#10-Art Word of the Week: Elaboration

For this last blog entry, the art word of the week is elaboration.  Shirrmacher and Fox (2009) define elaboration as “thinking that is detailed” (p.365).  As simple as this definition is, the applications are endless.  Along with my group members Alesia, Natasha, Sami and Zoe, we were able to come together and elaborate our thoughts on our topic of choice: child soldiers in Africa.

We choose to focus on a serious problem in Africa because it is an issue we were all passionate about.  Although Africa is thousands of miles away, you cannot help but feel connected to those that are experiencing such terrible situations in their daily lives.  The fact that children are taken away from their families and forced into such horrific conditions is absolutely devastating.  Their innocence and freedom is being unjustly stolen from them, which is what drove us to focus on child soldiers in Africa.  We came up with a non-profit organization called Young Minds in the Know...Children Caring 4 Children.

Our BIG IDEA is to get children involved in being educated about what is happening in Africa, particularly in Uganda.  We wanted to demonstrate to our classmates that children are completely capable of understanding issues in a global context.  Children are our future and our big idea was to show how educating them is not only showing respect for their ability to learn, but also valuing their importance for the future.

Our primary avenue of including arts into our BIG IDEA was to create a child friendly video.  Visual images compiled into a short film is a great was to get children interested in what is happening to these children in Africa.  Our goal was to make the footage nongraphic and visually stimulating for young children to watch.  We also made a point to ask children in community centres and schools to create drawings of how they view child soldiers in Africa using paint, drawings or even collages. The artwork that would be made by these children would be completely amazing, because every individual has their own interpretations and expressions of how they view this issue.

We contacted many stakeholders to assist us in our ultimate goal, which was to travel to Uganda and film our video.   Invisible Children and the Uganda Orphans Fund were out primary supporters, and we arranged to stay at the orphanage free of charge where we would only have to pay for our daily food costs.  We also contacted students in the Radio and Television Arts program at Ryerson University to assist us in the filming process.  For our fundraiser, we reached out to many stakeholders including, musicians, food suppliers, a chef and more!

Our goal was to promote this fundraiser using social networking sites as well as posters around the community, in addition to word of mouth.  We will persuade the community to help us in raising funds to go to Uganda by showing them how much we value and respect the education of children.

I think our presentation went extremely well! My group members and I worked very hard to convey how excited we were about our BIG IDEA.  I think our audience was really interested in what we had to say, and were particularly interested in our tokens, which were army soldiers painted white with our logo attached to it.  The white represented the innocence of children and when people look at their token at another point in time, they will be reminded of child soldiers in Africa, and also of the fact that educating children in our own communities is so significant.

I think that we could have explained a bit more about what we meant about a "child friendly video" to our audience since they would have had a better idea on what we had envisioned.

Educators:

Showing children you respect their intelligence and compassion is necessary to get them involved in their community.  If children are given a chance to make a difference in the world, they will! They just need to be given that chance. Do not be afraid to provide children with a breadth of knowledge, just make sure it is appropriate, sensitive and above all, meaningful.

#9- Art Word of the Week: Originality

This week’s art word is originality.  According to Shirrmacher and Fox (2009), originality refers to “thinking that is unique and unusual”(p. 367).  I think that this term is quite reflective of the art activity related to this blog entry, because I needed to put on my creative thinking cap and come up with an original idea.  

Guerilla Art.  Before this phenomenon was explained to me, I had literally no idea what it meant.  Once the concept was a bit clearer, the wheels in my mind began turning.  When I was younger, I absolutely loved creating characters out of different materials.  One of my FAVOURITE characters to make was fish. Red, blue sparkly or striped fish, you name it, I made it.  Perhaps I loved making these artistic fish creations was because I’ve been fishing with my dad so many times.  The excitement of catching a fish and marveling at how much effort you took to reel it in is completely exhilarating.  That is why I decided to create a fish character that I could place around various areas in downtown Toronto. 

Watching people’s reactions was priceless! So many people were looking at this peculiar fish and wondering why/who/when it was put there. What made the fish even more intriguing was the fact that there was a message attached to it. What I found most striking about people checking the fish out was the fact that no one stopped for a long period of time, which is why it was so hard to take a picture!  I think that if I had put the fish around my hometown of Mississauga, I would have gotten better reactions because people would have taken more time to look at the fish.  





Embarking on this Guerilla Art activity was a great way to bring out my originality.  I'm not sure what I had more fun doing, making the fish or putting it in places for people to see!  The message was meant to make people think about taking a risk and going outside their comfort zone.  Take the plunge-swim with the fish!

