The conversation with Dr. Walker was awesome. I appreciate her effort to reach working teachers and open their eyes toward the big idea philosophy of art education. It is so hard for many teachers to find a way to introduce non-technical/aesthetic skill to their classroom. I’ve been in art classrooms that felt a lot like math classes, where there was one entry point, one exit point and a “right way.” Art today is so much more than technical skills. Walker emphasizes the idea of the artwork, the framework that surrounds the work as more important then the technical skills. She does point out that part of effective communicating in art is the intentional use of technical skills.

 

I’m trying out the nonsense strategy this week with a group of students. There’s a group that I’m working with who are creating a magazine. They are focusing on gathering submissions of all creative media and outlets from around the state of Iowa. As preparation to pitch their idea to the public and to publishers they are creating their own creative content, and so far, they’ve relied on their strengths. I’m altering Walker’s project planning lists and trying to create random constraints on my students so they can experiment with a creative exercise. I’m think of having them choose a medium/creative process that they’re not familiar with, and imposing two more constraints, including a space and a size/length/time constraint...I haven’t quite figured it out yet. The students were very excited at the challenge, where before they could choose to contribute however they would like, and were relatively uninspired. I think this could jump start some ideas for the magazine…and perhaps challenge them to think more creatively.

 

There was also a group who was struggling to work with the concept of “3-D printed technology.” Before the group was disbanded due to lack of partner, which is a requirement for our school’s project, I was prepared to bring them the idea of useless inventions, which is a phenomenon in Japan and there is a series of books published that highlight them. Inventions such as, a magnifying glass, cigarette smoking apparatus that uses solar power to ignite the cigarette, therefore causing less environmental impact. The idea of going above and beyond everyday reason to solve insignificant problems often lead to brilliant ideas.

Contemporary practices in art often refer to the ridiculous, especially in the 1st world nations where the most profitable contemporary art is celebrated. 1st world problems, reaching out to make sense of this world that is definitely not 1st world creates tension and intensity that reaches a larger audience than just the demographic who created the artwork. I spent this morning watching Patti Smith sing Bob Dylan’s “Hard Rain” in front of the Nobel committee and despite reading about the event, and the skepticism and criticism, I couldn’t help but cry. The ridiculous of the situation can lend gravity.