The second week of school was a smashing success as the art classes of New Buffalo began to dive into the depths of their units of study. We've had several sunny days this week so students have enjoyed continuing their studio time in the courtyard as much as possible. I am proud of them for the adjustments they've had to make with safety guidelines and procedures in the school building. It is a well-deserved reward to spend time outdoors art-making in the fresh air. (Cover Artwork 9th Grade Student)
High School:
In ART I, the students spent a second day layering in paint, charcoal, colored pencil, and oil pastel on the Non-Objective Mixed Media project titled “Is this Good Art?” Inspired by the artwork of Cy Twombly, his mark-making, graffiti-like work is internationally famous.
“My line is childlike but not childish. It is very difficult to fake... to get that quality you need to project yourself into the child's line. It has to be felt.” - Cy Twombly
The twist to this project is that after layering in paint, the students were asked to tear their papers into at least 25 pieces! I asked the students to look at their artwork in a new way by reconstructing the pieces into a collage with an intentional composition using the Elements and Principles of Art. They planned five different ways to put their pieces back together and took pictures of each draft before pasting together the final artwork.
Each student participated in sharing their works in progress through class critiques where classmates offered encouragement and suggestions for the next steps to take in completing their artwork. This is a good skill for students to develop in analyzing others’ artwork and collaborating in an open, studio environment where we help to build each other up. I also believe that it helps students to hear feedback from their peers instead of only from their teacher.
The only obstacle we faced was a few brisk mornings with windy 50-degree weather, where we tried to hold an outdoor session and papers were flying away from us. After a class vote, we decided to return to the desks inside. However, this allowed for the class to continue working on their pieces at the tables, while students took turns using the document camera to enlarge their artwork on the smartboard for everyone to see better during the group critique.
I was proud of my students for speaking up and sharing their thoughts with their classmates during the art critique. When completing their compositions, students were asked to respond to a self-reflection writing. It was refreshing to see some of their initial thoughts as more appreciative of non-objective artwork since creating a mixed-media collage of their own. I like giving the students something to think about whether or not something is "good enough" to be considered artwork and how people have different preferences in art.
“It's very hard to figure out how to represent an object without doing it in a literal sense. The planning out of just how to position the collage was pretty difficult too, so my respect for non-objective artists has grown.” -9th Grade Student
“I have learned that there's a lot more expression to this art form than representational art. The artist could just let out all of his/her emotions and no one would know what he/she is trying to say. My personal opinion has changed a lot because I feel like this is definitely a good way to express how I feel and to let go.”
-12th Grade Student
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