Homework

"C" at work on a project started with a friend "a year or two ago" in his 5th or 6th grade classroom

One of the benefits of  participating in a choice-based art program at school is that important work done at home is welcome in the studio. Likewise, studio-work can be taken home to continue there.  Moving back and forth from school to home, artists can engage seamlessly with projects that have personal meaning and relevance. 

"C" showed me his artwork, his plan, and his system. He told me that a couple of years ago, he designed a series of super heroes, complete with their profiles and whether they are "good" or "bad." 

Now, as a 7th-grader, during art class, and at home, "C" selects certain characters from his file to enlarge. He does a portrait of each on its own single profile sheet. He is using information from the "Proportion of the Human Face" lesson I presented to his class several weeks ago, and checking to see if his portraits conform to those norms. 

These images are copyrighted and appear to be part of a parent company called "The Ba News Company"

 "C" is very organized, and is whipping me into shape too - leaving his finished portraits in my "in box" for lamination. I, in turn, place the laminated profile sheets in my "outbox" for "C" to pick up. Everything goes into his specially-designed folder (a double pocket folder "C" modified to be a triple pocket folder), and is carried from Art to his other classes, then home, and back again. It has not escaped me that this student is assigning homework to the teacher, in addition to himself. 

While doing some of my homework about this artist the other evening, I learned that "C" maintains a website about his work. He has given me permission to share it here.  If you dig in, you will also find a thoughtful essay about homework (hint: click on the online newsletter for a piece written by one of "C's" collaborators).

UPDATE:
"C" told me he use to work with a partner making comics - they reunited this year near the end of he term, when "W" brought his folder in to show me. 

Good Stuff! I'm so glad these two have kept this work and that it continues to grow with them. (Thanks "W" and "C" for sharing this).