Come Together (social studies + art)

Red Cloud, by N. Hakikah

What joy I felt last week after one of my students, J. Hutchinson let me know that he was more aware of the content in his GA High School Graduation Test, because of his art class. He said "Ms. Hill, Manifest Destiny was on that test!" I had no idea, honest... I had just hoped that by reinforcing SSUSH7 students may do better in social studies period. The standard states: Students will explain the process of economic growth in the early 19th Century and the different responses to it. The students  found this part of history fascinating (I love history!). We compared and contrasted the economic effect of Eli Whitney's cotton gin, with the legalization of marijuana in certain states in the U.S. - SMH, hey... if the shoe fits.... I required my students to choose an element from the standard: a. - e. and then from their research settle on an individual who had an impact on it, or was impacted by it. That person became the subject for their block prints. Then the art began. They had to choose parts of the portrait to show in white (the recessed areas) and parts to show with different values. Earlier in the Quarter I'd introduced them to linoleum block printing, then this became their culminating project. A student, T. Anderson remarked, "dang, we started with those little samples now look how far we've come."

Eli Whitney, by J. Hutchinson

John Brown, by J. Blair

If You Build It They Will Come

I am amazed at my students, they make me very proud, daily. A new 9-week quarter has just begun. I have a new set of Everyday Students; a new set of non-believers. I've already had one say, "I can't draw, my drawings look like a kindergartener's!" So, my first response is: "There's nothing wrong with that. I will show you very sought after and valuable art that one might interpret as child-like." My next response is: if you can write a letter, or make a line or a shape -- you can draw! The work here illustrates this...I teach them and they grow. [On the bottom: contour line drawings of three dimensional foam shapes that they draw first as simple 2-D shapes, then I encourage them to see their depth and draw the arrangement. Soon after, (top left) students’ careful use of shadows in a drawing of a paper bag helps to establish the ground beneath it, its creases and interior. To encourage them to understand how to represent the highlights on creases, I used a peanut butter sandwich analogy: the light is the peanut butter in between the bread is the shaded areas that flank the light. Hey - I gotta do what I gotta do!

Self Portrait: Psychology of Color in Pastel

 

 

 

 

 

11th and 12th grade Everyday Students, paint with pastels for the first time. The color palettes were established from a list of words, characteristics from research about the psychology of color.  ©2013

Math in a portrait? Oh My!

So, historically I assign my students a self-portrait project, because they are the everyday students. My students aren't the super artsy, so-called "naturally" talented art students whom one could ask: "Select a familiar object or item of food. Create a series of sequential sketches in which the object gradually transforms into something else." They would look at me like - Are you crazy?!

Now this is not to say that I don't believe in my students’ abilities -- no way! I've always taught from the perspective of high expectations. I scaffold, and teach with all kinds of analogies, every day examples that they can relate to. I fold in history and math, reading and writing always...even if they do say "Ms. Hill, I thought this was art class?" LOL 

The reality is that my students typically have never experienced an art class with rigor. The greatest compliment I received recently was from a student who said, "Ms. Hill, you know... I had art before, but he never taught us about artists and their work, he never taught us how to draw a face like you do, you know the eye lines up with the... you know?" I had received so much push back that quarter that I'd begun to wonder if I'd lost my mojo. She confirmed it for me, and so I keep going on. I've posted her before and after self-portrait drawings.