Making a Difference

If you are like most art teachers, you are the only such teacher in your school, a situation that can feel very isolating. Yet you should never underestimate the power of one. Individuals, working alone or in collaboration, can develop art-based projects that have the power to draw attention to possibilities for change. It doesn’t always take a lot of people to make a difference in the lives of those around them. All that is needed is an idea or cause that you believe has significance, energy, and persistence.
Artists, young, old, and every age in between, can utilize the power of art to express points of view about social issues and concerns and try to influence people’s thinking, emotions, and attitudes. What better way to share how each of us can make our world a better place than through art?

For instance, Maya Lin was just a 21-year-old Yale University student when her design was chosen for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, completed in 1982 in Washington, D.C. And one of the first large collaborative art projects was The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, founded in 1985 by Cleve Jones as a celebration of the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes. Consisting of 3’ x 6’ quilted panels, it is the largest piece of community folk art in the world.

SchoolArts is proud to regularly profile arts-based social justice projects developed by artists and teachers. Most of them have grown into national or international programs from the initial ideas of just one or two people, nourished and disseminated by the Internet.

For example, The Memory Project, an initiative in which art students create portraits for children and teens around the world who have been orphaned, or disadvantaged, was started by Ben Schumaker, a graduate student at the time, who was inspired by a 2003 visit to an orphanage in Guatemala. Through The Memory Project, student artists have now created more than 30,000 portraits for kids in 33 countries.

Even more amazing role models are found in Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, two high school art teachers at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida. They started Pinwheels for Peace in 2005 on September 21, to mark the International Day of Peace. Pinwheels for Peace has grown from 500,000 pinwheels planted the first year, to three and a half million pinwheels in 2010!

These amazing teachers didn’t stop with that one project. They have also started Haiti Houses, to raise money for earthquake survivors in Haiti and, most recently, Wings for Angels, a project that provides support for sick children and their families. Their websites are beautiful as well as functional and provide through one website, Powerful Projects, easy access to their programs and other similar and significant social justice projects.

From all these examples, it should be clear that artists and teachers can make a difference. Your students can make a difference and you, personally, can make a difference. Never underestimate the power of one.

Photo: Nancy in front of a Shepard Fairey mural in Austin, Texas.

The Root of All Easels

So that we can give you access to Rama's reproducible art bucks,  I am sharing here Rama Hughes' March 2012 SchoolArts advocacy article, The Root of All... Easels?:

Last year, I stumbled across a frighteningly effective tool for classroom management: Bribery.

I try to avoid discipline problems by managing my classes well. Every class presents new challenges, though. So, as a disciplinarian, I arm myself with a chart of escalating consequences. It begins with simple teaching steps like "If a student isn't ready, she will lose a turn."

It goes on to remind me when to hold a student after class, when to contact parents, and when to involve the administration. The students seldom see this chart but it helps me to maintain a systematic and relatively effective approach to discipline.

Last winter, though, the enthusiasm of my first and second grade students broke the boundary between fun and danger. According to my disciplinary procedures, it was time to involve the school principal. I would not have hesitated with my older students but it seemed like overkill for these young kids. So, I concocted the Art Room Auction.

Introducing the Art Room Auction

Like most art teachers, I have collected a lot of neat tchochkes: vending machine toys, papier maché animals, kid-made jewelry. And I have a lot of tricks up my sleeves. I put these assets together and I announced an end of the year auction for each of my classes.

I showed my students a Sotheby's catalog, and I explained how art is frequently sold in auctions. Thanks to eBay, most of the children knew what an auction was, and they were excited to demonstrate one to their classmates. So, I hung a print by Rembrandt and I let the kids bid on it with imaginary money. When they all understood what I was proposing, I revealed my Art Bucks.

Art Bucks

Art Bucks are my own version of Monopoly money. I made them as an accessory to an aesthetics lesson for my older students. Their design includes images from famous art throughout history. From cave paintings and hieroglyphs to Van Gogh's face on a Jasper Johns fiver. My students love this fake money. Even outside of class, it sparks conversations about art.

My students would need Art Bucks to bid in the Art Room Auction. They could earn the fake money by listening carefully, following instructions, and being my helpers at the end of each class. To drive the idea home, I taught the students how to make simple art wallets for the colorful art cash that they would soon be carrying.

I hoped this idea would be effective, but I was honestly shocked by how well it worked. Previously unruly students were suddenly sitting at look-at-me attention. At the end of each class, I was delighted by a multitude of children who asked, "How can I help? How can I be your helper?"

Kids continued to be kids of course. They got frustrated with each other. They became distracted and overexcited. But the auction gave me an easy, almost silent way to refocus their attention. I held my own art wallet in my hand. A quick hush fell over the room. Students went demonstrably back to work. At the end of each class, I gave out Art Bucks the way another teacher might hand out stickers.

There was a downside: The idea caught on too well. It overshadowed some very fun projects. Outside of class, a few students were even bullied for their art money. I was disturbed that some naturally helpful students suddenly expected compensation. I was actually kind of happy when one student attempted to forge the money on a color copier. It sparked a great conversation about plagiarism, forgery, and artists including J.S.G. Boggs.

