Friday, September 10, 2010

Arts Field Experience Reflections

Field experience requirements for the Arts in the Elementary School course I teach include attending community arts productions or events. I have discovered over the years that most students are not aware or do not take advantage of the arts opportunities in our community, but once they get involved and EXPERIENCE the arts, many develop a greater appreciation and value of "art for arts sake."

Because one of my many motto's is that I would not ask my students to do anything I would not do myself, I will post MY community arts field experience reflections. Below are the minimum reflection requirements for my students. Any ideas and feedback on improving this activity is welcomed!


Community Arts Field Experience Reflection Guidelines
Using the dropbox at e-College, add entries describing and reflecting on your attendance and/or participation in:
1. a dance production
2. a music production
3. a theatre production
4. a visual arts production

Each of the 4 reflections for your Community Arts Field Experience attendance/participation should include at least the following information:
1. Art Discipline (dance, music, theatre, or visual arts)
2. Name of production
3. Date of production
4. Location of production
5. Time spent attending or participating
6. Description of the production and how you participated
7. Reason for choosing the production
8. Did you enjoy the experience? Why or why not?
9. As a result of this experience, what did you learn about dance, music, theatre, or visual arts that you did not already know?
10. Could you use the knowledge you gained from this experiences to inform your teaching? If so how?



Visual Arts
The LoDa Artwalk occurs on the second Friday of each month in the Cathedral Square Arts District, in Downtown Mobile. It is from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

I attended Friday, September 10th from 6:00 - 9:00. This was an event where downtown galleries, institutions, businesses, studios, and shops opened their doors for the public to view the visual arts, taste delicious foods, and hear the sounds of various musicians sharing their talents.

I had plans to eat at Wintzell's on Dauphin Street with some friends and the time and place was just right to be followed by the Artwalk. I've attended the LoDa Artwalk in the past and always enjoyed the event. This was a perfect night, after a busy, and overwhelming week, to enjoy the sights, sounds, and flavors; running into some of my favorite "art peeps" was an unintended added benefit!

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, initially for social reasons; having dinner with good friends from work was a great way to start the evening. Walking to a favorite downtown coffee shop to get a sugar-free almond amaretta iced latte at Serda's was my kind of dessert.

As we strolled in and out of galleries, I found my long lost friend Melissa Morgan in Art Space 301! I had no idea she was one of the directors of this "Centre for the Living Arts." Melissa is a colleague and friend I have collaborated with in the past. The art resources and educational opportunities Melissa shared will certainly inform my future educational endeavors.

Also, while I was in Art Space 301, the Mobile Mystery Dinners actors got my attention. My daughter has mentioned what fun it would be to have a mystery dinner party, so I gathered them, got information, and they were kind enough to pose for a picture.
As I was heading back to my car around 9:00, I stopped in the Robertson Gallery because I missed walking through it earlier. I found a work of art I would have bought on the spot if I had the resources. I must go back and see it again and get the artist's name (maybe Meredith). I also need to find out the name of the two musicians performing because they were quite good. If I didn't have a Dauphin Island Hurricane 5K race at 8:00 am, I would have helped myself to the Sangria, pulled up a chair and made myself at home in Robertson Gallery for a while.

The painting which got my attention is titled "Glorious" and I hesitate to post this poor quality cell phone picture because it does not do it justice.
So not surprisingly, I left the LoDa Artwalk a happier person. I had a good time with friends, ate good food, made contacts with former friends and colleagues (who will be great resources for future art education field experiences), and was inspired by beautiful visual arts and music.

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." ~Pablo Picasso

7 comments:

Betty P. Cernosek said...

Dr. B,
Enjoyed reading your post and thanks for the example. I had made plans to go and was looking forward to going but I had forgot about a previous engagement and had to change plans. It sounded like real fun and a relaxing evening. Thats one thing I do enjoy about your class, I always end up having great experiences that normally would not be exposed to.

Jenny Black said...

Hello Mrs. Baggett,

Once again, I really did enjoy reading your post. I really like that you do what you assign your students to do. It is really neat that you also write about it, so that they can see what a great experience you had. Kids often get really bored with their surroundings. They get tired of doing the same old thing.. movies..dinner..hang out at a friend's house. This shows that it is FUN to switch things up and try new things. Especially, if a group of students got together and went as a group.
I also really appreciate (I'm sure that your students do too) that they can see you have a personality and a life! It's so refreshing to learn from someone that is interesting, and not boring! I would love to have a teacher like you that has neat hobbies. I think sometimes it's hard to relate and repect someone who you know nothing about. They can paint a picture of who you really are and get to know and trust you. I think it is really neat what you are doing. I hope that I will be a "cool" teacher like you one day. Thanks for the inspiration.

BARRY SHRADER said...

Thank you for the post and being that I'm new to the Mobile area I love hear of new things to do downtown. The LoDa Artwalk seems to be something I would like to look into. I also love the picture to posted with your cell phone. I bet you are glad you went into the last gallery. Thank you again for the post and keep them coming.

Tiffany Morris said...

You are a very inspiring teacher. I love the way you don't make your students do anything you wouldn't do. You are very open about sharing your experiences. The LoDa Artwalk seems like something I would find very interesting. The Arts can be a very powerful thing. I have noticed that some people aren't very willing to go outside of their comfort zones, so when they have to go to an artistic event for a class, it opens their mind to something they may not have chosen for themselves.

Paige Vitulli said...

@Betty: There will be another Artwalk October 8th!
@Jenny: Thanks for the kind words; I am also learning there is so much we take for granted in Mobile. There are more diverse experiences than most people realize!
@Barry: Yes Barry, I enjoy the unintended positive consequences of my actions; the last museum made might night. I'll try to provide everyone with more Mobile arts info!

@Tiffany: I like to give plenty of choices, but I have found that many people wouldn't take advantage of some of the cultural experiences I require without the requirement. We are all also so busy...so it is an excuse to engage in a new experience and have some fun too!

John Hadley Strange said...

Next time you are in Chicago, look for a wandering oleo guy wearing a purple beret and take him to see the great Chagall mosaic. Have him write his reactions and post them with a picture on your blog. Would be fun!

John Hadley Strange said...

Older, not oleo guy