Visiting Dryden Elementary Art Program with Tricia Fuglestad

On Friday, March 22nd, I had the rare opportunity to leave my classroom and go visit another. Our school art program is in year one of the three year curriculum cycle. Year one involves research, which includes visiting other programs. I follow Tricia Fugelstad on Twitter and also the arted2.0 Ning network and have seen the dynamic ways she infuses technology into the hands-on elementary art program she runs. Her website for Dryden Elementary is phenomenal and the starting point for her branding of her entire program.  She is a wonderful art advocate and marketer of art!  

It is difficult to decide where to begin.  I wanted to meet Tricia because she teaches with iPads in the elementary art room.  I think this is impressive and amazing to give those skills to the youngest artists while still preserving and developing their hands on creativity skills.  Advanced levels of problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration  were apparent in the way her program is run. Students also dabble in sound, music, acting, writing, art history and other media to create their one-of-kind animations and video projects.  They are also learning basic photography skills in elementary school!  This is awesome!  Tricia's development of her students' literacy skills (visual, oral, written) is evident too, in the many project that link to math, literature and more.  

I learned so much on Friday.  First and foremost was meeting a dynamic Art Educator, who is so willing to share with others and spread her love of art and technology to all she meets.  Tricia advocates for her program attending many School Board meetings to constantly keep her art program in the forefront of their minds.  This was a great take away....don't wait until you're invited, invite yourself often! 

Another lesson had to do with software on the mac that I've already got and have access to.  Tricia taught me some new techniques and tricks in both the Preview software and Keynote.  The Preview take-away was great as I just thought Preview was for looking at your photos.  There are actual editing capabilities that I didn't know existed.  Using Keynote for building animations that involve video and photography was great.  I learned about the Alpha Key tool which enables you to do some pretty cool green screen style effects in Keynote.  This tool also exists in Preview and is part of what I will try to incorporate into the Photography class I already teach. I also got the chance to play around on her iPad.  I've used an iPad before and I have an iPhone, but thinking and using it for making art is different than playing Angry Birds or Words with Friends.  I learned about several new things about some apps I've seen and have, but haven't played with.

Tricia also uses an Ipevo, which is a small inexpensive web camera that when connected to the computer or iPad can display the demonstrations she's presenting on the screen.  It also can be used for stop motion animation to capture the image.  I learned about iMotion app for iPad, Sketchbook Express, Doink and then the previously mentioned new ways to work with Keynote and Preview. 

I think my favorite "Ah-Hah" moment however, was the way that Tricia delivers her lessons.  They are all packaged and saved to her website so she can access them from anywhere and so that others can see what she is doing.  She often uses music or her own animated character of herself projected on screen while students are entering the classroom. This immediately engages students while directing them what to do and how to get ready.  Class is fast-paced with only 45 minutes of art once a week.  How lucky her students are to have such a creative teacher!

The website and the packaging of the lessons really got me thinking about developing one place to house all of the digital content that I've amassed and developed.  Tricia has a wiki, a blog, Twitter, Artsonia account, dropbox and more, but the difference is that it isn't all scattered.  It is all housed under her website.   The marketing and branding of her program and all the professional work she does to make that program happen is the biggest lesson I learned.  What a fantastic experience!

Thanks so much to Tricia Fuglestad for generously hosting my visit!

Tile A Mile 2013-Community Art Making and Fundraising

Every year at Pewaukee High School I host the Tile-A-Mile fundraising event to celebrate the Visual Arts and to raise money for our department scholarship and programs. I established this event in 2009 to raise awareness for our program. I also noticed that there was no Visual Art scholarship at the high school and yet, there were many worthy students going through our program and going onto college to study the Visual Arts. So it seemed we needed a scholarship.
The idea was to make art, have fun, raise money and also have a lasting community art project that would allow people to remember the event and the art department for years to come. Tile-A-Mile was born. Today the event is well established and features partnerships with local businesses who donate goods and services to help the event run smoothly. There are also wonderful volunteer opportunities to run the event. Art Club students, AP Art class students and parents come in to make it all happen. People can purchase a tile for $10.00 and then paint that tile. It becomes part of the permanent display of tiles in the high school. Someday we hope to have a mile installation, hence the name. There is also a silent auction, raffle and demos of various art techniques, which often includes a very popular clay wheel throwing demonstration. We do face-painting and also have a bake sale.
These are photos from this year's event. The event raised just shy of $2000.00, not bad for having fun on a cold, late winter Saturday. Enjoy!

Teaching Animation One of My Favorite Things

Teaching Animation class is one of my favorite things.  It is one of the few classes where I just get to say "yes" to my students and where they can do anything they can imagine.  I know that should be true in any art class, but the students who take Animation are so highly motivated and turned on that it sets the bar high.  I sometimes feel I learn so much from them.  It is sad that sometimes this class doesn't run due to low enrollment. The thing is, part of what makes it such a great class is the lower class size!  I can give a lot of individualized attention to all students and they can personalize their learning experience.  Today I'm going to post our first video here.  It's not fantastic, but still really magic when you see your marks take flight and start to move! 

More to come I'm sure...I have a really fun group this term. 

Scholastic Art Awards Day at The Milwaukee Art Museum

Saturday, February 2, 2013 was the Awards Ceremony for the 2013 Scholastic Art Competition at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee, WI.  I always really enjoy being a part of this special day that not only pays tribute to the outstanding artistic talents of students in grades 7-12, but also salutes the art educators who teach the students and assist them with the process.

