We just closed out week three here at the Art of South B and there is lots of stuff going on. Most AP art students have finished their first sustained investigation project, setting the stage for the rest of the year. Beginner Art finished up their first unit, The Object , and will start their next unit on Monday. Intermediate Art worked on Blind Portraits and everyone else... well, they are making art! Here's a look at the Happenings the week of September 20th. The Blind PortraitWhat if you were asked to create a portrait of someone? How would you start? What medium would you use? What if you didn't know what the person looked like? What if you didn't know the person at all? This week, the Intermediate class was given the opportunity to participate in the Blind Portrait project. Each student completed a short questionnaire about themselves. Question suggestions included, If you didn't have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time? What TV channel doesn't exist but really should? What are some small things that make your day better? After the questionnaires were completed, they were given to another student anonymously. Then, the students had the week to come up with designs and create a final work. Today, the artists were told who they had. They then gave the portrait they created to their person. SwordsThere are two swords currently in the works. If you saw the shield on the previous post that Max created, then you can understand his sword. it's all part of an outfit he has been working on. It's created out of foam sheets Max purchased at Lowe's Hardware. He uses a dremel to cut and carve it out, then connects the pieces with rubber cement. Next step, paint and stain the sword. The second sword, below, is created using cardboard that is wrapped in plaster gauze. Styrofoam was also used to create some of the detail. this sword, like the one above, is also in a work in progress. We'll post more photos when they are each done. The ObjectOver in Beginner Art, the class just finished up their first Nine unit titled, the Object. For their final work, they were asked to create a work of art where the subject was an object. They were them encouraged to place emphasis on either a type of balance or repetition.. or both. The work above started with the flower as the object. Then them used emphasize repetition to repeat the pattern. Below, are other works showing asymmetrical and symmetrical balance. The last one on the right is a series (repetition) demonstrating the life of an avocado. And a Few Other Things...What started as a paper airplane soon advanced into a project to design many different types of paper airplanes. of course, they needed to determine which flew the best. This project has since advanced as the students are creating an aircraft carrier out of cardboard to carry their fleet of planes. Laverne and Shirley here are creating a photo booth for the upcoming homecoming dance. This year's theme for the homecoming dance is TV shows. So Spongebob was a must. There will also be a Friends booth and possibly a Walking Dead booth as well. I guess Keely just wanted to make sure everyone washed their hands... The Art of South B: displaying the art from students at South Brunswick High School, NC
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Despite hurricane Dorian's best efforts to put a damper, literally, on the start of our year, we were back at school this week and our TAB class is up and running. There is a lot going on. Our Beginner Art students have completed the media fair and have started their first Nine Unit, the Object. Our other classes, went through the week using the Modular Method. This includes starting with an Artistic Behavior Unit. This week's units introduced proportion and repetition. We also opened the first Table of the year with marbling. Above, Max is working on a suit of armor. The piece shown is part of the helmet he's working on. The images below show the process he's been working through. AP ArtAP Art is back for the third year at South Brunswick and it's our biggest class ever. 16 students are enrolled with 13 taking 2D and three students in 3D. However, its all new this year. the AP class no longer has a Breadth section and to be honest, we're glad. TAB lends itself perfectly to working a sustained investigation. Our motto for this year: It's the Journey: Question - Experiment - Grow Brooke Brooke is starting the year by asking how she can use her art to open a dialog about anxiety. This first piece, which is digital, is a work in progress and not finished yet. Below, you can see her process as she moves from sketch to finished product. Natalie Natalie's investigation consists of her starting with a drawing from nature. The flower pictured here is one example, though she plans to incorporate other types of plants and trees as she works through the process. She starts with a drawing that she creates in traditional media. The drawing of the flower below on the left was created in charcoal. She then imports her traditional work into Photoshop were she creates many new designs and compositions. Artists Consider ProportionMeanwhile, in the other art classes, we are introducing new concepts each week. Some of these are in the form of Artistic Behavior Units such as Artists Steal and Artists Solve Problems. Other units ask the student to consider more traditional topics such as elements and principles of art. One of the units we are currently exploring is Proportion. We looked at proportion and the figure, as well as foreshortening, exaggeration and distortion. The students then have the option to create a work of art that incorporates proportion in some way. The Nine: The ObjectTantamounter Meanwhile, over in Beginning Art, we have started our first of the Nine with The Object. To kick off the unit, the students were given the Tantamounter challenge. Groups of students try to recreate an object using art supplies available in the room. The replicas are created tantamount to the original though often in clever and whimsical ways. The TableOur Intermediate class follows a Modular system. Each day, they are introduced to a new module of a unit. These modules cover a Concept, an Artist and a Technique. There is also an optional module called the Table that is offered to students each Tuesday. The Table projects are usually hands on, craft type work that gets students out of their seats. This week we offered our first table, marbling. We used shaving cream and watered down tempera paint to create the marble effect. After students marbled sheets of paper, they were encouraged to take the marbling to the next level. Some made cards, others found images in the marbling. One student turned his marbled paper into a walking, flying paper airplane. The Art of South B: displaying the art from students at South Brunswick High School, NC
