My last observation hours have actually been taking place over the course of the semester. I started to volunteer at the Children's Museum to enhance my knowledge of diversity programs taking place at the museum specifically, Play For All. Play For All is a program for families who have a child with a disability. The museum opens an hour early once a month and families can enjoy the museum for free in a quieter environment. In the beginning of my volunteering, I thought that families might not want a separate program just for them. Wouldn't they just want to be seen as normal? What I realized however was that for families to feel like they are a part of the museum, they must first have a quieter time to integrate into the museum settings, allowing them to feel more comfortable with the space.
The museum makes an effort to be democratic in creating new programs for special families. Instead of implementing them based on what the museum wants, they plan focus groups with community members and outside professionals to find out what the VISITOR wants. An example of this happening is when the museum was working on the All Families Matter initiative. The museum wanted to hold a program similar to Play For All but just for LGBTQ families. Through a series of meetings with LGBTQ families in the community, the museum discovered that the families don't want a separate event. They would rather feel like their a part of the museum, not separated.
Chicago Children's Museum is a great example of how museums can cross departments and work together to create what is best for the visitor rather than solely creating programs that are in the best interest of the museum.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Liberty Elementary School- 6 hours of observation
I don't have a car. So when my friend, Ms. J, agreed to let me observe her art class at Liberty School, I immediately map-quested the location. IT'S WHERE? I asked myself when the map pulled up Cicero, IL. I found it would take me two trains and a bus to get there. But I had been a Chicagoan for a year, I could handle it.
The morning of my first visit, I got off the blue line Cicero stop and waited for the bus. The stop was by the notorious Cottage Grove neighborhood, a place I had seen on the news for murders and drug violence many times before. Also by the stop was two police cars, carefully watching everyone who walked past.
Now I consider myself someone who has been constantly around multicultural situations. I went to a very diverse high school and later lived in Memphis, TN a city where the population is 80% African-American in the urban area. Still, the unfamiliarity of the area and being the only "white" girl admittedly made me nervous. Why did I feel this way? As I got on the bus to the school I came to the conclusion that I wasn't completely nervous about my well-being, though it was a high-crime area. But instead I felt awkward and out of place because I was different. Mainly, I was shocked by the poverty. The streets were run down and most people on the bus looked homeless. In my safe bubble of downtown Chicago I had never seen such a run down neighborhood. Sure, there was homelessness/poverty in the loop, but it seemed masked by rows of tulips and pristine streets. The cleanliness of the loop had always given me hope for the city; for humanity. In this neighborhood, it all just looked...sad.
As I got off the bus and walked to the school, the neighborhood changed from an African-American to a predominately Latino neighborhood. When I saw loving parents saying goodbye to their children in the schoolyard I felt hope again; a feeling that children often install in me.
I walked to Ms. J and her colleague, Ms. K's class. They were griping about their "resource" period. What should be a free time for them to plan, had recently been changed to the time where they substitute taught or helped administration. Budget cuts had caused a shortage in staff and current staff (especially the "specials" teachers) were picking up the slack. Another gripe, I heard right off the bat was that my friend Ms. J had to teach off an art cart, a cart that she wheeled around to the classes she taught. While there was a main art room, Mr. K mainly used it while Ms. J took supplies from the room that she needed for the day and loaded them on her cart.
While I walked with Ms. J to her first period, she told me the school's demographics: 97% hispanic and 3% other. Two of the three classes she taught in the morning were Spanish-English speaking classrooms and her first class had three special education students who were integrated for specials.
