Art Journal #5

2/27/22

Big Ideas & Personalization

#NatureAsTeacher

For this art journal, we have been asked to integrate concepts from the first two chapters of Teaching Meaning in Artmaking by Sydney R. Walker.

Below are some sketch notes that I made for the two chapters:

Ch.1:

Chapter One is all about how big ideas are the ways in which we engage students in deeper learning. Many times we think of big ideas as overarching themes, but in reality, they serve as the individual ideas of the artist. I want to note that the terminology of the “big idea” in this context slightly contradicts Wiggens and McTighe’s “big idea,” which serves as a universal concept that is derived from the standards. See the sketch note below:

But, according to Walker, big ideas are contingent upon the subject matter, as it “serves as the concept” for an idea. To Walker, “big,” signifies something that is complex, ambiguous, contradictory, or multiplied, whereas Wiggens and McTighe see it as abstract, universal, or timeless. Essentially they can be imagined as the same, but I differentiate the two as Walker’s big idea for the student and Wiggen’s and McTighe’s big idea for the class/unit. I can visualize myself creating units named and created in tune with Wiggen’s and McTighe's and then encouraging my students to come up with their own big idea within the theme or framework that has been assigned.

Ch.2:

Chapter 2 sheds light on how students come up with their own big ideas. Walker says that we as teachers must help:

1. students sustain their interests

2. make their ideas worth pursuing

The ways in which students can connect their personal experiences to their big ideas is through their subject matter. Walker offers many different artists that conceptualize this way. One of which is Andy Goldsworthy.

Andy Goldsworthy has served as an inspiration for many of my personal pieces as I both advocate for and admire the environment in my work. Examples of my past environmental work are below.

I can’t help it. Earth is our teacher, the first artist - so it only seems fit that I portray my personal experiences through its means. A lot of my work integrates the theories and concepts that I learned in my Indiegnous Knowledges class; as these are also frameworks that I hope to share with my students as well. The first image of the llama is a photographed piece that serves to explore the domestication of nature and its impact on humans. In Marshall’s words, I am rendering an experience from observation in order to directly depict imagery. The second image is a visual representation of the poem “Earthrise” by Amanda Gorman. It serves as Marshall’s definition of metaphor: as it represents a call worldwide call to action. The painting is similar as it represents coffee beans in a barren landscape as to question energy sources; the ones that sustain us and our environment. I told you about all of this to demonstrate Walker’s concept within my own practice; as I have continued it for my artwork this week.

This week I have pulled my canvas from the indigo vat, dried it, and stretched it across three canvases. Each pattern is derived/inspired from a pattern from nature. The conceptual framework of Walker works like this:

Personal Interest: Earth as Artist; I can learn the elements of art through nature.

Subject Matter: patterns in nature

Big Ideas:

pedagogical art-making strategies; this week is Walker’s framework

my journey as an art educator and what I am learning

The idea of using nature as a subject matter to communicate art education pedagogy is both simple and complex. Each week, I will be integrating a framework and representing it through nature on the same canvas; just as last week I used natural dyes and canvas to demonstrate integration. I find this slightly challenging as I am used to creating art that discusses themes like systems, paradoxes, intimacy, and justice. These would be great big ideas or themes to guide students with by the way. But for the purpose of creating a work that demonstrates my growth as an art educator, this is how the rest of my journal will be executed.

I just wanted to note that the far canvas on the left shrunk during the dying process and I have to resize/stretch it on a different canvas. So that'll be a part of my process for next week.