I always get a bit emotional when I see my students' work on display in the beautiful galleries of the Milwaukee Art Museum.  Not many adult artists can say that their work has been displayed at a major art museum, so for students to be able to add this accomplishment to their resume at such an early age is quite a tribute to their talents.

As an art educator this is always a tough time of year.  The semester just ended and the new one has just begun. AP Art is really in full swing with portfolios due in a few short months. It is extremely busy and crazy right now and so a day that helps me hit the pause button is good.  It is also very gratifying to be recognized for the excellence that I try to instill in my students.  I find this day a chance to explore new concepts, to questions what I do as an educator (in a reflective, good way) and to celebrate what I am passionate about.

A few years ago when I entered work again and again in this exhibit and got zero pieces accepted it felt like I wasn't good enough as an educator.  I also felt our program was too, small and couldn't compete with the big fish in town.  I didn't give up however; I got involved in artist-educator programs and groups such as MATA (The Milwaukee Area Teachers of Art) and NAEA (National Art Education Association) and of course my local chapter, WAEA (Wisconsin Art Education Association).  Through this involvement I met other educators and got the opportunity to see what others were doing.  I also joined online communities of educators through Pinterest, Art Ed2.0 Ning, Twitter and even Facebook.  All of these expanded my community and gave me lots of people to talk to and learn from. I also made changes to our curriculum at Pewaukee High School.  Creating more rigor and a higher expectation for students in the art department.  We also adding new courses that were more 21st century based, teaching students about Digital Photography, Animation and more.    A huge part of being an educator is to continue your own learning and to take risks.  

So Saturday celebrated the third time that PHS students have received awards for their works of art.  I have also seen the number of high quality AP portfolios increase and the number of scholarships my art students receive rise as well.  I love the Art Museum for hosting this event and helping shine the spotlight on the hard work of so many talented young adults and their teachers.  Thanks to them!  Make sure you go see the exhibit on display through mid-March.

Here is a slide show of some of the images from Saturday.  I apologize for not citing the names of the artists on the works I photographed.  

Inspired Thoughts from Ken Vieth

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a conference by Ken Vieth and the Bureau of Education and Research entitled "Engaging Visual Projects For Enhancing Your Art Program".  What a great day....it is often a disappointment to attend these workshops as the person speaking may not live up to the hype, but this was not the case.  Ken Vieth is a creative, funny and talented story teller who willingly shares his ideas and his failings to help others become better.  His passion for art education is contagious.

I had purchased Ken's book "From Ordinary to Extraordinary:  Art and Design Problem Solving" by Davis Publishing. I loved the book and the way it challenged and inspired brainstorming and creative problem solving.  Many of the projects therein could serve as stand-alones or you could use them as a creative jumping off point to dive into deeper waters.  Many of the ideas in that book inspired the newer Drawing and Painting 2 courses that my school now offers.  I utilized them to help with the curricular design.  This workshop promised that we would receive Mr. Vieth's latest book, "Engaging the Adolescent Mind Through Visual Problem Solving" and a hands-on art-making experience and a day filled with curricular specific ideas to enhance what you do.  A LOFTY AGENDA....but it was met.

The stories were told with humor and a feeling that the person talking has been in the trenches just like me.  Many of the ideas shared were great starting points for entire units.  I could envision ways to go beyond the hands on traditional studio arts and incorporate the ideas into the digital arts courses that I teach.  For example, Vieth shared a project he did with his students where they created black stenciled self-portraits that included their signature designed into the piece.  Students had to solve positive-negative space issues and also determine how to design the finished group piece, which were large floor to ceiling fabric panels created and installed in the schools media center to shade out the sun that blotted out the computer screens each day.  The combination of function and form was lovely.  I thought this project could become a lesson in Adobe Illustrator...taking the stenciled style self portraits and signatures and further extending them as an individual logo and self promotional piece.  I could see a whole line of business cards, letterhead and other design projects that could use that stencil portrait as the start.  My brain was whirling as I took notes jotting down my own ideas along with Ken's. 

That was really one of the points he made throughout....he was here to share and to empower us to go back and continue fighting the fight, but in even more creative ways. I felt validated for the job I was doing, but also challenged to get out of the comfort (rut) of repeating the same projects year after year and trying to change each year, making the experience unique and inspired each time for students and for me the Artist Educator.  I came back to my room the next day and immediately shone a bright light on my program and starting changing....the set up, the layout and the attitude. 

What a great workshop!  Thanks Ken for a fabulous day. 

Francesca Woodman-Discovering A New-Old Powerful Female Voice in Photography

I subscribe to the weekend New York Times to keep up with the arts. I am often thrilled with the articles therein and this weekend was no exception as I read the article about Francesca Woodman, whom I'd never heard of before. Turns out she is now one of my favorite photographers.
I won't go into details about her tragic suicide. The article discusses her parents' role in fostering her career as an artist-photographer after her death. What intrigued me about her was the profound visual metaphors her work displays. She is constantly looking at herself or the idea of the self and often is hidden, distorted or vanishing in the picture frame. This intrigues me as so many of the teen age students I teach have these mixed feelings about who they are and what they look like and how they might interpret that.
I found this wikipedia article about Woodman and thought it was also very helpful and had links to many of her images. Here are just a few of the images I found amazing.

Community Service and the Art Department

Late August is the time of year that educators start to reflect on how they will make an impact this year. How will it be different for their students? What can I do to make this the best year. A colleague I follow on Twitter, Matt Cauthron (@imagemonki)asked the question, anyone got any good service projects? It made me start thinking about the role of the Art Department in community service. To me community service is a great way to make an impact and make each year the best that students can remember. The arts in particular can take the lead on doing this by actively involving students in connections and service.