Over the next two Thursdays I had the opportunity to observe the same three classes. I when to Ms. J's first class, Ms. K's secondly and then back to Ms. J's for third period. Ms. J's first class consisted of 3nd graders with the number of boys a little larger than the girls. They were making plaster casts of their hands and if they were finished, thinking of pictures to put on the cast that represent their identity. Ms. J gave the example of drawing something about your cultural background (where your family is from) or possibly a hobby (e.g. Leggos). The classroom was cluttered with different posters listing sentence structure advice, multiplication tables and famous authors. The class had about 25 students. The desks were arranged in groups all facing each other. Each group consisted of eight desks. Of course, the rowdiest group of boys were placed together, constantly talking and distracting each other. While Ms. J had excellent class management skills, answering each individual questions and keeping it fairly quiet, the students were still all over the place. There were students by their lockers, students reading comics and students trying to work but not succeeding because of the distractions. Because Ms. J came to them, they thought of the class as a break from work vs. Ms. K that had an actual room that set the tone that actual artwork would be completed. With twenty-five students I was shocked that Ms. J had to handle the entire class alone. What she could have done with a teacher's assistant that could of helped with the execution of the actual project. Unfortunately, what I've heard from my friend's who teach in public schools, 25 students and no assistant is the norm.
Second period on Thursday's were a little bit quieter. Ms. K had a smaller class of second graders in her room. Unfortunately, Ms. K was unhappy with her lessons for those two classes. The first, the students were required to make paper flowers for the school dance. This was something administration had thrown on the Ms. J and Ms.K a week before the decorations had to be completed. The second lesson was "what career can you have as an artist?" The classroom seemed calmer as Ms. K spoke with a low voice calming the students down as well. This is not to say that Ms. K was better than Ms. J which was not the case. In fact, I had never been so impressed with Ms. J's classroom management skills. The fact was, the classroom was smaller and the class was smaller. When talking about their careers, most students said they wanted to do what their parents did, which mainly involved working in the food industry. Since most of the students had not been outside their community, it was very hard for them to visualize what an artist could do. For example, they could not understand the concept of design. To them, an architect was a construction worker or someone that designed cars actually worked in the factory. The reference they did understand was fashion designer which is a career constantly shown in television and magazines. Overall, the kids were more focused and excited about art when they were in a smaller class, in an actual art classroom. Ms. K however says she is looking for another job as administration affects her daily teaching practice in a negative way.
The last class I observed was Ms. J's 3rd grade bilingual class. The desk arrangement was similar to the first class but the students were a lot quieter. Ms. J had told me previously that most of the students in the class spoke English but that there were a few that received help with translating Ms. J's English from fellow students. What I observed from the two session was that this was the most inquisitive class. They marveled when Ms. J showed them how to make colorful butterflies for the school dance. During the second class, they were in awe when Ms. J or as they call her, "teacher" was explaining aboriginal art. I noticed that there were stand out characters in this class. There was one child who constantly cried when his artwork didn't turn out perfectly, the child who had an anger problem or the child who needed constant approval from "teacher". Ms. J again exhibited her wonderful classroom management skills giving individual attention but at the same time keeping the class on task.
Overall, I had a positive experiences with the teachers and the students at Liberty School. It was interesting to experience the student's culture through their stories I overheard. There were gripes about the administration but I can't say I was surprised. I've heard too many teachers complain about the lack of communication in their public school.
The morning of my first visit, I got off the blue line Cicero stop and waited for the bus. The stop was by the notorious Cottage Grove neighborhood, a place I had seen on the news for murders and drug violence many times before. Also by the stop was two police cars, carefully watching everyone who walked past.
Now I consider myself someone who has been constantly around multicultural situations. I went to a very diverse high school and later lived in Memphis, TN a city where the population is 80% African-American in the urban area. Still, the unfamiliarity of the area and being the only "white" girl admittedly made me nervous. Why did I feel this way? As I got on the bus to the school I came to the conclusion that I wasn't completely nervous about my well-being, though it was a high-crime area. But instead I felt awkward and out of place because I was different. Mainly, I was shocked by the poverty. The streets were run down and most people on the bus looked homeless. In my safe bubble of downtown Chicago I had never seen such a run down neighborhood. Sure, there was homelessness/poverty in the loop, but it seemed masked by rows of tulips and pristine streets. The cleanliness of the loop had always given me hope for the city; for humanity. In this neighborhood, it all just looked...sad.
