Project Runway: Vermont

Teachers in learner-directed classrooms sometimes remark that their students challenge themselves more than the teacher would if the class was teacher-directed. This is certainly the case with a recent 8^th grader's work in the Fabrics & Fibers Center.

Jacket - meet skirt!

A fan of the television show “Project Runway,” “S” decided to construct a fitted jacket. She found some beautiful (donated) grey wool, pulled out our (donated) dress form, and began – sans pattern! In a million years I would not have been able to guide her through inset sleeves (I once sewed a sleeve into a garment, inside out, three times in a row!)

Authentic collaboration

Another “true fact” is that artists are inspired by other artists. This is one of the advantages for artists working together in a community studio-setting. So it should be no surprise that once fashion design was undertaken by one student, others were inspired to make clothes as well. While “S” worked on fitting her jacket to a patient model, “C” constructed a cotton skirt to complete the look.

First time using the sewing machine -  to construct a "poncho," while nearby a student works on a series of appliqued pillow designs

In this way, a student who is a beginner can happily work alongside a student with more experience. The experienced student gets company and someone to bounce ideas off of, and the newcomer can gain valuable design and sewing tips. Win-win.

Studio Thinking Habit: "Develop Craft"

My new favorite quote is now installed over the door in the painting center; "I didn't know I could paint until I tried." Isn't this so true? 
Developmental art education theory suggests that children in the middle school years are transitioning from being bold, fearless, self-confident elementary-age artists to self-critical, unsure artists who now observe that their art may not look "real enough" for their maturing inner-critics. 

"J's" Work in progress

I heard an 8th grader  (let's call him "J") make the above statement, as he looked over his almost finished painting, one he rendered over several weeks. He used a photograph as reference, practiced mixing paint colors, noticed how his brush strokes could change with thicker or thinner paint application, drew and re-drew his figure-in-action and learned that wet paint applied over dry paint  can cover mistakes made the day before. He learned that he could work on a practice piece and transfer his knowledge to a final version. He learned to observe closely. Mostly, as the quote illustrates, he learned that to be able to do something, you first have to try. 

Acrylic on canvas - by "J," grade 8

And that is probably not all there is to it, because before trying, you first need to want to do it. Artists in our studio setting are asked to develop intrinsic motivation for learning and making - to find a good enough reason to risk, to try and fail, to work out problems of perception, and to work hard to develop their skills. For some this comes naturally, for others it is an almost daily challenge. I hope "J's" observation, and his painting success,  encourages others to "try."

FELTING: Our New Favorite Thing

"J" is making this rabbit - this is the progress after two classes

Safety Rule: Keep your eyes on your work

Wow! I don't know why I resisted learning about felting over the last few years – it is magical!

Here's how you do it:

1. Have someone donate a GIANT bag of roving from the farm (thanks to “A's” mom for thinking we needed this!)

2. Have the bag sit around for 3 months while you ponder what to do with it

3. Suddenly think: “Hey, I know, maybe we should learn how to do that felting thing...

4. Order felting needles and drag out all those Styrofoam blocks another family donated (thanks for thinking we needed these!)

5. Look for a tutorial or two online to get a short jump on the students

6. Test it out a little - “how does this work anyway?”

7. Fall in love

8. Love Love Love

9. Learn the rest along side the students: make safety rules and share tips and innovations

10. Repeat 7-9 above, and invite other teachers in to try it too

We have a lot of roving...

New "pop-up" FELTING CENTER is born!

I borrowed the idea of "Play-Care" from Dr. John Crowe, Art Education Professor at Massachusetts College of Art & Design

It turns out, this experience is a perfect example of how the concept of “Play/Care” functions in the art studio. The idea is that artists need to PLAY (with ideas, materials, techniques, tools,) in order to EXPLORE & EXPERIMENT which leads to DISCOVERY. The artist can then utilize their discoveries and proceed on to CARE; when an artist works with INTENTION, PURPOSE and strives to improve their skill toward better CRAFTSMANSHIP.