As the Visual Art Department Chair and director of Art Club at my school I believe very strongly in my role to connect to the school community and the greater Milwaukee Community. My students live somewhat sheltered lives out in the suburbs and I really want them to experience all that the rich and diverse community of Milwaukee has to offer. I used to be the Community Outreach and Education Director for the Betty Brinn Children's Museum in Milwaukee. The three years I spent there really taught me the importance of connecting in mutually beneficial ways. Community service and outreach should be good not just for the recipients, but also for the people providing the service...in this case me and my students! It should be the proverbial "win-win" situation.

In the past Art Club has connected to the community on many levels. We started out small by doing projects in school. Just as in child development, baby steps requiring focusing on yourself first and then branching out to think of others. So we painted the gallery walls and created an entry-way mural for the school. Both projects were well received and benefited the art students since their work was hanging in the gallery on a regular basis. From there the art club grew from a few members to a strong core of 15-20 students who were very devoted to the idea of hanging out, making art and providing service to the community.

We were now ready to take on the world, or at least our little suburban world. We were asked to work on a project for River Hills Nursing Home to help them create a new room for their Alzheimer's wing. This project provided students with the opportunity to meet residents, see their work hung in a public place and see how profoundly happy a simple painting could make people. We developed a garden-themed mural and also helped with ideas on how to transform the drab room into a garden room. The Nursing Home staff painted the room a soothing sage green and added lattice work, a faux fence and a garden bench along with potted plants. They hosted a reception for my students, their parents and the principal of the school. We met with staff and saw residents as well. It was a very positive experience for all.

We have done other service including a community art making fund raiser called "Tile-A-Mile". This event was started three years ago because there was no scholarship money for Visual Art students at our school. We host an event yearly to raise funds for a scholarship, but it is also an art-making opportunity. Community members buy a tile and paint it for $10.00. At the event they also have the opportunity to get their faces painted, see artists demonstrate their craft (wheel throwing, jazz ensembles and foil embossing have been a few), and also bid on raffle and silent auction items donated by the community. This event is a lot of fun for the students of art club who do all the planning and run the various events. It connected me to their parents and in turn to other community members including local businesses. This positive experience for the sake of art is again another win-win community service idea. The tiles that participants create are framed and displayed throughout the school, with the goal of someday having "a mile of tiles". The community is given an opportunity to be entertained, fed and maybe even win a raffle item, while the students benefit by gaining scholarship funds and the experience of leadership opportunities.

Last year I didn't do as much community service. The Educator community was under attack in the state of Wisconsin where I live. It was hard to focus on anything other than keeping my job and hoping all the scary things being threatened didn't come true. We did manage to do some local service projects including decorations and murals for homecoming and winter ball. We also provided art work for a local business this past summer. Students helped mat the work and get it ready for display. The exhibit was part of a business mixer for local businesses to meet and mingle. The art work was a big hit and the business ended up giving us a donation for our scholarship fund.

This is one of the hidden values of Community Outreach and service. You raise the visibility of your program in the community. Businesses become aware of you and the students you serve. Another type of service is more of a partnership really. I developed a program where my students provided art work to 3 local businesses to display in their new office spaces. The businesses in turn made substantial donations to our scholarship fund. The students whose work was chosen to be displayed received a stipend. One of the businesses came back the next year and offered several of my students jobs at their site in a production/digital photography capacity. This never would have happened if we hadn't made the initial connection.

So this year try a bit of community service. Think beyond your classroom and connect with a local business or group that will benefit your program, your students and the community. So many valuable skills can be learned through service and outreach. Best of luck with back to school 2011!

Milwaukee Area Teachers of Art Spring Membership Exhibit 2011

There is nothing quite like the camaraderie of fellow teachers. Tonight was a fantastic celebration of art and the work that we all do as artist educators. As president of the Milwaukee Area Teachers of Art (MATA) I was so proud of the exhibit and the wonderful reception that we held this evening. The MATA board pitched in and made the evening run smoothly. The quality of the show was really high. Many commented that this was the best exhibit we've shown. This was the opening of the 2011 MATA Spring Membership Exhibit at the Marceil Plutorak Atrium Gallery at Carroll University in Waukesha,WI.

There was also a record number of members, family and friends who came to the reception to help celebrate. Over 60 people joined us for the dinner following the reception in the Humphrey Chapel at Carroll University. Eddee Daniel won best in show with his work called Facade. It was one of many strong works in the exhibit. I will post more and possibly a slide show of the winning pieces. Congrats to all exhibiting artists.

This year has been especially challenging for teachers with the current political climate of cuts and general disrespect for what we do. It was especially invigorating to celebrate the positive work that we do as artist educators. We have suffered through a lot of insults and attacks as a profession. This night was about the talented, creative educators who make up the Milwaukee Area Teachers of Art. Their students are so lucky to have them. Let's hope the schools continue to employ them!

Enjoy the slideshow of images from the reception and of some of the works submitted by artists.

2011 Pewaukee School District Barnes and Noble Art Exhibit

These are photos from the 2011 Pewaukee School District-Wide Art exhibit held at the Barnes and Noble. It is a show I coordinate and love as it gives my students the opportunity to exhibit their work to a larger audience. It also give them a chance to be part of the bigger community beyond the high school. It is always an invigorating experience.

Photojournalism and the WI Protests: Is This Art?