As I got off the bus and walked to the school, the neighborhood changed from an African-American to a predominately Latino neighborhood. When I saw loving parents saying goodbye to their children in the schoolyard I felt hope again; a feeling that children often install in me.
I walked to Ms. J and her colleague, Ms. K's class. They were griping about their "resource" period. What should be a free time for them to plan, had recently been changed to the time where they substitute taught or helped administration. Budget cuts had caused a shortage in staff and current staff (especially the "specials" teachers) were picking up the slack. Another gripe, I heard right off the bat was that my friend Ms. J had to teach off an art cart, a cart that she wheeled around to the classes she taught. While there was a main art room, Mr. K mainly used it while Ms. J took supplies from the room that she needed for the day and loaded them on her cart.
While I walked with Ms. J to her first period, she told me the school's demographics: 97% hispanic and 3% other. Two of the three classes she taught in the morning were Spanish-English speaking classrooms and her first class had three special education students who were integrated for specials.
Over the next two Thursdays I had the opportunity to observe the same three classes. I when to Ms. J's first class, Ms. K's secondly and then back to Ms. J's for third period. Ms. J's first class consisted of 3nd graders with the number of boys a little larger than the girls. They were making plaster casts of their hands and if they were finished, thinking of pictures to put on the cast that represent their identity. Ms. J gave the example of drawing something about your cultural background (where your family is from) or possibly a hobby (e.g. Leggos). The classroom was cluttered with different posters listing sentence structure advice, multiplication tables and famous authors. The class had about 25 students. The desks were arranged in groups all facing each other. Each group consisted of eight desks. Of course, the rowdiest group of boys were placed together, constantly talking and distracting each other. While Ms. J had excellent class management skills, answering each individual questions and keeping it fairly quiet, the students were still all over the place. There were students by their lockers, students reading comics and students trying to work but not succeeding because of the distractions. Because Ms. J came to them, they thought of the class as a break from work vs. Ms. K that had an actual room that set the tone that actual artwork would be completed. With twenty-five students I was shocked that Ms. J had to handle the entire class alone. What she could have done with a teacher's assistant that could of helped with the execution of the actual project. Unfortunately, what I've heard from my friend's who teach in public schools, 25 students and no assistant is the norm.
Second period on Thursday's were a little bit quieter. Ms. K had a smaller class of second graders in her room. Unfortunately, Ms. K was unhappy with her lessons for those two classes. The first, the students were required to make paper flowers for the school dance. This was something administration had thrown on the Ms. J and Ms.K a week before the decorations had to be completed. The second lesson was "what career can you have as an artist?" The classroom seemed calmer as Ms. K spoke with a low voice calming the students down as well. This is not to say that Ms. K was better than Ms. J which was not the case. In fact, I had never been so impressed with Ms. J's classroom management skills. The fact was, the classroom was smaller and the class was smaller. When talking about their careers, most students said they wanted to do what their parents did, which mainly involved working in the food industry. Since most of the students had not been outside their community, it was very hard for them to visualize what an artist could do. For example, they could not understand the concept of design. To them, an architect was a construction worker or someone that designed cars actually worked in the factory. The reference they did understand was fashion designer which is a career constantly shown in television and magazines. Overall, the kids were more focused and excited about art when they were in a smaller class, in an actual art classroom. Ms. K however says she is looking for another job as administration affects her daily teaching practice in a negative way.
The last class I observed was Ms. J's 3rd grade bilingual class. The desk arrangement was similar to the first class but the students were a lot quieter. Ms. J had told me previously that most of the students in the class spoke English but that there were a few that received help with translating Ms. J's English from fellow students. What I observed from the two session was that this was the most inquisitive class. They marveled when Ms. J showed them how to make colorful butterflies for the school dance. During the second class, they were in awe when Ms. J or as they call her, "teacher" was explaining aboriginal art. I noticed that there were stand out characters in this class. There was one child who constantly cried when his artwork didn't turn out perfectly, the child who had an anger problem or the child who needed constant approval from "teacher". Ms. J again exhibited her wonderful classroom management skills giving individual attention but at the same time keeping the class on task.
