unit 4: celebrations
artist: nick cave
studio - finger puppets: modeling compound
artist: norman rockwell
studio - celebrating 21st century america: graphic design
artist: miriam schapiro
studio: artist's choice (Lesson plan EXEMPLAR)
unit 4: celebrations reflection
Unit 4 had to do with celebrations of all kinds. I look at celebrations in a very similar way to how Pink (2006) described symphony. He explains that symphonic thinking involves "corralling a diverse group of notes, instruments, and performers and producing a unified and pleasing sound" (p. 130). Celebrations encompass many different groups of people, traditions, and things to combine into one big festival. We learned about Nick Cave's sound suits and saw all of his incredible creativity. Inspired by his wearable art, we made finger puppets that celebrated something about ourselves. I made a finger puppet snowman because winter is my favorite season, where I can spend time with my family and cozy up in a blanket. Studio 2 was meant to celebrate 21st century America inspired by Norman Rockwell. I created a newsletter cover about my family's annual trip to Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas. It is a celebration of all of the fun times and memories that my family created on the trip. For the final studio, I drew the life cycle stages of a sunflower, that went along with a lesson I made about change in nature. After I finished my studio pieces, I noticed that not only do they have to do with celebrations, but identity, story, and relationships all tie in to the theme as well. It is really great how the connections exist to make the learning build on top of each other and expand as the artist continues to evolve and explore.
I can envision using these studios in my classroom as ways for students to celebrate things about themselves or their cultures. I would use the same clay medium that we used, because it is not messy and is very easy to work with. I also like that it dries in the air and does not require special ovens or equipment. I think finger puppets are fun for kids to make and play with, and they could make them to deal with any subject, not just celebrations. I could even see a group project where each student creates a finger puppet character and has to come up with dialogue and a scene to act out together using the puppets. I would love to use the magazine cover as a way to get to know students and find out their interests and what is important to them. The only thing I would change is to have the students create their covers on paper, instead of on the computer. Some of the design aspect was challenging, and I can imagine my students having trouble with it as well. Another option would be to create text and images online, and then print them individually to cut and paste onto a piece of construction paper. Something I want to emphasize with my students is stated eloquently by Bang (2000). She says: "Do not worry about whether the picture is pretty. Worry about whether it is effective" (p. 94). It is important for students to be reassured that just because they may not have the best artistic abilities in the class, it does not mean that they are not talented artists. Talent has to do as much with getting a point or feeling across effectively as it does with the beauty it is done with. As long as my students celebrate themselves in whatever ability they are using and not measure their worth compared to someone else, they will succeed.
Bang, M. (2000). Picture this: How pictures work. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC.
Pink, D. H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.
I can envision using these studios in my classroom as ways for students to celebrate things about themselves or their cultures. I would use the same clay medium that we used, because it is not messy and is very easy to work with. I also like that it dries in the air and does not require special ovens or equipment. I think finger puppets are fun for kids to make and play with, and they could make them to deal with any subject, not just celebrations. I could even see a group project where each student creates a finger puppet character and has to come up with dialogue and a scene to act out together using the puppets. I would love to use the magazine cover as a way to get to know students and find out their interests and what is important to them. The only thing I would change is to have the students create their covers on paper, instead of on the computer. Some of the design aspect was challenging, and I can imagine my students having trouble with it as well. Another option would be to create text and images online, and then print them individually to cut and paste onto a piece of construction paper. Something I want to emphasize with my students is stated eloquently by Bang (2000). She says: "Do not worry about whether the picture is pretty. Worry about whether it is effective" (p. 94). It is important for students to be reassured that just because they may not have the best artistic abilities in the class, it does not mean that they are not talented artists. Talent has to do as much with getting a point or feeling across effectively as it does with the beauty it is done with. As long as my students celebrate themselves in whatever ability they are using and not measure their worth compared to someone else, they will succeed.
Bang, M. (2000). Picture this: How pictures work. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC.
Pink, D. H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.