May | 2018 | TAB Studio with Mrs. B

This unit was something I have been wanting to have my art students do for some time, but it never seemed to be the right time. Well, in January of 2018, I looked at my art 2 students and decided this was the group that could pull it off. And, I was right. While not every student hit it out of the park, most did…in one way or another.

This was my final unit for my art 2 students. We spend over 6 weeks working. It will also double as their final exam. Here is the information students were given about the curation of a show. They were given a few days to figure out what they wanted to do, then they jumped into the work.

This unit was amazing. Most students decided to curate a show of their own new work. I’ve never seen so many of my students jump in and work constantly–walking in the room and getting right to work. They were passionate about what they were creating because it was all them…I had no say in what they could create. They came up with their own themes for their shows, and figured out what type of create to meet that theme. One group of 3 boys had originally decided to curate past work they had made, but out of no where began to collaborate on a large panel piece of a dragon in space. I was thrilled by how well they worked together.

About a week prior to the hang, they made flyers to advertise their shows. They hung copies in different areas of the school and we added information to the cafeteria announcement slides.

Finally the day came to hang their show. I gave them some pointers on how to hang their art on the walls of the student centers, and then let them go. In addition to hanging their pieces, they added labels and a show/artist statement. They all look so fabulous. I am so proud of my students. And, the comments from others around the school have all been so positive. I know my students are proud of their work. I can tell, even if they won’t admit it to me.

The show will be up for a week, and on it’s final day we will have a closing reception with some small snacks, drinks, and a “guest book” for each student that people can sign. Next week, I will meet with each student individually to talk about their curation experience and together we will decide on a grade for their exam.

I am really glad that I finally was able to do a unit like this. I really like to show off what my students create, but usually it just gets hung in the fine arts hallway. It really showcases the students and their talents.

This was a very challenging unit for my art 2 students. And, while it was a miss in some respects, there were others aspects that were major hits. Not only did my students learn a lot about Olivia Gude’s Post-Modern Principles, I did as well.

My first experience with Olivia Gude was in New York City when she was part of a panel for a Super Session at NAEA 17. There she spoke of what she had called the Post-Modern Principles. I was intrigued about what she was talking about, and I began to wonder how I could bring them into my classroom. Now, they aren’t the easiest concepts to grasp–especially for a bunch of 10th and 11th graders. I was hesitant, but man did I underestimate them.

I set up the unit in a the different way than normal. I didn’t want to lecture to the students. I knew if I did, the information would go in one ear and out the other. Also, I didn’t want to do all the work. I checked with our instructional coach and together we decided that I wasn’t asking too much of the kids. (What?! Sometimes I wonder, but then I shake me head and say that maybe I am asking not enough.)

I briefly showed my students a slide show with Olivia’s definitions for each principle. I didn’t go into detail. At the end of slideshow was their assignment (to research each principle, understand what they means, be able to share out their findings, and find images that exhibit each principle.) I wanted to show an example of what I was looking for, so I picked the easiest of the bunch. I explained everything I did to research–the sites I went to, the articles I read, the videos I watched, things from previous knowledge I had. Then I set them free.

After the research part, we came back together as a group and went over what they had learned. We went through each principle, with each student sharing what they had learned. Many things were repeated, but I think that helped validate each student’s research.

The final part of the research was the image find. Students didn’t share these out to the class, which in hindsight I wish I had them do. They did share with me though, through google classroom. This was the amazing part to me. This solidified to me that they understood the concepts and could find artwork that appropriately showed the principle. And, they knew some images utilized more than one principle, so the students chose to highlight the one that was most prominent.

After the research, students did create artwork. I think this was the hardest part of the unit for them. Great artworks, that were full of creativity and thought, with powerful messages, were made. But the implementation of the newly discovered principles into their work was weak. But I was, and still am, okay with that. Not every unit we do in class has to be about artwork. There is more to art. Being able to know how to research art concepts is important. Being able to read artwork is also an important skill. I like to think that these students will look at contemporary art in a completely different way, not just walk by without a second glance, and really see what the artist is trying to convey.