During our in-class art session on January.16 th , 2018, many of these strategies were implemented into our art making. Having the opportunity to delve into free creation through various art centres became a thoughtful and reflective experience. This opportunity for free exploration allowed us to experiment with the different tools and mediums, in addition to evaluate what we were making, which helped to design and develop strategies for our working pieces. In this manner, we were able to see what we liked or did not like based on our experimentation and evaluation process. This is represented in the artifact above.
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Name of Artist: Cornelius Krieghoff
How it connects to the ‘big idea’: This oil painting connects to the big idea because it displays the ways in which the Indigenous peoples used to live. They embraced their natural way of life in hunting, cooking and taking up shelter by using the natural elements of the land. Their way of life was heavily reliant on using the natural world to survive, and this can be seen in their use of wood and trees for shelter, or fire making for warmth and protection. This artist was able to capture the essence of using nature for survival and early living from the Indigenous peoples.
Artwork #2:
Name of Artist: James Edward Hervey MacDonald
Title/Date: Lake O’Hara, 1930
How it connects to the ‘big idea’: This painting of Lake O’Hara in British Columbia connects to the big idea because it depicts a part of our natural world. This painting reflects how J.E.H MacDonald saw this landscape in British Columbia, and he was able to capture the serene and expansive views of Lake O’Hara. There is a quiet calmness to this piece shown in the use of the colours as well as the subject matter, and this reflects the real-life essence of this natural environment.
Artwork #3:
Name of Artist: Christi Belcourt
Title/Date: The Wisdom of the Universe, 2014
How it connects to the ‘big idea’: This piece was created by a Metis visual artist, and it connects to the big idea of the natural world because it showcases nature’s ability to become completely intertwined with all aspects of the living world. This artwork visually expresses how the roots of our world can grow and flourish into more expansive natural entities, connecting to life and nature in general. Trees, flowers, roots and animals such as birds, are all found in this art piece. A sense of creation and life radiates off of C.Belcourt’s painting.
Artwork #4:
Name of Artist: Nubuo Kubota
Title/Date: Folia Series #1 and #2, 1976
How it connects to the ‘big idea’: These two 3D pieces were created to represent the wrinkles on the cerebellum, which is the lower part of the brain. In relation to the big idea, the human brain, and humans in general, are part of the natural world. The ways in which part of our brain operates is represented in this intertwined, messy painted plywood art piece. As humans, we are able to construct meaning in our lives and our ability to do so impacts the rest of the natural world.
mportfoliodramadance Uncategorized Leave a comment February 18, 2018 2 Minutes
Culturally Relevant Art & Rethinking Roles in the Art Classroom
Date: January. 30 th , 2018
The shift towards integrating more culturally appropriate pedagogies is in my opinion, an ongoing phenomenon among all subject areas, including arts education. As mentioned in the article, “Power Play: Rethinking Roles in the Art Classroom”, it is imperative that educators are becoming aware of the influence and impact the subject matter being taught in the classroom affects the children’s educational response and their inquiry. In terms of the arts, numerous examples, topics and intriguing subjects can be brought into the classroom, and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that these examples and subjects are not only appropriate for the students, but also culturally relevant. Culturally relevant pieces help to provide meaning for the students, as well as, allowing them to relate to the art, and be able to question or be inspired by the examples and pieces that they see (Buffington, 2014). Having that connection to the artworks on a cultural level causes a shift from art being superficial and meaningless to the students, to making art more concrete and significant to their learning process. Likewise, the article also mentions that the ways in which the culturally relevant art is taught and executed to the class greatly influences the way that the students make sense of the lesson. As mentioned in the article, “…the combination of what and the how of teaching that is crucial to culturally relevant teaching” (Buffington, 2014). In my opinion, I believe that making that making a culturally relevant connection to student’s learning helps them to conceptualize the subject matter and provides a much more enriching inquiry opportunity. In the article, the story presented about the student teacher created an eye opening insight to how the execution of teaching is just as important as the material being taught. It is also crucial to consider approaching art in a way that is respectful of its original creator’s intention. Ensuring that appropriate protocols are being met should be a priority. For example, Indigenous art and lifestyle serves as a large source of inspiration for many Canadian artists and schools. The Indigenous Art Protocols are precautionary protocols that should be taken into effect to ensure that the standards of Indigenous art is respected and valued as it was originally intended to be (Indigenous Arts Protocols, 2016).
