Some tips for you

So, I don't know if any of you guys are checking fellow classmates blogs, but if you are, HEY LOOK! I got something for you here. Read it, it might help you.

So I had an interview for my position as a student teacher at Onteora High School. The teacher who contacted me was speaking on behalf of herself and another art teacher from the school that was interested. We set up an interview and portfolio review day. As well as a portfolio of artwork, they wanted to see any lesson plans that I actually taught. Well, I had only taught one lesson to a class of 1st graders in Duzine, so I brought that and some others. I brought one of my earliest lessons from Kim's class, my unit plan from Margret's class, an in progress plan from Art for the Exceptional Child, and the worksheet from Theory and Practice. 

First of all, be prepared to talk about EVERYTHING! I got there, they asked me who all my teachers were. All of them. Good thing I have a memory for names, so I listed off a bunch of professors I have had here in New Paltz. Then they told me they were interested because they are both "products of New Paltz!" But, among the volley of questions they fired at me were some of the following. 

Why do you want to teach art? 

What is a controversial topic for you? (Art ed work v. visual art work and 'Those who can't do teach'. We got into a whole conversation about the problems they had in NP trying to get a show in the Dorsky and not being allowed to, even as an art ed MA!)

Where might you take students on a field trip?

What would the purpose of that trip be?

What would they gain from it?

What sort of lesson would you teach from it?

How would you start it?

How would you teach them "art speak"?

Which class would you preferred to be place in? (Studio art, ceramics, painting/drawing, AP art, metals)

Why?

Why do you think we want you to come after your elementary placement and not before?

What is a lesson you might do with that class?

What is something you have trouble with/need to improve upon?

Why should we choose you over your peers?

What makes you different from them? (Sorry guys, they forced me to take out my bragging box!)

AND SO MANY MORE! It was draining! But I just kept a light and flexible attitude and it went well. I really had to slow myself down and think about what I wanted to say, so I wasn't just spewing bullshit. They were pretty serious, but there was a nice balance between seriousness and light-heartedness to the interview! They showed me around the school a bit and on my way out, I got a handshake and a "we look forwards to having you in one of our classrooms next spring!" Wooo, score!

But, damn. I was nervous. I was glad that the night before I drove up just to familiarize myself with the route. I suggest that. But driving in the truck with the windows down and the music up helped soothe my nerves!

So if you actually read this, I hope it can help you be prepared for your interviews. Who knows, maybe these guys were just super thorough! 

High school...

Setting up the display case for our mentor teacher:

Andrea preparing a tile with red-slip for an absent student:

Yup.

Recontextualizing

I've been giving our presentation some thought this past week. Andrea and I chose recontextualization as our Post-Modern theme and Damien Hirst as the artist used to represent it, on the spur of the moment. Now, as I've mentioned before, I'm not to keen on Mr. Hirst. So we asked our mentor teacher for some sculptor/cermacists suggestions. She gave us a great list of names new to both of us. 


Among those names was Marilyn Levine whose work, upon researching, I found our mentor teacher had referenced to her Studio Ceramics class as an example of trompe l'oeil. Amazing work, realistic jackets, boots, bags and belts all made from clay. Even a satirical series of mugs, seemingly made out of sneaker leather, velcro, laces, zippers and all! 


Next was Richard Notkin, who makes some crazy sculptural teapots! 


Beth Cavener Stichter's work was very recognizable. I've seem images of her work before, probably in some other student's presentation in some other class. It's beautiful work, in a sort of subtly grotesque manner. 


Kate MacDowell's work reminded me quite a bit of Stichter's. Purely carved animals on display, exposing themselves to the viewer. Vulnerable and viewed. Also like Sticter's, strangely human. 


Ah Xian makes beautifully decorated busts. These works that clearly influenced one of our mentor teacher's lesson plans. She has the students create a 'Surreal Self Portrait' ceramic busts. We've seen several example's of past students busts and I immediately thought of them when I saw Xian's work.


