Today’s presentation of the American Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago was very good. It reminded me that we can tell stories about literature and the time period of when the art was sketched, painted, or sculpted. This in turn made me start thinking about the talent these artists had. I also thought about how they learned from studying at each others work and started art shows. I also began thinking about the opportunities they had to become artists, they had to have had access to the mediums they used. I began to think about the opportunities I gave my students to be artists other than giving them a piece of paper and just letting them color. These opportunities were very few. Looking back over time we have taken art out of schools due to costs and state testing. As budgets become tighter music and P.E. will not be far behind. Our students deserve to have opportunities to be creative and to become the next Coply, Peale, or Remington. Whole in the museum store I came across some books that had art ideas and skills with how to steps to complete each project or practice each skill. I want to use the projects to teach some art skills that has them produce a piece of art that will go with a lesson we are working on such as writting, social studies, science, or reading. Today was a very reflective day with some thoughts to guide my planning this next school year.
My favorite in the American collection was the “Haunted House” but my picture did not come out so here I placed this unusual work.
June 9, 2009 at 1:56 am |
Amy: I really agree with you that since budget cuts are looming, we have to expose our students to more experiences of Art in the classroom. When you were taking about the store, I wondered if you got a chance to see the Kids Section in the basement and all of the Caldecott Winners? Also, I have the Haunted House if you want me to email it, let me know! ~Melissa
June 9, 2009 at 4:02 am |
Hi Melissa,
I missed the Caldecotts but that gives mean idea about using some of the art work in the books as examples of some of the skills that I would like to cover. Please send me a copy of the Haunted House at abuckallew@district70.org
Thanks
Amy
June 9, 2009 at 2:40 am |
Amy,
I think you have a great idea of adding art work to your lessons. That may be the only way we can continue to serve the needs of our students, because as you said, we are losing our non-core classes. At the same time, we know that art expression reaches some learners in ways nothing else will. Dana
June 9, 2009 at 3:14 am |
It is so tragic that students are deprived of a professional art teacher but no money is taken away from sports. I discuss art in my classes. One of my favorite literature books had a poem and a piece of art from the masters to accompany each written piece. I loved that book. It also had color reproductions for projection. We cannot ignore art.
June 10, 2009 at 11:57 am |
It is maddening to have to operate like a thief in the night in order to justify letting my third-graders color something once in a while. Somebody needs to tell these administrators that creativity and thinking outside the box is what keeps our country at the forefront economically. Let everybody else obsess about the process…