Educators:

An idea like Guerilla Art would truly bring out amazing originality among children. They would be so excited to go around places and leave pieces of artwork for other people to find.  This would be a great field trip activity to do as a class!

#8-Art Word of the Week: Fluency

This week's art word is fluency.  When I think of the word fluency, a sense of flowing or progression comes to mind.  According to Shirrmacher and Fox, fluency refers to "thinking that generates many ideas and solutions" (p.365).  Once I had created my imaginative person using objects around my house, my thoughts took on a sense of fluency that allowed me to come up with the likes and interests of the lovely Daisy Darling.

The Basics

Name: Daisy Darling
Age: 19
Born: in the city of Gardenia
Resides: in her parent's house called The Castle of Seeds
Occupation: Florist in training
Language spoken: English
Favourite food: florentine omelet





Daisy loves relaxing in the big armchair in her house.  Ever since her parents decided to get new furniture, she basically took it over as her own.  After a long hard day of work at her parent's florist shop, she loves to just plop down in the armchair and let all her worries slip away.

One of Daisy's FAVOURITE things to do is watch the Toronto Blue Jays play. She's been a proud supporter ever since she was a little girl, and still loves to go to games when she has the chance to go downtown.  Even though her hometown of Gardenia is far Daisy loves taking her two little cousins down there, since they get SO excited whenever the Jays score a run.  As for other sports, Daisy could not be less interested, especially when it comes to football and basketball!


Like any flowery girl, Daisy loves accessories. Bracelets, rings, earrings, you name it, Daisy has got it.  If Daisy wasn't going to be a florist, she'd probably be a make up artist, since she loves getting all dolled up...even if she's only going grocery shopping!

Daisy's number one desire in life is to travel the world.  She would love to spend her days relaxing on a beach and seeing the beautiful wonders the world has to offer.  Her travel list is long, including places such as Greece, Italy, Costa Rica and Fiji.  Her dream is to open up her own flower shop one day and visit different countries to get inspiration from the flowers there that are not grown in her hometown.

Once the day is done, Daisy loves to fall into bed and catch up on her reading.  Once she has had enough, she rests her tired eyes and slips away into dreamland.

EDUCATORS
The story of Daisy Darling is of course, completely fictional.  When creating Daisy out of different objects and then conjuring up her interests and likes, I realized that I was experiencing a sense of fluency that led my thinking to all of these different ideas.  Physically creating a "person" out of a variety of items and giving it a personality is a great imaginative activity for children.  There are endless opportunities for them to let their creativity shine by using materials in new and unique ways.  As an educator, providing activities that allow children to bring inanimate objects to life and create stories to go along with it are a perfect opportunity for children to be as expressive as they can.

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6^th Ed.).
         Belmont, CA: Delmar.

#7-Art Word of the Week: Colour

This week’s art word is COLOUR! How fabulously exciting the world of colour is. Whether you are thinking about your favourite colour shirt, your favourite colour nail polish, or the colour of your car, the word is simply inescapable.  We define so many things by colour and categorize items according to their shade, hue or contrast.  Shirrmacher and Fox (2009) define colour as “the visual sensation of light caused by stimulating the cones of the retina” (p. 364). 

(I did this on paint!)

The first category of food that came to my mind was fruit.  I mean I can’t say healthy foods are my absolute favourite (I love candy, chocolate, fatty foods).  However by selecting fruit as my category of interest, I was able to conjure up so many different types, shapes and colours.  Fruits are often extremely bright and vibrant, which is probably what attracts me to eating them, besides being sweet of course.

Red: strawberry, cherry, raspberry, red delicious apple, cranberry

Orange: cantaloupe, orange, mango, tangerine, clementine, peach, nectarine, tangelo

Yellow: lemon, banana, pineapple

Green: honeydew, lime, kiwi (though the outside is brown), Granny Smith apples

Blue: blueberries

Pink: watermelon, grapefruit (could also be red), guava (the inside), dragonfruit

After categorizing these different fruits by colour, I realized that so many of them could fall into multiple categories.  Watermelons and guavas for example are green on the outside but pink on the inside.  The various types of apples have different colour skin, but all generally have a pale colour inside.  Kiwi is a great example of falling into different categories, since its skin is an ugly brown colour, but its flesh is a beautiful green.  I know that many vegetables are actually fruit and the official categories for fruits are pretty specific.  However I like to categorize fruit using colour because I believe that a part of eating is with our visual sense. My absolute favourite fruit are raspberries, which is why I chose to sketch them, along with a strawberries, blueberries and blackberries.

