Consciousness -self-actualization -living life so as to leave the world a better place when you are gone -use of combination of still life and abstractions through oil or acrylic paints

Brainwashing -the everyday citizen is manipulated by the powers that be into ways of thinking that may not be beneficial to our own interests but beneficial to those powers (i.e. the media, the government, etc.) -3D clay sculpture

Passion -giving a tangible form to the fire that drives us -finger painting

Spirituality -connectedness to a higher power/connectedness to each other -forms made from words (can be cut from printed text or created from scratch)

Sacred Spaces -creation of ones own sacred space through use of rocks, stones, sticks, plants, etc.

Time Travel -Chose a historic artistic period and create a work of art in that style

Sensuality -photography of the human form

Portals -imprinted beaded or shredded curtains/doorways

Vessels -creation of a box, briefcase, cup, bag, or any other kind of transportational container

Culture -research a part of the world that interests you and design a postcard to send to yourself from that place

Memories -lifesize collage composed of material objects that represent personal memories (ticket stubs, photographs, posters, etc.)

The allure of excess -multi-media -create something tasteful, photograph your work, then intentionally overdo it

Recycling -3D sculpture -turn your trash into treasure

Success -to the best of your abilities, recreate a well-known work of art that you consider to be successful

Energy -wire wrap jewelry -research rock or mineral being wrapped -historic ritual uses? supposed metaphysical powers? document your day wearing another persons wrap and then discuss

Community -work together as a class to create a life-size sculpture out of random objects

Love -show love to a fellow classmate by creating and exchanging a work of art you are proud of -also ties in with selflessness -make something you love so much you would rather not part with, then give it away

Recreation - charcoal drawing of you (and/or friends) doing what you most enjoy in your free time

Inspiration -paint two series of mini-still lifes, one painted while close to your source of inspiration (music, sunlight, other artwork, etc.) and one without

Food -make a self portrait out of edible items

Conceptual Art

Renaissance artists were all about quality work, but they were equal advocates of the conceptual message behind it. Nicolas Poussin, master 17th century European artist, believed that "Able men must work with thier intellects, that is, they must concieve beforehand what they want to do." Artists like Poussin aimed to visually stimulate thier viewers minds so as to lead them to discovery of the truth within the work. Yes, these intellectual "adventures" proved to be quite effective in marketing paintings, but for good reason! Anyone can paint mere objects. An artist who can effectively portray an entire concept or story in a single image is esteemed and thier work is seen as both a material as well as intellectual treasure.

Personally, I am incapable to making "inconceptual" art. I don't even know if that's a real word, much less what it means, but you see what I'm saying. I couldn't paint about nothing if I tried. The Romantic painters of old were enlightened to view their work as an opportunity to promote a conceptual journey. For me, my art always has been and always will be a means of communication. It gives me an excuse and the freedom to speak my mind, and it is my most sincere hope that my viewers will be so taken with the visual quality that they cannot help but listen.

Series

A series is composed of individual works bound together by a common thread, be it a narrative, a character, or a big idea. Such things are often better understood by a viewer when observed from a variety of angles, and series aims to provide these perspectives for viewers. Creating multiple interrelated works of art not only encourages collectors to buy more than one, it also gives the artist more room to expressim him or herself. By utilizing the concept of series, an artist  has ample opportunity to strenthen their unique style and message. This development of an artist's "brand" helps heighten appeal for buyers, thus furthering thier reputation and overall prestige.

My own artwork often becomes a series, but usually not by design. If I am so taken with a particular theme that I take the time to represent it through one work, it's usually worth another go. My obsessive-compulsive nature forces me to make these related works similar in structure and aestheics as well, thus creating an unintentional series. I have yet to sell any of my pieces but I would hope that if a buyer cares enough to pay good money for one, they might purchase another for the same reason that I bothered to create it in the first place.

25 Ideas

(insert term here) -art that promotes leaving the world a better place than you found it (Example: a home for the homeless constructed entirely out of recycled/found materials)

Resilience -overcoming life's pitfalls -the journey from low to high

Collaboration - group artwork -process promotes teamwork and finding common ground with fellow individuals

Symbiotic Relationships - exploration of mutualy beneficial partnerships that exist between living things

Forgiveness -and the doorways it opens... the only way to truly move on is to forgive

Technology -(reverse cyborg) - we all know that machines would not exist without human beings to create them, but what about the way our machines are reshaping us as humans?

