Narrative Lesson

November 13 2012

Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Still #21

                                                                         Untitled #96

Cindy Sherman, Untitled #92, 1981

 

Jamie and Kirstin taught their lesson on narrative. They showed a PowerPoint on Cindy Sherman and asked us questions like what do you see? and What do you think that piece of paper is? Who is this woman? I think the questions encouraged the class to make up their on stories (narrative) about the woman in these photos. One student started talking about how the women in the photograph looks like she could be on desperate housewives, the photo is so filled of drama. They talked about genre and asked the class what type of genre these photos would fit into.The class replied drama or mystery. The photo Untitled #92 was given to us in the form of a worksheet. There was one box above the photo and one box bellow. We were asked to draw a narrative depicting what had happened to this woman before and after. I think this exercise was a great way to get the class thinking about putting a story together in a sequential manner. Kirstin also showed a demo on camera angles and we were told to think about what angle we wanted to shoot our photos at. For this project we used digital cameras to take a picture that tells a story, we were also asked to think of a genre for our photo. We had the option to make props for our photo. To start we were given a page to draw out an idea for a photograph. At this moment I froze up. For some reason I just couldn't jump right into this project. I couldn't think of any ideas do I just drew a picture of me kneeling on the ground looking frightened at something. To think of it it looks very similar to Cindy Sherman's Untitled #92. For this project my idea was not very original, but I think a few things could have helped. When I was drawing I desperately wanted more boxes on the paper so I could mess around with a few ideas, this way I wouldn't be tied to just one. I think it would have been helpful to be given random words describing a subject or verb that our narratives must include. Even if it was just one word I feel like that alone would have helped me generate some ideas. We worked with a partner who took our picture but the two narratives did not correspond. I think the lesson would have been more engaging if we worked with our partners in concept as well as production. Overall great job Kirstin and Jamie.

Here are a couple of  Cindy Sherman self portraits I found appealing.

 

Quote from Artist

 

"Everyone thinks these are self-portraits but they aren't meant to be. I just use myself as a model because I know I can push myself to extremes, make each shot as ugly or goofy or silly as possible."

Cindy Sherman

Insanity Lesson

November 9th - Tanya and Katie taught their lesson on the theme of insanity. I think their theme is attention grabbing and exciting. I was engaged from the start. We were given a packet titled Repetitious Compulsions and told that we should fill out this packet out during the PowerPoint. They started with asking the class what the word insanity means. When students started to call out (crazy, wide eyed etc...) they wrote the words on the smart board. I was glad we talked about the artist Judith Scott. We had just talked about her in my disability studies in art education class and this was a nice connection for me. Judith Scott has Down syndrome, is deaf and cannot speak her way of communicating to the world is through her art. Judith was put into an institution for 35 years and her artistic abilities didn’t start to emerge until she was taken out of the institution by her twin sister. She often finds objects and she wraps them with colorful string, over and over again until they lose all utilitarian purposes. These objects can now be appreciated for their artistic and aesthetic function.

 

                                                     Curlicue Sculpture, Judith Scott

                                         

 

After the Power Point we all got a box the boxes all contained different types of materials. Each group got a verb something they would have to implement in the making of their project. My group got cupcake wrappers pins and glue. Tanya and Katie gave us small pieces of foam board to practice on. After we experimented on the practice board we could then move to the larger piece of foam board. I really loved how fun and creative this project was. Plus their was an element of surprise with the boxes and choosing of techniques. I also think that Tanya and Katie did a great job of staying consistent with their theme of insanity. Our materials and the verbs encouraged students to use  repetition. The actions of stacking and wrapping and pinning  over and over again represents the compulsive actions of the artists Judith Scott, Eva Hesse and Tara Donovan. It was very helpful to have a verb we must use, it narrowed down the possibilities and this way we could concentrate  one repetitive action. I enjoyed the critique at the end it was nice to see what everyone else had done and what materials and verbs they had. Some groups had clay, some had wire, and some had cardboard.  