One of the methods we use in the Art Department of South Brunswick High School to introduce students to the different ways that artists think and work, is by designing Artistic Behavior Unit plans. The following article, originally published in Arts & Activities Magazine, explains what an Artistic Behavior Unit plan is and how we introduce them to our students. Making ArtistsAs an art teacher I long embraced the mantra, “Make Art.” I had these words emblazoned on T-shirts, a coffee mug, my classroom blog banner, even the license plate on my car. I had good reason for accepting this catchy slogan. After all, my job was to teach my students to make art. One day while looking over my students’ art, I noticed that their work all looked the same. In fact, their art looked more than similar, their work was unrecognizable as individual pieces. When I laid it out on a table, I couldn’t tell which work belonged to which student. Though I had been teaching my students to make art, I hadn’t been teaching them how to be artists. It was at this point I realized a paradigm shift in my thinking was required. I would no longer be interested in “making art” but, rather, “making artists.” Product vs. ProcessThis difference in my thinking can best be understood by comparing the product vs. the process. As an art teacher who was interested in making art, I incorporated a product-based mentality. My old way of thinking leaned heavily on a desired and predetermined outcome. In other words, I was interested in what students’ project would look like when they were completed. As I switched to being a more choice-based teacher, I became interested in making artists. My focus now turns to a set of artistic behaviors my students will acquire while creating art. I want to make sure they understand steps artists take and decisions artists make when creating art. In other words, I became interested in the process. Artistic Behavior UnitsIn order to implement my newfound desire to teach students to work like artists, I enlisted the help of fellow Apex High School art teacher, Melissa Purtee. Together we sat down and developed a list of ideas, not based on making art, but on being an artist. We considered what artist do, how they think and how they work to create art. From our very long inventory of topics, we scrubbed our list of artistic behaviors down to our top seven. This set of units would become our semester roadmap. Here is our list of artistic-behavior units including short descriptions. Artists Observe: This unit covers observational drawing and possibly painting. It incorporates still-life drawings and nature drawings, as well as architectural drawings, urban sketching or even plein air painting. Resources for this Unit Art of South B Artists Observe Presentation Art by Barnett Artists Observe Blog Post Artechtivity.com Artists Observe Blog Post WHS Art Department Artists Observe Presentation Artists Steal: Discussions revolve around artists such as Lichtenstein, Shepard Fairey and Damien Hirst. Themes are based on concepts such as appropriation and intertextuality. Resources for this Unit Art of South B Artists Steal Presentation The Salisbury School Artists Steal Resources WHS Artists Steal Presentation Art by Barnett Artists Steal Blog Post Artists Solve Problems: This unit examines how artists work with limitations and constraints. Students research the limitations artists overcome such as; Henri Matisse working with compromised vision, Chuck Close painting from his wheelchair, or Phil Hansen’s TED talk, “Embrace the Shake.” Students explore self-inflicted limitations from materials to working in difficult situations. Resources for this Unit Art of South B Artists Solve Problems Presentation Thoughts On Arting Artists Solve Problems Blog Post Pierz HS Art Artists Solve Problems Blog Post Art by Barnett Artists Solve Problems Blog Post Artists Communicate: This unit covers the many ways art is used to communicate ideas and thoughts. It covers a range of art works from contemporary artists to commercial fields such as advertising and illustration to video and animation. This unit culminates with a theme-based project. Artists Collaborate: This unit introduces the concept of working together to build something bigger than the sum of its parts. Consider discussing and contrasting different ways artists collaborate, from Jeff Koons, who hires people to create his art, to teams like Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who worked together. Artists Curate: This unit covers how museum and gallery exhibits are conceived and works are assembled in groups. It covers everything from artist styles and collections to how museum curators pick topics for shows. This unit also explores how artists create individual style. Artists are Self-Learners: This unit provides students an opportunity to experiment with new materials, styles, skills and techniques. It encourages them to utilize tutorials, and to create tutorials themselves. They are also encouraged to share what they learn with others. Making the shift from product-based to process-based thinking opened avenues of creativity, originality and personal voice in my students’ work that I had not previously seen. Where before I couldn’t tell two works apart, I now see projects that are created in a style unique to each student. Their works no longer resemble exercises in the elements and principles of design, but rather, art that is personal and meaningful to each individual artist. Other Possible Artistic Behavior UnitsArtists Seek Inspiration Artists Engage Artists Synthesize Artist have a Style Artists Tell Stories Artists Impact their Communities Artists Collect Artists Research Artists Experiment Artists Repurpose Artists Make a Difference Artists Educate Artists Explore a Theme Artists are Self Promoters Artists Play with Materials Developed Art Making Skills Artists Question Artists Transform Artist Create Temporary Art Artists Pay Tribute The Art of South B: displaying the art from students at South Brunswick High School, NC
