Description of Proposed School Programs, Grade Level of Students, and Experience in Schools
The fiveprograms described below are adaptable to a wide range of ages and abilities. The programs themselves are envisioned to take place in the setting of the White Mountains, that is, outdoors. However, if confined to the classroom, then students can complete some elements of the program assignment for homework or we can work from images of the landscape projected onto a larger screen or from photographs.
Program #1: Grade Levels 1 - 6
Paper Cut-outs: Playing with Color, Patterns, & Perspective
(This program is also suggested as a public program. This school-based lesson will be modified to suit the constraints of the classroom.)
French artist Henri Matisse made paper cutouts in his older, bed-ridden years as a means to further explore shape and color and to express the “joy of life” despite the limited physical capabilities he had during that time. A program for people of all ages and abilities, participants will explore the use of paper cutouts to depict a landscape based on a favorite photograph of the White Mountains or on one photograph I select for the entire classroom. I can imagine working from an image of a lake or a river lined with beautiful pines or aspens, some mountains in the distance, and perhaps a road winding through the scene, not unlike the view from Artist Point in the beautiful Franconia Notch area. Before beginning our exercise, we will look at some of Matisse’s famous paper cutouts for inspiration, discussing how the artist made exciting images with very basic elements, using only construction paper, scissors and glue. Participants will learn about simplification: how to reduce complex pictorial elements into basic shapes, like the circle, cylinder and triangle, and how the relative size of these objects can create a sense of depth, or perspective. They will also learn about the celebratory power of color and how color can be used to suggest a mood or feeling. Additionally, participants will investigate the notion of pattern: how the juxtaposition of like elements (shapes) across the picture plane can create compelling visual rhythms. In order to explore these formal elements of artistic expression, we will begin cutting out shapes and playing with their placement on a relatively small surface, anywhere from 8”x10” – 16”x20”, so that it may comfortably sit in one’s lap. The use of the small surface will encourage exploration and allow for multiple images to be produced in a short period of time. I may ask that one image be monochromatic while another uses all primary colors so that we can gauge the emotional effects created through various color schemes. Once each participant creates 3 or more pictures, we will share our accomplishments with the group and discuss the feelings or sensations they evoke. As a final gesture (if materials are still available), the group can collectively generate one big image on a 30”x40” surface. Participants will all make cutouts, and they will either place them themselves on the large surface or direct my placement of them so that a group image will result.
Requirements:several sheets of multi-colored construction paper, small sheets of foam core (16”x20”), 1 large sheet of foam-core (30”x40”), glue, scissors, drawing board or other hard surface on which to work.
Program #2: Grades 7 – 12
RepresentingInterconnectivity through Gestural Line Drawing
(If unable to go outside to complete this drawing exercise, we can work inside from a single image.)
The Forest is an assemblage of many distinct elements, both seen and unseen, that function together to create a coherent whole just as a successful work of art is made of many distinct elements that work together to create an entire pictorial unity. Oftentimes in our busy lives, we get so caught up in the details, the minutiae, or the self that we fail to see the bigger picture or idea that gives “the small stuff” meaning and significance. In this program, we will begin by discussing the many elements of the Forest and the contributions these elements make in promoting a healthy Forest ecosystem. We will continue our discussion by exploring the fact that the Forest itself is but one major element in a larger network of natural resources that contributes to the ecological profile for the entire planet.
To artistically represent this notion of interconnectivity analogously, we will employ the gesture study: quick, timed exercises made with charcoal that attempt to capture “the whole” through the use of both continuous and rapid, broken lines. I will first demonstrate an example of a gesture drawing before participants engage in this task. Due to the time constraints for each drawing (10 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes, 1 minute), participants must act quickly and trust their eye and hand to respond rather than think and respond deliberatively about what they see. Intuitive responses become just as important, if not more important, than intellectual decision-making. Through the quick studies, participants will train their hand-eye coordination as well as memory, which is why at least one study will be completed without looking at the motif. Based on this progression from longer to shorter studies and then a memory drawing, only the essential elements are included. Following a brief discussion of these gestural studies, participants will then be asked to complete a longer drawing of 30 minutes in order to assess how the gesture exercise influences their efforts when more time is allotted. The driving premise for this entire program is that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” an argument by analogy that links the Forest to the act of representing it.