Stereotyping -How might a stranger stereotype you? Choose yours and render it as your personal artistic protest

First impressions -how important are first impressions to you? Though it is not necessarily fair to judge a person based upon your first impression of them, no one is completely immune to this unfortunate phenomenon. What would be someones first impression of you? How can you compare this to what you would want thier first impression to be?

Despair -the absence of all hope -how/why do we get here? How can we get out?

New Beginnings -artistic interpretations of concepts such as birth, growth, transformations, or just the beginning of the rest of your life!

Risk taking - Depicting the feeling of standing on the threshold of making a decision that could have serious consequences

Consequences -a result of risk taking - Can you think of consequences that have resulted from your own decisions? What (if anything) have those consequences taught you?

"The Prince" -Machiavellian philosophy -"the ends justify the means" -Do you agree or disagree? -Why or why not? -How do we see this way of thinking being practiced in the world around us and what are the effects?

Influence -What influences you and how do those influences make themselves known in your artwork?

Hodge-podge -Artistic conglomeration of seemingly unrelated objects, media, or ideas

Nature -using the environment to create new and insightful works of art

Selfishness - We are all guilty of it... Allow yourself to put pride aside and depict your interpretation as honestly as humanly possible

Selflessness -What can living in this mentality do for the world around us? What can it do for you? In what ways can you actively be selfless and how can you depict them?

Process - a journey? a struggle? a learning experience? all of the above? Set an artistic goal (end product) and document your process to achieving that goal

Functionality -creation of art with an every day purpose (clothing, kitchenwear, bookmarks, hairpieces, etc.)

Multi-sensory -How can you make art that you "see" with more than just your eyes? Can you see potential in a multi-sensory experience? How/why?

Paradox -conflicting ideas or principles that exist at the same time

Personal struggle -We all have (or have had) one -Depict it through the medium and method of your choice

Destruction -creation for the purpose of demolition -Modern day example = Burning Man: Artists spend weeks making amazing art installations and then burn them to the ground at the end of the festival

Sacrifice - giving up something you hold dear for the sake of the greater good -What have you had to sacrifice in your life? How can you pay your experience homage with an artistic tribute?

Revised Teaching Philosophy

TDP 4730                                                                                                                    Lauren Holland

REVISED TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

        I believe that the arts are the purest, most effective form of self-expression in existence. Fine arts in particular can be a powerful tool to engage and promote healthy problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, empathy and communications. It is the duty of the art teacher to train students to channel these tools effectively and to be able to speak their minds through a universal visual language that has endured throughout time and across cultures.

        Art is the only subject still taught in our schools that cannot and absolutely should not be taught by the books. There are no right or wrong answers, and anyone can be an artist if they want to be. That being said, it is impossible to grow without first being challenged. Every art class I ever took in within the K-12 period was heartbreakingly dumbed down, lacking in depth, and bereft of perspective. Teaching visual art is so much more than cut and dry principles and elements, and to simplify it to such is a discredit to the subject. Students deserve to be introduced to ground-breaking artists from whom they can draw insight and inspiration. They must be given opportunities to represent what they have learned through a variety of media, and they need the content to be connected to important big ideas that they can take and make into their own personal messages to the world. Personal connections are the cornerstone of successful, meaningful making.

        To be an effective teacher, I will need to have extensive knowledge of the dynamics of the art world both past and present, and I will have to be able to make the subject matter real to my students by presenting it in a way that they can relate to. My curriculum will incorporate both classical and 21^st century methods of art making. Students will always be able to count on me for an interesting and differentiated lesson execution, fair and non-biased assessment, and an abundance of extra help wherever/whenever it is needed. I will see evidence of my effectiveness as a teacher through the quality and thoughtfulness of the artwork my students produce, insightful questions and explanations posed, and continuous progress in both of these areas throughout the year.

