And Kate Lyman: Staying Past Wednesday (pp. 199-201)
We are getting close to the end. I will be looking and commenting on blogger sites tomorrow. If in Lubbock, First Friday Art Trail tonight. COme see MAE Summer Exhibit at TTU Satellite Gallery 6-9 pm. I will take some photos and post on here.
Some reactions to your posts: Thanks for responding to Lynn's post about factions to statue. I have yet to make it to the State Fair. I am going to try this fall and seek out that building and the Women's Building. Statue looks similar to ones Rader critiqued. Sculpture by white people. In 2001, Edgar Heap of Birds was a speaker for TAEA in Lubbock. That was right after 9/11. I recall driving Edgar and two friends in my car. Edgar commented how McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken were white people's visual culture and histories. There are lots of Native museums in OKL and NM. There is the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe just off the Square across from the Cathedral (I believe). Andrea posted of not connecting to nuclear essay and I wondered if there was a NYC/east coast bias in his articles. So, I counted them: Native Am, slave ships, England, West Coast, NYC (7), Chicago, DC, the south, Depression era, Fed Art, Internment, non-violence (south), Oakland, 2 CA, LA, and China. So about 12 out of 25 were somehow about the east coast.
Monday is our last chapter in Rader. I liked the one for today, BTW. I'm always learning new things. Hope your week went well. Happy August (means we are back at school soon).
Similar to James Cameron's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, WI, sadly, the word holocaust can be used with Native histories as well. The NMAI has chosen compositional resistance over contextual resistance (p. 210) --focusing more on the present rather than objectifying histories-- in terms of programming, exhibits, architecture, etc. Your take on this?
ReplyDeleteWhile reading about the NMAI, I thought the design of the building itself interesting. Becuase it is an Native American building dedicated for Indian art and culture, I like the idea of including that into the design of the architecture. Other buildings, or should I say museums have a generic quality as if anything can go in them. I love the naturalistic quality of the building, "desgined to look as though it had been carved by wind and water, mimic[ing] the ancient patterns or riverbeds and sandstone walls" ( Rader, 213). The structure also reminds me of the MOMA in NY, with the outter appearence of the levels that are stacked in a contemporary way ( see page 214). Even the staircase from the atrium looks similar if you look on the next page 216.
DeleteOn the question above on present rather than history, I think it is an interesting idea to represent the present. History, however, it important especially to know where they are coming from in learning about a culture. If this is a museum for people how already are familiar with the history, then it is not as a big deal. I think to truely appricate the work, you have to know the background story.
DeleteBlair I agree, I think the building looks like rock that has been worn away by water or wagon trails, etc. I love the look of it. It kinda reminds me of the Guggenheim.
DeleteI would also like to know more about artwork or artifacts or whatever it may be, where it came from, what it was used for, who used it, what it's made out of, who long it took to make, I think all of that would be much more interesting to know.
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DeleteThe absence of whiteness (p. 215) was mentioned in terms of color of stone, design of architecture, and programming--especially not a silent "white" museum. Your take/thoughts on Rader's assessment.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this was intentional? I assumed that it was to mimic the landscape of some of the areas that Native American's lived or to make it feel more like a handmade home. Its interesting to imagine a row of white buildings, and than the off set color of the NMAI. I like the idea that it stands out from the rest and survives amongst the 'whiteness'
DeleteTo me, the building is organic--one with the land. It is remarkable because DC is a city of white marble monuments.
DeleteI think Rader was suggesting that the structure of the work is a more earthy representation to signify the Native American culture. Since they used more natural resources in their culture, the building needed an appearence that suited it.
DeleteI like that it looks like it was made from the earth. Like what they lived in. I'm sure that would make them feel more like home or what they are accustomed to.
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ReplyDeleteThis intrigued me inasmuch as we/teachers plan lessons on what and how to teach. On page 217 Rader estates that the museum tells three different stories: "the stories of "Our Universes, the story of "Our Peoples," and the stories of "Our Lives"."
Now I want you to think pedagogically for a moment about lessons and curricula. What can/could we take from such a curricular framing that might help us better lay out and teach about the worlds of arts? What happens if our classrooms become living spaces of cultures? Where students' tell their stories? Where we don't follow the Euro rules of history or of teaching mostly deceased Euro white males? Just wondering...
This gave me a good idea for advanced art class. I usually only tie in Art History in Art I and focus more on the students ideas and memories, imagination for advanced. How interesting it would be to have the students study their culture and create a work of art on it. We would learn a lot about each other.
DeleteMy kids went to a school which I called 1950s progressive-- they had a barn, sold eggs in carpool line, had to reinvest the money in the next "generation" and save some for charity. They wrote an opera. They could not say "you can't play." They had to measure their words against the principles "is it kind, is it true, is it necessary?" if it didn't hit all three, they needed to keep it to themselves. They taught about artist who had overcome difficulty or who were kind to the world--instead of the cannon.
DeleteI hope that is we moved away from the Euro rules of history --it might look like this little school.
I touch on this a little bit but the more we read the more I want to do more cultural projects. I think in every class they will create a piece of art about their culture, their history. I think it's important to know where you came from and especially at my school with so many different backgrounds, countries and cultures we have it would be really neat to have something to display at our multicultural fair they have every year but I wasn't sure as to how to participate.. Now I know and am really looking forward to it!
