9-27-09

If a student came out to me, I would probably be more of a listener than anything else, since I haven't been in that student's position and don't know what it's like to be gay (although I think we have all experienced not wanting to "come out" about other things in our lives for quite the same reasons). I would try to let that student know that they can talk to me, and, as the RWR reading suggests, make my classroom a safe zone for students of all kinds--not just those that our society sympathizes with at that moment. If I were the first that the student came out to, I would handle their trust with care by not telling others, but I would encourage them to do so, so that the student could go on making decisions about how to conduct their life.

I believe the best way to make a classroom a safe zone is to earn the students' respect and trust early, and popularize the concept of acceptance with those students. Students will always want to fit into their environments, so my job is to take initiative in creating an environment in which it's cool for those students to be honest and kind to each other rather than putting each other down, and always having to hide how they feel for fear that they'll be attacked.

Two GLBT artists of my interest that I plan to use in my curriculum include the likes of Jasper Johns and Betty Parsons.

9-20-09

It was very difficult for me to think of a time that I was discriminated against, simply because I would like to assume that if someone mistreats me or mishandles a situation they are in with me in some way, they are doing it because of a personal misunderstanding rather than an over-generalization of a social group that I am perceived to be a member of.  However, I do know that at times our experiences or lack of experience with certain examples of these groups leads us to make uninformed decisions that can be described in terms of discrimination.

As a member of a social group that is not well represented at my college, it has been both a blessing and a curse to stand out in the classroom.  Professors learn my name quickly, but some of my own actions are exaggerated in the minds of my instructors because of how visible I am.  I had a studio professor once during a three-hour class that allowed us 15-minute breaks--once each class period, at any time the individual student chose.  It was a night class, so I would use that break to go across the street and get a snack, usually returning in about 10 to 12 minutes.  Unfortunately, I would notice signs of the instructor's frustration with me, and other students would tell me that she frequently used whatever moment I chose for my break to give demonstrations and additional instruction, saying things like "Where's Chuck?  He's been gone for a half-hour".  Whether or not it was the best way to handle the situation, I just stopped taking breaks and avoided luxuries that other students enjoyed so I could stay out of trouble.

I would also have to say that I always make a conscious effort not to discriminate against others, but I have made assumptions about the character or personality of my peers because of what is seen on the surface.  This was the case with a fellow student that I attended a weekly field experience with, since in first seeing her I doubted that we could ever share the types of conversations or ideas we did on the way to and from the site.

That situation has taught me to approach people, specifically students, more as individuals and to use certain labels they were given or even their own backgrounds only as clues that lead to who they are, rather than things that sentence them to a fixed potential.

9-13-09

The key components that I plan to include in drawing lessons definitely involve both technical skill and expressive drawing, as discussed in From Ordinary to Extraordinary. I find it necessary to teach drawing skills such as perspective, shading, and creating the illusion of texture, and design elements and principles through lessons that still allow the student's to find creative solutions toward an original and very personal piece each time. As was stated in FOE, these skills increase visual awareness. If learning to draw is learning to see as is often said, sharper visual awareness will provide the tools young artists need to create their best artwork, even if they decide to steer completely clear of representational work.

I will encourage personalized balance between a student's achievement of naturalistic renderings and capacity for expressiveness in artwork by using an unbiased grading system that includes artists' statements and individual sketchbook entries. This will extend to my own teaching, as I will try to keep a balance of representational and non-representational artwork in my demonstrations and overall classroom environment. In my own experience, there are students who do favor naturalism by choice and others who prefer abstraction. I will discuss creative goals with each student in order to help them reach their own creative ambitions, rather than trying to "free" their work, or guide them into more accessible styles.

The drawing that I've picked is a portrait of Erykah Badu by N. Lyon.

I chose this image because I think that even the most naturalistic work can be personal and expressive, and that this form of work will never be obsolete artistically, even if it is unpopular. I've found that when I used to draw portraits of people (specifically when I drew a portrait of the depicted musician above some time ago), I would become much more aware of that person's physical qualities that I addressed and begin to see them much differently, almost from the perspective of one that creates the human aesthetic.

9-6-09

My identity has changed in the transition from high school student to college student mostly in response to an increased level of independence and gradually movement toward autonomy. When I was in high school, everything I did was dictated by parents and school administration. I did not necessarily have different ambitions or motivations, nor did I view myself much differently, as far as I remember. The significant changes lie in the fact that because I am so far away from my parents' house, they are forced to trust that I take care of my schoolwork and other things necessary to get the most out of their investment on my own terms.

However, within the field that I have chosen to pursue a career in, I have learned enough about art teaching to move from a place of foreclosure (from not being able to do anything but art) to possibility. Art has always been something I loved and wanted more than anything to participate in completely, but after taking the methods courses I have taken, art teaching has become less of a decision that I made out of necessity and more of my personal choice on how I will impact society.

I can't say exactly how my artwork has changed from high school to college, because I am heading into the next phase of that artistic development now. I do think that what I am planning creatively is more universal because of the experiences I have had at this university with different kinds of people than I am used to, but at the same time more personal and honest than I have had the courage to be before.