The overarching line of inquiry:  

How do the artists, Valezquez, Ringgold, David explore ways of define space/place as a means of conveying a sense of being/identity.

 Curricular or Pedagogic focus/question:

 As a museum studies course, we are focusing on the curatorial process of selecting art works that create a sense of place/ space that contributes to being and identity.  And also how this curatorial process builds a body of art works that creates an aesthetic space of learning and exploration.

 What is truth?

What is community?

What is social paralysis?

Community through conversation.

 What are the goals of this plan in relation to aesthetic education and the content of this course?

    This plan relates directly to Dewey’s concept of “art as experience”

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THE PLAN FOR FACULTY AND TA-LED LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES, READINGS, AND ASSIGNMENTS

(Be sure to list all readings and assignments related to understanding and practicing aesthetic education. This is important because this course may be part of sequence of AE study. Include the placement of the performance/museum visit in the plan)

 Before Teaching Artist’s First Session:

Altman:

Prepare students prior to TA visit by having students observe students looking at art and documenting characteristics of involvement.

 List activities, readings, and assignments that faculty will facilitate before first TA visit, with dates if possible:

 John Dewey, Democracy and Education

Maxine Greene, Variations on a Blue Guitar

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For each session (TA visit) provide the following information. Indicate which activities are TA-led, faculty-led, or co-led.

TEACHING ARTIST VISIT #1  

 Toth:

Museum Visit                       Nov 4 , 2003; 10:00  - 12:00         Met

 Overarching line of inquiry (restate):

 How do the artists, Valezquez, Ringgold, David explore ways of define space/place as a means of conveying a sense of being/identity.

 Activity Focus in the form of a question (or the question driving this aspect of your work) related to your overarching line of inquiry:

How do the artists, Valezquez, Ringgold, David explore space/place as a means of conveying a sense of being/identity.

 Purpose of session activities in relation to focal work, line of inquiry, and curricular/pedagogic focus:

 As a museum studies course, we are focusing on the curatorial process of selecting art works that create a sense of place/ space that contributes to being and identity.  And also how this curatorial process builds a body of art works that creates an aesthetic space of learning and exploration..

 Description (Break down into activities as needed. Include use of AE readings, contextual materials and resources)

 Toth:

Activity 1

Prior to entering the museum:  (15 min.)

            Ask students to observe people as they are entering the museum.  What does their body-language suggest?  What kind of clothes are they wearing? What does this tell you?  What is their emotional disposition? How does this change once they are in the museum? How does this attitude change when they are in front of artworks?

Activity 2

Creating a space for discovery.

Engaged students in a conversation around the work of art: Velazquez

Ask students to describe analyze and interpret a work of art.

How does the space contribute to the identity of this man?

Draw things that you would like to investigate.

Describe the place.

Describe the qualities  of the space.

How would you feel or act if you were in this place.

Write a sentence or two as if you were in this painting.

Ask students to read context card. What do you think the artists were referring to when they described Velazquez as expressing “truth”?

Activity 3

Engaged students in a conversation around the work of art: David

How does the place contribute to the identity of this man?

What is David’s reason for chosing Socrates as a subject matter in relationship to truth?  What was going on in France at the time of this painting?

Ask students to read context card.

Draw something that symbolizes the essence of this painting.

ROBERTA ALTMAN

Activity 4

Engaged students in a conversation around the work of art: Ringgold

Without reading the story. What is this artwork about.

Have students read lines of the story/text.

STREET STORY QUILT

          By Faith Ringgold

Modern Storytellers:  A gallery that promotes, “pictorial storytelling that focuses our attention on the small but important details of everyday life.”

From Quilt #1:  THE ACCIDENT

1):  “Ain’ nobody on this street gonna ever forget that accident.  All them cars piled right outside this door?  An everybody in ‘em dead but Big AL.

2):  “AJ was 10 years old when his mother and four brothers died in that car accident.  He was the oldest, and they say he was the favorite cause he was so smart.”

3):  “After the accident, AJ and Big AL started drinking together.  You ain’ never see a big ole 6 1/2 foot man with his little boy, and they both drunk.”

From Quilt #2:  THE FIRE

4):  “It was Big AL and his girlfriend caused that fire.  They wasn’t burnin no garbage either.  They was both dead drunk.  Now they both dead. “

5):  “AJ ran away from home right after Big AL’s funeral.  He was picked up a few days later for sellin’ dope to a cop.  Ma Teedy got him off without time.  She real dramatic you know.  Went cryin’ and promisin’ the judge she’d take care of AJ and keep him in school and all cause he was a minor, wasn’t but 12 years old.”

