Unit four: Celebrations
Studio one: nick cave
Studio two: Norman rockwell
studio three: miriam schapiro
For studio one, inspired by Nick Cave, we had to create a finger puppet that celebrates something about ourselves. I chose to make a puppet of something that very few people know about me and also celebrates women as a whole. Whether a woman has a child, has lost a child, has given a child up for adoption, or has no child, she deserves to be celebrated for her decisions and what she has overcome. In Pink (2005), the Dalai Lama is quoted saying“ I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That much is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we are all seeking something better in life. So I think that very motion of our life is towards happiness” (p.220) Sometimes I forget that overcoming a hardship is worth celebrating and that no matter what, we are always making moves towards happiness. I enjoyed this studio because I got to express something about myself that I normally do not get the chance to talk about. This puppet celebrates that part of me that overcame a hardship, while celebrating women everywhere for what they have or have not chosen to do, as well. I think a studio like this would be a great addition to a classroom lesson. It is important for students to feel celebrated and to celebrate themselves at times and to have an outlet to share that. This type of studio could be tied into a multitude of lessons and I think it would be very interesting to see what the students come up with.
I really enjoyed creating the Norman Rockwell inspired piece this unit. It was the first time we had used technology to create artwork and I think it was important that we got to explore that medium of art. At first, I wasn't sure how to go about the piece because we had to use our own photos we've taken and, to say the least, I am not much of a photographer. However, I found photos that I took from when I went to the site where the Oklahoma Bombing took place, and loved the way they looked together and thought it could be a great piece that integrated historical knowledge. It is a celebration of community, rebuilding, and remembrance. In Bang (1991) it is said that, "Our feelings arise because we see pictures as extensions of the real world" (p.41). Norman Rockwell's work does this, and I hope that mine does as well. When I look at the collection of pictures I chose I feel the same feelings as I did when I was there experiencing the memorial. Because of the way I went about this piece, my eyes were opened to the many ways this type of project could be done in the classroom. Students are very technology savvy these days, so I feel it is something they should be able to do with ease in the older grades.
In the third studio, our pieces were inspired by the works of Miriam Schapiro. I absolutely loved doing this piece. I chose to do my piece based off of her Learning for Others types of pieces where she created collages from others' works and connected herself to them in that way. I took this idea and formed it into my own because of the people that inspire me in my life. Every single one of my best friends from high school is still a best friend today. I take pride in that and in the fact that they inspire me to be a better person every day. In Pink(2005) it is stated that "You're not going to find the meaning of life hidden under a rock written by someone else. You'll only find it by giving meaning to life from inside yourself" (p.225). I chose to do a collage of our friendships, rather than of just one person, because I know the interconnected circle of friendship we have is a stronger inspiration and celebration in and of my life. Each photo was cut into a letter to form a word that, as silly as it may be, has come to define our friendship. A once random noise we made has tied us together in more ways than I can count. Behind each letter, I chose a color and pattern of paper that I felt described my individual relationship with each person. Yellow, for the group photo, because of the happiness and sunshine that has been in my life from these friendships. Pink, for Anna, because she is beautiful, positive, caring, and there for anyone when they need her. Green, for Kaylie, because she has been a steady and strong influence throughout my years of knowing her. She brings harmony and a lot of fun to our group. I chose red for Moriah because she is feisty. She is also the most strong willed and passionate person I know. There is nothing she wouldn't do for a friend. Hayley got orange because she is the most cheerful and energetic person I know. She is always on the go and always in a good mood. She is also extremely encouraging to everyone around her. I chose purple for Jill for many reasons. Purple is rare in nature, and Jill, compared to anyone else I have ever met, is a rare find. It is also her favorite color. All of us individually lack something that the others possess, but together, our group makes sense and it is something I like to celebrate as often as I can. In my future classroom, I can see the students doing something like this of a person that inspires them using items that those people might possess such as fabric from a shirt, their favorite colors, etc. This could also be used to integrate history by doing a collage of someone who is a historical hero.
Bang, M. (1991). Picture This: How Pictures Work. Boston: Bullfinch Press/Little, Brown and Company.
Pink, D.P. (2005). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
I really enjoyed creating the Norman Rockwell inspired piece this unit. It was the first time we had used technology to create artwork and I think it was important that we got to explore that medium of art. At first, I wasn't sure how to go about the piece because we had to use our own photos we've taken and, to say the least, I am not much of a photographer. However, I found photos that I took from when I went to the site where the Oklahoma Bombing took place, and loved the way they looked together and thought it could be a great piece that integrated historical knowledge. It is a celebration of community, rebuilding, and remembrance. In Bang (1991) it is said that, "Our feelings arise because we see pictures as extensions of the real world" (p.41). Norman Rockwell's work does this, and I hope that mine does as well. When I look at the collection of pictures I chose I feel the same feelings as I did when I was there experiencing the memorial. Because of the way I went about this piece, my eyes were opened to the many ways this type of project could be done in the classroom. Students are very technology savvy these days, so I feel it is something they should be able to do with ease in the older grades.
In the third studio, our pieces were inspired by the works of Miriam Schapiro. I absolutely loved doing this piece. I chose to do my piece based off of her Learning for Others types of pieces where she created collages from others' works and connected herself to them in that way. I took this idea and formed it into my own because of the people that inspire me in my life. Every single one of my best friends from high school is still a best friend today. I take pride in that and in the fact that they inspire me to be a better person every day. In Pink(2005) it is stated that "You're not going to find the meaning of life hidden under a rock written by someone else. You'll only find it by giving meaning to life from inside yourself" (p.225). I chose to do a collage of our friendships, rather than of just one person, because I know the interconnected circle of friendship we have is a stronger inspiration and celebration in and of my life. Each photo was cut into a letter to form a word that, as silly as it may be, has come to define our friendship. A once random noise we made has tied us together in more ways than I can count. Behind each letter, I chose a color and pattern of paper that I felt described my individual relationship with each person. Yellow, for the group photo, because of the happiness and sunshine that has been in my life from these friendships. Pink, for Anna, because she is beautiful, positive, caring, and there for anyone when they need her. Green, for Kaylie, because she has been a steady and strong influence throughout my years of knowing her. She brings harmony and a lot of fun to our group. I chose red for Moriah because she is feisty. She is also the most strong willed and passionate person I know. There is nothing she wouldn't do for a friend. Hayley got orange because she is the most cheerful and energetic person I know. She is always on the go and always in a good mood. She is also extremely encouraging to everyone around her. I chose purple for Jill for many reasons. Purple is rare in nature, and Jill, compared to anyone else I have ever met, is a rare find. It is also her favorite color. All of us individually lack something that the others possess, but together, our group makes sense and it is something I like to celebrate as often as I can. In my future classroom, I can see the students doing something like this of a person that inspires them using items that those people might possess such as fabric from a shirt, their favorite colors, etc. This could also be used to integrate history by doing a collage of someone who is a historical hero.
Bang, M. (1991). Picture This: How Pictures Work. Boston: Bullfinch Press/Little, Brown and Company.
Pink, D.P. (2005). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY: Penguin Group.