Reflections on a Year of Growth

As of the end of this school year, I have completed ten years as a public art educator.  One thing that continues to amaze me is that the process of developing as a professional is ever challenging, continuous, and amorphous.  Alhough I have the privilege to get to know students for years at a time, their needs change as they grow as people, and as the world changes around us.  I have to respond to their unique interests and challenges as artists, and have a flexible space to meet their specific needs for year to year.  Thinking ahead to August, I already have plans for some modifications I will make to the art studio.

It may seem obvious, but over the past several years of implementing choice-based art and creating surveys and reflections for the kids, I have learned that what we spend most of the year focusing on is what the students will learn.  The problem is, there is not enough time to focus on everything we need to.  This year we focused on creating quality work through our "Plus it" mantra, and writing artist statements to reflect on the work.  It truly showed at the end of year school art show, and I know that each piece of artwork at that show represented my young artists best work.

Unfortunately, as a result of our focus, some basic vocabulary words were forgotten, concepts that we had been working with since Kindergarten went neglected, and honestly I was embarrassed at the results of parts of the reflection quiz I gave to my students third through fifth grade students at the end of the year.  Of course, I now see what I need to work on next year, and my challenge will be to weave those concepts in without giving up the time my students need to develop and plus their authentic artwork. Ultimately, the goal for my students has always been to leave my class being comfortable with art, seeing that it contains all possibilities for learning, creating, and facilitating meaningful discussions that connect them with each other and the world.  

The following was one of my favorite pieces at the the school art show this year,  admittedly partly for my own personal feelings of middle school nostalgia, but I also loved the process that went into this piece and seeing the growth in this student this year.  

TLC, Printmaking and Sharpie, 3rd Grade

The artist spent most of the year drawing faces, which was a new development for her, and when she had the chance to use clay, she made a beautiful figure that I included in the district art show.  For this piece, TLC, she used one printing plate for each of the three prints, and then personalized each member of the group with a Sharpie marker.  This student is an example of what I hope for all of my students; to find something they are interested in, or something they are passionate about, and develop their work based on their ideas.  This year I encouraged those behaviors and we discussed those concepts in terms of the Studio Behaviors of Mind "Engage and Persist", and "Stretch and Explore".  Although this student could probably not recall by name what she was doing, I hope that the experience will give her courage to continue her work in the future.  

Another one of my favorites was this painting of Freddy Faz Bear.  The post popular subject matter at the art show by far was Minecraft, but Five Nights at Freddy's, Pokemon, and Frozen were also represented by several artists.

Freddie Faz Bear, watercolor and Sharpie marker, 4th grade

Here are a few more pictures from the art show:

Thanks for reading!  

The 2015 District Art Show

I am absolutely thrilled with the work shown at this year's district art show.  As I said in my previous blog, I believe that my young artists have met the high standards I have set for them, and I am proud of the growth I have seen in the students.

I was better prepared this year for the district show than any other year because I have focused on organization of the students' artwork, and making sure they had titled their work.  I hung my artwork on the first day I was able to get into the gallery, and made sure to get a nice table for the three-dimensional work.

             

                       The Teddy Bear clay sculpture got a lot of attention, as well as the First graders' stitching projects.

The tiny Arches National Monument sculpture (bottom left) was one of the most creative sculptures I have ever seen with clay

Another piece that received a lot of attention was the Eye painting (seen on the middle right).  Many people, kids and adults, were very impressed that it was done by a fifth grader.  The artist was able to come to the opening night, and it was fun to get to tell him about the buzz around his piece.  

In general, the show had a great turnout despite heavy thunder and lightning storms that swept through from the beginning to the end of the gallery opening.  I love getting to meet families of the artists and see that impact it has on them as well.  Everyone took lots of happy, proud pictures.  

Next up -- The School Art show!

Spring in the Vickery Art Studio

Hello Everyone!

First of all, I am sorry I haven't been around much.  I was very ill for most of December and my recovery has been slow.  Despite that, however, I have been more pleased with the work that has come out of the Vickery Art Studio than ever before.  I have been holding the young artists to a higher standard, and they have met, or sometimes surpassed my expectations.  The "Plus It" expectation has worked wonders, as the artists have stretched themselves and gained confidence in their abilities.

I do consider myself "modified" Choice-Based, and after returning from my illness I realized whole-group projects would best for the students and myself as I got back on my feet.  One of the projects we did was one I had wanted to do for years, but had never set aside the money for supplies, or the time to introduce the tools and techniques.

We started with plastic canvas, short plastic needles, and yarn.  I discovered that my clay tools were perfect for threading the needles, which was another hesitation in trying a project like this one.

In the display case I paired it with my own artwork, my 2014 Temperature Blanket, because the lesson focused on variety, and also my awesome principal requested that I hang it in the case.  Here are a few pictures:

The Crazy Park

The Roller Coaster

Minecraft Shooter

My Pretty House

We took four weeks on this project and I am glad to be back on studio work with the kids!  

Thanks for reading!  The next post will be about the 2015 District Art Show.