Overall, I had a positive experiences with the teachers and the students at Liberty School. It was interesting to experience the student's culture through their stories I overheard. There were gripes about the administration but I can't say I was surprised. I've heard too many teachers complain about the lack of communication in their public school.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Miss Representation Documentary- 2 hours of observation
On February 27th I went to go see the film Miss Representation by Jennifer Siebel Newsom about how women are represented in media. Pretty overdone right? Well... Newsom had a refreshing approach to the topic. As a pregnant woman, she was scared for her daughter's future, afraid that she would struggle with the same self-image issues Newsom did when she was younger. Shown at Blaine Elementary School, parents and teachers are trying to create awareness about issues through their "Blaine Film Festival".
The film showed a lot of the basic ads you see when talking about this subject such as women in bikinis or Britney Spears scantily clad. However, it also talked about women in politics and how they either have to be seen as the "ball-buster" or the sexy one. The main example Newsom used was the comparison between Hillary Clinton (the crazy bitch) or Sarah Palin (the hot stupid one). Whether it is in politics, TV, or news, it seems as if women are being classified which leaves the younger generation to believe that they have to be a certain way to succeed. The most surprising part of the film for me was the radio hosts and news anchors that were shown making overtly sexist comments. Just think of the recent uprising when Rush Limbaugh called someone a "bitch". The worst part of that scandal was that it was nothing new. I had watched that happen multiple times during the film.
What links the film to Doing Democracy is how this film was talked about in the context of a school. The film explicitly said that parents and teachers have to start having a conversation about what they see in the media. After the film, the school hosted a discussion panel with Rachel Durchslag the Executive Director of CAASE, Kate Webster the Director of Violence Prevention at the Thousand Waves Martial Arts Center and Jennifer Loudon the Director of Behavioral Health from Chicago Public Schools. These influential women talked about how to have those conversations with your students or children. Jennifer Loudon suggested casually asking your child what they think is wrong with the way that person is shown on TV? Or, how does it make you feel to see a woman on a magazine cover like that? The movie and the panelists stressed not only to talk to your girls about this, but to reach out to the boys because males contribute heavily to gender stereotyping.
This film was important in making me realize the way I often accept the representation of women. I have called other women bitches, I don't stop my male friends when they sexualize or put down successful women. With my growing awareness, hopefully I can make others aware of how women are represented through media and in our everyday lives.
To learn more visit: missrepresentation.org or text represent to 313131
For more on the Blaine Film Festival visit: http://blainepta.weebly.com
The film showed a lot of the basic ads you see when talking about this subject such as women in bikinis or Britney Spears scantily clad. However, it also talked about women in politics and how they either have to be seen as the "ball-buster" or the sexy one. The main example Newsom used was the comparison between Hillary Clinton (the crazy bitch) or Sarah Palin (the hot stupid one). Whether it is in politics, TV, or news, it seems as if women are being classified which leaves the younger generation to believe that they have to be a certain way to succeed. The most surprising part of the film for me was the radio hosts and news anchors that were shown making overtly sexist comments. Just think of the recent uprising when Rush Limbaugh called someone a "bitch". The worst part of that scandal was that it was nothing new. I had watched that happen multiple times during the film.
What links the film to Doing Democracy is how this film was talked about in the context of a school. The film explicitly said that parents and teachers have to start having a conversation about what they see in the media. After the film, the school hosted a discussion panel with Rachel Durchslag the Executive Director of CAASE, Kate Webster the Director of Violence Prevention at the Thousand Waves Martial Arts Center and Jennifer Loudon the Director of Behavioral Health from Chicago Public Schools. These influential women talked about how to have those conversations with your students or children. Jennifer Loudon suggested casually asking your child what they think is wrong with the way that person is shown on TV? Or, how does it make you feel to see a woman on a magazine cover like that? The movie and the panelists stressed not only to talk to your girls about this, but to reach out to the boys because males contribute heavily to gender stereotyping.