        I have observed time and time again that students are almost always more interested in how much a teachers cares about them than they are in how much he or she actually knows. Even more important than an instructor’s wealth of knowledge is their ability to build students’ sense of self-efficacy and self-worth. Before they can ever feel compelled to make anything, children need to understand that their opinions and perspectives are valid and worthy of visual representation. My art classroom will be a sanctuary for uninhibited free-thinking and self-expression. Visual literacy is vital, but I am also a big believer in encouraging students to speak their minds through interviews, class discussions, journals, and peer critiques so as to create beneficial student-teacher relationships as well as a community of learners. In a nutshell, an effective arts education begins with knowledgeable, caring, responsive and perpetually positive educators. These kids are our future, and they deserve no less than the very best.

Course Reflection

TDP 4730                                                                                                                                                               Lauren Holland

COURSE REFLECTION

          In regards to viewing and responding to art, I learned more in just this one semester than I’ve learned in my entire art education. For example, as ridiculous as this may sound, I had never before been encouraged to work through big ideas or even experienced a thorough and complete art lesson. The day that we went to Rockbridge to hear Abbey speak was the day I finally began to understand exactly what I was getting into. In the presentation of her own creation, Abbey cleverly used “fear,” a common emotion experienced by and therefore connecting all human beings, to create a meaningful theme. She carefully selected a range of exemplary artists who all had a very different take one this big idea, and the following art making activity was an in-depth, multi-media project that students could not help but immerse themselves in. When she showed us her freshman students’ finished artwork, I was impressed, inspired, and a little upset that my own high school art teachers couldn’t hold a candle to what this young woman was doing. That being was my very first exposure to a real art lesson, I became very afraid. If everything I had observed about art education up to that point had been incorrect, then I had absolutely no idea what I was doing after all. Thankfully that was just the beginning of an entire semesters worth of professional training, and what an eye-opening beginning it was!

          I also thoroughly enjoyed the VTS discussions lead by Dr. Mary Franco at the Museum of Art and Archeology. I had never heard of Visual Thinking Strategy before but was very taken with it and intend to use it with my own students in the future. What I found most fascinating was the fact that everyone noticed something different when they first looked at the painting, but with each suggestion and new ideas put forth by the students, deeper underlying meanings and a possible big idea (resignation) began to form. This was entirely backwards from the way I was normally would have gone about observing and responding to art. However, I almost feel as if VTS was a more effective means of interpretation than if we had been told what the painting was about from the beginning because deep seeing was required to get to that point. This added another super useful strategy to my teacher repertoire, and I am more willing and excited to try new strategies that I may not have considered before after experiencing the effectiveness of a VTS (or VTesque) discussion.

          Until this semester I had absolutely no knowledge of how to even go about developing art curricula. This was the main source of my initial stress and doubt that I was feeling after Abbey’s presentation. The Tiger Artist Lesson was such a pivotal moment for me. After my group executed our much anticipated lesson on “perspective”, I had a new outlook on my career. I will always remember walking out of that classroom smiling and thinking to myself for the first time ‘I can do this!’ Working with my group was a great way to ease into individual lesson planning, and it reminded me of the benefits of collaboration. From that point on I began to brainstorm group projects for my future students, and I made sure to incorporate this idea of teamwork into my unit plan.

          The creation of the unit plan for this course was by far the most difficult and time consuming task I have been challenged with thus far in my college education, but I learned so much that I have to admit it was totally worth it. The first lesson seemed to take forever and a day and I hit a couple of road blocks, but by the third lesson I felt like I was getting the hang of it. Shortly after completion of my unit plan I had to create another lesson plan for a different class, and because I actually knew what I was doing this time around it was a very sweet piece of cake. Good teachers put a good deal of effort and thought into the creation of their curricula, and I really do believe that students deserve nothing less. I may have missed out on a solid arts education growing up, but I swear up and down that no student of mine will ever be able to say the same.

          The Tiger Artist activity was a beautiful and incredibly educational experience, but I think I learned the most about teaching art from my field course. It was the first time I had ever worked in an actual art classroom, and to be able to be there on a regular basis and work on something new every time was really insightful. When teaching art, students need to be shown what they being asked to do, and progress needs to be monitored and encouraged every step of the way. It is important to point out specific areas where a student’s work is successful, and as long as this positive feedback occurs first the students are usually open to suggestions in regards to where they could improve. The elementary school children that I worked with in my field course constantly wanted my approval of their creations, even if they knew good and well that they had done a fine job. Kids want to know that their work has worth and is appreciated by the adults that ask them to do it. The more you believe in them, the more they believe in themselves.