There are 3 sets of photo collections on my flickr.com account that illustrate where I have been spending most of my free time lately-MADISON, WI. That's right I've been protesting for my rights as an educator and joining the fray so to speak. It really has all been very peaceful and actually quite empowering and invigorating. So my question to you who read this blog...(anyone?) is this ART?

I used to have aspirations to become a photo journalist, but I decided I wasn't aggressive enough to pursue this career. I still have a great love for photography and a great respect for journalism. I think a photograph can communicate the story so much more vividly than the words attempting to portray it. The point of view of the journalist is less obvious and in some ways more objective. The photographer records what she sees. Through cropping and printing and color choices some of the feelings or viewpoints of the photographer may come through, but the image is primarily an objective representation.

During the protests I have found myself shoving my camera in total strangers' faces and capturing their expressions, moods and signs. To me the signs have been this moving global art exhibit of creative thoughts. Some are well crafted, but most have been very clever in their wording and graphic representation of what their makers believe. So are my photos of these signs and these people art?

I am considering doing more with these images, perhaps creating a quilt of printed imagery on fabric, perhaps printing them as cyanotypes, perhaps developing them into posters, not sure yet. It feels like there is so much raw potential here. Some of the images to me can stand alone as outstanding photographs. We'll see where these go, but let me know what you think. Are these art?

Here are 3 slideshows of my images. I think it is interesting to see the desperation in the images from the Thursday that the bill passed. The images from February seem more carnival like. The images from the tractor rally show the seriousness of people's attitudes, this is less about a party and more about our lives. Let me know what you think...

Big Tractor Rally and More...Welcome Back Fab 14

The Day the Bill Passed


February When All This Started

Impending Deadline of An Art Show

I have an April 2nd deadline coming up for entering work into the MATA Spring Membership exhibit. So here I am on March 9th with not even a glimmer of an idea what I will create. Each night I come home from school around 5:00 and crash on the couch and watch back to back Bones episodes and just stare. I am the ultimate definition of a couch potato.

I could blame this melancholy and lethargy on winter or the budget crisis or my job, but the truth is that I am being just purely lazy. I know that some of it is exhaustion, but as I proved when pursuing a Masters degree in art a few years back there is so much more time in your schedule than you realize. Staying up late to make art is rewarding. Turning the TV off allows one to paint or draw or knit or dream or read. I know this, like I know a lower fat diet and fruits and veggies and exercise are good for me, yet I make poor choices. Claiming to be too, tired. The truth is that many nights as I stare at the TV I fall asleep and wake up an hour later with contact lens crusted to my eyes and the feeling I forgot to do something. Then I go to bed and get up and do it all over again.

So where does the spark, the initiative to make art after the 9-10 hour work day giving your heart and soul to your students come from? How do you avoid being a couch potato? I used to go exercise after school and it made me feel more energetic, but it also meant I got home a lot later and got started on my free time even later. How do you find the energy, the creativity to CREATE.

I know it is discipline, drive, will power... I seem to lack all of these right now. The budget crisis and attack on teachers hasn't helped I know that. The conversation has been so demoralizing and negative. I have really begun to wonder if what I do really matters. It has been hard to say the least.

I think I need to make a loose, expressionistic painting that is therapeutic, non-judgmental and perhaps just for me, not for the art competition. What would be the worse thing that happens? I feel better and make some art. Now where are my canvas and paints?

Vacation and the Act of Creation

I just returned from a wonderful vacation to San Diego, California. It was over the holidays and we stayed with family. Of course some might argue that this is a recipe for disaster with family drama and all the insane over indulgences of the holiday season, but it turned out to be an unexpected time of creation and renewal of my artistic spirit.

Because there were so many people visiting at the same time there were snippets of time that allowed me to slip away and be alone in the warm California sunshine. The locals felt it was cool, but to my blood the 60s and sun were gorgeous and very balmy compared to the 20s back home. I took advantage of these moments and sketched or painted. It's not that anything fabulous was produced, but it was the nurturing of that spirit and that quiet reflective time that was important.

Working as a full time art educator you spend so much time fostering your students flickering flame of creativity. If you're able to go home in the evening and stoke your fire you are lucky and more energetic than I. So this vacation was a chance to spend time with just me and my moleskine sketchbook. I love flowers and gardens and my mother-in-law has a lovely expanse in the back yard next to the pool. I painted the ice plant and the few roses that were blooming. I photographed the lovely liquid amber leaves of the maples and the burnt red berries hanging in clusters over the fence. So much color for an artistic soul who'd just settled into the whites and grays of winter.

There were other stolen moments too, when we took a large communal walk with the 14 cousins, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents all present for Christmas morning. It had rained over night, but the sun was shining for the walk and the low dramatic clouds clung to the mountains in the distance. The dramatic lighting made this photographer positively giddy. I brought my camera and while others walked and talked I dawdled behind a bit snapping images along the way.

When we returned home and I uploaded my shots my father-in-law commented "Did you take those on our walk?"
"Yes" I replied.
He said, "I never saw any of that."

I smiled to myself. Isn't that really the artist's calling? To hold a magnifying glass or mirror to those fleeting moments that most don't see or take in. The artist registers the subtle innuendos of light and color. The artist sees the light shifting. The artist notices the shadows. How delightful to be able to see so much. I always tell my students Draw what you see, not what you know. Really see the subject. Take it in. Through artistic observation we see so much more.