This film was important in making me realize the way I often accept the representation of women. I have called other women bitches, I don't stop my male friends when they sexualize or put down successful women. With my growing awareness, hopefully I can make others aware of how women are represented through media and in our everyday lives.
To learn more visit: missrepresentation.org or text represent to 313131
For more on the Blaine Film Festival visit: http://blainepta.weebly.com
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Chicago Public School Board Meeting- 3 hours of observation
What a heated board meeting! As our class waited in line to get in to a CPS board meeting, I couldn't help but feel excited and encouraged that so many people were showing up to support public school education. There ARE people who are outraged enough to stand up for what they believe is hurting their communities and children.
What were people so upset about? Well... a lot of things. But one of the main issues under scrutiny was the closings and turnarounds of schools. If a school is low-performing, under No Child Left Behind, the district has a right to fire all of the staff and basically "refresh" the school or turn it around. Many people who spoke at the meeting felt that doing this to the schools or closing them is detrimental to the community. One word that was used a lot was apartheid, noting that the kids in Title I schools are purposely getting less and being shuffled from one bad school to another. Another speaker mentioned that more policy can actually hurt the schools and that the board needed to start at the grass roots. Grass roots was a word also used a lot- the sense that the changes need to start within the community. Community members know what is best for their neighborhood and they need to come together to create change.
While I heard a lot of empowering speeches, unlike when I came in, I left discouraged; knowing all too well that the public's voices would not be heard. It was very clear to me that the Chairman of the Board was obligated to sit there and that he really did NOT want to. Under this democracy, leaders are mandated to listen to "the people". However, this democracy is dysfunctional because the leaders might listen, but they will still make decisions on what is best for them and their advisors.
On the other hand, I almost felt bad for the board as they had to sit there and be ridiculed. Perhaps they deserved it... perhaps they didn't. Part of me thought, it isn't the board's fault- it's the whole system. CPS cannot make real change because they have the state and Washington breathing down their necks. They are confined under NCLB and other policies. So what big changes can they really make?
While I felt discouraged, there is still the part of me that was proud of the people who fought for what they believed in. If more people got angry, not just the ones being affected by the closings and turnarounds, I think we would be a much different society. I definitely feel more aware, and I know that's a good thing.
What were people so upset about? Well... a lot of things. But one of the main issues under scrutiny was the closings and turnarounds of schools. If a school is low-performing, under No Child Left Behind, the district has a right to fire all of the staff and basically "refresh" the school or turn it around. Many people who spoke at the meeting felt that doing this to the schools or closing them is detrimental to the community. One word that was used a lot was apartheid, noting that the kids in Title I schools are purposely getting less and being shuffled from one bad school to another. Another speaker mentioned that more policy can actually hurt the schools and that the board needed to start at the grass roots. Grass roots was a word also used a lot- the sense that the changes need to start within the community. Community members know what is best for their neighborhood and they need to come together to create change.
While I heard a lot of empowering speeches, unlike when I came in, I left discouraged; knowing all too well that the public's voices would not be heard. It was very clear to me that the Chairman of the Board was obligated to sit there and that he really did NOT want to. Under this democracy, leaders are mandated to listen to "the people". However, this democracy is dysfunctional because the leaders might listen, but they will still make decisions on what is best for them and their advisors.
On the other hand, I almost felt bad for the board as they had to sit there and be ridiculed. Perhaps they deserved it... perhaps they didn't. Part of me thought, it isn't the board's fault- it's the whole system. CPS cannot make real change because they have the state and Washington breathing down their necks. They are confined under NCLB and other policies. So what big changes can they really make?
While I felt discouraged, there is still the part of me that was proud of the people who fought for what they believed in. If more people got angry, not just the ones being affected by the closings and turnarounds, I think we would be a much different society. I definitely feel more aware, and I know that's a good thing.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Doing Democracy
This semester as a Master's in Art Education student, I will be blogging about my field experiences in my class Doing Democracy. I'll be talking about my experiences in a school, watching films, and observing things in the Chicago community. Post about the CPS Board Meeting tomorrow!! It was HEATED.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Carol Krukoff and the Types of Museums
For my Social Theory class we were supposed to see a social worker speak and write about it in some form. Unfortunately, all of the interesting talks available to me this semester were are on class dates ARGH! So when I heard the museum educator Carol Krukoff would be lecturing to my Museum Education class I decided to see if I could make her work as my social theorist. After all, educators of any kind are constantly reassessing the environment around them and interpreting things about the world to their students or visitors.