Some first tries - Grade 5

Grade 8 - adding color for details. It's easy to make separate parts and then felt them together afterwards

Some 8th graders are making flat panels to turn into custom cell phone covers. One 5th grader is making a pouch to hold beans - a felted bean-bag. The rest of us are making figures and animals (mine's a camel!) 

Working with Scale

6th graders know about scale – they define it as: “Big & Small” but “not just big things or small things, but taking something big, and making it small, or taking something small, and making it big.” Like Florentjin Hofman does, for instance, with his 50 ' floating rubber duck http://www.florentijnhofman.nl/dev/project.php?id=104

6^th graders work with scale all the time – take these detailed interiors, for instance, in which found objects are re-purposed as bathroom fixtures, table lamps and computer monitors. 

5th graders know how to make two wooden beads transform into a pet bird for a dream-bedroom:

8^th graders know about scale too – as in the “boy-sized book big enough to get into” that a student is making into a long term project. 

"C" is using each center and new process to decorate the cover of his "Boy-Size Book"

In the choice-based art room, art history lessons often follow student initiative, instead of precede it. That way, when students invent a project, they can see how their idea relates to others in the art world – who else is working in “their” preferred medium, or who else is considering similar subject matter or approach. This makes learning relevant and personal, while honoring innovation and creative approaches to artistic problems.

Shared Ownership

Professor George Szekely (University of Kentucky) observes that it is often the teacher who decorates learning spaces – the teacher designs the bulletin boards, decorates the door, pins up the posters, hangs the mobiles. In doing so, the teacher “owns” the space. Szekely urges teachers to share the learning spaces in school – to look for ways to allow students to “do the decorating.”

I delight in observing ways in which students take ownership of their art studio. Here are some recent examples:

"Best Class Ever" farewell sign for the art studio door from a departing 6th grade class

"Z"  (grade 5) up on the counter to hang his "Bird Flock" for display

Large Origami Balloon by "R" (Grade 5), competes for ceiling space with projector & power cord

...and an old favorite:

"Art is Amazing" banner sign by "L" -  made at grandma's and carried into school in parts when she was a 5th grader (now an 8th grader)

Probably one reason kids love choice-based art programs so much is because they get to take back a little of the control adults so casually assume throughout the school each day. Walk through the halls of your local school and see what you observe. No doubt there will be lots of student work on display, but whose choice is it to display this work?

Typical Choice-Based Art Display - Mounted artwork with "artist's statements" attached. 

 In our Choice-Based Art program, students decide whether or not their finished work will be displayed – just as do practicing artists. Often students also determine where and how their work is displayed, and for how long.

The Important Thing

It's a concept we return to again and again - “what is the important thing about art?”

Quarter 2 has just begun, and one group of 5^th graders (from the “Quest” team) pondered the question. 

I wrote some of their responses on the whiteboard:

 Is it just me, or does this new crop of artists appear to be unusually sophisticated in their thinking?

LANTERN MAKING!

A new temporary center is available in the CBMS Art Studio for the next few weeks. 

8th graders at work in Lantern Center

6th grade lantern artists at work

Students may choose to work in the "Lantern Making Center" to create original lantern designs for Waterbury's annual River of Light Parade. The parade takes place on December 7th and this year culminates in a community bonfire. We discovered a video from Australia today showing artists using the same willow, paper & glue technique that Waterbury lantern-makers are familiar with. The austrailian lantern-artists place real lighted candles in their lanterns.

An 8th grade innovation

The parade's theme this year is "Creatures of the Sea" - students have started to design fish, squid, sea turtles and even a seahorse! This activity is perfect for our Choice-Based Art studio, because students are familiar with the event and have experience making a variety of lanterns in the past as school projects or through area art workshops. Students can use this knowledge as a spring-board to innovative new designs, shapes and structures that will carry light on parade night.

Grade 6 students adding paper "skin"

Fish design by 6th grade lantern specialist

 6th Graders interpret the "Creatures of the Sea" theme for the River of Lights parade

A nice shark is taking shape!