My final day in San Diego was spent seeing....looking and interacting with art at the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. While I greatly enjoy this Museum I was especially thrilled to see the New Realities exhibit featuring the works of Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylor. I must say I was so filled with emotion walking through this exhibit. I was by myself and my only regret was that there were no other students of art to share my joy and wonder with. If I had an iphone I'd have tweeted endlessly the happiness that filled me as I walked through the exhibit.

I'd studied Mr. Uelsmann's work as a college photography student back in the 80s. He was amongst the "gods of photography" whose actual work I hoped to see someday. He was also amongst the last of my "gods" that I had not ever seen before. Ms Taylor's work is some of my favorite current digital work. She is a goddess of Adobe Photoshop and the use of a scanner. I often show her work to my students to help them understand what is possible, that artistic digital photography goes beyond just shooting an image. There is so much more one can do. There was an excellent digital display that illustrated the step by step screens of how Ms Taylor builds these images, which develop like paintings really. There was also a video featuring Mr. Uelsmann discussing his process. He does his large black and white, surreal juxtapositions by using 8 enlargers in his customized darkroom. No computers are involved. I wish the video had shown a bit more of this step by step.

Overall the exhibit was wonderful. It showcased each artist as individuals, but also paired a number of their photographs together. Uelsmann and Taylor are husband and wife. This partnership was evident in these pairings, but I don't know if they intentionally create imagery that is that closely linked. Several that struck me included the Uelsmann 2008 Untitled piece that featured an archway with a female figure standing silhouetted in the low light and with female faces juxtaposed in the walkway. At the bottom in the foreground there was an open tintype or daguerrotype print with the face of the woman repeated and an old image of a young girl in 19th century dress. Taylor's work next to this one called "Small Storm" 2002 replicated the archway shape, but featured more whimsical imagery of an umbrella and rain falling under the umbrella. There were other pairings that were equally intriguing in their repetition of themes, shapes and compositions. I loved this exhibit and spent nearly an hour wandering through and revisiting sections.

After viewing this I continued to the rest of the Museum and discovered images from some of the greats of photography. It was like bumping into dear old friends. There were Ansel Adams, Ruth Bernhard, Edward Weston, Bill Brandt, Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans to name a few. I was equally as excited as an art educator to view the juried local student exhibit of works called: Reflections: Exploring Cultural Identity. The energy and vision of the students, some as young as third grade, was very inspiring. Having taught in California I was especially happy to see the quality of work being produced in this era of program cuts, which usually gouge the arts right out of schools.

I also took a brief stroll through the San Diego Museum of Art and saw many favorites there. Mostly I just enjoyed the beauty of the rain-drenched Balboa Park walkways as I found my way back to my husband and son at the Aerospace Museum. It was a lovely day even if the rains came down. To me it gave everything a clean wash of light and color. I was awed as one often is in California by the grandeur of nature the enormous banyan trees and eucalyptus and the wondrous palms and flowers; their colors and textures all larger than life.

It is good to be an artist on vacation. I think I saw more than the other people I was with or maybe I just imbued it with my artistic imagination. Either way I face the dull gray winter with a renewed spirit of creativity and will keep the colors and the light in my soul flickering through the long winter.

Robert Redford Speaks Up for Art Education

I have always loved him! What great words for an artist educator to hear. The story at the end is worth listening for. Teachers can make such a difference in the lives of their students. There are so many art students whose only place that they feel safe and accepted is in the art room. We are different and a place that allows us to be different is required. I try so hard to look for the creative way to meet my students half way and to make their experiences worthwhile and maybe even life changing. What a great anecdote and message he leaves us with.

Manifesto on Creativity in Schools

ADE Creative Manifesto from Matt Cauthron on Vimeo.

I haven't written in awhile because it seems the part-time artist has had to be a full time teacher lately.  Quite honestly, lately I have been an overworked full time teacher!  12 hour days 6 days a week has finally beaten me down I must admit.  So today during my prep I spent some time trying to refill my cup a bit.  I have a lot of papers to grade, projects to look at, but today I surfed the web and looked at people who inspire me.  This can be a bit dangerous when you're feeling low.  You can sink into the realm of "gee everybody else is so much better than me, look what they have all accomplished with their students."  But really if you fight that urge the goal is to allow yourself to be re-inspired and amazed.

One of the teachers who I greatly admire is Matt Cauthron.  I have never met Matt in person, but I have met via the http://arted20.ning.com  that I participate in.  I have learned so much through the posts that Matt shares, the comments he makes and visiting the various websites he keeps that house his students' work.  It is my guess that Matt must work 24/7 on his teaching job!  The accomplishments of his students and the level of quality is astonishing.  I also wonder when he finds the time to learn all he's learned and to continue expanding and growing.  I believe Matt earned the Apple Distinguished Educator distinction last year and the above manifesto was created during his summer workshop.  Check out some of the projects that Matt shared recently in Tweets on Twitter.  http://data-di.wikispaces.com/Type+Art  and http://data-di.wikispaces.com/Butterfly+Effect and http://data-di.wikispaces.com/Scanner+Art   Thanks Matt for helping me become re-inspired today.

Hidden River Art Festival in Brookfield, WI

I am so excited to get to the weekend. I have decided to devote my weekend to art.  It is challenging to be a part-time artist, especially once that part-timer goes back to full time teaching duties.  The beginning of the school year is extremely challenging as we retrain and re-tool our efforts to become even better educators.  Each year I have a slightly new or changed teaching assignment and by mid-to-late September I am exhausted from my 12 -14 hour days spent trying to make everything perfect and functioning for my classes. We are usually also asked by the administration to take on one or two new initiatives as well.  This year's focus is on literacy across all curricular areas including hands on subjects like art.  Trying to creatively incorporate reading and writing into a hands-on-make-art-class has been especially challenging and so the long hours and lack of personal time.   Usually the cycle ends with a  weekend like this where as the Italians say: "basta", enough....I've had it.  Time for some me time.  So this weekend I am devoting to art.