When Carol walked in I felt humbled, here was this woman who had to be at least 75 years old still very much involved with the museum education community. Carol is a Chicago legend. She began her work at the Chicago History Museum, then worked in the education department at the Naper Settlement (a landmark museum) and now is the Director of Education at the Oriental Institute of Chicago (at University of Chicago). In addition, she is a grant reader for IMLS (museum and library services) and allocates thousands of dollars a year to those trying to do something profound in the museum community. Needless to say, Carol knew a lot about museum governance which was the topic she would be speaking on in class.
She explained that there were four main types of museums: private/non-for-profit, public museum, university museum, and public university museum. Each have a different hierarchy. For example, the University museum educator reports to the Board of Trustees at the University, the President of the University, the Provost, the Dean of the Department, the Department Chair, and then finally the director of the museum. Carol talked about how fast or slow changes can be made depending on how many people have to approve it and how having so many people to go through can affect the culture of the museum. Meaning, how collaboratively the educators, curators and other staff work together. She also discussed how sometimes having so many people to go through can be a good thing. A museum needs layers as a checks and balances system to make sure that there is not just change for change sake.
Carol also talked about the stability of the different kinds of museums within the economic crisis. As a class, we decided that public art museums are in the best position because they will always be funded by the government. While some of the staff jobs might be cut like other museums, it is unlikely that the museum will be shut down because they are a sign of a flourishing society. The government does not want our country to seem poor even though it might be and they definitely do not want it to be seen as an under-cultured country. This leads to a larger question of the function of museums in our American society. It is place for groups to gather, it is a place for the education of society, it is where priceless pieces are held and displayed. A museum is a monument in our cities and shows that we are still a great world power. Anyways, I'm getting a little off track but I think Carol's main point was not only how museums function internally, but also how they become symbols for our community and how they interact with groups within these communities.
I was so fortunate to meet someone who does exactly what I want to do. Our class had a great discussion about the roles of educators in museums and our obligations. To see the work Carol Krukoff has been doing at her museum, visit the Oriental Institute of Chicago on the University of Chicago campus or visit their website .
When Carol walked in I felt humbled, here was this woman who had to be at least 75 years old still very much involved with the museum education community. Carol is a Chicago legend. She began her work at the Chicago History Museum, then worked in the education department at the Naper Settlement (a landmark museum) and now is the Director of Education at the Oriental Institute of Chicago (at University of Chicago). In addition, she is a grant reader for IMLS (museum and library services) and allocates thousands of dollars a year to those trying to do something profound in the museum community. Needless to say, Carol knew a lot about museum governance which was the topic she would be speaking on in class.
She explained that there were four main types of museums: private/non-for-profit, public museum, university museum, and public university museum. Each have a different hierarchy. For example, the University museum educator reports to the Board of Trustees at the University, the President of the University, the Provost, the Dean of the Department, the Department Chair, and then finally the director of the museum. Carol talked about how fast or slow changes can be made depending on how many people have to approve it and how having so many people to go through can affect the culture of the museum. Meaning, how collaboratively the educators, curators and other staff work together. She also discussed how sometimes having so many people to go through can be a good thing. A museum needs layers as a checks and balances system to make sure that there is not just change for change sake.
Carol also talked about the stability of the different kinds of museums within the economic crisis. As a class, we decided that public art museums are in the best position because they will always be funded by the government. While some of the staff jobs might be cut like other museums, it is unlikely that the museum will be shut down because they are a sign of a flourishing society. The government does not want our country to seem poor even though it might be and they definitely do not want it to be seen as an under-cultured country. This leads to a larger question of the function of museums in our American society. It is place for groups to gather, it is a place for the education of society, it is where priceless pieces are held and displayed. A museum is a monument in our cities and shows that we are still a great world power. Anyways, I'm getting a little off track but I think Carol's main point was not only how museums function internally, but also how they become symbols for our community and how they interact with groups within these communities.