TAEA Conference -- San Antonio!

Texas Art Educator Association Annual Conference in sunny San Antonio

Hello to everyone I met at the conference, and a special thanks to the few that stuck around on Sunday, got up early, braved a confusing conference room layout to attend my session, and were super nice!

Wondering if anyone would come to my early Sunday presentation -- they did!  :)  Thank you!

Below you will find a link to a google doc. folder with the resources I discussed in my presentation, Meeting Standards in Choice-Based Art Education.  There are only a few documents there now, but I will continue to add resources over time.  Please continue to older posts for additional information about how I structure my classroom and examples of student work.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B6dEYFKjg62CTXdiMVJKMmdOMXM&usp=sharing


I had a great time at the conference, and San Antonio was beautiful!  On Friday evening, I took a break from the conference and went to Ripley's Believe it or Not and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.  I loved it!  On Saturday I did an audio tour of the Alamo and it was excellent.

Texas History can be so pretty!

I saw a lot of familiar faces at the conference, from the professors I had at UNT to classmates I had then.  I got to spend time with a former student teacher, now colleague, and many other art teachers I have come to know through LISD and previous conferences.

The general sessions were all great, as usual.  Gary Sweeney was very funny.  Olivia Gude shared her intriguing research on how we teach young artists.  Jon Hinojosa's Say Si program was immensely inspiring.

It was heartwarming to remember Joey Doyle with a community of people who loved him.  I met Joey in 2005 while I was looking for my first teaching position and working at Texas Art Supply in Houston.  I had  been through a dozen interviews in and around Houston, and then finally met with Joey in Aldine ISD.  It was a very nice meeting and he recommended me to interview at Caraway Intermediate School, where I was hired and worked for the next two years.  Even though I only saw Joey at conferences after I left Aldine, to me he was always a happy, positive presence.  He will be missed.

On my flight back from San Antonio, we made a figure eight over Irving (I saw Cowboy's stadium), the airport (DFW), Lewisville, Flower Mound, and then back over Grapevine to land at the DFW airport.  We flew right over my alma mater, Marcus High School in Flower Mound (class of 1999)!

Marcus High School

Thanks for reading!  See you soon.

Happy New School Year!

This is my 10th Happy New School Year (8th at Vickery)!!!

Six weeks have gone by, and I now that everything is in full swing, I am happy to able to get back to the Elementary Art Studio Blog! #iloveVickery

I am very excited to have 50 minutes with each class this year, where I previously had 45.  I took the opportunity to create a class structure chart, though as I stress to my students, it is only our goal, and not concrete. 

So far I have loved having the chart as a visual cue for the students, and myself.  I don't remember to move the magnet all the time, but now the kids have started to notice and remind me.  In the past few weeks, the upper grades have focused on drawing, and their warm-ups consisted of shading activities, using a Double Bubble Thinking Map to compare and contrast two artworks, and thinking critically about what is important to them as an artist.  Most days I hope to skip silent studio because some young artists have waited all week to share their art making ideas with their friends, and need to collaborate. At other times, however, the artists will need time to reflect and prepare on their own.  Depending on the class activities, critique may be woven into class discussion during studio time, or saved for the end.

I have created another new area this year devoted to making sure we cover as many artists, words, and questions as possible.  Even though each grade level may have a different focus artwork, the art of the week is there for everyone.

I told my students at the beginning of the year that I would expect them to go above and beyond with their artwork this year, and have reinforced my high expectations by sharing with the artists what Walt Disney told his Imagineers as they were completing their work, to "Plus it".  The kids have responded positively to this phrasing, and perhaps it is also the fact that it comes from Walt Disney, and not just me.  I don't have a strict rule about what it means to "Plus it"; it could be anything from adding more color and pattern, to adding a piece of collage, or simply looking at the finished artwork and reflecting on it for a few minutes.

When the artists are finished, they title their work and write an artist statement, which is done on a paper they have stapled into their folder.  Artist statements will vary based on project, and I will give the artists a range of prompts or questions that will be added to or modified throughout the year.  For their first artist statement, the artists had to answer the question, "What do you like most about your artwork, and why?".

Kindergarten Still Life
Last week I added blocks and still-life objects to the drawing media center for Kindergarten.  I did ask that if they chose to use the blocks, that they draw a picture of what they had built with them.  I was a little at surprised how many students chose still-life objects and other drawing center activities over blocks.   My still-life objects, which were very popular, are little toys I have collected over the years, many from fast food restaurants, and I explain to the students that artists sometimes do play, but the studio is where we work, and we use the toys to practice our observational drawing skills.  The following are some "first" still-life drawings.

Dinosaur!

Strawberry Shortcake (on the right)

Tiger 

Cat

Thank you so much for reading and take care!!!  My next post will be about STEAM and the artistic process.

What Do Vickery Artists Think About Choices in Art?

