Student Work: 1st Grade Lines, 2nd Grade Shapes, and 3rd Grade Junk Prints

We are now over a month into the fall semester and everything with schedules and management has leveled out. In fact we just had our first progress reports this past Friday. So far I have been still enjoying the benefits of a couple years of prior work and experience. There is almost nothing more satisfying than picking up resources or lessons I spent hours creating a year ago and using them instantly with minor to no changes. I am continuing to create a lot of what I teach from scratch, but I have also gotten a lot better at searching the internet to find the basis of what I need or even ideas to modify for the Doulos context.

Here are a few small projects some of my students have finished up so far. We haven't really gotten into any long terms projects (I usually wait until expeditions to launch those) so these are simple one to two class period activities.

First Grade created the different types of lines we studied with paper strips

Second Grade used geometric and organic shapes for paper collages a la Henri Matisse

Third Grade explored printmaking with junk prints-- they had a blast!

Opening

This year I am once again working up a whole new curriculum for the HS visual art elective. Based on some things I have been learning personally as a growing "artist", I am trying to make this semester's elective class an opportunity for more experimentation and exploration-- I have even come to call the class "Liberating Our Creativity", because that's how I've been experiencing this personal search and process.

Our first couple days consisted in making a class constitution. Rather than coming up with rules myself, I wanted the students to decide what would make the class the most productive and safe for them to be open and motivated. I love what they came up with.

I am super excited to walk alongside these students in their search for their own creative habits and artistic process. Already they have impressed me with their openness and willingness to take on the assignments and challenges I've posed so far. 

Part of what this class is going to require is vulnerability among the students and myself. It is intimidating and scary to put your art work out there for others to see and critique. Especially when we are only en camino to having a developed identity as an artist. I have made a promise to myself that if I'm going to ask my students to open up their sketchbooks and introspective reflections to the rest of our class, then I need to step up to that challenge myself. So I present to you, my sketchbook...

Actually, hold on. Before I do that let me show you my inspiration for the following pages. If you will remember, this summer I was in search of my muse. During that time I discovered that another one of my "go-to" places for inspiration is antique shops. I love the histories and artifacts collected from all around. While making the rounds through the old stomping grounds, I stumbled upon a little display of antique goodies. 

And now here's what I've got ...