I was so fortunate to meet someone who does exactly what I want to do. Our class had a great discussion about the roles of educators in museums and our obligations. To see the work Carol Krukoff has been doing at her museum, visit the Oriental Institute of Chicago on the University of Chicago campus or visit their website .
Museum 2.0 Post
Museum 2.0, a blog I heard about through our Cyberpedagogy class recently had an interesting post about redesigning a museum website. I thought this was VERY relevant to what we had been learning in class about how websites can support or hinder museums.
Museum Website Redesign
Museum Website Redesign
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Internship Countdown Week 3
This week it was all about getting ready for Treasures and Tea which will be happening on the 11th of December. Mainly today I edited the docent scripts and made texture boxes that will be used for the Mukenga Mask site. In teen lab tonight, we got to critique the student's digital sketchbooks. Their digital sketchbooks are i movies that have a theme about what they have seen and experienced in the museum. I was PLEASENTLY surprised. Not only were their movies well thought out and personal, they did a great job at critiquing each other's work as well. Great job teens!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
My boyfriend's sister Allison Gregory made this beautiful cow as a part of a collective effort hosted by the city of Austin. Her work raised over 100,000 dollars. I'm so proud of her! Check out an article about her painted cow below:
Allison's Cow
Allison's Cow
Internship Week 10 and 11
So for the past two weeks it has been all about installation!!!! Taking pictures out of frames, drilling screws, measuring... oh the measuring. Measuring walls, measuring art, measuring frames, measuring the amount of pain in my feet from standing all day. But overall it was a really good experience. It is VERY useful to know how to install. In all, we installed the Steve Jenkins show, the artwork for the Ryan Education Center, and began to install the game and pictures I created for the Family Room.
Today I installed art in the Educator Resource center and in the hall of the Ryan Education Center. The art was given to us by an SAIC student named Snow Fu. Her family runs an art center in a small/poverty stricken area of China. They sent work done in oil pastel, paint, and marker. They are beautiful, colorful depictions of life in their village. Snow's parents also sent along lesson plans of the work that are available to check out in the Educator Resource Center. Go check out the work!
Today I installed art in the Educator Resource center and in the hall of the Ryan Education Center. The art was given to us by an SAIC student named Snow Fu. Her family runs an art center in a small/poverty stricken area of China. They sent work done in oil pastel, paint, and marker. They are beautiful, colorful depictions of life in their village. Snow's parents also sent along lesson plans of the work that are available to check out in the Educator Resource Center. Go check out the work!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
VSA Access Gallery
So, as you know I've been researching for the new touch gallery at the Art Institute. I've been trying to research different types of tactile art as well as searching for artists to commission to make these pieces. Today I found a video of the VSA gallery in Denver. It exhibits a bunch of different works by artist that are tactile. The visitors have so much fun! Look below:
VSA
VSA
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Diwali Festival at the Art Institute- Internship Week 9
Last Saturday I helped out at the Diwali Festival at the Art Institute. Diwali is a festival of lights where vibrant colors and lights are used in different customs to keep away evil. I worked in the rangoli room where traditionally, families create a colorful patterns out of flour and water around a ria (the traditional clay lamp used in the festival. We used ripped pieces of paper instead of flour. Less of a mess! The best part about the day was hearing Indian families talk about the traditions and stories they tell in their households.
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| Our collaborative rangoli. Each family would come in and add their own design. |
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| This little boy represented a mountain and a sky as part of a story about Krishna who sheltered an Indian community from a storm by lifting a mounting raising it over the people. |
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| This is the dia light symbol that traditionally goes in the middle of the rangoli. Families light the dias for Diwali. |
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| A beautiful rainbow. The little girl worked so hard! |
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Internship Week 8
This week at my internship I helped M gear up for her two exhibits opening this Fall. I edited all of her labels and opening paragraph for the Steve Jenkins exhibit. The shocking part was that I actually found an error in the labels concerning the medium used. Good thing I caught that!
