Artists Collaboarte: Part One

We are staring our new unit here at Apex high .. the title is Artists Collaborate. We will be exploring the different ways artists collaborate from the most basic type, like when an artist asks you to add something to their work.. to full blown collaborative projects where several artists work in a group activity. 

To kick off the unit, it just so happened that this week's Art Assignment was one of the basic types of collaborative projects. This week they presented English artist Oliver Blank who explores our sense of time and place through public installations. The assignment was about making an artwork together.

 

Oliver is asking people to participate by calling this number (718)395-7556 and leaving a message about: THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY INSTRUCTIONS.

We couldn't help but join in the fun. here are a few of our phone calls.... 

When Netflix give out...

Darn bugs!

Baby come back..  the harmonies!

 Vincent asking Rachel if she wouldn't mind giving him back his ear

Artists Solve Problems: Part 4

(Above, using only Skittles to create a work of art)

Our latest unit is Artists Solve Problems. Previously, we've looked at problems artists face due to circumstances that out of their control. Like Phil Hansen and the TED Talk, Embrace the Shake.

Recently, we looked at limitations artists place on themselves in order to create art. These include material limitations, physical limitations and conceptual limitation.

 Each Apex artists was asked to create a work of art that contained a limitation of their choosing. here are a few of the pieces currently in works...

Material limitation, creating art using Cheerios

Creating art using only circles.

Creating art on the stairs.. localized perspective can only be viewed from one angle.

Drawing things that scare you in the dark without being able to see.

Etching in wax.

Painting using finger prints.

Creating with hockey sticks.

Hey, Where did all the Art Teachers Go? NCAEA14

Wondering where your art teacher was on Friday? At the NC Art Education Association Conference in New Bern, NC. And not just hanging out but presenting as well!

Above, Ms Sudkamp giving this presentation -->

The Art Portal: Everything Art Students Need In One Place
Click Here to view the Portal!

Imagine if your students had access to hundreds of inspiring artworks, organized by categories, that they could view to ignite their creativity. Imagine if they had 24/7 access to a wide variety of easy to follow online tutorials they could watch over and over again. Imagine if they had everything they needed to self-assess their art making from a personal context. Imagine if all this was one click away. We will tell you everything you need to know in order to design, develop and implement an Art Web Portal.

Ms. Purtee giving this presentation -->

The Open Art Room: Choice Teaching for Upper Level Classes
Click here to view the presentation online

Have you considered incorporating TAB or Choice in your middle or high school class but weren't sure how to implement? Study after study shows a positive correlation between student choice and engagement. With the Open Art Room we will look at different strategies for incorporating choice in your classroom. We will explore practical, real class examples of theme based lessons. We’ll discuss classroom management strategies and tackle questions about assessments.

Here we see Mr Sands in an empty room pretending he is giving a presentation, lol! He wants to fit in.

Artists Solve Problems: Part 3

For this one day assignment, our artists needed to first create the problem and then work backwards to solve the problem. Their problem.... create a working Rube Goldberg machine using only junk... oh, and you only have 40 minutes... Go!

And now for a few machines in action!

Artists Solve Problems: Part 2

Our new unit is Artists Solve Problems. We will look at problems artists face due to circumstances that out of their control. Like Phil Hansen and the TED Talk, Embrace the Shake.

We will also look at limitations artists place on themselves in order to create art. Sometimes those limitations can be material in nature. Speaking of nature, that's exactly what we did for this sketchbook project.

Our artists had one class in which to go outside, find and object, return to the art room and incorporate the object into a sketch. Here's what they came up with...

Student Spotlight - Sarah B - Artists Steal

Before I started the artists steal project, my answer to this question would be that stealing is copying someone else's ideas and claiming them as your own. Now that I've done this project, I realize how wrong I was. Although copying and stealing can seem very similar, they are very different. Copying is taking a piece of someone's artwork directly to put into yours, like tracing an outline, and turning it into something creative and unique while still resembling the original piece. Stealing refers to when you take a person's artwork and claim it  and that person's ideas as your own.

For my character remix project, I combined Timmy Turner from the Fairly Odd Parents with Blossom from the Power puff Girls. I copied the main parts of Blossom's outline by tracing, like body and eyes. I also traced Timmy's mouth on the new face and attempted to make his clothes look good on the new body shape so that it would still look like him. Overall I like how it turned out and it's funny to see different cartoons I watched as a kid come together as one character.

For my final project, I made a lion out of food wrappers. Since the project was artists steal, i traced the outline of Simba from the Lion King as the base for my artwork. Then i collected a LOT of wrappers that were orange, red, and black to use on his body. I painted on his eyes, nose, and mouth to  make him look more like the real thing. The idea behind this artwork was a pun or play on words. He was a lion made out of food, so he was a food lion. ha. Like the store. I really enjoyed making this project and it turned out just how I wanted it to.

View more of Sarah's Art on her Blog!

Student Spotlight: Sarah D - Artists Steal

"Is copying okay?"

"If you copy methods or basic concepts than it's okay. Copying exactly what someone else did is not," was my previous answer to this question. My new opinion builds off this idea. I now feel that copying is okay depending on the extent of said copying. To me there's a huge difference between taking a piece, copying it, and adding one or more elements that are different verses copying something exactly how the original creator made it. The slightest difference can change the mood or message of a piece and therefore making it a completely different idea. 

My character remix was based on Alice from "Alice in Wonderland". I decided to make her as an asylum patient because lets be real, if some girl was to tell people about her experience of falling down a rabbit hole, stalking a talking rabbit, and meeting a queen who has card soldiers, her mental stability would be questioned. I also decided to add the Cheshire cat's face in the background because I wanted it to look like the memory of her experience forever haunted her slowly driving her more insane. 

For my final project, I decided to make the Abbey Road album but with actual beetles as The Beatles because  a) i love The Beatles and b) puns are great. The value I think my piece beings is a fresh take on an iconic image. It's the literal version of the cover. If someone, who didn't know much about The Beatles, was asked to imagine The Beatles crossing abbey road they would mostly likely imagine something like what I created. My piece is a different perspective of "The Beatles crossing Abbey Road".

View more of Sarah's art on her Blog!

Artists Solve Problems: Part 1

Our new unit is Artists Solve Problems. We will look at problems artists face due to circumstances that out of their control. Like Phil Hansen and the TED Talk, Embrace the Shake.

We will also look at limitations artists place on themselves in order to create art. We will also, also look at how artists look for new and innovative solutions to design problems, like the Fun Theory.

While we are considering all this, we will face a few problems along the way. Today's challenge, create the tallest free standing tower using only newspaper and tape! You have 40 minutes. On your mark... Get set..Go!

Artists Steal: Part Three

Unit Two, Artisst Steal, is complete. This unit's theme was inspired by the concept that few ideas are truly original. Instead, they are re-purposed and re-imagined. 

Here are a few more completed project. Many of the art pieces in this group deal with parody and humor. See if you "get" them!

International Bring a Scone to Art Class Day: 2014!

The 2014 International Bring a Scone to Art Class Day is under way! Look at the expressions on these student's faces as the open the first box of scones! 

As you know, the second Friday in October is International Bring a Scone to Art Class Day. This years Scone Day has been Sconealishus! 

They got scones!

He has a beautiful scone!

She has scones to share!

That scone looks sweet!

She likes scones!

They like scones.. and Bojangles!

He made pizza scones!

She is a bit confused....