Making Adjustments

This year, I made a few adjustments to the experiment. To prevent bullying, I created a public ledger called the "Art Bank." By referring to it, I could keep track of how much money each student had or had not earned. The Art Bank even allowed the students' to compare their savings with their classmates.

I also adjusted how and when the students could earn art bucks. Every student who respected the rules of the art room received a token Art Buck at the end of each class. I made it clear that helping and cleaning were expectations. Not bonuses.

The Auctions

The Art Room Auctions were the culmination of all this hard work. Each grade had its own auction scheduled for their final art class of the year. The students saved excitedly for these events. Parents commented about it frequently. Some parents even called me in a panic when they misplaced their kids' money or accidentally laundered it. Fortunately, the Art Bank solved these problems too.

Prizes for the auctions were made by me, plucked from other school projects, donated by friends and artists, purchased from the 99 cent store, or collected over the years by myself and other teachers. I posted a "catalog" of the items a month before the events. Between classes, I frequently found students lingering in front of the bulletin board, planning their bids!

One of my coworkers worried that the auctions would get out of hand. Preparation paid off, though. The rules of the auction were explained before each event began. Students enjoyed a practice auction to see how it would work, and how they might win an item or be disqualified. After the practice round, the rules were very easy to follow. No talking at all.

I announced each bid amount. Students raised their hands silently when they wanted to bid. Students could not bid more money than they actually had. If a student became disruptive during the auction, she could have her money or her winnings revoked. That never happened, though, because there were additional art activities available at each table.

Every auction was a success. They were a festive end to the art year, and there were many last-minute learning opportunities. Thanks to the art prints that were up for auction, I got to remind the class about the artists we had studied. Thanks to the art supplies up for auction, I got to remind them how to use a wide variety of art materials.

I consider the Art Auctions and the Art Bucks to be good ideas with great potential. They solved a majority of my discipline problems. They generated a school wide interest in our art classes. They helped students focus on their artwork. They motivated the students to study art history. They encouraged helpfulness in other classrooms. They even helped my younger students practice their math skills.

Unfortunately, the Auctions also introduced an element of greed into our classes. I was disappointed by how the Art Bucks eclipsed some other, genuinely wonderful projects. I will continue to hone their use for years to come. I would love to know how other teachers would improve upon it and what experiments they have tried in their own classes.

Rama Hughes is an art teacher and illustrator who lives in Glendale, California.

rama@ramahughes.com

Reflections on the Elements and Principles

It's come time in my university art education class for my students to consider the elements and principles of art. Our  textbook, Children and Their Art, by Michael Day and Al Hurwitz, defines the elements as "the building blocks of all visual art; they are all the artist has to work with." Concerning the principles of art, they continue, "When elements interact, they make up principles." This "terminology of design constitutes the beginning of a common language that the teacher and pupil can speak."

My concern with the elements and principles, I told my students, is that there are art teachers who rely on them too much. I tend to think of the elements as vocabulary and the principles as grammar. I don't think an English teacher would have students evaluate literature by identifying the nouns and verbs, so why should art teachers place too much focus on art's vocabulary and grammar?

To present another view, I shared with my students an article by Olivia Gude, Principles of Possibility: Considerations for a 21st Century Art & Culture Curriculum, originally published in Art Education, January 2007, Volume 60, No. 1.

Though Gude was more broadly focused on the the national standards for the visual arts, the elements and principles are included in her discussion. I especially liked this part:

"Has any art teacher ever reviewed the national or state standards for art education or a prevailing list of elements and principles and then declared, 'I feel so motivated to make some art?' I don't believe so and this is why using the standards as they are written is not an ideal structure on which to elaborate a curriculum. Contemplating the main topics of a curriculum ought to stimulate students' and teachers' anticipation and participation. Modernist elements and principles, a menu of media, or lists of domains, modes, and rationales are not sufficient or necessary to inspire a quality art curriculum."

A learning activity Gude suggests is an elements and principles panorama or accordion fold book which is developed as a whole using the elements and principles. Another approach is the one I have used, making a series of artists trading cards that illustrate the elements and principles. The cards can serve as an introduction or review and don't take up too much class time.

What do you think? If you have a similar approach, please share it here.

Call for Entries for the International Interdependence Hexagon Project

The International Interdependence Hexagon Project VI is an opportunity for teachers of students ages 10-18 to have their students participate in an international effort to promote interdependence, social justice, collaboration, women's and children's rights, ecology and the environment, poverty, civil society and democracy.

Encourage your students to think inside, outside and around the hexagon, a metaphor for human interconnectedness, by participating. Your students can create in any media inside a downloadable hexagon template, along with other materials. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2012.

The exhibit will open Friday, September 7, 2011 in Scranton, PA at The Vintage Theatre and virtually on-line. A student Recognition Event on Sunday, September 16.

