Unit 3: Stories
STUDIO ARTISTS: THOMAS HART BENTON & DIEGO RIVERA
STUDIO ARTIST: FAITH RINGGOLD
STUDIO ARTIST: JEAN SHIN
I really enjoyed this unit that focused on stories within art. I think I like it best because you get to really relate with the artists on a different level when you look at their artwork. Many artists pull inspiration from their own lives. The Faith Ringgold studio really reflected stories from her life and exemplified this idea of being able to see into an artist's life and through the stories their artwork can tell. The Thomas Hart Benton and Diego Rivera studio was also great for the theme of stories because it allowed for art to take a different drawn for to really speak and say something that the artist is wanting to say. In my case, I drew about a political/editorial issue within schools and the cafeteria food. I feel that as soon as you look at it, you get the story and the point I am trying to get across. While this is a different type of story than what is going to be portrayed with Faith Ringgold or Jean Shin, it is still applicable. The Jean Shin studio was probably the most fun for me. We really got to play around with the idea of found objects and how we could create a story from something that isn't necessarily a story within itself. We chose to use water bottles and paper plates and plastic forks to create a trashcan. We were inspired by Jean Shin who could take an every day object and turn it into something magnificent that had a story and meaning.
I think there are a lot of ways that I could incorporate studios similar to these in my classroom. The studio inspired by Thomas Hart Benton and Diego Rivera would be a great one for any social or political issue we are discussing in class. It could be a great way for students to express their opinions and their artistic sides at the same time. I think that the Faith Ringgold inspired studio would also be neat to do in the classroom. I would probably have the students write a story a long with the piece, and then literacy would be integrated with the lesson. The studio inspired by Jean Shin would probably be the most fun to do with students. We could focus on the importance of recycling materials (in more ways than just one) and the students could also express themselves through art. I would love to see what kind of ideas children would come up with because they are very good at thinking outside of the box. Any of these could be easily incorporated into classroom lessons.
I think there are a lot of ways that I could incorporate studios similar to these in my classroom. The studio inspired by Thomas Hart Benton and Diego Rivera would be a great one for any social or political issue we are discussing in class. It could be a great way for students to express their opinions and their artistic sides at the same time. I think that the Faith Ringgold inspired studio would also be neat to do in the classroom. I would probably have the students write a story a long with the piece, and then literacy would be integrated with the lesson. The studio inspired by Jean Shin would probably be the most fun to do with students. We could focus on the importance of recycling materials (in more ways than just one) and the students could also express themselves through art. I would love to see what kind of ideas children would come up with because they are very good at thinking outside of the box. Any of these could be easily incorporated into classroom lessons.