EDUCATORS
Utilizing fruit is a great way for children to learn fundamental categorizing skills. Being able to distinguish their different colours will allow for children to gain an understanding of grouping objects together.  Whether it is a trip to the grocery store, as I went on during the summer at my daycare job, or snacks in the classroom, exploration of various fruits is a fun way for children to experience different types of fruits, shapes, and of course, COLOUR!

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children 
       (6^th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar

#6-Art Word of the Week: Texture

"SCULPTING WITH SCISSORS"

Playing with playdough is probably one of the most fun things to do in an early childhood classroom.  The squishy feel, the often bright colours, and variety of tools to use present endless opportunities for children (and adults!) to create and sculpt imaginative things.  This week’s art word is texture, which according to Shirrmacher and Fox (2009) is ”the surface quality of a work of art” (p. 144).  Playdough has that soft, smooth feeling that is so pleasing to squish between your hands.  It can also become gritty, when salt or sand is added to it, which dramatically changes the texture. 

Sculpting is an art form that requires a lot of dexterity and attention to detail.  It is amazing what someone can make out of a lump of marble, soap or clay.  They can turn it into a masterpiece that is just simply astonishing.  Children are capable of creating so many different and unique pieces of art that are often expressions of what they are thinking or feeling.  Honigman and Bhavnagri (1998) outlined the amount of discovery that was occurring during the children’s own exhibition of “Painting with Scissors”, and how significant it is to their broadening their thinking.  The point brought up here demonstrates how important art activities are to children’s overall development.

Art Activity: Sculpt Yourself!

Step 1: Use playdough or modeling clay, whichever you prefer.  I like playdough because it is softer and generally easy for young children to manipulate

Step 2: Using whatever tools you like (your hands are the best!), sculpt the way you see yourself.  You can sculpt just your face or your entire body!  This will be an interesting challenge for children, since they are still developing their self-concept.  Adults would also benefit from this, since their view of themselves could differ from the way other people view them.

Step 3: Add decorations! Use string for hair, sequins for eyes etc. Add playdough/clay arms, legs, be creative! Do not limit anyone by strictly outlining what to use and what not to use.  Encourage children, and even adults to sculpt other things related to their life.

Step 4: Encourage the children, and even adults to use their self-created sculptures to act out imaginative scenes, such as going to the movies or gardening outside.  The possibilities are endless! 

EDUCATORS
This is a great sensory activity for children and adults alike.  Not only will they have the chance to squish playdough/clay between their fingers, they will also be able to see themselves in a new view.  Acting out imaginative scenes will add to the process of discovering new things about themselves.  As an educator, having sensory materials such as playdough or clay allows for creative manipulation by then artistic hands of children.

Honigman, J. J., & Bhavnagri, N. P. (1998). Painting with scissors: Art education beyond production. Childhood Education, 74(4), 205-212.)

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6^th Ed.).  

               Belmont, CA: Delmar.

#5-Art Word of the Week: Perception

This week’s art word does not come from the list I had previously been choosing from, since I did not feel Donnie Darko really applied well enough to any of them. Our perception is our capability to take in sensory information and attempt to make sense of it by relating it to what we already know (Shirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 173).  The movie Donnie Darko demonstrates a young man’s struggle to maintain a balance between what he perceives and what is reality.

Out of the five choices, Donnie Darko was the only movie that I recognized, besides Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  Like many other people that have watched this film before me, I too found it to be quite creepy, especially the bunny rabbit named Frank.  As sinister as this “friend” was, it was slightly comical when you realized this extremely disturbing creature was portrayed as a bunny. The portals that Donnie sees are pretty weird, but they’re an interesting special effect.  I’d say I was creeped out the most when Donnie was tapping the knife against whatever he was seeing...his face looked almost manic at that point.  Donnie’s struggle to maintain his sense of reality is profound.  His struggle shows just how much of an influence his sense of perception has on his daily life.

Nevertheless, this film is...interesting to say the least. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t understand this movie in the slightest bit. I’m glad that I was not the only one of my friends that found this movie to be confusing and difficult to follow. I was unable to connect my visual perception of what was happening in the movie to what I believe makes sense in the real world.  Perhaps that is the point of a movie such as Donnie Darko...you’re not suppose to understand it the first time you watch it, or even if you watch it more times after that. I’m definitely one of those people that will more than likely never fully understand it...but that’s okay with me. There are plenty of other movies out there that are more appealing to my sense of artistry.

EDUCATORS
This blog post helped me realize that really any film can be considered art, since the actors, directors and producers are using the big screen as a canvas to convey their ideas.  As a future educator, I will ensure that children are presented with the idea that media, more specifically film, is an excellent avenue to express their artistic thoughts.  In a classroom, if we were to be exploring film, I would allow them the freedom to investigate films that they personally feel are artistic.