The Hexagon Project has been featured twice in SchoolArts Magazine and in the InSEA Newsletter.  

In keeping with the concept of Interdependence – understanding and practicing skills that lead to solutions, statements, understanding and outcomes that are greater than any one individual can produce, the Hexagon Project challenges students and teachers to think of ways they might approach the project with an element of collaboration, teamwork, group interaction, and/or problem-solving.

Recognition will be given to students who demonstrate outstanding responses to the themes of interdependence in a variety of media. Questions? Please feel free to contact Beth Burkhauser, Hexagon Project Chair, at bburkhauser@msn.com.  

Look for the Hexagon Project at NAEA in NYC!

SchoolArts in the News

If you have an article or student artwork published in SchoolArts, be sure to share it with everyone you know, from your district superintendent to your principal, parents, fellow teachers, and students. This week I've had several nice emails from teachers detailing the results of being published!

Star News, Elk River, MN
Art featured nationally for Rogers students

Paige Welle has been recognized for being published in a national magazine for the second time. Welle was first recognized this past October. Her published work was part of a first-grade Cow’s Jumping Over the Moon weaving project in School Arts, a national art education magazine committed to promoting excellence, advocacy and professional support for educators in the visual arts since 1901.

She was also featured in a full article, along with Kalvin Larson, in the January 2012 School Arts Magazine. Their art teacher, Nichole Hahn, said, “These young students know that they do not have to be a ‘grown-up’ to be recognized as an artist. They know their art is valuable and in turn so are they.”

Just Be KAWS

This past week my husband and I spent a day in Fort Worth, visiting the three world-class art museums there within walking distance of each other. (NAEA 2013 conference attendees will get to see them when they come for the national conference in Fort Worth next year.)

I especially wanted to see the KAWS exhibit at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, since it wouldn't be on display much longer. KAWS is the name used by artist Brian Connelly, born in 1974.

I first learned about him through a feature on CBS Sunday Morning. Like Keith Haring, KAWS first was known as a graffiti artist but he also studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Like Andy Warhol, he has drawn subject matter from pop culture icons such as Sponge Bob Square Pants, Snoopy, and the Simpsons. He also makes art in all kinds of media - vinyl toy-like figures, sculptures, and paintings.

The figure seen here in the exhibition brochure is an eight-foot-tall, grayscale character based on Mickey Mouse, showing KAWS' signature Xs and skull-like head. The x-ray side reminds me of similar plastic see-through figures found in Japanese capsule toys. Not surprisingly, KAWS work is very popular in Japan.

I'm going to share this artist with my students this semester, as I think KAWS' work is very accessible for both elementary and secondary students and offers many possibilities for discussion of contemporary issues such as appropriation, visual culture, and aesthetics. Check out his entertaining blog for more about the artist.

Messages

I believe in Michelangelo, Velásquez, and Rembrandt; in the might of design, the mystery of color, the redemption of all things by Beauty everlasting, and the message of Art that has made these hands blessed.

George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw’s words are somewhat extravagant, but I think you must share his passion to be an effective art teacher. I was reminded of this most recently at the Colorado Art Education Association (CAEA) conference where I was a keynote speaker, along with Olivia Gude, art educator extraordinaire from the University of Illinois at Chicago.


The message I received from the many teachers attending was how dedicated, positive, fully engaged, and eager to learn they were. I had always heard good things about the Colorado conference, but it was great to experience it firsthand. All of the teachers I met had the qualities I want my university students to develop to become successful art teachers.


I also want my university students to consider the messages—both verbal and unspoken—they will convey as they become teachers. From their reports on their classroom observations, it is evident that their mentor teachers, for the most part, have much freedom to develop their own lessons, as long as they are based on objectives and concepts determined by their districts.


A concern I have with this approach is that some teachers may teach only artists, art, and media that personally appeal to them. I would like my university students to adopt a broader approach as they become teachers by including more contemporary art and a wider variety of media. Contemporary art reflects the times in which we live, and the PBS series Art:21 offers readily available online resources for teach- ing about it, including videos and lesson plans (www.pbs.org/art21). Providing experiences in many media allows students more opportunities to find media with which they feel comfortable and successful.

But perhaps the most important message an art teacher can impart is that the artroom is a welcoming and encouraging place for students to feel free to express themselves, experiment, explore, and take risks in art making. We all know too well how a negative or thoughtless comment can remain with someone forever. This is a message I definitely want to communicate to my university students.


As Stephanie Jones, one of my students wrote in her teaching philosophy, “Being an art teacher is more than just discovering my place in soci- ety or choosing a career, it is a fulfilling way for me to give back to my community. Investing in something other than myself allows me to impact my students, their parents, and the com- munity stakeholders around me. It is important that my classroom is a safe place for my students and that it is an environment that encourages the exploration of artistic concepts and individual growth.” Can there be a better message? 


Photo: Nancy and CAEA president Joyce Centofanti at the Techno Night Costume Bash at the Colorado Art Education Association Conference in Breckenridge, Colorado.