How can an artist create a portrait without representing what the person looks like? That is the objective of this lesson. Create a self portrait without actually drawing or painting a self portrait.
 
The idea originated from a work of art created by Felix Gonzalez-Torres titled Portrait of Ross. The artwork is a giant pile of candy. The pile of candy weighs the same weight that Felix’s friend Ross had before he got sick. When you visit the artwork, you are allowed to take a piece of candy with you when you leave. Each time you take a piece away, the pile of candy weighs less and less. Unfortunately, this is what happened to Ross. When he got sick, he lost weight and eventually passed away. So the pile of candy represents and is a tribute to Ross, without it actually portraying his likeness.

I follow several art teacher Facebook groups. Whenever I share that fact with my non art teacher friends, they give me a look like, “Wow, you’re quiet the geek.” I guess to most, that would seem true. However, to the art teacher, it might seem very ordinary. Art teachers utilize Facebook groups, as well as Twitter, to share ideas, seek answers to art teacher questions, and find solutions to art teacher issues. When I put it like that, it still sounds pretty geeky, but these groups can actually be rather helpful.
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Whenever someone asks an art ed question, especially if it relates to choice-based or Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB), I do my best to respond. I have no problem sharing resources. Much of the content I share is available on this website. I’ve also placed most everything I’ve learned in between the pages of The Open Art Room and Making Artists, not to mention a few years’ worth of articles for SchoolArts Magazine and The Art of Education. 

All of these resources combined form a good deal of content. However, there was one issue. All of this content was floating around in different spaces. I wanted to find a way to consolidate this content into one location. That’s when the idea for the Make Artists podcast was conceived.

Make Artist is a weekly podcast where we will discuss all things choice-based. In fact, that’s how we describe the show. Make Artists, with your host Ian Sands, is the choice-based, student-directed, Teaching for Artistic Behavior high school art teacher and stuff and things... but mostly stuff.
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So please consider following along. Each episode is available for download at anchor.fm/makeartists or you can find us on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, or Spotify. 

It's a new year, a new semester, and a new unit. In fact, it's our first unit of the new year of the new semester. To go along with that, we are starting out 100% virtual. That means, everyone is home and they have to start the year creating art with whatever materials they can get their hands on. That's ok. It's sort of how TAB works. So, to start the year, we are beginning with a very open project. We titled out first unit, Getting Started.

The objective of the Getting Started unit is two fold. First, to make sure students have a home studio space in which to work. This can be on the kitchen table, a desk in their room, or the garage. It's up to them where but hopefully a place where they won't be distracted and don't need to worry if they make a little mess in the process.