Moments

During this past month I have been so busy getting ready for our schools upcoming Gala Auction. It is the largest fundraiser of the year for a school that does not except State or Federal money. As the schools Visual Arts Teacher it is role to interpret the work done by one of Leo Burnett's designers. Through the provided 2D graphic design images provided to me and the tag line "Discovery of Learning," I had all levels of my students gain the understanding of the collaborative process to produce some awesome pieces of art. In years past prior to me getting there the art teachers would have the students make art with their classroom time and then "donate" it for the auction. This year I made sure things were different, first: my students will always keep their own work and take it home. I don't think it is fair to take a child's piece of work and ask them to "donate" it to help out the school. This year all the artwork was made in addition to their regular curriculum. Through the help of many people this year the students watch rusted items come to life. The vision of the tagline and how it can be transformed into functional art items that for the first time in 25 years several of the pieces will be part of the live auction. What I've loved to watch were the frustrations and positives as they went through the entire process, at different moments students felt fell short or they stood proud. But, together as a group we worked out every detailed and yes their input was just as important as mine. Its my job as a Visual Arts Teacher and Artist to show them the craft of art and allow them to go through the exploration stages. And boy, I love watching them go through it. Helping them to create dialogue about art was just as important as the physical product. I feel a group of my Middle School students recently got a better appreciation for that concept. Both the designer and a videographer from Leo Burnett came to the school to document all of the art and at the same time I gave a demo to the students how I see when I build a sculpture. As a group we looked at the artwork created for the Gala, their art most recently created and how to transform a 2D visual reference image into 3D sculpture. Many questions from them lead to awesome moments that were recorded by Leo Burnett. I can't wait to see the video. I am very excited about the tomorrow. I finish the glazing process on 18 Effigy Pots and should have them in the kiln late tomorrow. So, either this Saturday or Sunday I will photograph everything for my portfolio. Of course I will post them. But, until then allow the creative spirit to run freely through every part of your body and mind!