Wednesday, April 29, 2009

On Location: So this is what learning looks like...


  • Authentic Purposes

  • Empowering Learners

  • Project-Based Learning

More to come....

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Doubt: Gossip


I finally watched the movie Doubt. Among the many moving scenes, I found the one that has stuck with me the most on YouTube. I think it worth the 2 minutes and 50 seconds; a powerful metaphor.

School one of 10 nationwide and only facility in Alabama chosen to participate in John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center program

I am thrilled to share that Foley Middle School in Baldwin County is one of 10 nationwide and the only facility in Alabama chosen to participate in John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center program.

Educators at Foley Middle School are being given a rare opportunity this week to showcase a unique art curriculum. The school was chosen as one of 10 across the nation — and the only school in Alabama — to participate in a program sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a Washington, D.C.-based educational facility that is administered by the Smithsonian Institution.

The students are creating a documentary about Fairhope artist Ricky Trione, a blind painter who visits students and demonstrates his ability to create visual art.

I have had the privilege of collaborating with Ricky Trione and Vicky Cook (Baldwin County Fine Arts and Media Supervisor) as they share art, character and special education ideas with preservice teachers at the University of South Alabama. I have presented with them at the Troy Alabama Art Summit and most recently at the National Art Education Association Conference in Minneapolis.

A bus, described by Kennedy Center officials as "a media studio on wheels" and manned by a three-person team of theater and media professionals, is at the school from April 21 through May 1. YOU can read updates at the Road Diary site. The documentary is part of a grant that will give the school a media lab consisting of a computer, digital editing software, camera, sound recording equipment and accessories, valued at an estimated $5,000; $1,000 for the school to support the project; curriculum materials to develop media projects about the arts; and training for teachers and students.

The documentary being created by the students will be showcased on http://www.artsedge.org/onlocation/ according to Donna Russell, executive director of the Alabama Alliance for Arts Education.

Baldwin County schools Fine Arts Director Vicky Cook said the school was chosen because of the application written by Foley Middle's librarian Sue Norman and the novelty of Trione's presentations.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Dog & Shapes


What a relaxed demeanor! How did William get Fay to pose for such a symmetrical image? I wonder how many shots this took!

Triangle, Circle, Semi-Circle, Rectangle, Square:

AKRON, OH - The Akron Art Museum will present the wonderfully witty, entertaining and moving exhibition William Wegman: Fay, featuring the artistic collaboration between William Wegman (b. 1943) and his celebrated Weimaraner, Fay (1984-1995). The Akron Art Museum is fortunate to be able to include in this exhibition not just black and white photographs but also large format Polaroids and chromogenic (color) prints, from the artist’s personal collection. In addition to 56 still photographs, extensive selections from Wegman’s videos featuring Fay will be on continuous view in the exhibition. On view 16 May through 16 August, 2009.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

NAEA: The White Ella Project


One of the most interesting and inspiring presentations I attended at the NAEA Conference was Karen Danielson's Teaching Preservice Generalists: Global Poverty and a Transformative Curriculum. Karen discussed ways she used Aqua Yost's paintings on global poverty to inspire preservice teachers to transform curriculum through the arts. The class assignments and outcomes Karen shared have inspired me to rethink my own teaching methods.

See the Aqua Yost Video at http://current.com/items/88868448_the-white-ella-project.htm

Friday, April 24, 2009

NAEA Connections Across The Bay

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Solving Problems

Einstein said "No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it."

Now I'm thinking about how to solve my problems...maybe I need to be unconscious? :-)

Build Your Personal Learning Network (PLN)

Craig Roland (associate professor of art education at the University of Florida in Gainesville) reminded me of the reason I Blog, Facebook, join Nings and create Wikis in his recent May/June 2009 SchoolArts article: "What you gain from your personal learning network will be in direct proportion to what you put into it: the more you contribute, the more you'll get back."

As most writers and artists know, I find it therapeutic to communicate (in multiple forms) my ideas and reflections as I read and view what others share.

In addition to his own presence on the WWW, which continues to inform and inspire me, Craig offers some great blogs he follows:

To find and track blogs:
Technorati.com

blogsearch.google.com

Top Education Blogs at:
education.alltop.com

Top Art Education at:
art.alltop.com

Art Ed:
carrotrevolution.blogspot.com

theteachingpalette.com

digitalartstechacademy.blogspot.com

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

2009 National Art Education Association Conference


I returned last night from the National Art Education Association Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After the NAEA conference last year, I synthesized all my conference notes and images and reflected on my own and other presentations with links to resources at my Art Talk wiki. I found this reflection process quite helpful in my own professional development and it provided information for my students as well as an organized resource for my own future reference. (So often I return from a conference and forget the ideas I found inspiring because I jump back into the maze I have created at home.) Because I attended the 2009 NAEA conference this year with plans to post reflections, and because I found the majority of the sessions I attended worthwhile and informative, I have copious notes to revisit. I will engage in this synthesis and reflection soon and post the link here!
Last Year - 2008 NAEA Conference Reflection: http://arttalk.wetpaint.com/page/National+Art+Education+Association...
This Year - 2009 NAEA coming soon....

NAEA created a conference wiki for presenters to share resources. Many excellent presentation resources are already uploaded. I will be posting my PowerPoints to this site as well.
http://naea.wikispaces.com/