Fellow students' blogs I've responded to...

Hilary Kuhn
Kathryn Leonard
Catherine Samhan

402 assignment/session 1

Outside school experiences:
It wasn't until later in life that I developed aspirations to teach, so most of my experiences with art (outside of school) were aligned with my goal to be a professional artist. Like most graduating art students, I found that life was very different outside the comfort and resources of art school. Instead of focusing on the art history of the distant past I became familiar with local creative communities and the business and reality of the contemporary art world. I learned the practicalities of affording and maintaining a studio practice, and realized the importance of keeping up with current trends locally and globally.

Response to Ball discussion:
While reading "The Subject Matter Preparation of Teachers," the experiences with colleagues within my department immediately came to mind. During the class discussion, it was interesting to hear from other disciplines regarding their own concerns. I particularly related to the comments surrounding history teachers, as art education is inevitably tied to art history. I have observed a vast range of approaches to art education, as if everyone has an individual lens through which they view the content.
Similar to examples mentioned in the class discussion, I have encountered teachers who are heavily detail and fact-oriented. On the other end of the scale, there are also those who believe that art is so totally subjective that the content loses integrity. I also related to the science teachers (in the class) who seemed to be saying that people tend to view their discipline as having to consist of "right" or "wrong" answers, rather than an engagement in inquiry and discovery.  

My line of inquiry: 
As of this moment, my general line of inquiry is something I am very passionate about (art and social awareness). I am, however, unclear about my actual goals and objectives, that is, what do I hope to get out of it? There are two main questions that I am exploring: How are contemporary artists directly benefiting/affecting their communities? and How can (high school) students effectively address their own social concerns through art-making?
I have come across several articles that deal with art education addressing social issues, and I am trying to narrow the focus to adolescents. The most important component to me right now is to find examples of actual, living artists who have chosen to go beyond the traditional gallery/art world and are actually causing social change within disadvantaged communities. For this reason, I believe my experiential sources may consist of interviews with artists and non-profits, viewing original works of art, and, hopefully, visiting communities that have been positively impacted.


Here are some images of projects I've been involved with...

art workshop at Hoi An Orphanage in Vietnam

Positive/Negative word sculptures from SLHS