5th Grade Lego Sculpture

The first year I tried TAB, I gave an end of year survey, and have given a survey each year since.   It seems that no matter what we do during the year, it is the end of year reflection surveys that are the most surprising, honest, and informative about the artists overall progress.  This year, one of the questions was, "Should kids have choices in art?  Why?"  The following are some of my favorite responses, written by students in 3rd - 5th grade.  For the most part I have left the original spelling and grammar in tact.

Should kids have choices in art?  Why?

Yes because if we all just do the same thing then we can’t learn anything.

Yes, students should have choice so they can love art how they want to.

I like that I have many ideas and turn them into real creations because of all the choices

Yes, because its good to have your own ideas or choices because like that we will have awesome ideas like for example a island that it calls Mako Island where mermaids live fairys or mermaids or other drawings.

Yes because if you tell them what to do they can’t be creative and your bored all the time. 

Yes because art is expressing yourself. 

Yes, because if you give kids the option to do what they want, you’ll see what a lot of kids are capable of, amazing artwork.

I like the way you can choose something that makes you happy also you can discover your inner art.

Yes we should have choices because students are just as important as grownups

I like having choices for the freedom and range of doing what we want.

I think kids should have a choice because if kids have choices then their mind could be free to draw, or build anything they can think of. 

Yes, because if we don’t have a choice, we don’t have control of the pencil. 

I feel so grateful that we can actually choose anything because some people have different perspectives.

I like it because you don’t have to worry about getting in trouble.

Yes, because they will be more creative.

1st Grade Landscape in Pencil

Happy Artists and Proud Moments

A girl in Kindergarten drew this picture of the Vickery Art Studio in the last week of school.   I love that she captured all of the kids actively engaged in their activities, sharing space, and smiling!

The school year has come to a close, and and I would like thank you all for reading over the past year.  Thank You!  My goal has been to share my excitement for TAB, and I hope I have done at least that.  I plan to continue to blog over the summer, and into the next school year, as I implement ideas that I have been developing.

This year was my first experience with planning, creating, selling, and distributing the yearbook.  I am happy to say it was on overall success, and I sold out of books in the last week of school.  I had several deadlines for the yearbook this spring, and right in the middle was the school art show.  It was overwhelming, and though I managed well, I would have liked to been more active here as well.

I used the company Artome for the school art show for the second year in a row, and plan to again next year.  I mount the student work (unfortunately has to be 2D) on Artome's special paper, fill in the label, and they do the rest.  Two weeks before the show, they pick up the paper, take it to their shop, and frame each piece.  On the night of the show, they bring their own stands along with the framed art work and set everything up.  It is a fundraiser, but I emphasize the show aspect, that it is not necessary to buy anything.  The unsold artwork is taken back to their workshop, the papers are taken out of the frames, and they are returned to the students.  This year we gave away a sample of model magic to each student, as well as a family night spirit stick on the night of the show.  The turn out was good, and I heard so many kind words, that alone made my night.  The kids and parents were so proud and loved seeing the professionally framed artwork.  Here are a few of my personal favorites from the show:
(I'm sorry I don't have titles for these.  I didn't record them when I took the photo, but it is goal for next year)

4th Grade Printmaking, Finn from Adventure Time

3rd Grade Tempera Paint with Sharpie, Butterfly

1st Grade Tempera Paint on Black Paper, Horse

4th Grade Pencil Drawing

2nd Grade Sharpie and Tempera Cakes.  This painting was a breakthrough for this young artist.  I have known her for several years, and all that time she painted until the paper was muddy and soaked through, but something clicked here.

2nd Grade Sharpie and Tempera Cake, Bunny in Space

Kindergarten, Cave, Tempera

3rd Grade Printmaking with Sharpie, Unicorn

2nd Grade Sharpie and Tempera Cake, Penguins

1st Grade, Dinosaur, Tempera

1st Grade, Outer Space, Printmaking with chalk pastel

4th Grade, Printmaking with Marker

Third Grade, Printmaking, Crayon, and Tempera

4th Grade, Watercolor

4th Grade, Watercolor

3rd Grade Radial Designs

2nd Grade Sharpie, Watercolor, and Chalk Pastel

3rd Grade Printmaking

4th Grade Oil Pastel.  Another case of an artist breaking out of his shell.  All year he seemed self-conscious, but suddenly one day he started building up layers of color, until he completed this.

4th Grade, Crayon and Sharpie Drawing

Other fun projects from the last few months:

 
     Submarine!

This comic was drawn by a native English speaking student in a Dual Language classroom.

I have featured this student's paper sculptures MANY times on my blog.  He loves it so much, even when the sculpture center is closed, he finds a way.

Lego Hideout Sculpture

5th Grade Origami.  I let this student take one of my origami books home, not quite sure if I would see it again, but he came back with the book the next week and was able to create everything from the book in one class period!

On one Kindergartener's first day of school, he led a troop of kids to create this amazing block sculpture.  The following week, they created the one below.

At the beginning of May, I collected a bunch of boxes for kids to play with.  The kids loved it.

Castle

Robot

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at the kids' artwork, I am so proud of them!  Have a great day!