Professor Burton and Jamie Song delivered a very useful and productive course of Artistic Development (Fall 2020). I look forward to taking part 2 in the Spring. Part 2 will be Artistic Development from Adolescence to Adulthood (Spring 2021).
Major Take-aways:
Materiality (below)
Childhood Development = Artistic Development (parallels/overlaps)
Lesson Planning: Focused and Fundamental
Portfolios! Portfolios! Portfolios!
(Informally, the Bureaucracy of Art)
Of course, there are layers of knowledge to explore and discover in every take-away above and there were topics we discussed in-between that make-up the fabric and complexity of being a part of our students' educational path. I feel honored to be a part of their path. My ultimate take-aways lead me to confirm how art educators can cultivate an environment that supports Social-Emotional development through the means of Art Therapy practices, Arts Integration models and the awareness and implementation of Social Justice through the use of the Arts.
Materiality
Materiality is the agent of expression. Every material has a voice and can be used to express and expand the thought of the maker. How, why, what, and how much are all valuable and responsible approaches to take when thinking and using different materials.
In hindsight, I have placed too much emphasis on some material experiences that I have missed opportunities for student interest, connections, and personal development. I have made lessons that were too focused on the mechanics of the materials such as my weaving and loom design lessons from last year. Only a few students actually found the skill useful, enjoyable, and relatable in light of their personal experiences. On one hand, I had some of the more creative thinkers of the group see the connection of the Adinkra symbolism to be a useful tool in thinking about identity dynamics and how the process of "weaving" is a conceptual process of designing our own identities. My loom designers did not have any opportunities for personalization and deeper connection. In fact, their sole purpose was to make a structure for the weavers to have their internal dialogue.
https://kaleidoscopescholars-education.blogspot.com/2020/03/art-invention-loom-engineering-weaving.html
6th grader
7th and 8th graders
If I were to do this assignment again, I have to think about the nature of the construction. I want all of my students to feel that the process of what they are making directly or indirectly relates to their own internal understandings of "self" and "world."
I have kids working with wood, pins, staples, hot glue, beads, strings, etc... I should have kids motivated to choose their explorative interests and have available models of how artists, students, etc... use a variety of these materials to then support their discoveries.
"...materiality to name matter, or physical substance...materiality connotes a quality of exteriority, or endurance, of being in or of the world."
"...materiality refers. to reliance.."
"...things become present based on specific relationships, or affordances, with other things."
Kehinde Wiley
Textile Design is a useful skill and can help creators and participants to understand the bond of craftsmanship, personality, and aesthetic partnership of line, color, shape, and form. Kehinde states "For the backgrounds in the World Stage Series, I look for traditional decorative objects, textiles, or devotional objects of that culture to draw upon."
This act of drawing upon the material is necessary in connecting to the intention of its purpose/nature. What do we want to say to ourselves or our audience? What do we want to receive out of this experience? How can the act/process of this material express or "re-present" the experience? How will the material evoke the makers' raw abilities in connection to their desired results?
In reflection, I had my students create textiles for weeks without studying its historical and cultural roots. I had them generate, actually "regenerate" other people's textiles and considered the task met when I saw repetition. The reality is that textile design has its own voice and existence. In research, I came upon the historical reference of African fabrics and its stake in main-stream fashion. The author of the blog says it best, "Beyond the fashion however, the unique tradition of naming the patterns as they come on the market, make them one of the best chronicles of historical and contemporary events, reflecting social trends or celebrating social rites of passage."
Textile design dates beyond the use of fashionable trades, but its purpose in this case is an "ah ha" for cultural context.
Initially, I had my students just regenerate appealing patterns, but there is a deeper lesson that could have been explored and applied to their understandings.
I can see their individuality presented here. The craftsmanship married to the personal exploration of textile design could have been a more appropriate use of our time. "Artistic-Aesthetic Development in the Digital Age" Burton says "curiosities about human beings, identity and relationships emerge more fully as they grow older and begin to differentiate between and among experiences of people, actions, and everyday happenings both in and beyond their homes." Of course, Burton was discussing the use of digital tools in learning but this mindset transfers reasonably as well.
I have an opportunity daily to engage children in meaningful ways.
Social-Emotional and Physical Learning through the Arts
- Responsible Decision-Making: Allow children to feel empowered in making material decisions
- Allow children access to the material that syncs best with their voice (their "style")
- Self-Awareness: Understand that authenticity and truth come through exploration of materials, ideas, and the usage of a variety of materials used to express singular or complex ideas.
- Social Awareness: Collectively highlighting the personality of materials, voice and choice during wrap-ups and presentations
- Relationship Skills: Station or cooperative learning environments that facilitate material responsibilities and usage
- Self-Management: Children have access to their or shared materials. They have developed a process that helps them to manage themselves and the relationship they have with their environment.
This course has shed light on the overall childhood development and how to use art as a "tool" for understanding children's perspectives and honoring their experiences.
"'Stimulation' the child's subjective relationship to man and environment has become characteristic... subject matter throughout the grades...is determined by man and environment." Lowenfeld, The Dawning Realism
Benefits of Implemented Art Therapy-based Practices:
- Positive Behaviors, Beliefs, Attitudes and Relationships: Children engage in conversation, process, and product through a fluid means that is responsive and supportive of their needs/stage of development.
- Conscious and Unconscious Emotional Healing: Educators have to be unbiased and listen to the children and their stories. Educators should pay attention to the characteristics of their work ie figures, space, colors, design, topics, and techniques. Burton highlights Lowenfeld's evaluative tools that include how to analyze student growth in the categories of "Intellectual, Emotional, Social, Perceptual, Physical, Aesthetic, and Creative Growth."
- Expressive Therapy Modalities: Activities should be engaging and based on their interests. In Burton's Guide for Teaching and Learning, she further emphasizes: It is important to point out that this text... underlines the long evolution of human need to create visual meaning through the organized arrangement of marks and images."
Shelley Klammer
Our students deserve a responsive education. Burton repeated countless times in our session, "I hate units" and I understand now more than ever. My school functions in quarters and units, but people, inherently, don't. We overlap and blossom at different peaks of our experiences. The more responsive my environment, materials, and dialogues can be... I can be a full participant in their learning experiences - my definition of a true community leader.
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