unit four- Celebrations
Studio 1: Nick Cave
Finger Puppets: Modeling Compound
Finger Puppets: Modeling Compound
Studio 2: Norman Rockwell
Celebrating 21st Century America: Graphic Design
Celebrating 21st Century America: Graphic Design
Studio 3: Miriam Schapiro
Artist Choice: Celebration of Women
Artist Choice: Celebration of Women
Reflection
In the first studio, we were to create finger puppets that celebrated ourselves. I chose to visually represent myself as a person, but I added the things that make me happy. Fall is my favorite season so I chose to add some leaves, a long with a Starbucks cup of coffee. I also represented myself with an apple. This symbol is one popular in fall, but also because it is a symbol that often represents teaching. I am very passionate about becoming the best teacher I can be, and teaching makes me incredibly happy so it was important to add this element to my celebration of myself.
In the second studio, we were to create magazine covers that represented 21st Century America. I work at Adventure Club at Midway Heights where I was joking around with the impatient kids to meditate while they were waiting. This sparked the idea of the students to start a meditation club, so the images are ones of children meditating after school. Meditation is a new idea that people turn to to keep peace in their lives. Studies have shown that meditating is extremely influential to overall happiness, and the younger you start meditating the better!
In the third studio, I chose to replicate an image similar to the ideas represented in Miriam Schapiro's work in celebrating women. I chose a heart symbol because generally women are stereotyped as being more loving. I broke the heart into puzzle pieces and laid different objects and fabrics on the different shapes to show a representation of different parts of a woman. I struggled with the idea of all of these images being feminine and pretty, but realized is the truth in society is that a majority of people still view women as this stereotype. My final piece plays upon this idea, to mock the stereotype when in reality women can be strong, intelligent, and influential.
All of my pieces related to celebrations because they celebrate everyday parts of my life. The first studio celebrated things that make me happy. The second studio celebrated the power of meditation, and how it is becoming an everyday part of many lives, equating to a happier world. The third studio celebrated women through irony, by depicting the stereotype of women through an image when there is so much more to them.
I think that I would use the first studio in my classroom to get to know my students. If students share their models and why they chose to represent themselves in whatever way, I get to know the students better, along with students getting to know each other.
According to Pink(2005), "...there are two practical, whole-minded ways for individuals, families, and businesses to begin the search for meaning: start taking spirituality seriously and start taking happiness seriously"(p.219). This idea is represented in my studio 1 and 2. I think that it is important to celebrate the things in life that keep us going, things that make us happy. We live in a world that thrives on telling us we don't have it all, and we need the next best thing. If we are able to meditate and realize what we have and find happiness within, we will find true inner peace. I think that with studio 1, students could truly find this meaning behind their artwork. Dr. Robert Firestone in Pink(2005) states, "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). You can spit facts to your students all day, but only they can discover their meaning of life through things that make them happy. Creating artwork that celebrates small and big things reminds students what makes them happy. I believe that people who follow things that make them happy in their careers are the most passionate and successful people. I hope to help my students find happiness, and passion in their lives through meaning in their art.
Resources
Pink, D. (2005). A whole new mind. New York: Riverhead Books.
In the first studio, we were to create finger puppets that celebrated ourselves. I chose to visually represent myself as a person, but I added the things that make me happy. Fall is my favorite season so I chose to add some leaves, a long with a Starbucks cup of coffee. I also represented myself with an apple. This symbol is one popular in fall, but also because it is a symbol that often represents teaching. I am very passionate about becoming the best teacher I can be, and teaching makes me incredibly happy so it was important to add this element to my celebration of myself.
In the second studio, we were to create magazine covers that represented 21st Century America. I work at Adventure Club at Midway Heights where I was joking around with the impatient kids to meditate while they were waiting. This sparked the idea of the students to start a meditation club, so the images are ones of children meditating after school. Meditation is a new idea that people turn to to keep peace in their lives. Studies have shown that meditating is extremely influential to overall happiness, and the younger you start meditating the better!
In the third studio, I chose to replicate an image similar to the ideas represented in Miriam Schapiro's work in celebrating women. I chose a heart symbol because generally women are stereotyped as being more loving. I broke the heart into puzzle pieces and laid different objects and fabrics on the different shapes to show a representation of different parts of a woman. I struggled with the idea of all of these images being feminine and pretty, but realized is the truth in society is that a majority of people still view women as this stereotype. My final piece plays upon this idea, to mock the stereotype when in reality women can be strong, intelligent, and influential.
All of my pieces related to celebrations because they celebrate everyday parts of my life. The first studio celebrated things that make me happy. The second studio celebrated the power of meditation, and how it is becoming an everyday part of many lives, equating to a happier world. The third studio celebrated women through irony, by depicting the stereotype of women through an image when there is so much more to them.
I think that I would use the first studio in my classroom to get to know my students. If students share their models and why they chose to represent themselves in whatever way, I get to know the students better, along with students getting to know each other.
According to Pink(2005), "...there are two practical, whole-minded ways for individuals, families, and businesses to begin the search for meaning: start taking spirituality seriously and start taking happiness seriously"(p.219). This idea is represented in my studio 1 and 2. I think that it is important to celebrate the things in life that keep us going, things that make us happy. We live in a world that thrives on telling us we don't have it all, and we need the next best thing. If we are able to meditate and realize what we have and find happiness within, we will find true inner peace. I think that with studio 1, students could truly find this meaning behind their artwork. Dr. Robert Firestone in Pink(2005) states, "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). You can spit facts to your students all day, but only they can discover their meaning of life through things that make them happy. Creating artwork that celebrates small and big things reminds students what makes them happy. I believe that people who follow things that make them happy in their careers are the most passionate and successful people. I hope to help my students find happiness, and passion in their lives through meaning in their art.
Resources
Pink, D. (2005). A whole new mind. New York: Riverhead Books.