Last on the list was Jeff Kell, who's work reminded me of my own Basic Ceramics professor's first lesson. In our lesson we had to research a historic vessel and imitate it and then personalize it. The historic referencing of classic ceramics is strong in Kell's work.


So from this list alone, we've got some great artists to choose from for our presentation. And to just keep our eye on!

Spot o' Tea?

I want to make a movie like this. Do you?

Books!

The school library is a great resource, obviously! Some of my recent checkouts have been The Molecular Gaze: Art in the Genetic Age, I Want to Spend the Rest of my Life Everywhere, with Everyone, One to One, Always, Forever, Now., and Art + Science Now. That last one I saw displayed on the Sojourner Truth Library webpage as a recent buy. So I quick snagged it!

The book with the ridiculously long title, I Want to Spend... is, go figure, a Damien Hirst book. Granted, I'm not a Damien Hirst fan. JUst puttin' it out there. Buuuut his book is one of those fun playful art books, with foldouts and hidden pockets, stickers, a magnifying glass and pull-tabs. So it was pretty hard to resist. Like his work. You may not want to spend a lot of time looking and examining his work, but you do. You can't resist it.

All of these books share a theme of mixing science with art. I love that.


My boyfriend is a chemist and we love it when our fields meets. Which happens more than one might assume. Whether it's in the solvents I use for painting and printmaking, or the chemical composition to the oil paints I use and the different viscosities of painters mediums to the oxidation process that happens in the kilns, science and art is all over. And that's just in the making of art!

These books put on display artists who make work about, or inspired by, different sciences. In Art + Science Now there are seven sciences represented in the table of contents, including: Molecular Biology, Physicals Sciences, Kinetics & Robotics and Living Systems. Many of the images look surreal, and weird and bizarre combo of the arts and science. You almost don't know which it is. Is it art? Or is it science? But then, there is a sort of art to science. Oooo weee oooo, just Twilight Zone-d you all!

                                                                               
What has also been brought to my attention lately is the 500 books. I bought 501 Great Artists over the summer, just for some perusing fun. Then in the library I took out 500 Self Portraits. Then at my field placement in a ceramics classroom, my mentor teacher showed me her book 500 Cups. Aha! 500! These books are related! That took a while to figure out.  I'm assuming my "501 Great Artists book is also one, if not, it's certainly a business venture to gain the popularity the 500 books have attained.


So guys, go check out the library! Lots of awesome lesson plan ideas there!

Accordion Fold Book

Materials: drawing pen, pencil

fabric scraps

water color paper/construction paper

rubber cement

scissors/X-acto

long, rectangular drawing paper strips (suggested 6”x18”)

Cardboard ‘bookends’ (suggested 4.5”x5”)

Book Content

Choose a room in your house. Pick an everyday appliance/object. How does that object differ depending on the owner, the location, time period, function, size and/or style?

Research. Go to friends and families homes and observe the location, time period, function, size, style of their matching object. Take photographs for reference.

Consider where to place the drawings on the paper. Linear and academic design? Composed to set up a narration or setting?

Make multiple simple ink drawings of your researched object. Suggested 2 or 3 per panel. Repetition of the objects enhance elements of design. Create contrast based on where the object is coming from. Variety and interest are attained by making variations of the same object.

Book Covers

Choosing from your own collection or the classroom bin, cut fabric to the size of the bookends. The fabric should reflect the room where the object can be found. Use for interior of covers. Fabric can also be used for the exterior. If used, then make a smaller paper book title page that can be glued on top, the fabric bordering it. Whether or not fabric is used, alter paper so that the use/purpose of the object is emphasized.

Secret Pocket

Adhere somewhere to the book, the ‘secret pocket’. Insert in it something associated with your object. You may embellish it how you like. Text, images, collage.

About the Author

On the back book cover, make an ‘About the Author’ blurb. Show off! Talk about yourself!

Consider the entire book

Can you identify what the book is about based from the cover(Not a necessity, by the way!)? Can you draw a story from each illustrated appliance? Is there a balance to the design? Is it “readable”?