A is for....

 WHAT IF...

everyone knows A is for Apple and B is for Banana ...  SoI had this great idea last week. You see I have always enjoyed alphabet books.

What if I came up with a list of words for each letter of the alphabet and had my art students illustrate them? Then what if  I got a grant from the Iowa Arts Council and got the book published?

 And then- what if I sold copies of the book to raise money for the new children's library?

For some reason Alphabet Salad popped into my head. Alphabet Soup is such a cliche that I didn't want to do that. Besides there are some great words out there that are so fun to say  like- Arugula ,Artichoke, Brussels Sprouts and Asparagus.  Kohlrabia, chicory and Collard Greens....I could keep going but you see where I am headed with this? ( I keep hearing The Major Generals song from the Pirates of Penzance as I write this!)

Tell me what you think about my idea and if you can think of any fruits or vegetables for my Alphabet Salad let me know. You just might end up in our book!

I think I created a monster

This is a good thing. You know not all monsters are scary. My students catch on fairly quickly that there are some words and phrases in my classes that are not acceptable.

"I can't"

"That's too hard"

"I'm bored"

.............................................are the biggies

I'm bored are two words that make me crazy. Maybe it's because I knew when I was a kid if I said I was bored my  mother would have a list as long as my arm of things for me to do before I could even finish saying it. Oh, and it usually contained housework. So I learned real fast to occupy my time on my own.

Sometimes in class kids will reach a stopping point on their piece and there is about 15 minutes of class left or less. I usually would let them do what I call free drawing. They could draw anything they wanted. This year I have a different plan. The week before classes began I set up the table in the gallery with papers, glues, rubber stamps, and some random ephemera. I didn't say a word about it to the kids. Yesterday two of the kids showed up to class early and were wandering through the gallery. When they saw the table they asked what all this stuff was for. I explained to them it was for making an ATC.

ATC's or Artists Trading Cards are little  original pieces of art that are the same size as a deck of playing cards. They are meant to be traded only and not bought or sold. I then told the kids that if they made a card they could keep it OR they could trade it for one of the cards on my board. I had about a dozen cards that I had made on the board for just this purpose. As the kids started working two more students showed up and the next thing I knew the entire class was gathered around my little table making ATC's. It cut into class time by 10 minutes they were so focused on what they were doing. I finally got them to finish their cards so we could get to the art project. By the end of class cards had been traded on the board several times.

I am going to keep the table supplied all year and see what happens. I'd like to see each one of my students collect at least 24 cards by the end of the year. I am also encouraging people who wander into the studio to create an ATC to trade too.  I would say that I have "perfectly captured" their interest with this activity!

Art is Girlie????

Seriously? I was confronted with that statement yesterday by a 12 year old boy who was pretty hostile when he said it. At first I didn't know what to say. I mean I'm an artist and I'm a girl but that doesn't mean it's girlie. I'd just as soon as create a creepy Gothic type piece as I would a happy  little sunflower. In fact the collage class I recently took in Chicago made me a bit uncomfortable because everyone was making these happy little birds and flowers on their collages and I was seeing Nightmare Before Christmas type figures in my piece.

So I had to think about it for a minute and explain to him and I hope I got my message across to him because his mom registered him for my after school art classes and I don't think he's happy about it. I would have cleaned my room and done dishes every day without complaining as a kid if my mom had signed me up for art classes.

Where does this kind of thinking come from? Is it because there are too many female teachers in the lower grades in school? Is it because kids don't get exposed to cultural experiences? Is it girlie to write music? sing opera? act or dance? Please don't tell Mikhail Baryshnikov that he's second rate because he dances and "girls" dance. 

I guess it was the way he said it with this sneer and hostility that really took me by surprise. I felt this need to defend the female gender. Art is the one place where you can relax and just be. In math there is one answer and either you are right or you are wrong- and believe me I have experienced the humiliation of coming up with the wrong answer in math too many times to count. In art I was on equal footing with my peers because no matter what I produced it was truly mine. Freedom of expression! I know what it's like to be different and not fit into the crowd. I know what it's like to be on the outside looking in. From what his mom told me he's standing there too. So I have until Monday to come up with the best way to approach this boy and get him to relax and enjoy being creative. In the meantime I need to work on my skeletons...they are way too happy!

artist's retreat...

just got back last night from Chicago. I spent some time being an artist and not teaching. It was wonderful and a great way to recharge the batteries. I can apply so much to my classes. I am hooked on Golden Pumice Gel- by using it on my canvas first I was able to create a piece that looked like it had been made out of rock. So cool especially since I like to do multicultural projects with my kids. Cave paintings will never be the same again! Got some great ideas for incorporating ATC's and altered books into my classes too. It's going to be a great year!

what's a three letter word for......?

Have you seen my new work? I call them Photo Words. I take pictures of objects that suggest a letter of the alphabet or pictures of actual letters from signs. I have been collecting "words" to spell out. Words like: DANCE, IMAGINE, DREAM, LEARN and of course ART. I am looking for interesting and different words. LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE is everywhere you know? I also make these in people's names but I am looking for you know- edgy...cool... So throw some words out to me OK? In the meantime I'll keep walking around and snapping pictures.