After I brushed up on my editing skills, I continued to research institutes that have touch galleries as well as found some foundations that deal with the blind population. I'm hoping to consult with the foundations about what visitors with visual impairments WANT in a museum experience. Also, I'm hoping that the foundations can give The Art Institute insight into how to make the touch gallery more innovative and new. As M said to me today while I was researching, " when we opened the touch gallery ten years ago, we were the museum that everyone was copying to start their touch galleries. NOW, we're outdated and we need to look into other institutions programs to make us current." Hopefully, I can help the education department accomplish this!
MOMA's Disability Programs
This week Julie guided us through the MOMA website. They have one of the leading accessibility programs for those with developmental disabilities.
MOMA Accessibility
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Internship Week 7
Today was really all about finalizing my scripts for the 2011 Holiday Treasures and Tea at the Art Institute. In treasures and tea, the attendees (young children and parents) will visit four famous works in the gallery. Afterwards, they will be lead to a tea party with live music and more art activities! My job, was to write the scripts for what the docents will say at each piece of artwork. It was a HUGE challenge to write simple lingo that the kiddos will understand. For example, it's hard to use the word brushstroke because will kids know what brushstroke means? Learning how to take complicated language about art and relaying it to kids in a simple manner is not an easy task.
After going through three revisions of the scripts, it was finally ready. I'm so proud! I also wrote some activities for the guide book which will be given out in the beginning of treasures and tea.
A new project I started on today is researching for the new touch gallery that will be going up at the Art Institute. M has asked me to find museums that have been leading innovators in the field of accessibility. This is a great project for me since this is the kind of research I need to be doing for my thesis on developmental disability services in museums. Excited to be involved in the touch gallery process since I think it is an important for the Art Institute to be seen as a leader in the field of accessibility to disabled visitors.
After going through three revisions of the scripts, it was finally ready. I'm so proud! I also wrote some activities for the guide book which will be given out in the beginning of treasures and tea.
A new project I started on today is researching for the new touch gallery that will be going up at the Art Institute. M has asked me to find museums that have been leading innovators in the field of accessibility. This is a great project for me since this is the kind of research I need to be doing for my thesis on developmental disability services in museums. Excited to be involved in the touch gallery process since I think it is an important for the Art Institute to be seen as a leader in the field of accessibility to disabled visitors.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Internship Week 6
Today at work I learned some basic Adobe Photoshop tools. I came up earlier in the semester with the idea to create magnet animals for the family room related to the Steve Jenkins exhibition. We are meeting with graphics tomorrow to go over all the animals we want to use so they have to be the exact size and direction that we want them for the magnetic game.
Therefore today, I scanned the animals to photoshop, learned to resize, rotate and flip the animals. I also learned how to make them different colors. Yippee!! The main difficulty I had was learning how to delete an object within the picture. For example, I have an image of a parrot on a branch; and I NEED to get rid of the branch. I meticulously erased the branch with a small eraser. My hands had to be steady or else oops! there goes a foot... But by the end of the process I felt comfortable using photoshop and I'm glad I can say I'm an old pro. Well, at least at the lasso tool and the eraser. Hey, it's a start.
Therefore today, I scanned the animals to photoshop, learned to resize, rotate and flip the animals. I also learned how to make them different colors. Yippee!! The main difficulty I had was learning how to delete an object within the picture. For example, I have an image of a parrot on a branch; and I NEED to get rid of the branch. I meticulously erased the branch with a small eraser. My hands had to be steady or else oops! there goes a foot... But by the end of the process I felt comfortable using photoshop and I'm glad I can say I'm an old pro. Well, at least at the lasso tool and the eraser. Hey, it's a start.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Make Space Blog
I stumbled upon this blog of a local artist. She interviews artists, records their spaces, and discusses issues involving the art community today. Check it out!
make space blog
make space blog
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