    

Environment Lesson

On November 6^th 2012 Shannon and Sara taught their lesson on Environment. We received an e-mail from Shannon asking us to bring in five objects within our environment. At least one natural and one fabricated. We also were asked to bring in our cameras. I thought it was great that we got the chance to bring in our own objects. It made the project more personalized, and it was exciting (kind of like a show and tell). It encouraged the students to look around at what others brought in and interact with their peers. Shannon and Sara reviewed the slideshow of artist we had talked about earlier as well as some of the concepts we had learned.  I am very interested in the artist Andy Goldsworthy who creates earth art. I’m glad that during these lessons we are getting the chance to learn about contemporary artists. One thing I need to work on is gathering the names and artworks of artists who interest me; this will be extremely helpful in the future. The artist Banksy interests me; I like how he brings art to urban areas. I also enjoyed the artwork of Alexa Meade who used a contrast between the medium of paint and photography. Shannon and Sara discussed how a composition can be dynamic or it could be static. They both explained these concepts accurately and allowed students to add their input. We were asked to take photographs of both a dynamic and static composition. Shannon came around and asked me if my composition was static or dynamic and asked me why I thought so. I like that she was following up with students to check for understanding. The teacher examples were great! They looked very professional. Shannon and Sara seemed to cover all aspects of the lesson, and they showed different viewpoints of their topic.

Static

Dynamic

Gesture Lesson

November 2^nd 2012- Meagan and Amy taught their lesson on the theme of Gesture. There slideshow presentation showed the difference between the gestures of the young and old in photographs by the artist Nikki S. Lee. I liked that Meagan and Amy asked the class to show in gestures with our bodies what a young person looks like and what a young person looks like. This got the class involved and interacting. I also like the artwork with the hand gestures done by Avery Lucas this showed the class that emotion can be evoked through body language. The questions Meagan and Amy asked got the class involved. Students started talking about how the two hands together reached out look like someone asking for more, it is inviting compared to the other artwork. The other picture shows the hands squeezing the arms and moving away from the viewer, if the artwork could speak it might say “stay away”. These examples gave a variety of ways in which gesture could be used. This got the class ready to start our projects. Meagan and Amy gave a demo on how to use plaster and told the class they could use any body part we wanted. I worked in a group with Mikayla, Joe, and Taryn. We choose to plaster Mikayla’s nose.  We were a little confused by the goal of the project and didn’t think the body part was required to show a gesture, so our project in concept did not work. I think Meagan and Amy could have encouraged people to plaster their hands because that’s the most expressive body part. Their presentation as well as demo and class critique was very strong and the project was fun. I enjoyed using a material I had never worked with before. Great job guys! I thought  Amy was very enthusiastic and Meagan was inviting and engaged the class.

Theory and Practice

On October 30th 2012 my Theory and Practice class started theme-based lessons. Leah, Chris and Cameron were first to teach their lesson. Their theme was the Apocalypse, which I found to be a very exciting topic. I remember their images and I think the artwork with the mutant dog created an enthusiastic conversation and was a great intro to the theme of Apocalypse. The teacher’s samples were mutant creatures made out of clay and we were told our drawings would later be translated into clay. We were broken up into groups of three or four, and asked to collaborate with our classmates to create our own mutant. We were given four cards and we got to choose one from the pile, this was exciting  way to present the element of chance into the lesson it made the lesson like a game. The categories were arms, legs, body and head. I received the card for arms. From there we were asked to draw four drawings of our body part. I like this because it gave us options. Once we were done with our drawings we were asked to show our drawings to the group. We talked about which drawings worked the best and what kind of mutants we wanted to create from there. There were many drawings that looked robotic and others that looked more organic. Julia chose to create a plant creature with a human head. I decided to make a robot. I thought it was great that the teachers went around and asked if students thought they would have any difficulties when they were making their mutant in clay. Cameron was very helpful and he asked me if my robot would be able to stand? Then I noticed the legs were very thin and fragile, so I told him no it wouldn’t. He suggested I add a base to give my sculpture support, and that the base could reflect the environment the robot lives in. Cameron was very good at trouble shooting problems that students might have. The one thing I was a bit disappointed with was that we didn’t get to work with clay. There was extra time at the end and I think we could have started using clay and spend less time on the drawing part. During the critique of the teachers it was mentioned that the students could have worked with clay but I guess this is a drawback of going first. Groups that teach later have the advantage of learning from this.Overall I loved the lesson!