6):  “When the Vietnam war came, AJ went on in the army.  I guess that boy was so tired of runnin’ even that war looked safer than the street.”

From Quilt #3:  THE HOMECOMING

7):  When AJ come home from Vietnam, his spirit was broken.  He come home to Ma Teedy on crutches.  I guess he was lucky to be alive.  We used to sit and listen to him talk about that war for hours.  He’d threaten to jump off the roof or step in front of a car and get crushed like his mama.”

8):  “He say he have a story to tell.  What you call a autobiography.  That book make him a best selling author with a starring role in his own movie.  And bless his heart, he done received a Oscar nomination for best actor.  Lord God, ain’t this somethin’?  Now you know, you can’t tell Ma Teedy nothin’.  She just runnin’ around here grinning and everybody, braggin’ on AJ an cryin’ in the street she so proud.”

9):  “Say AJ, Aunt Gracie would sure like to see you and Ma Teedy fine house in Hollywood.  Lord ain’ he look some fine all dressed in white from head to toe?  Got a white chauffeur too.  Write down his license plate number so I can play it….”

How is the sense of Place/Space transformed by the TEXT/LANGUAGE/SPOKEN WORD

How does the “place” of the main characters present a sense of “being” in this world.

Draw something that depicts; Characters, setting, objects/props that are significant to the story

 PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY

Draw artifacts on art with post-its.

Draw word descriptives on art with post its.

 READING

John Dewey, Democracy and Education

Maxine Greene, Variations on a Blue Guitar

Lucy Caulkins, SQ3R

 Related discussion questions to be considered or included:

Altman:

“Anyway, I loved the article on Curating and learning.  I was at the MAAM museum conference in Newark last weekend and heard Charles Osgood saying that we all have the 'curatorial instinct'.  I love this approach as a way to evaluate our own learning...how do people see what they've learned”

Toth:

What kind of space does the curatorial choice of the selected art works “set up” for learning and discovery?

Follow-up assignments/reading for this session: (TA- or faculty-led)

Altman:

“I have some further thoughts on giving the students a variety of opportunities and mediums to use on expressing what they learned on their own journeys at the MET ( and incorporating impressions from Twilight LA if they see fit......but it might be interesting to see what parallels or resonances they perceive).  I am also involved in a technology project at Bank Street and have 2 students who are learning to use hyperlink and image maker.  I would like for them to be able to do an e-display while others may use the stickies and even others might like to make some sort of collage (I have lots of art materials). “

TEACHING ARTIST

Toth:

Classroom Visit                  Nov 4,  2003;  1:00 -     3:00          Bank Street College

Overarching line of inquiry (restate):

How do the artists, Valezquez, Ringgold, David explore ways of define space/place as a means of conveying a sense of being/identity. 

Activity Focus in the form of a question (or the question driving this aspect of your work) related to your overarching line of inquiry:

How do the artists, Valezquez, Ringgold, David use “artifacts” to define space/place as a means of conveying a sense of being/identity.

 Purpose of session activities in relation to focal work, line of inquiry, and curricular/pedagogic focus:

“Artifacts” define a sense of space/place as a means of conveying a sense of being/identity.

 Description (Break down into activities as needed. Include use of AE readings, contextual materials and resources)

Activity 5

Discuss details from the art work we saw at the museum.

What is meaningful?

What was the thread between artworks?

What were the curatorial choices?

What was the relationship between literary and aesthetic development?

Write comments about each painting on post-its. Use color coding to comment on personnal, literary (readings, context cards), discovered, etc. that effe\cted your relationship to understanding the art work.

Use the drawings from the museum to recreate the 3 paintings.

Place your post-its on the reconstructed image of ther paintings, near the visual element that effect your sense of getting into the work-of-art.

What can you draw that is NOT in the written details that contributes new meaning.

 Activity 6

What does it mean to stand in someone else’s shoes. 

Consider someone or something in the paintings that takes on the “opposite” point of view that you present in the last drawing.

Make a drawing, collage, painting, poem, enactment or etc. that represents this opposite point of view. 

Related discussion questions to be considered or included:

What does it mean to stand in someone else’s shoes.  

Follow-up assignments/reading for this session: (TA or Faculty-led)

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AFTER LAST TA VISIT

What follow-up has been planned after the TA visits?

Describe activities, readings, and/or assignments related to aesthetic education that are to be carried out by faculty after the last TA instructional session.

Mueo del Barrio, after Jaun de Parata

Dancing at the Louve

Tar Beach

John Sloan, Ashcan artists

Elijah Bordman

Anna Devere Smith, Twilight LA

JOHN TOTH
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