I have to admit right up front that following my objective in this project did not take the path I anticipated. I think early on I viewed it as a personal research and growth project being undertaken to continue to grow a more robust knowledge of artists and art history.
Continue reading Side paths and future routes of exploration
My self-study has gone through a bit of an iterative process.
Continue reading Curriculum as Windows and Mirrors
My Self-Study plan and goals were firmly entrenched in pushing myself to find the time, strength, intellectual curiosity and courage to produce – in my initial post I bolded and all-capsed for emphasis – A LOT of work. The plan was to work fearlessly and without concern for quality. Not only would I produce a bunch of work, but I would also share the results. The work would be without a specific purpose other than “art for art’s sake”. Finally, I swore to experiment with oil paint – a medium all around me that I have barely ever used.
Continue reading Art for Art’s Sake & The Work of Obligation
For my self study, I’ve chosen to refocus on my own creative practice. During the self-discovery phase, I explored my passion for endurance sports — swimming, running and cycling — specifically. What I’ve learned, and what I teach my students, is that writing and producing films requires the same training, diligence and most of all, persistence as running a marathon, or finishing a hundred mile bike race. In my self-study, I plan to complete a re-write on a feature screenplay and work on production on a short personal documentary film. I hope to complete both projects, but will, at the very least, complete one of them. Continue reading Creative Practice
Over the course of this self-study – and ideally beyond – I hope to push myself outside of my comfort zone and into areas of artistic practice and expression that have hitherto felt daunting or unattainable. I want to be able to apply the expectations I place on my students to myself with regards to my own practice as an artist. I want to generate work, A LOT of work and be open to and OK with the fact that much of it won’t be good, or polished or finished. I want to work fast and with less control. Continue reading Opening Up to Artistic Freedom
The news ruined my curriculum planning.
My plan was to continue our medieval Humanities studies by learning more about Feudalism and Christianity in Europe for the remainder of the second quarter. Then, after Winter Break, we would dive in to the origins of Islam and study the Middle East. But the news of the bombings in France could not be ignored. Continue reading Global Shift
It’s November in NYC, I have been feeling disempowered, confused, and angry with so much about our country and it feels so large and overwhelming. So I brought it back to something tangible. It’s called WHAT CAN I DO? Continue reading What can I do?
It was a pleasure to see so many of you at last night’s Middle School Art Show and Performing Arts Festival. For an evening that would suggest a focus on product and performance, I was struck by how much emphasis there was on highlighting the artist’s process. Visual art teachers Jeremiah Demster and Nathalie Hall and our young artists were engaged in regular conversations about the evolution of the work throughout the evening. At the same time, performing arts teachers Deborah Damast, Susan Glass, Joanne Magee, and Matt McLean and their students made sure that the evening’s performances were also balanced with insights into each groups working process as well. Continue reading Art as Experience
When your child brings home an artwork and says, “Look what I made today.”, what might you say? It is helpful to the growth of your child to validate and appreciate their artwork without using value judgments. By describing the elements of the work and listening to what your child is saying, you are supporting their unique expression and helping your child grow in self-confidence in his/her visual response to the world. Continue reading How to Talk With Children About Their Art