The Art Department at South Brunswick High School incorporates a nationally recognized choice-based art education approach to teaching, titled Teaching for Artistic Behavior, or TAB for short. Still, there are some that aren't sure what TAB is. The following article, originally published in Arts & Activities Magazine, explains not only what TAB is, but also provides sound advice as to why one might consider incorporating it into the art room. Did you ever see an art project and immediately fall in love with it? Perhaps you found the application of color fascinating or you were intrigued by the technique. Maybe the particular use of media struck your fancy or the subject matter just happened to be your favorite. Your reaction was immediate and your response was the same as would be expected from most any art teacher: “I have got to do this lesson with my class!” ART TEACHERS ARE EASILY INSPIRED.We see projects on Pinterest, works by artists, or even every day real life objects that make us want to create art. Our desire is to share our enthusiasm by having our students emulate what has inspired us. We recreate lesson plans, or write entirely new ones, in order for our students to create an artwork based on the work that we found so intriguing. From the position of an art teacher, this makes absolute sense. However, it often does not generate the results we anticipate. While we are interested in our selected subject, this does not always equate to our students sharing our enthusiasm. After we eagerly present the project, our students often plod along at a level that might be described as only one step higher than total apathy. Once the project is completed, we are quick to express our disappointment when a student wants to trash a project. While we may be discouraged that our students didn't share our zeal for our selected project, the stakes are even higher for the students. Their disinterest and lack of commitment to the project often results in not only poor work, but low grades as well. THE TEACHER IS NOT THE ARTIST. If we consider how artists think and work, then we will come to the realization that using the teacher’s inspiration to kick off a project is inherently backwards. When beginning a work of art, an artist will make three decisions: They will decide the subject, the technique and the media. Many artists—from old masters such as Rubens to today’s contemporaries such as Jeff Koons—first made these decisions, but then had other people execute their directives. These artists selected the subject, the technique and media, and then incorporated assistants to execute their vision. Their assistants, however, were not the artists. They were assistants. When we as art teachers make the decisions about the subject, the techniques, or the medium, we run the risk of becoming the artist. Our students in turn become the assistants. Our students should never be the assistants. They should always be the artists. THE STUDENT IS THE ARTIST. As teachers, we do not need to provide students with a subject, technique or required medium. Instead, we should allow them to become the artists and to make those decisions. Many students already have something in their life they are passionate about. These interests make excellent starting subjects for making art. For other students who do not have an immediate passion to draw from, it may be more challenging to think of a subject. Nonetheless, everyone has something that they find interesting. It is the work of the artist to seek out the subject matter that they will use as inspiration. Our students need to take on this role and become the artists. Once the student becomes the artist, the teacher is free to take on the role of facilitator. Our responsibility changes from that of one who imposes a technique or medium, to one who demonstrates technique and use of media as needed throughout the development of the project. As teacher-facilitator, teachers allow students the freedom to seek out and discover their own inspiration. We can still encourage our students to explore artists that match their interests. We can also support their learning when it comes to new techniques. We can help them discover ways to turn their newly found inspiration into project ideas. WHEN THE STUDENT FINDS THE INSPIRATION, When the student finds the inspiration, engagement will increase and learning and growth will result. Students will then share their enthusiasm with us. They will express excitement for the subject, the technique, or chosen medium through the art making process. After all, this is the job of the artist; to visually explore and express inspiration. The teacher’s job is not to be concerned with students making art, but rather with making artists. Links of interest mentioned in this post: The Teaching for Artistic Behavior Website When Art Goes in the Trash I Don’t Like Grading, And, Uh, I Don’t Think I’m Gonna Grade Anymore The Essential Framework for Teaching Creativity The Art of South B: displaying the art from students at South Brunswick High School, NC |
Art of South BArtwork by students at Art of South BThe Visual Arts Dept. at SBHS is like no other program in the state. Learn more, watch the Intro to South B video.
The PodcastListen to the
Make Artists Podcast with your host Ian Sands the choice based, student directed, Teaching for Artist Behavior, high school art teacher and stuff and things... but mostly stuff. What's TAB?Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) is a student-directed art education pedagogy that directs students to think and work as artists.
BooksMaking Artists picks up where The Open Art Room left off, covering issues and situations choice teachers encounter as they design their program.
The Open Art Room provides a student-centered approach to art instruction that is inspirational, practical, and classroom-tested.
ArticlesClick Here to read the May SchoolArts Article, "What If, TAB"
Click Here to read the March SchoolArts Article, Student-Directed Answers to Five Frequently Ask Questions
Click Here to read the January SchoolArts Magazine Article Engagement Grading
Click Here to read the November SchoolArts Magazine Article Is Disco The Cure For Artist Block?
Click Here to Read the 2019 Summer SchoolArts Magazine Article Realigning the Standards!
Click Here to Read the April SchoolArts Magazine Article Tracking Student Progress with the Burn Book!
Click Here to Read the February SchoolArts Article, Build A Dynamic Art Program with Modular Teaching!
Click here to Read the October SchoolArts Article, Artists Solve Problems
Click Here to Read the Summer SchoolArts Article, Art Traps for Reluctant Students
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July 2023
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