Teaching Art Curriculum

I found this week's readings extremely illuminating and interesting. I had never before heard f Room 13 and I really like the concept of self-governed student-led initiatives- I would have loved to be part of something like this when I was in school!

Its interesting to see how it took on, and how its managed overall. Collaboration is necessary, and I like how they work in teams rather than as individuals, but it got me thinking about complications arising out of competition and conflict. How do students approach conflicts arising out of the collaborative working? the artist-in-residence is there to supervise, but the article doesn't mention conflict resolution technique.

I had never heard of spiral curriculum and I liked the concept of opening discussion on the "weird" to approaching inquiry and experimentation. I had also never thought of free writing as a means of opening up the mind and getting creative ideas out. The Gude articles definitely helped me in my teaching, and I think I'll be spending this weekend applying this to my own work.

Chapter 1 of the Walker readings had a similar effect on me. I haven't really taught art in a formal setting, going largely by how art was taught to me in school, and tweaking that a bit. The different approaches mentioned and discussed in the Walker reading were interesting and very very helpful.
I want to test these out as well, as much as I can, on myself. I think they give me something to ponder upon.

I'm really interested in how the others in the class approach these, as many of them have more experience in teaching art than I have. Have they used these methods? Were they successful? What would you change or rearrange? How difficult is it to know for sure that what you think an artist meant to do with his or her work is actually the right approach? Furthermore, how does one translate that into activities in class?

I am really looking forward to today's class. :)

Virtual Tour of the Guggenhiem Bilbao

I came across this virtual tour of the Guggenhiem Bilbao as I was researching for my AIC project. This tour was actually pretty interesting, even though its meant for kids. Whats even cooler is that its available in 4 different languages. It also actively engages the viewer with small activities with the art and the buildings.

I think it can also be used in the classroom as a visual aid. 

Eth & Ped Week 9: LGBTQ Issues in the Classroom

First off, I'd like to take a moment to marvel at the fact that we've reached the midpoint of the semester! Wow- time is passing by so quickly.

Going through the readings assigned for this week, I have to confess that I've never really encountered any of these issues. Maybe because I hail from an Eastern culture where this has never really been discussed. As such, I can't really comment on anything because I have no starting point, no biases, and not really much to go on here. I personally believe that one should live and let live. I agree with the readings in the sense that they propagate the idea that students should be made aware. But I don't think myself qualified with enough information on this topic to make any comments about how effective the ideas and tips discussed in the readings could be.

Art from a different perspective.

CNN Cover of Youtube Artists

An Artist's Skirmish with Apple and the Law

This article is a must read!

People Staring at Computers

New Players in the Art Mart

I came across this blog on new players in the art market. Business ventures fascinate me, and these companies are trying to make a difference in art world by being the authenticators. With the industry dealing in such large sums of money, its actually interesting to note that such services haven't been offered more consistently.

Does anyone have  any other research or thoughts to share on this head?

Driving Art in Pakistan

Truck art is one of Pakistan's most celebrated art forms. Many artists are inspired by the art displayed on the transportation vehicles in Pakistan, one of them being Mohan Das, who recently exhibited work which featured Mona Lisa on the Rickshaw decorations.

The article Driving Art in Pakistan shows some of the art found on public transport in Karachi, the melting pot of cultures in Pakistan.

As the article points out, why go to an art museum in Karachi when art surrounds you on the streets?

"Art, with its great capacity, can substantially and powerfully enrich both teaching and learning." - Ayers

Ayers talks about how art as an educational tool. Interesting. The incorporation of the different forms of art - poetry, performance, visual- is interesting. It reminds me of all the projects that I did at school: make a volcano, a cricket pitch with all the positions explained (cricket is a sports game), a replica of the Colossus at Rhodes. I can see and I agree with the idea. In fact, I see it being incorporated in my country, not just in the schools, but in higher education as well.

But I can say that I have had a privileged education- being educated, and that too at a convent school, is a high privilege in itself. How are these concepts to be trickled down to all schools? Do schools have the kind of budget to i. train the teachers, ii. provide students with resources? It all boils down to how practical the idea is, when mundane subjects such as money and budget are brought to focus.

Another pet peeve I have is the concept prevalent here that uniforms are bad. Back home, a uniform is in place to encourage students to think that they are all equal, at least while they are in school. I'd like to discuss and understand the reasoning behind the no uniform policy here in the US.

The North reading begins with the premise that Social Justice will be discussed in the context of the US and the rest of the world as well. It was only about the US and I, as an international student, was not pleased.

It is interesting how the Dewhurst readings resonate with me, today specifically, as I just attended the guest lecture by artist Dylan Miner, who's practice involves socially engaged art. Dewhurst's take on social justice art education then seems to me to be a conduit for socially engaged art. Does this make sense?

From the Bigelow reading, the following quote resonated the most:

 "A social justice classroom equips children not only to change the world but also to maneuver in the one that exists."

I think this sums up my take on social justice and how I can relate to it from my cultural perspective. 

Sadequain

Sadequain (1930 – 1987) was a Pakistani artist who made over 15,000 murals, paintings, drawings, calligraphies, and book illustrations in his life. He also wrote poetry. He lived in Pakistan for the most part, but also travelled to Europe, and held exhibitions in France. At one point, he was compared to Picasso by the French media.

It is unfortunate how a lot of his work has been lost, or is in private collections. The Sadequain Foundation is dedicated to not only locate and restore his art work, but also publishes books on him.

Has anyone heard of Sadequain? What are your thoughts on his work?