Artists who explore Identity

     Jose Bedia

Laurie McClave

 

 

 

 Artist Statement-

"Painting is and always has been a way to express my feelings and views of the world to others, much like a writer of poetry or novels creates a world with words, I create a world of emotions with paint and brush. I have been asked many times if the women I paint are me. To some degree, yes, they are all different subconscious renderings of myself and all iconic images of women throughout art history. Every subject is a different embodiment of woman and our connection to the world we live in. I like to paint strong characters and focus on my subjects eyes to convey a feeling and mood in the paintings, and drawing from culture, both popular and ancient I try to portray what is going on in the current atmosphere, political and spiritually. My work is a mix of old and new, traditional and non traditional elements that I have experienced personally and studied at length (Laurie McClave)."

    Laurie McClaves work has helped me think about identity in many ways. When I create art I tend to create forms that are feminine and when drawing and painting I'm more interested in the female figure. This Is my own proses of exploring identity and representing the pride I feel in being a strong and motivated woman. When I see Laurie McClaves work I identify with it instantly. This has always been the kind of work I want to create, but maybe have been too hesitant to go fully through with it. I aspire to be at her level one day I think her work is beautiful and empowering.

  When looking at the following pieces of work these are some thoughts and feelings that came to mind. The mysticism of a woman, the beauty and purity in women, the seduction and intensity of women, oppression and seclusion, sensuality and lust. She portrays these women in a goddess like way many with confidence and deep emotional impact.

Essential questions

1) Does current social and cultural problems shape our idea of personal identity? and if so in which way?

Identities are influenced by society and culture

2) How can ideas be conveyed through symbolism of animals and objects?

The use of symbolism help convey different aspects of identity in artwork.

3) In which way does our preconception and knowledge about history (including art and politics) effect the message an artist is trying to convey through their work?

Recognizing what the artist is inspired by can change the meaning of the artwork and the idea of identity; through past occurrences and inspirations.

4) How does your beliefs impact your identity?

Through art, some artists can embody their ideal selves and show their viewpoints in a somewhat subconscious way.

5) In which way does expressions of the face and body add to the concept of identity?

Expressions and body language are open to interpretation and can sometimes mean different things to various people.



American Life episode (Middle School)

             I found the American Life episode to be very interesting. It showed a variety of different perspectives from students of different ages and backgrounds to the teachers who watch these students interact on a day to day basis. This episode gives a very accurate description of just how challenging it can be to fit in and be accepted in middle school. Hearing these stories was a bit nostalgic. I couldn’t help but remember my experience in middle school and just how challenging it was to fit in let alone not be judged for thinking differently than others.

              They start the show with a girl who talks about how judgmental middle school students can be but even though she is worried about what people think of her, she also understands that children at this age don’t yet know who they are; so their judgments are just a way of dealing with the transition from childhood to adulthood. I thought this girl was very intelligent to come to a conclusion about why middle school students act the way that they do. She goes on to say how the smallest thing like wearing a new sweater to school can be filled with anxiety because it will only take one kid who doesn’t like it; for her to get made fun of. The episode also talks about awkward school dances, the struggle immigrant families go through trying to fit into a new society and just how difficult it was for a sixth grade student to move to another school. What I found most useful was the story about the seventh grade student who came from a troubled home life.

              The seventh grade boy comes into school angry every day; he generalizes about the world and people around him talking about how terrible everyone and everything is. This boy comes in everyday without a shower, with dirty clothes with holes in them; sometimes he hasn’t even eaten breakfast. It’s sad to hear about this child whose life is already challenging, but on top of that he has to deal with the pressures of middle school. He was constantly made fun of; children would call him dirty among other things. He would get angry and start screaming at his classmates; it’s understandable that he didn’t know how to deal with all that was going on. His teacher notices this and tries to help him. A girl in her class who is normally a good student gets into an argument with the boy one day and ends up saying hurtful things to him. The teacher talks to the girl after class and because she trusts this student she tells her that the boy has it really hard at home his power is now out and he was up all night taking care of his grandmother. The student then feels empathy for the boy and her and some other girls talk to the boy and try to get him to open up without lashing out.

             I thought this was a great thing that the teacher did. Even though she was hesitant to tell a student about his background, she apparently told the right one. It made the girl understand just what the boy had to go through each and every day. After his peers talked to him; he didn’t have as much of a problem in class. When he had a problem he would say calmly why he was angry and the other students would help him work through it. This shows how positive influence from peers can make a big impact in a child’s life. This topic of encouraging your students to have empathy for others and understand different viewpoints was discussed in various articles we read about the middle school learner, and it was also brought up in our video chat with Amber Ward.