          Though time consuming, the peer unit reviews were highly educational for me as a future teacher. I absolutely love that everyone was willing to share all the hard work that they put into making their unit plans with fellow classmates. I gleaned a plethora of new ideas and perspectives I had never even considered before by watching everyone else’s presentations, and I was glad for their feedback when it came time to present my own.

          My portfolio is my treasure chest. Inside is all of the evidence I have thus far of my ability to be an effective art teacher. As I put it together I reminisced over all the “epiphanous” moments I’ve enjoyed throughout the semester, and I realized that I am more prepared now than ever before to embark on this journey of a career. I was scared in the beginning, but now I’m just excited!

Final Field Reflection

          The K-4 art classroom in which I am stationed is clean and very organized. All of the materials are easily accessible and the students know exactly where to find everything they need. Supplies are stored in cabinets or in plastic containers on shelves in the room. The teacher asks select students to both distribute the supplies to other students and to put them away when class is over. The permission of students to do these distributions is executed in a way that makes the students see it as a privilege because it is presented as a reward for good behavior. This is an incredibly effective strategy that helps the kids appreciate being responsible for the supplies provided for them by the school. If I decide that I want to teach elementary school art I will absolutely make use of what I've learned here.

          The teacher often says "Clap your hands once if you can hear me!", which I think is a clever strategy for getting their attention and keeping them on task. She also frequently thanks "those of you in the class who are keeping your voices at zero!" and sometimes gives verbal recognition to particularly well behaved students. This seems to make the rest of the class seek that same positive attention, at least for a few minutes. If the students are able to keep the noise level at "zero" for an extended period of time, the instructor allows them to move up to a "level one." This means they may speak quietly to each other. However, this usually escalates to a fairly noisy room within minutes, and the teacher usually has to move it back down to level zero.
          The children are initially allowed to sit at their desks, but this sometimes proves to be distracting so the teacher moves them all to "the carpet" if they are not on their best behavior. This large rug is located in the front of the classroom very close to the board and has rows of squares big enough to seat one child per square side by side. The kids know that if they have to sit on the carpet, the teacher means business. It proves to be a very useful device in keeping them focused when the teacher is explaining the lesson. It also allowed them to get an up close look at what is being shown on the board. This doesn't happen very often, but children who are way out of line during class are sometimes sent to sit in one of the carpet squares by themselves away from the rest of the class, sort of like a time-out. After a few minutes, the teacher will ask them if they are ready to sit back in their seat and if she thinks they have calmed down she will let them do so. I have never seen a student be sent to the carpet and not come back minding their P's and Q's.
         In my classroom there is a system in place through which the students can earn or lose stars based upon behavior. If they earn all three stars and keep them until the end of class, they get what is called the class "Braggin' Dragon." If they accumulate enough of these "Dragons," they get special privileges such as candy, pizza parties, or even a walking field trip to Taco Bell. These extrinsic rewards seem to be very encouraging for some students, but because they are not immediate or tangible I think that many of the young kids forget they are supposed to be working together to obtain them. It might be more effective for the teacher to give out small candies or stickers to particularly well behaved students. If the rowdier children see that they could have immediate gratification like their classmates, they might be more inclined to settle down.
From what I have observed, the teacher is the primary rule-maker of the class. Students are most frequently disciplined for repeatedly talking or distracting their neighbor after being asked at least once to stop. Discipline is executed by either moving the problematic child to another table or moving the child to the carpet. If multiple students are misbehaving, the teacher will either ask them to stay at a level zero or take away one star. I have never seen a child sent to the office or removed from the classroom. The classroom management strategies in place seem to be very effective.

          Assessment is primarily based upon whether or not the students do their work. At this age, all of the students have varying levels of ability and I agree with the teacher that to grade them based upon effort at this point would be pointless and probably result in lots of angry parents. The students keep all their assignments in their own hand-made folder and are allowed to take their folders home to their parents at the end of the unit. Feedback occurs almost entirely in class on a personal level between teacher and student. From what I have observed, the students like to explain their art-making decisions aloud to the teacher and her helpers in class. We make sure to point out their strengths and very gently make suggestions in areas in which there is room for improvement. Sometimes other students will chime in and comment on each other’s work. Surprisingly, most of them have only encouraging and positive things to say, which is a beautiful thing in my opinion.