I am so excited to begin the 2010-2011 school year. I had a fun-filled summer of creating art, getting together with fellow artists, participating in exhibitions, going to museums and traveling. The Art Studio looks wonderful after last year's construction and I am getting things more and more organized every day.
To begin the school year, a student teacher from University of North Texas is joining us. His name is Clint Riddle and he will be in the Studio for seven weeks. He is an artist and a teaching legacy...his mother, Cindy Riddle was the super fantastic art teacher at North Hi Mount for many years.
In the first few weeks of school, we are focusing on establishing our Artist Behavior. The artwork that goes home with students is really practice in following art room procedures, exercises in getting to know a medium or explorations after lessons. Artist Behavior is quite simply a way of working together peaceably and efficiently as Artists. Here is our pledge:
"We are Artists. As Artists we are:
Quiet - because we are listening or thinking deeply;
In Our Own Space - so that we can create our best work;
Respectful - of our supplies, our artwork and other artists around us."
Over the years, I have found this model behavior to enable students to create amazing things that mere mortal teachers would never attempt to do...we've made a scale model of the Eiffel Tower in packing peanuts, a life-sized sarcophagus for Ms. Jeannie, the Parthenon with all 52 columns, a giant stained glass window or two, giant chess sets made of clay, a Chinese dragon of epic size, papier mache creatures of gargantuan proportions. But in order to get there, the students must have complete faith in me and I must have complete faith in them as Artists. So over the next couple of weeks, we will resemble still water...but beneath the surface is a swift undertow that will emerge in the Spring with amazing artwork!
