Performance Artists

Vistit my Performance Art Pinterest Page!

How do the concepts of interdisciplinary learning, interpretation and meaning, connect to art education?

Identify what postcolonial arts can offer educators now? How can you use these ideas in the classroom?

What are the opportunities for and barriers to implementing quality arts education in your school, organization, museum, school district?

Working at Metro Alternative High School with a team of veterans who have experience working with the community that surrounds us has made it a lot easier to reach out and ask for community members, businesses and other programs a lot easier. There are people out there who are just waiting to be asked into your classroom to share their passions and life experiences with your students. There are also businesses and artists out there who would love to have your students visit their businesses or their studios, and help students make those real world connections. The Cedar Rapids museum of art, as well as the African American Museum, Czech Museum are all more than willing to host a group of students to make interdisciplinary connections.

Working with community organizations, neighborhood organizations, local charities and community centers have kept my students busy during the past couple of years. We’ve completed two murals in our neighborhood, and have been asked by several different organizations to create public artwork for them.

Challenges at the moment include working within the new guidelines of the STEAM program. Teachers and students are trying to help balance the freedom of a more choice based curriculum, with structure. As Shawn Cornally from Iowa BIG school says, “We’ve blown up time and space,” but now we’ve got to make sure that our students are still getting all of the bits and pieces they need in a quality education.

The challenges of my situation at Metro, include those of inconsistent attendance, as well as a fluctuating population of students. Most of all though, the daily challenge is how to teach at risk students whose live outside of the classrooms are often looming heavy over them. How do you teach a student who is dealing with homelessness, abuse or early parenthood? One answer is, that the lessons often take a back seat to developing meaningful relationships and creating a positive environment where the students feel safe.