Throughout my own teaching experiences, I have noticed that bringing in concepts that are more appropriate that students can relate to, not only in the arts, but also through all subject areas, has created enlightening responses from the students. For example, during the holiday season, the majority of the students in one of my previous practicums did not celebrate Christmas, as they were not Christians. Instead of focusing the lesson on traditional Christian views and values, we geared the lesson towards the religion that the majority of the class practiced, which was Muslim. This included the religious holiday and traditions that they celebrated during that season as well. This proved to be a very effective way of integrating meaningful material into their lesson, while still maintaining and teaching the importance of holiday traditions. This example emphasizes the importance of maintaining cultural relevance and culturally appropriate pedagogies when teaching students.
This image is a sculpture that I made from the class workshop on appropriate cultural pedagogies. This wave and sun represent my big idea of sustainability, the importance of nature and its impact on our world. Because of the meaning associated with this sculpture, I believe it be more relevant to my art making process, in terms of why I chose to create the piece that I did.
Buffington, M. (2014). Power play: Rethinking roles in the art classroom. Art Education, 67(4), 6-11.
(2016). Indigenous Arts Protocols [Online video]. Ontario Arts Council. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6VuHJi6O0Q
mportfoliodramadance Uncategorized Leave a comment February 16, 2018 February 18, 2018 3 Minutes
Teaching Real Art Making
Date: January. 23rd, 2018
On January. 23 rd , 2018, the idea of giving art meaning was explored during our class discussion and workshop. Meaningful art is extremely significant to effective art instruction, as well as, artistic executions. During my elementary and high school career, art was highly based on technique and developing art-based skills. I remember my teachers continually putting focus on the technical aspect of art making, and much of our lessons also revolved around mimicking styles or techniques from other forms of artworks. This was especially apparent as I entered high school. New and innovative pedagogies suggest that our role as effective educators is to move away from these notions of “perfecting art” and instead, the evolution of a “big idea” is more important for individuals to have a rich learning experience, showcased through their art (Roberts, 2005). As stated by Roberts (2005), the elimination of technical workshops should be preceded by more topics of inquiry to support the development of rich ideas. Having art connect to a developing thought, issue or investigation is a much richer learning experience for individuals and provides meaning to the creative process (Roberts, 2005). Planning, executing, re-evaluating and editing is also a major significant part of working through the effective creative process in art making (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009). Thus, in order to extend art beyond superficial values, rich meaning making must occur.
The above image is an example of what seems to be a simple picture of a log and leaves, however, there is a larger idea attached to this image. The “big idea” of this image is its representation of nature, sustainability and preservation. These ideas are developing concepts that mark significant insights and inquires into my learning, and through this art, it can be showcased.
The challenge for many educators is how to bridge that gap between having the skills and ability to create an art piece while ensuring that meaning making is occurring during this artistic process. Some ways that teachers could help to provide meaningful insight for their students in terms of significant artistic creations would be to help the students to make connections to their pieces, and relate their art to values or ideas that they deem as important. As mentioned in the TED Talk by Ken Robinson, fear that schools kill student creativity is an issue that needs to be addressed. Schools should create an environment that fosters imagination and creative thinking as opposed to hindering this process (Robinson, 2006). In this manner, richer concepts will be developed and students are able to link their art with more valuable insights. Having students create art that is connected to further pedagogies and cross-curricular ideas also acts as an enhancing tool to help support multidisciplinary concepts. Various subject matters and topics could be further cemented through artistic representations of that idea, and this acts as a much stronger pedagogical learning method as opposed to creating and teaching art in isolation of inquiry-based subject matters. Using art in this way helps students to recognize the larger learning concepts and build on the “big ideas” of their material.
In terms of my future teaching practices, I have learned that art is much more than a superficial “subject”. It is a developing process that has the potential to support numerous facets of developed learning for all ages. When supported and effectively curated, it can serve as the foundation and platform for many students to demonstrate their thinking, inquires and questions about larger concepts related to our society. As educators, I feel that it is part of our responsibility to provide an inspiring and safe environment for students to feel as though they have an opportunity to create pieces that reflect their thinking and support their learning.
Ontario Ministry of Education (2009). Curriculum Guidelines: The Arts. pp. 19-22
Roberts, T. (2005). Teaching real art making. Art Education, 58(2), 40-45.
Robinson, K. (Narrator). (2006). Do Schools Kill Creativity? [Online video]. TED Talks. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity
mportfoliodramadance Uncategorized Leave a comment January 31, 2018 February 18, 2018 3 Minutes