Requirements:pack of willow charcoal (medium or thick), 18”x 24” newsprint or paper, chamois, erasure, drawing board or other hard surface on which to work, nametag
Program #3: Grades 1 - 4
Exploring the Texture of the Forest: Rubbings as Art
Native American artist George Morrison not only produced amazing paintings, drawings, and sculptures during his prolific career, he also created beautiful rubbings from his wood collages that are equally powerful as art. In this program, children of all ages will be invited to complete a series of rubbings from a variety of trees and other natural elements appropriate for this exercise and located within a particular area of the Forest, hopefully one very near to the school. Through these rubbings, children will develop a sense of the different textures as one element that makes the Forest unique. Before beginning our rubbings, I will show the participants examples of George Morrison’s artwork so that they can learn about a major artistic figure who is also Native American. I will discuss the importance of Nature to the Native American culture and the respect they demonstrate for Her through ideas like “using only what one needs” and “giving thanks to the animals and plants that have provided food and clothing.” Turning to the trees from which many of our rubbings will derive, I will then teach children how to identify the different trees and explain something about each one and its role in promoting and sustaining a healthy ecosystem (This can be accomplished in the classroom through the use of a guidebook or projected images). I will also incorporate the lesson of “leave no trace” during this discussion since it is very important that we leave no evidence of our artistic endeavors in the Forest. Instead, we will have beautiful rubbings to take home with us that represent our time together and our respect and appreciation for Nature. After we have completed our rubbings, we will share them with the group and extend our thanks to the Forest. If an appropriate surface is available (like a wall in the school), we can pin up our rubbings adjacent to one another and view the collective as one artwork celebrating “The Texture of the Forest.”
Requirements: durable paper conducive to rubbings, colored chalk and/or crayons, & nametag
Program #4: Grades 4 – 12
Visual and Verbal Expression: Representing Our Emotional Ties to Beauty
(This program requires access to the outdoors as I do not believe drawing from images will produce the same kind of experience as drawing from life. Perhaps this program can function as a kind of “field trip.”)
In this program, young artists and I will embark on a short walk through the forest with sketchbooks and pencils in hand. As we walk through the forest, we will stop at four to six predetermined locations and learn about the various flora and fauna that live there. (I will have previously hiked this path and researched information to share.) During our pauses along the trail, participants will complete a 10-15 minute drawing in their sketchbook, accompanied by five words or sentences that describe how they feel about what they see and draw. At the end of our hike, we will gather together and have a conversation about some of the things we learned. As a closing gesture, each participant will share his or her favorite drawing or two with the group and read their descriptive phrases aloud. Having already completed this assignment myself, I will then share a small selection of my drawings and descriptions with the group. We will celebrate each “show and tell” session with a round of applause so that each participant feels good about his or her artwork and experience in the Forest. The activity is intended to build respect and appreciation for the Forest as well as to promote confidence and personal expression for the budding artists.
Requirements: sketchbook, drawing tool
Program #5: Grades 7 – 12
Paint Along: Small Studies and Simplification
In this program, students and I will set up our easels and each create a painting based on the same image. The image can be projected or we can go outside to paint (inside and using acrylic paints will likely be easiest). I will first provide a brief talk about breaking down a motif into the essential elements of value, shape, line, color, and composition, as well as simplifying in order to reduce the complexity of a landscape motif. We will then begin by working on small canvases, say 8”x10”, so that two images can be produced in a relatively short period of time (about 3 hours). After these small studies are complete, we will gather together and display our work so that we can collectively engage in a critique. During the afternoon session, we will revisit the same motif but will paint on a canvas twice the size (16”x20”). When complete, we will compare our larger canvases to our small studies and engage in a discussion of this progression from small to large and of the resultant learning experience. Not only will we discuss the works of art themselves, we will also discuss how our perception of the motif, the Forest, has changed based upon the change in scale.
Requirements:oil or acrylic paints, palette, brushes, canvases (2 or 3: 8”x10” and 1: 16”x20”), odorless turpentine or water, jars, rags, easel, water, hat for shade
Brief Summary of Experience Working in Schools:
My experience working in schools is primarily tied to my position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Writing Studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
My teaching career began in 1998 as a Master’s student in Kent State University’s “Teaching English as a Second Language” program. Upon graduation I taught English to college-level German native speakers in Dresden, Germany for one semester before beginning my Ph.D. studies, again at Kent State. I taught throughout my six years of doctoral study before obtaining my current job as an Assistant Professor of Writing Studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth where I’ve been teaching since 2006. During my years as a professor, I not only taught writing classes to students of all levels (freshman through seniors), but I also presented several papers at professional conferences to scholars of writing and rhetorical studies.
Aside from my university teaching career, I have not worked in schools explicitly, particularly primary or secondary schools. However, I come from a rather large family and am blessed to have 16 wonderful nephews and nieces. These youngsters have been recruited into my classroom many times over the course of their lives as I have provided art and nature-based experiences for many of them. We have drawn, painted, hiked, and camped together. Those who know me consider me a natural teacher with respect to everything I do. I am always excited to share my knowledge and experiences with others so that they too may enjoy the riches of art and nature, my primary passions.