Art a part of Curriculum?

If we look around our society and the societies of the world we find that people of all ages have an urge to express themselves. Through the various forms of graffitti that can be found throughout the world, to the artwork that one may bear on his or her body, people tend to search a multitude of avenues for expression through art. So, should art be a regular part of a child's curriculum? Every child deserves a chance to be exposed to what our class has been exposed to in these past weeks. Although my own paper maché project left little to be desired (as the image demonstrates), I did see that where others had previous exposure and experience with this art technique, their's (for example Stephanie's basket) turned out beautifully!! To have a chance at hands on experience with art would teach children many things not just about art but about technique that can really only be gained through experience.

ARED 335 24 April "How does art reflect culture"

Last week we worked on our paper maché projects. We also viewed some famous works by Homer and by Frida Kahlo. I believe art reflects culture by being the 'mirror of our dreams' as it serves like a universal language to communicate what a person is feeling and in turn translates an individual's culture into something for all cultures to understand and perhaps appreciate. So, children should be aware as with art, there really is no reason to prejudge a masterpiece simply because it doesn't look pretty or portray a pretty subject. The same should be considered with the different cultures of the world: each culture may teach us it's beauty.

ARED 335 Wed. April 12

Why is art important on the elementary level? Today (along with hands on activities on weaving and discussions about how the young start to draw), we were given some very significant handouts. One was a list about why the Arts are important. Among this list of fifteen items, one caught my eye, (number 8): "They develop both independence and collaboration." This is something that I have felt strongly about especially in the field of music. The other handout (which used music as an example) reiterated and enforced this idea by stating that, "The arts provide a natural place for learning to work in groups." So why is this important to me? I feel that society is not getting any smaller and the sooner we all learn to work together, the better off we will be.

ARED 335 April 10th

On this meeting, our focus was "what is creativity" and color. We started by considering: "What makes or rather what are the characteristics of the creative child?" Then Ms. Pat read from a book called 101 bad ideas or something like that. We then had to choose from one of the bad ideas and draw the scenario. Needless to say, for me it was a challenge. I chose "Throwing a party for your imaginary friend." We then looked at drawings from the same bad ideas by 3rd graders. If I may be so bold...the 3rd graders kicked my butt at the drawing. After our drawing, we studied about the colors and worked on a color mobile. The key word for today's lesson: "Boinger"

Yours Truly

ARED 335 April 5th

On this second meeting of ARED 335, we learned about the elements of art: line, texture, color, shape, form, space. With these elements, our first activity was using the elements of art (line) and constructing various shapes into forms. These included making four dots into a diamond and then into a cube and then a double Decker. We then drew a series of vases by first drawing ellipses and then adding spirals from the lowest ellipse upward. This gave a 3D effect. Our next activity was based on "Where the Wild things Are" story and various textures brought by our instructor. We then created our own "wild thing" by rubbing crayon over the various textures placed behind the paper. I still continue to believe that I am stuck in the left hemisphere for my drawing turned out very "square" and "by the numbers"

ARED 335 Monday April 3rd.

Tonight was the first night of class. Our instructor, Ms. Pat Reilly is very opened and non-intimidating yet she has written out what she is expecting from us which I very much appreciate. Our instructor gave us two activities for this evening. The first was "Vases and Faces" which emphasized the left-brain, right-brain aspect of the student. I think I am still predominately left brain! I can see how this activity would be a good one for all levels. The next activity was a little more challenging. This was the upside down drawing. We had to copy a drawing of Igor Stravinsky by Pablo Picasso. However, the method was that we placed the drawing upside down and copied it from the bottom up. Again this was an exercise in left brain right brain exploration. Overall, this was an interesting first class that opened up many ideas for teaching art.