The Ragster Presents...Halloween Candy Self-Portraits

So, here's the thingy......Ms. Lindsay Wells (Heritage High Art Guru, Extraordinaire, Master of the Universe, 
He-woman of Art), and myself have created and currently conduct a Portfolio class for Seniors that are seeking entrance into undergraduate studies in Art.  We were flabbergasted to discover that hardly any student is prepared to show a portfolio that is worthy of scholarship, and more so of the portfolios that we viewed, NONE of them contained an observational drawing. 

So.... It was back to the basics! 

I wanted to come up with an observational piece that wasn't so boring for the guys, and keep them interested (especially since they were giving us their valuable social time after school to help better prepare themselves).  
So this was the result: 

·     Buy a butt-load of Halloween Candy
·     Get yelled at by my wife for buying a butt-load of Hallowee ncandy
·     Take it to school and hide it from the knuckleheads
·     Take pictures of each student and blow them up to appropriate size (11x17)
·     Have students draw/trace contour lines of their head
·     Have students create their faces using observational drawings of Halloween candy
·     See the result 

I have to admit that I was a bit concerned with what the turnout would be, (as was Ms. Wells, The She-Master of Art, Divine Creator of the Art Universe, Smack Salvador Dali in the face and get away with it because she is so awesome in art), because we believed that this might be a bit advanced for them.  But we gave it a go anyway.  I wanted to share the results.  The lesson that I learned was:
 
"Never be afraid to push your guys beyond what you may feel is their "scope."  They may produce some pretty good mouthwash!" - A Wise, Wise Profit - My mom, Circa. 1988. 

Check out some examples!

Senior Student

Senior Student

Senior Student

The Ragster (Student Example)

Topic 3 - Visual Art and Student-Centered Discussions by Philip Yenawine

Hello Blogsters!   First of all, please allow me to reference the link to the article by Philip Yenawine in which this blog topic is addressed: 

http://www.vtshome.org/system/resources/0000/0037/visual_art_and_student_ctr.pdf

Article Reflection

In reflecting on student-centered practice and aesthetic stage theory:

Five basic questions were introduced which are heavily set as the fundamentals of the VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies) curriculum. 

What do learners naturally do at various points along the pathway of their learning?

What abilities can we support at any moment, and what concerns should we address?

What are appropriate challenges?

How do we as teachers recognize and assess accomplishment?

After certain achievement, what comes next; how do we help her/him keep moving?

Of the five distinct patterns of thinking (Dr. Abigail Housen study), when exposed to art, the were two distinct stages that directly reflected the VTS environment:

Accountive (Storytelling)

Constructive (Building frameworks for looking at works of art)

I feel as though the internal mechanisms involving the VTS learning stages mentioned were among many of the prevalencies between my students.  It would be hard to gauge as accurately, as I have High School students, where as the studies were conducted with 5th graders.  The students in the study seemed to be more active and descriptive than those in high school.  The accountive stage was almost obsolete in High School without vocally and formally promting students to be descriptive.  I believe that Constructive viewing will become more involved as students at this level become more comfortable looking at a piece of art and analyzing it.

As the study progressed, and age became more appropriate for my viewers, I began to see more interactives that seemed a bit comparable to those of my grade levels.  The discussion examples became more of a familiar zone for me, if you will.  I found that students more wiling to speak, took on a more leadership style road in their convictions towards the topic, and also felt that students who said less, were less likely to listen to those who were speaking, unless prompted.

                                      

Open-ended, facilitated discussion proved to be the most successful observation from my lesson plan implementation.  Once we verbally discussed the topics, much more adjective use, descriptive interactions, and imagination generation occured within the class.  I fel as though aesthetic develpment growth was achieved while engaging in open-ended, facilitated discussions.

In conclusion, open-ended thinkiing promotion and adaptation in a concept art class such as mine, is without a doubt an extremely liberating idea, granted there is extra effort placed in the facilitator's corner.  It is ideas such as these, and other (Writing to Win), that will generally allow focus towards open ended classrooms to thrive.

Thanks for listening.....Ragster out.

