of art I have ever learned + a new medium

46) A study of trees, 3D sculptures, each tree representing a tree metaphor, the money tree, the giving tree, the forbidden fruit tree..

47) A study of sound and how it has been produced over the past century... possibly a sculpture series?

48) Clothing created from art materials, paper, canvas, paint, string, fabric - The Artist's Wardrobe

49) A study of important symbols in various regions of the world and what the icons represent (ex: eagle in U.S.,... cross, flags, etc.

50) Study of flag colors - what different colors mean in different regions of the world

51) Miniature homes made of only recyclable or natural materials...

52) Paper dolls - global paper dolls, what the various types of clothing mean in certain cultures

53) Paper dolls - identities we try on and off through adolescence