This will mark the start of the Hidden River Art Festival in Brookfield.  It is at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center there.  I feel especially proud of this  festival because I used to be a volunteer at the center when they were in their formative stages.  One of the things we worked to do was make a stronger link to the Visual Arts community.  The center had a lot of performing arts opportunities, but not nearly as many visual arts opps, so this festival is just one of the ways they've connected and reached out.  The list of artists who will be exhibiting is quite fabulous.  See the link below.  Many are local Wisconsin artists.  Some are quite young and that inspires me greatly.  I tell my students about their youth and say " this could be some of you in just a few years."  I checked out the list of exhibitors and many are the same as year's past.  Rather think "oh it will be the same show" I am looking forward to renewing acquaintances.

Talking and getting to know the artists is just one of the many pleasures of the festival.  There is a casual atmosphere in what I hope will be warm, golden September sunshine.  The festival highlights some other gems besides art.  Many local eateries offer lunch and snacks including coffee and cookies and many other goodies.  There is also a silent auction of works of art that have been donated by many of the exhibit participants.  Then of course there is the center itself.  If you've never been, you should go.  It is a beautiful facility that celebrates the natural wildness of the surrounding fields and wetlands.  The soaring fireplace, sculpted tree trunk stools outside, the sculptures in front and even the ceramic pieces in the bathroom all exude a creative spirit that celebrates the arts and the natural world.  Then there is the natural world itself.  Strolling about the tented grounds of the Wilson Center for the exhibit you may forget to look at all the natural beauty around you.  This is the area where I usually go on my bike rides.  It is splendid, adrift with wildflowers, hues of violet and gold, flitting butterflies and tiny yellow canaries.  The winding Fox River and the twisted trees and grasses all make for an inspiring setting to enjoy art.

Lastly, there are the artists.  As I mentioned it is really great to chat with them and enjoy their works.  Two of my favorites are:  Joann Engelhart and Katie Musolff.  There is great variety in the show with painters, photographers, sculptors, jewelers and fiber artists.  I had never met Joann Engelhart before and last year I started talking to her and we quite literally chatted for almost 2 hours.  She is a wonderful woman and a very inspiring artist.  Her story is inspiring too.  She went back to school to get her MFA late in life.  She teaches part-time at UW-Milwaukee and is a great example that it is never to late to follow your passion.  Joann   will also have a solo exhibit later this year at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center.  Katie is one of the young artists who is amazing, friendly talented and really just so good at the paintings she produces.  I met her while taking a watercolor class a few years back.  At that time she was a student at MIAD, but now she is a successful fine artist. 

Make sure you make time to get to the exhibit.  Here is a list of all the artists participating.  Hope to see you there. 



I

Downtown Racine Art Day

I finally found the time to take my mom out for a day of art.  We decided to check out the Racine Art Museum (RAM).  There are several great exhibits there all centered around the theme of insects.  RAM is a craft museum, housing a great collection of ceramics, jewelry, sculpture and other craft-based media.  I have wanted to get there for a long time and finally did so today.  It was such an easy trip down there.  Parking in the all day ramp just east of the Museum was great, only $2.50 for the day.  The best part of course was the art. 

My favorite had to be Eccentric Insects which is on display through October 17, 2010.  This exhibit featured several really beautifully crafted large, whimsical insect installations.  One of the most beautiful combined fiber, painted paper and knitted or crocheted wings by Andrea V. Uravitch.  These were stunning in their creative use of materials.  The larger than life size caused one not to be overwhelmed or scared, but rather to be fascinated, as if the insects were being viewed under extreme magnification. 

There were several other standouts in the Eccentric Insects exhibition.  The beaded creatures housed in the collaborative installations by Betsy Youngquist and R. Scott Long were whimsical in their use of space and material.  I felt as if I was looking into a secret garden, yet to be discovered.  The bead work was especially lovely and reminded me of the works of Liza Lou although on a smaller scale.  This part of the exhibit also featured the work of Roberta and David Williamson.  I liked the feeling that I was staring into an old Victorian drawing room looking as somebody's lost collection. 

I also enjoyed the JoAnna Poehlmann exhibit, Insectopedia.  She is a Milwaukee-based artist whose finely drawn tiny studies of insects is just the beginning of the enjoyment her work brings.  She has also experimented with hand-made artist style books to display many of her drawings, prints and paintings.  Her wit and enjoyment of visual puns is also something to be admired.  I have loved her work for a long time and so it was wonderful to see it collected here. Jennifer Angus' Patterns of Life exhibit features real insects pinned to the wall in installations that are reminiscent of wall paper patterns, but that isn't the only thing included here.  She also creates entire environments with doll houses that house the insects.  There is a great deal of bees wax used as well.  It is a beautiful, but eerie exhibit and if you can get over the weirdness that these are real insects it is quite engrossing.  You are the guest in this house and the insects have invited you!

There were other insect-themed exhibits at the Museum.  One I must confess I found a bit disturbing and actually had to rush through and walk out of.  I actually don't mind insects and don't have the phobia that some people have, but the artist Catherine Chambers' exhibit American Cockroach pushed the envelope for me.  I did have a cockroach infested apartment when I first moved to Los Angeles.  It was disgusting to walk into the kitchen and hear them crawling before you turned the lights on.  We tried to get rid of them, but to no avail, so maybe this exhibit just was a bit to scary a reminder of that first apartment.  There were video installations, large color photographs and collaged roach parts creating delicate line drawings.  While these were creative and innovative I found them to be disturbing. 

