Weekend Workshop- Art Teacher’s Day Off

We started this Saturday with a recycle fashion workshop mixed with a garden mural workday.  I have been busy preparing a session for the Winter Integration STEAM Conference including a Twitterchat and launching my new semester so a few of my big projects have taken a back seat.  Today we changed that and spent time in the studio designing.  The deadlines are approaching to complete our garments and murals; so the time was now.

The students trickle in and the materials I have collected over time, are piled in the studio for students to select for their designs.  Many of my students have prepared sketches, research, and materials so my offerings add to the mix.

 

 

It was busy the whole time and the structures emerged quickly.  This is a wonderful opportunity for my students to discover how to build garments and to play with unconventional materials. Students collaborate with one another on ideas and offer suggestions.  The conversations are a mixture of upcoming events and ideas for accessories for the runway.  The workshop never seems long enough and we anticipate the next workshop so we can see what everyone has accomplished.  I see these projects as a direct growth of what I do in the studio everyday but it has a team feel to it.  We are a school that is out to impress and hopefully win a few awards in the process.

 

Today we also had several artists who have volunteered to paint large garden murals for a local garden club for an upcoming Floral Convention.  The students planned the concepts and most students had a drawing complete so it was” block it in day”.

I am thrilled the end results of the auction of our murals will go to a organization that provides money for art supplies for public school art programs.  My students get a opportunity to paint on a large scale and contribute to other young artists development.

Providing time and programs to extent the discovery of new skills is a great way to build and advocate for an art program.  See you on the runway!

 

 

Happy New Year!

Feeling like I have been neglecting my blog lately but I have been busy with life and preparing for a new semester.  I am proud to let you know I have also been working on my presentation for the Winter STEAM Integration Conference.  I have only 25 minutes but it will be filled with great imagery of my studio and information on how you might modify or blend your art studio.  Winter Arts Integration Conference

If you haven’t ever prepared a presentation to be viewed on-line, I would encourage you to try.  I knew well in advance that I would be discussing my transition to a Choice Blended Artist Studio, so I kept that in mind all semester while I was documenting my journey with my students.  I do find it difficult to really capture what is happening between me and my students without live video.   I am sharing small video clips to let you see through my student’s eyes, the way they see the studio.  I am also trying to share how I created my environment with my student learning platforms with plenty of room for each viewer to glean something that could be implemented into their studio.  Each course is different and each class has a culture, so taking what one educator creates and placing it into your space may not be effective.

I view what I have created and accomplished with my students as a joint system that works for our studio.  I have already made adjustments for the new semester based on feedback from my current students.  I will be including my seasoned artists as studio mentors to help continue to build and shape the program.

I don’t feel I fit into a particular group of educators so placing a label on what I am doing is not really my goal.  I know I am a student-centered educator that wants to engage my students to achieve something beyond what they believed possible.  If my studio is a pathway to spark creative thinking, open their minds to new possibilities, engage them with the world in a new way, empower them to have a voice, than that is what I do.

I am an educator with many skills, talents, ideas, and passions. If we look at ourselves as educators and what we can offer students beyond our own disciplines, our students will be better for the experience. I spend more time with my students than most people in my life. I love it and I believe it shows in my dedication and faith in my students. I may not have all the answers but I will keep after it until I feel I have met the expectations.

Wishing you a Happy New Year and looking forward to the National Art Education Conference in Chicago. Hope to see many of you there.