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DeleteChapter 26: Living Water: Sustainability Through Collaboration
ReplyDeleteGoogle Betsy Damon--she's done a lot of environmental work--most notably combing in science and art (check her out Blair). Your responses to this chapter?
I absolutely love her ideas. I love how much she involved other artists in the areas to create a series of installations that collaborated to teach the community about the environment. It was interesting to see how she effected the Chinese government by having them ask her to start a plan to help them.
DeleteHer water garden sounds beautiful. I wish there were more interactive photos included in the book about it. I wish there were more artists like her that worked together to solve environmental issues. Most I hear are of fibers or imagery to remind us of it, but this is one of the first artists who actually created something that showed a change and educated to the community.
I like the idea in making artwork that intergrates the flow of water in a naturalistic way. Nature can be so beautiful and to have artist express that in their work is an interest of mine. I like the idea of making people aware of their environment, which is something that can be taken for granted. The other thing that interest me about Damon's project is that she includes other people in the process of her art making, making it an experiences as well as a cause.
DeleteIf I had a backyard, I would love to put a "living water garden" in it. To make it more unique, I would change the shape. I love that the work includes the sound of the water passing through the rocks, seems so relaxing.
Ed- I agree that she does relate to my Nature , Science, and art connection. Thanks
Can we say this is pretty cool. My last project was about water--its at the beginning of the Educating artist blog. Its such an important topic in draught ridden Texas.
DeleteI really enjoyed this chapter it took me back to Helens class and all the environmental art we learned about. Very cool!! I like that she brought so much awareness to others through her art. I would have really liked to see the brooms hung above the water to look like it's sweeping the water. I think that would have been a really neat photo to see.
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DeleteChapter 26: Continued…
ReplyDeleteMuch of Damon's work is performance-based. There is little to no performance-based art done in any schools. Why not? How could we bring it back? Why would we even want to? What can we take/learn from her China example that could help heal in our contemporary school spaces?
I like how Lyman uses acting stragies in her classroom to help the students visualize the event and the multiple sides it had. I think this is very similar to performance art that could be included in the classroom. I could see elementary art students attaching to acting out a scene in art history or a political lesson we were tying on into our art work.
DeleteI love a lot of Damon's public art and installation ideas, especially the artist who used the photographs and the river water on top to eat away at them. If I were to add performance art I would probably use my art club to come out with an idea to illustrate to the school body or somewhere in the city to provoke a certain message. I think using it in the classroom would be difficult.
I really don't know how I would do this.. I will have to think on this.....
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DeleteKate Lyman: Staying Past Wednesday ( pp. 199-201)
ReplyDeleteDeath and loss. What did you think of her pedagogical strategies to attempt to deal with loss in a Kindergarten classroom setting? How do we/you deal with loss in your own lives? How do your schools deal with such losses? Note the photo and connection to the AIDS Quilt as one way of dealing with loss.
Again, I love Lyman's courage to not take her principals or teacher's advice and continue her successful structure. I love how she had an open, group discussion with the class to answer all of their concerns. I also like how she paired two grieving students together to talk about their issue. I think that established the fact that more than one student her age was struggling with the same thing and she did not have to feel alone in the classroom.
DeleteI really like the idea of the students writing more in the classroom. I think I may have one of my classes start blogging responses to certain questions once a week. I want to make sure it doesn't come off as busy work, but benefits them.
When it comes to loss at our school, the teachers gather money and giftcards for the family to help them. The whole staff usually writes a card out to the person. We really work together as a community to help our parents and students.
Death and Loss is something that everyone deals with or will deal with. The hardest death in my family was the passing of my grandpa who was an inspiration to my artwork and life its self. I did not know how much he meant to me until he passed. I regret not hearing more of his stories about growing up or in the war. Because death and loss is something that people deal with, I like the idea about bringing it up in the classroom. It seems at the elementary level, most loss is due to pets. I remember having a cat that died and how upset I was. Besides, telling them it will be ok and giving hugs, what else can a teacher do? Well, Lymans lesson is a possiblilty. This allows the students to reflect on their emotions and experiences.
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DeleteI agree with Melanie. Schools I have seen do hold together as a community.
We have had to deal with lots of death--death of friend's parents, friend's grandparents, friends who have had classmates die. The schools send out emails, offer counseling.
A couple of weeks ago, A 14 year old girl, died in an accident at a go cart race track in Dallas. The school asked kids bring in pictures and things they remembered her by --and had a memorial.
And I agree with Sarah, Lyman was courageous. She knows her kids better and what they need.
I'm glad she was so willing to open her classroom to this issue. My second year I taught I lost a freshman girl in one of my classes. It was the first time I dealt with this issue as a teacher. My class was a completely different class for several weeks while we mourned her death in my class.. Her table was left empty no one wanted to sit there and they all crammed into other tables. The hardest death I've ever dealt with is my great uncle Bernie.. He was always so supportive of me and my art. He was my favorite uncle and I took his death very hard.. They had to carry me out of the funeral home.. Last year we had a student at another school that killed himself and our school banded together and supported those that knew him. They allowed them to miss class and be in a support group and talk about it with a counselor. It's nice to be in a school that's so supportive if one another.
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ReplyDeleteBlogs- Projects
ReplyDeleteI have commented on everyone except 2.. So I have some questions about a few blogs.
Sarah- where can we comment on your project?
Lynn- I can not access your blog for some reason, can you repost a site?
It says "leave a reply" above posts and on the bottom of some of them as well.if that doesn't work let me know :)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure if we left comments on here or their blog?
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