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6^th Ed.).  

       Belmont, CA: Delmar.

#4- Art Word of the Week: Pattern

PATTERNS. We’ve been learning about the composition of patterns since we were young children.  Identifying and creating patterns was a key concept we were expected to learn in elementary school.  Patterns suggest rhythm regularity and repetition, and are evident in children’s artwork, math and reading abilities (Shirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142).

The pattern I found in downtown Toronto is a part of the RBC Building.  This particular structure stands out because of its bright gold exterior.  This building has always caught my attention because of the patterning of the windows.  Although I have passed by this building numerous times, I never noticed a specific part of the building that has a different pattern, as shown in the pictures below.

The heavy lines that are used to frame the windows stand out so powerfully against the clear glass panes.  The staggering of the different sections reminded me of a staircase leading to no set location.  The many squares in this design form a structure that makes you think about it as a whole, but also as individual sections.  Looking at this pattern from the outside makes me wonder what it is like to look at it from the inside.  I’m curious as to what people who work in building think of this pattern…if they’ve noticed it at all.

EDUCATORS

I think we often overlook patterns that surround us.  We become so accustomed to our routines and to what is familiar that we don’t take time to notice new features in our environment.  I think gaining a new appreciation for what patterns are embedded in our surroundings is an important concept to teach children.  If children learn to view the world for more than what’s on the surface and pay close attention to details in their environment, such as patterns,  they will become more attuned to looking for unique, special features.  As educators, providing materials for children to create their own patterns, as well as providing opportunities to seek out patterns will help them with their math, science, language, AND art skills.

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6^th Ed.).  

       Belmont, CA: Delmar.

#3-Art Words of the Week: Design and Composition

The way an artist combines different elements in their work such as texture, colour and a sense of balance all contribute to the overall design or composition of the artwork (Shirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142).  If the individual aspects of the artwork can combine together to make an integrated whole, the artwork can be seen as having a good design or composition.  These two art words remind me to look at the distinctive parts of an artwork that make it beautiful, and also how the work as a whole gives an overall impression.   

Our trip to the AGO this week was a nice change of pace from our usual classroom setting.  Being able to view different pieces of artwork and explore intriguing artefacts was a great way to gain a new appreciation for art.  When thinking of which piece of art to choose for my art critique, I had originally focused on a few painting from the European section of the gallery.  I found that style of artwork to be the most interesting to me.  However after going on the tour with Patricia as our tour guide, she took us to see a painting that made me change my mind.  I had not previously seen this painting when I went on my own personal tour, so I was glad I had the opportunity to see this masterpiece.

The painting I am talking about is entitled The Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens.  This piece of art is a part of the Thompson Collection at the AGO and is the most expensive item they have in the gallery ($117 million is pretty crazy expensive).  Perhaps this is why I was drawn to the painting, though I think what Patricia had to say about it is what intrigued me the most.  The Massacre of the Innocents is a thoroughly intense painting that depicts violence, death, and a profound sense of anguish.  With that being said, when you delve further into the painting’s meaning, you see the immense struggle and protection on the people’s faces, particularly the women. 

When I truly look at this painting, I see the power of brutality, and also the power of survival.  I believe Rubens is trying to show how cruel it is to attack young souls, but how people will stop at nothing to protect them.  To be perfectly honest, I thought this painting was quite disturbing when I first saw it.  The images of dead babies and men taking these young children away from their mothers made me feel saddened and also slightly repulsed.  However, as I listened to Patricia, I began to see the artwork in a new light.  What I like the most about The Massacre of the Innocents is the immaculate detail that is painted onto the canvas.  When you really pay close attention to Ruben’s work, you see the amazing features and dimension that he was able to paint.  The musculature of the people is stunning, it’s as if you are actually seeing them in person.  The woman in the centre of the painting struck me the most.  I think Rubens placed her here because he is showing her attempt at thwarting her attacker with one hand, and holding a baby with the other.  This woman’s pale skin stands out amongst the tanned skin of others. I think the positioning of her body is meant to depict the sense of struggle that is so present in the painting.

I believe The Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens is a great display of creativity.  When I was on the tour, Patricia explained he was far beyond the artists of his time.  The amount of detail and sentiment he was able to paint is almost incomprehensible.  All of the elements he was able to include in this work of art made the overall design and composition of The Massacre of the Innocents truly remarkable.


