Ms. Engel's Art Room
"Creativity takes courage." - Henri Matisse
What I find incredibly important - and really fun - is incorporating well-known artists into my lessons and art room. Sometimes it's a tough sell in art class to just talk straight up Art History - because to students, it seems an awful lot like learning in the art room...and the art room is just for making cool stuff, right? <insert Trump-esque voice here <"wrong">>
It's not uncommon for me to hear, "can we just make art now..?" or "okay, we get it - what are we making today?", during my talks about why Frida Kahlo was such an important artist or how Michelangelo actually got all the way up to paint that ceiling.. I recall a quote; which has absolutely nothing to do with art nor is it a famous quote - but when I read it, I loved it - especially considering it's source. And suddenly, I feel like sharing it will make some sort of compelling connection.. Let's see how this goes. "You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk", quoted from a 7-year old. There, I said it. Now let's see if I can tie this all together. The broccoli is Art History, right? And that glass of milk is my class...you still with me? See, I don't try to hide it really - because it's always there and the students can see it and experience it every class. I have Starry Night on the wall, Hokusai's Great Wave hanging up, there's a new "mystery artist" painting each month, a reminder that Banksy's spray cans sound a lot like being told to be quiet :) and our classroom friend Waldo hides in various places around the classroom, discovering new bits of information about art and Art History. I also participate in #artshirtfriday, which entails wearing an art-related shirt on Fridays and posting a picture of it to Instagram - and students ask about what I'm wearing (it's a win-win!). Hmmm...I guess I do sneak it in. Before teaching, I worried that kids would be bored with learning about art and pondered how I could still create fun projects while that learning was going on. So far, I think I've managed to create good balance...mind you, in a classroom everything has a learning curve (for the teacher too!). I constantly try to think of new ways (aka non-boring ways) to sneak in small bits of important information about who artists were and why they made what they did...and sometimes I have to Top Chef mince that broccoli! I'm not necessarily trying to get the students to eat the broccoli.. I just want them to know it's in there and not forget it. Ultimately, I do want them to drink the milk, eat the broccoli and come back for another glass!
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Our friend, Mona Lisa, joins us in every class!Remember that Archives
December 2016
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