After RAM we headed to lunch at the Red Onion in the Johnson Wax Administrative building, which was a work of art in it's own right.  There were many intriguing public art pieces in the building including what looked like a Chihuly glass sculpture.  Lunch was tasty and air conditioned!  Refreshed and reinvigorated we headed back out onto Main Street to explore some of the many shops.  As we walked along the street we were entertained by the many public art clock pieces displayed.  They were really cute and enjoyable.  There were many shops to stop in and galleries too. 

We loved INSIDE-OUT, which featured many colorful, eclectic gifts, clothes  home decor items from around the world.  There were gorgeous hand dyed silk scarves, bags mad from recycled materials, lovely linen shirts and much more.  I bought a couple of green apple candles and a small ceramic sea horse.  Next stop was a great gallery, whose name I didn't catch.  The work there in wasn't my favorite, just ok, but the thing that caught our eye was a collaborative piece that was a large square mosaic made up of 6 inch square canvases all designed around the theme of food by Racine Artists.  The collaborative art called Art Squared was sponsored by the Racine Artist's Guild.   We loved the variety of styles featured in the work. 

After this stop we were onto Funky Hannah's, which is a bead and jewelry shop, but before going in we found Sheepish, a wellness store that featured teas, books, drums and lots more in the pursuit of wellness.  I was most impressed and pleased as I asked about a certain red chai tea and how it smelled.  Instead of getting just a sniff the shop keeper actually brewed me a cup and let me taste.  Very nice touch!  Finally we got to Funky Hannah's, which I'd wanted to visit for  awhile.  What a delightful shop with so many sparkling beads and infinite amounts of creative inspiration.  They offer classes and also sell already made jewelry pieces designed by local artists and some by their own shop workers.  I don't really consider myself a beader or jewelry artist, but I got so many ideas just walking through.  Very fun!  It was getting late and hot so this was our last shop. 

We didn't make it to the Wustum Museum, which is the old site of the Art Museum.  There is a great collection of works there as well, but my mom was exhausted after all the wandering around at shops so we will have to save the Wustum for another trip.  On the way out of Racine we did drive up Main Street to the lakefront along the drive by all the old historic Victorian homes.  I can't wait to return with my camera and more time on my hands.  Maybe this fall when the air is crisp and the light less hazy with heat.  If you haven't check out Racine, you should!  Really great, creative inspiring day!

Officially August: Time for Teachers To Panic!

It is officially August (that's because I am up until 1am typing this!).  It is now time for all teachers to panic!  PANIC! There is really only about 2.5 weeks left of your summer break.  If you taught summer school like I did and attended a 3 credit, one week intensive class you really haven't started your summer break yet, but guess what....it is nearly over.  What to do?  Should I start working on prepping for the school year or should I grab my sunscreen and head out to enjoy what's left?  Looks like I will do a bit of both.

I am teaching a few new things this year (new to me that is!).  One of these courses is Video Production.  It is not being taught from the art side of things, but rather from the Tech Ed side of things.  How is that different you might ask?  Well if I got to teach it as an art class we'd be doing experimental videos with recording unusual soundtracks and collage found and recycled film and video and studying the works of 1980s music video to present and looking at avant garde films too.  That's not what the course is about however.  Instead it is my task to teach the technical side of video production, how to use the cameras and how video production as a career in TV and broadcasting works.  This can be creative too, but there will be challenges.  The class sizes are large, but the video equipment is limited (26:3 ratio, not good).  The software is sweet, but confusing sometimes and isn't what I learned video on (iMovie 09 instead of iMovie HD). The lack of a sound booth means we will have to improvise to get quality sound (the library,  the bathroom, the closet).  I am ready for the challenge, but may also start to stress out and lose sleep.

I will be teaching Fashion this year too.  I haven't taught the course in several years.  It is a fun class, but very heavy on the paperwork.  It is my goal to reduce the paper and make it more interactive and 21st century.  This will require creativity, research and a lot of work on my part.  It is also a non-art class that I will be teaching for the Family and Consumer Ed department.  It isn't a Fashion Design class, but rather Fashion Analysis, where students learn about the industry of Fashion, the names of the different parts of clothing (is that a bishop sleeve or a cap sleeve?) and also about the trends in terms of color, designs and more.  Again it can be interesting, but again it requires a lot of PANIC!!

Lastly, I get to teach art.  Yes that is really what I do, but due to the large number of students who decided to take Mandarin Chinese and Sports Management instead of art I will be teaching in 3 departments instead of one.  I am not complaining since I know I am lucky to have a job.  It will just be a challenge after last year, which was a DREAM year for me.  I got to teach full time art in the media areas that I love Digital Photography, Animation, Drawing 1 and 2, Painting 1 and 2 and AP Art.  It will be challenging to have to spread myself thinner, when I am already intensely busy with the art department.  Teaching art is what I'm passionate about.  I LOVE IT!  This year also for the first time I will be the department chair.  This includes more responsibility and more demands on my time.

So now that it's August I think instead of PANIC I will go to the beach and lay in the sun and celebrate my birthday and relax...at least for a day or 2 more.

MIX Art Opening: What A Thrill to Be Part of This Group Exhibit!

