Finding A Balance (Part 1)
Time and time again, we are reminded how sharing work by a variety of artists can inspire new thinking, perspectives, techniques, and meaningful questions, but we often get swept up in the drive to produce strong portfolios or “cover the curriculum” when, as Elliot Eisner puts it, we should be “uncovering” it.
This week’s blog asks many questions and I invite you to weigh in on the possible answers….
- As art educators, how do we find a balance between teaching students to create art and teaching them how to engage with art?
- Is it wise to spend more time getting students to articulate their thoughts about art orally and in writing?
- Is it worth it to take time away from production in introductory art courses in order to teach students to understand, enter into dialogue, and ask good questions about art?
- What are the benefits of having students graduate from our classes who are more prepared to discuss their thoughts about art and perhaps less prepared to draw from observation?
PHOTO | Hairbrush painting by Ashley Lewis, Age 17
Expanding the Definition(s): Some Days Are Easier Than Others
Many thanks to those who have helped get the Teaching with Contemporary Art column off to a smooth start! Recently, a few friends and colleagues have mentioned (even e-mailed) about the fact that, well, while Season 4 of Art:21 has won quite a few prestigious awards, the selection of artists chosen can be difficult to transition into the classroom. As educators, how do we get our collective heads around teaching with Season 4 artists such as Mark Dion, Alfredo Jaar, Ursula von Rydingsvard and Laurie Simmons? These aren’t artists that lend themselves easily to K-12 or university-level curriculum, particularly if the course is production-based. How can artists like these, as well as artists such as Ann Hamilton (Season 1), Martin Puryear (Season 2), and Fred Wilson (Season 3) help us work with students in our classrooms?
First… they can help us redefine and expand on what art is and what it’s becoming in the 21st century. There aren’t too many neat little projects that fit perfectly with what some of these artists do, but the segments and related materials on art21.org help us work with students to consider new possibilities for subject matter and ways of working with traditional and non-traditional media. These segments can inspire writing in the classroom just as well as Elizabeth Murray may inspire students to paint in new ways. They can be the catalyst for spirited debate much like Trenton Doyle Hancock can act as a starting point for understanding cartooning or how artists develop/illustrate alter-egos. Mark Dion can teach about the relationship between art and ecology, as well as blurring the line between artist and curator. Alfredo Jaar can teach about public art and how contemporary art often needs a particular setting much like a great work of fiction. Ursula von Rydingsvard teaches how an artist today can create work that relates to landscapes, the human body and psychological states… sometimes simultaneously. And Laurie Simmons can teach that there is a difference between photographers as artists and artists that use photography as a tool.
While it’s hard to incorporate the ever-increasing number of artists that can meaningfully inspire and help guide students, it’s hard to NOT include artists that will help them open up definitions and engage in dialogue about what art is and what constitutes an artist to begin with. Bringing these artists into discussions and/or socratic seminars in the art classroom can have surprising and wonderful benefits. Is it easy? Never. Some days are easier than others. But it’s always worth it. I can tell you stories…..
Image: Untitled Hot Glue Drawing by Karyl DelMundo
Teaching with Contemporary Art: An Introduction
This is my first-ever blog post.
There…. I said it. Everyone and their Mom has a blog somewhere and I guess it was bound to happen to me, too. Blogging, I suppose, allows for a kind of rolling perspective reel. It allows for not just multiple perspectives but even overlapping ones. At least that’s what I hope. It certainly should be more than just a “report” on contemporary art education.
Teaching with Contemporary Art (the title of this column) is about the things that happen when we share Art:21 artists with our students. It’s about what happens to their approaches making art, the way they talk about art, and the ways engagement can help shape and redefine the art they create. Whether students are being introduced to Elizabeth Murray combining painting and sculpture or to Mark Dion balancing sculpture and ecology, this blog will focus on why contemporary art in the classroom is important, the kinds of things that happen when it’s part of the curriculum, and ideas for approaching contemporary art from a variety of angles.
But why bother? Why incorporate new artists in your classes when things might be going well enough? Students are producing strong work, perhaps. They “know the elements and principles.” But how well are they able to articulate their thoughts about art being made today? What kinds of skills can we give them for engaging with art beyond our classrooms after they graduate? These are some of the questions I’d like to take on as we get started….
Artwork by Nicole Bencivengo, Nyack High School, 2007.
New column: Teaching with Contemporary Art
Art21 is pleased to introduce a new column on our blog, written specifically for art educators. Teaching with Contemporary Art, written by our Senior Education Advisor, Joe Fusaro, will appear every Wednesday. Joe and a cadre of teachers and other guest bloggers will share their experiences with bringing contemporary art into the classroom and other spaces ripe for learning about today’s art and artists.
Joe Fusaro received his Masters Degree in Education from the City University of New York and his Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts from Hofstra University. He is an exhibiting artist, educator, and Visual Arts Chair for the Nyack Public Schools in New York since 2003. Prior to his work in Nyack, he was a teacher and staff developer in the New York City school system for 13 years. Fusaro is currently an adjunct assistant professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education, certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and has led staff development workshops in contemporary art education for the New York State Art Teachers Association and the National Art Education Association over the past four years. His recent exhibitions include solo shows at Kickstart Gallery in New York City and the University of California, Santa Cruz. Fusaro also exhibited in the December 2007 Postcards from the Edge group show at James Cohan Gallery, benefiting VisualAids.org, and was the summer artist-in-residence at Massachusetts College during 2005 and 2006.
Stay tuned for the first installment of Teaching with Contemporary Art tomorrow.