EDUCATORS
In the field of ECE, hands on experiences, such as field trips, are a great way for children to physically explore their environment and visually learn.  Going to an art gallery such as the AGO will help gain an appreciation for fine art, and open their eyes to a world of artistic wonder.  Even though the meaning of professional pieces of art can often be unclear, as an educator it is important to show children that artists put a lot of personal meaning into their art and that it can be mysterious to those trying to understand.

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6^th Ed.).  

        Belmont, CA: Delmar.

#2-Art Words of the Week: Mass and Volume

These art words refer to various aspects of three dimensional art, such as whether a work of art is geometric, curved or bulky (Shirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142).  A three dimensional artwork, such as a sculpture, has complexity and depth to it which can be illustrated by the type of mass or volume that is present. Items such as leaves can make a sculpture organic, or a material such as buttons can add an element of curvature or hardness.

In class on January 18, we were asked to create something out of different types of paper in groups of four.  With my group members, we created an interesting assortment of papers that had various dimensions and height.  The sculpture that I created for this week’s blog entry was partly inspired by what we did in class, since I added an element of height to my sculpture.  Perhaps what inspired me the most while making my sculpture was the process we went through to make our sculpture, not what it looked like in the end.

I chose to make something out of buttons because I literally had an entire container filled with a vast assortment of different sized and shaped buttons.  Seeing all these buttons gave me the idea to use them in some way to make a sculpture.  It wasn’t that easy thinking how to put the buttons all together, but I tried to let my imagination run wild and see what I ended up with.  By using two empty pop cans, I was able to add substantial height to my sculpture, in addition to gluing buttons on top of each other.  As I was making my sculpture, I just kept gluing button after button together, not paying as much attention to what it was going to look like in the end, but rather the progression of how it was taking shape.  It’s pretty cool to think of how the sculpture was only made of: buttons, paper, two pop cans, fishing line, and a lot of hot glue.  By using items that I found around my house, I was able to create something out of essentially nothing.  


EDUCATORS 
I think it is crucial for individuals, particularly children, to be reminded of the fact that you can use anything you’d like to make a piece of art, it does not necessarily have to be made out of traditional art tools.  By thinking outside of the box, a person can create endless opportunities to explore their creativity, using whatever tools they feel inspired by.  By incorporating unconventional art tools such as recycled items or cultural items into an early childhood classroom, educators can enhance children's art experiences and allow them to think outside the box.

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children (6^th

        Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar.

#1-Art Word of the Week: Creativity

Can CREATIVITY be defined easily? Can this word that holds so many different meanings be simply defined in a few words? Not entirely. When I think of creativity, I think of expression, ingenuity and above all, a unique capability to bring together ideas and form a completely different or transformed idea.

This picture captivated my interest when it was shown to me by my sister after a trip to New York City.  It was taken at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) and it provides a bird's eyeview of an exhibit entitled Waste Not by a man named Song Dong. As the picture depicts, Song Dong gathered the entire contents of the home he shared with his mother in China and created this exhibit with all of the items.  The materials range from empty pop bottles to shoes and from clothes to empty tooth paste containers.  The title of the exhibit, Waste Not is a reflection of Song Dong's Chinese culture that encourages people to not waste materials.

In my opinion, the exhibit from the MoMa is an amazing expression of creativity from Song Dong.  The story behind his exhibit is one of great sadness.  After his father passed away at a young age, Song Dong's mother began keeping every single item they owned, never throwing anything out.  It is amazing to think of how many things can be kept in one dwelling, and to think of the reasoning behind keeping everything.  I found it fascinating how Song Dong was able to meticulously organize every material into sections, paying careful attention to what belonged where. This is creativity to me. This illustrates how one person's life experience gave them the inspiration to create such a unique exhibit.  Some may not consider an assortment of seemingly useless objects art, but beauty is in the eye's of the beholder. 

When trying to think of what I see as creative and what inspires me, I didn't know where to begin.  After a couple days, something triggered my memory and the answer came to me, which is when I asked my sister to send me pictures of the exhibit.  My traditional view of art is a painting or drawing that would ordinarily be considered art by everyone.  However when I thought more about Song Dong's Waste Not exhibit...I was reminded of the different avenues people use to express their creativity.  

Art is a unique expression that is individual to the artist.  I think it is important for people to remember this, even people that may be too young to spell the word art.  When discussing and creating art with children, I think it is crucial to express to them that everyone has their own special ideas.  Even though young children may not completely understand what it means to express creativity, it is important as educators to remind them that they are all artists...and the type of art they create is extraordinary.   By truly valuing the art children make, educators can provide a sense of appreciation and balance in an early childhood classroom.