This past Friday was Gallery Night in Milwaukee, WI and for the first time I was not just a viewer of art, but rather an artist with work being exhibited during the quarterly mass celebration in my city.  There are always many recommendations in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about where to go and who to see.  The exhibit I was part of was not recommended or even listed on the schedule of official stops, but that is part of the fun of Gallery Night as there are a lot of other exhibits that happen, some impromptu and some well planned that don't quite make the printed official list.  The exhibit called MIX at the Tenth Street Theatre was a well planned exhibit featuring work by artist, Thea Kovac and the many adult student artists who have studied under her tutelage.

I love Thea!  She is a great teacher and artist.  Since I spend the bulk of my time during the school year in the classroom being a teacher I can truly appreciate Thea's gifts for education.  She is a free thinker, nudging her students in many directions with fun and sometimes a bit wacky exercises that really do help the artist come out and play!  One of the better paintings I've done with Thea was the result of one of these exercises.  She had us don old glasses and then rubbed KY jelly or petroleum jelly can't remember which all over the lenses.  This view of the world is a lot like how I really see if I don't have my contacts in.  This blurry observation freed up your brain's preconceived notions and allowed you to see the colors and shadows while not sweating the nitty gritty details.  One of my better watercolors was the result.  No the Louvre isn't calling for it, but at least it is good enough to grace the walls of my dining room.

To be part of the Mix exhibit opening was great.  There are so many wonderful people who stopped in to see the exhibit, enjoy the fabulous hors d'oeuvres that the artists provided and of course look at the art work.  I believe only one painting sold, but that wasn't really the point.  It was a true mid-summer celebration of the artistic talents and spirit of those who have studied with Thea.  Several friends and my cousin stopped by and even one of my students.  This support was quite gratifying.  It is always worthwhile to note that while there is a great deal of enjoyment and pleasure taken from painting, having the works actually seen by people and looked at and enjoyed is a much richer experience.  I am proud to be part of the show, which runs through September 2nd.

Creativity Crisis In Children: Newsweek Article and My Reactions

I read the article entitled Creativity Crisis in Newsweek magazine.  The article discusses how creativity is measured and tested in a standardized format and the fact that the results of these tests show that American children's creative abilities have been testing lower and declining since the 1990s.  TV and video games are blamed for this decline in creativity.  They never mention any other factors, like the decline of arts programs in schools that started occurring with regularity back in the 90s and into the present era.  Nor do they mention that the 2000s is when we as a nation embraced the No Child Left Behind test, test, test mantra.

While I find the article interesting I also find it really frustrating.  The above deduction that creativity scores dropped off due to video games and TV only doesn't seem reasonable since children's lives have changed in so many other ways over the past 20 year.  Family structures changed greatly as more women went back to work.  Sure we became a more electronic people, but there are other factors that could be considered, such as the none stop testing and cutting of programs that support creative thinking and development.  Children learn through play and investigation.  The arts allow this kind of playful experimentation and problem solving and have always incorporated these sorts of skills.  The cutting of these classes in school settings to me is part of why the scores have declined.  Physical Education programs have also been cut.  Yet the article discusses how physical activity helps to stimulate creativity too.  Could it be that the very programs that keep getting cut might be some of the programming that had been helping children improve their creative skills?

The following quote causes me consternation:

Overwhelmed by curriculum standards, American teachers warn there’s no room in the day for a creativity class. Kids are fortunate if they get an art class once or twice a week. But to scientists, this is a non sequitur, borne out of what University of Georgia’s Mark Runco calls “art bias.” The age-old belief that the arts have a special claim to creativity is unfounded. When scholars gave creativity tasks to both engineering majors and music majors, their scores laid down on an identical spectrum, with the same high averages and standard deviations. Inside their brains, the same thing was happening—ideas were being generated and evaluated on the fly.

Of course the arts have a special claim on creativity.  It is what the arts teach and cause to happen.  The arts are the ultimate problem solving activity.  Yes engineers and others engage in creative thought processes, but it is the arts that foster this development.  The exact kind of brain activity the article praises is the what people engaged in the process of art making experience as well.  The point of the article of course wasn't to bash the arts, it was rather to illustrate how creativity can be tested and how all curricular areas can begin to learn to incorporate activities that will stimulate its development.   There was a quality discussion of the successes that project-based learning classrooms have experienced.  This seems to be a current trend in education.  I know my district is piloting a program at the middle school level.  Again, I can't help but think that art is already project based learning.  We investigate not only the media of the project, but all of the connecting strands of history, research and cross curricular connections while completing a work of art. 

There was definitely a push in this article for a non-specialist approach to education, that is a wholistic, cross curricular approach, where math might be taught as creatively as art.  Having taught as a regular ed classroom teacher before finding employment as an art educator,  I applaud this point of view and I certainly tried to utilize these techniques while teaching first and fifth grades and as an English teacher. I can't help but feel, however, again that this is yet another assault on the arts and arts education programming in schools.  We are being cut and cancelled at an alarming rate due to budget cuts and testing-crazy curricular demands.  In this test happy, assessment-based atmosphere I was enthused by the articles description of how creativity could be measured and tested.  I don't want my art classes to be tested, but maybe if we were on "the test" we'd be more valued. 

In conclusion it is vital that education be creative and teach students how to take risks, and critically solve problems.  But as we know students learn in different ways and the solution to the creativity crisis is not to remove arts education programs from our schools by divvying up what they used to teach to non-arts-certified educators, but rather to embrace the techniques and skills taught there.  We must continue to fund the arts and allow those specially trained individuals to continue to lead us to the paths of creative problem solving.