Topic 2 - The Meeting by Maria Bashkirtseff

At first site of this picture, my thoughts were as such:  curious.  I found that my eyes were immediately drawn to the young group and trying desperately to see what in the world the young man is holding.  It sort of gave me the same feeling of when John Travolta opened "the briefcase" in Pulp Fiction.  It absolutely drew me in and asked me to explore the painting for clues.  I really enjoyed seeing this new (to me) piece of art.  Here are the reactions of the VTS study I did with my advanced Graphic Design class:

Class Performance based on VTS/Post VTS Scoring Rubric

Observations

I felt the class as a whole scored very well in certain areas (based on cumulitive averages).  The overall class average was 48 words per question.  I found that I had to really push them to get a sound and solid result using a thorough regiment of adjectives.  The class average was around 10 per question.  I found that the assertions with and without evidence were much more excusable than that of conditional language, as my class did not write very structured answers, but mainly focused on a more descriptive approach.  Upon discussing the artwork, the students began to have more revisions of thought, and really began to develop multiple interpretations of the piece.

Comprehension Strategies Used

I must admit that students I have taught at the High School level have had a difficult time purely visualizing things without being prompted.  Maybe this is because they have the internet to help them get a visual of just about every topic that could be introduced, so the first step of imagination is interrupted.  I have found, as mentioned that if a student is prompted and questioned in the right manner, they may be able to begin visualizing more effectively allowing me to make connections with them, and help in their efforts to move beyond their imaginary road blocks.  

I was unable to predict the outcome of such a project, especially one as new to them as this was.  We are not a class that focuses on writing so much (other than type itself...YEAH!!!!), but I do feel that the more of these I do, the more successful that I will become at facilitaing them, and they will become at giving me what I want to hear.  My overall reaction to VTS Project 1 with Class - Pass with a C.  I enjoyed the segment and time with the students assessing art.  

Thanks for listening...Ragster out.

Off to a Bluegrass Show!

Topic 1 - The Herring Net by Winslow Homer

My first reaction to this painting was somewhat unusual with this piece of art.   I had a sense of certainty that I had seen this painting before.  After racking my brain matter for quite some time, it hit me....Good Will Hunting, the movie!!!!  I was (in my scattered brains), certain that this was the paint by numbers piece that Robin Williams showed to Matt Damon in their first session together.  Needless to say, I was incorrect.  The painting was similar, but not the same, however, at first sight I got that same feeling.  A feeling of "lostness" and a sense of cold, uncomfortable, unsettlement.  Now on to what  "my experimental, fellow colleague, lab-peeps" felt when asked the following questions in reference to this wonderful piece of art...


1. Did your colleagues notice what you noticed in the painting?
In regards to content, my colleagues and I noticed much of the same thing, and were able to describe fairly thoroughly what was going on in the painting.  We described an older fisherman, along with a younger of the sort bringing a net full of fish onto their apparent rowboat.  Floating devices were being used, as there is one positioned in the left center front of the painting.  The water seems to bit a bit unsettled, as the older gentleman fights with the net in efforts to bring on board the "catch of the day."


2. Did they notice details or offer insights you had not considered? How did you respond to these?
There were a few things that my "studious pupils" noticed that I failed to recognize initially.  There were the larger ships in the background, that could have been placed in efforts to allow you to believe that our fishermen were in a smaller boat that had been detached from a larger boat that was potentially nearby.  Also there was the slight view of the net to the younger fisherman's left, allowing you to believe that he, too was playing a part in the capturing of the herring either by re-releasing the net back into the ocean, or by helping keep the fish inside the small boat.


3. How did you feel about facilitating this discussion and what did you learn from the experience?  
I felt comfortable in my choices of experimental colleagues.  There is a sense of camaraderie between my "chosen ones" and myself, making it comfortable to ask for assistance with this experiment.  I learned a great deal from this experience, as I was able to facilitate an assignment within a group of peers, versus a group of students.  Teachers of other subjects offer a wonderful array of ideas, and in some cases tend to stray away from the basic principles, theories, and rules that tend to wrap us artists up into looking beyond the basic content at times.

The Ragster Is Up & Running!

Hello all!  Man, it is safe to say that I have had a time getting up and running between the change of schedule, high-school starting back, the amazing wrong book shipment crisis, the SkillsUSA Leadership Conference in St. Simon's Island, my son's ear awesome double-ear infection while mommy's on business in Phoenix, 5 bluegrass festivals (in which I have had to play), and the icing on the cake, Jury Duty.

All is well, and I am excited about catching up with the blogs and getting on track!  I look forward to working with you all, and most importantly learning together and sharing ideas.  Please feel free to friend me or comment on any of my upcoming blogs.  I plan on being a very active cat on the VTS scene!  See you in cyberspace!

The Ragster