split complementary

The Elements & Principles of Design Icons

2012-02-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

These are handouts that I created for my practicum in visual arts this fall. I had the chance to teach the elements & principles unit for grade 9 and 10 and faced the challenge of trying to make these terms easily accessible for a range of students.

I found that by going though each element and principle with examples from art history, and then applying this in a studio session, the students got the concepts. The problem was then being able to remember them all.

I tried these handouts and they worked surprisingly well. I gave out blank versions, and had the students fill out each term and definition as we covered them in class. The important part is the final step, the icon, where I asked students to come up with an icon that mattered to them, and that they felt comfortable drawing. This way, the terms were reinforced with an immediate visual reference that is more memerorable than a definition- the handouts also work well as a study sheet for the final exam.

Terry Gilliam, 99% Blog Interview

2012-01-05T05:47:00.000-08:00

The Behance blog 99% recently featured this interview with filmmaker Terry Gilliam about where he gets his ideas and how he works. This is a solid interview of a fascinating artist, definitely worth a read.

In it he states:
"You just carry on. You do things. I'm always doing something. I can't stand sitting around."

TDSB and AGO working together

2011-12-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

The T.D.S.B. and the A.G.O. are working together to enhance art education! This collaboration makes sense in so many ways and is based around the Weston Family Learning Centre. Find out more at the A.G.O. site, here. I am thrilled to hear about this great development in art education and look forward to seeing what the partnership brings.

The A.G.O. is such a fantastic resource and can help educators make the curriculum more engaging and interactive for students. As a former gallery guide at the A.G.O., I have witnessed this first-hand and have always felt that more students deserve to benefit from what the gallery has to offer.

"Imagination is the active ingredient of thinking."

2011-12-04T06:33:00.000-08:00

As this article from The Star suggests, when finances get tight, art is the first program to get hit. The article provides some insightful arguments that show the true value of art education.

First off, Sara Diamond (president of OCAD) argues "that the benefits of such institutions far outweigh their costs" and explains that "we hear from employers across all sectors, ‘we need your students. They’ve got the thinking and skills to turn around big problems.’”

Second, John Kissick (director of the School of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Guelph) points out that "in terms of the skill sets needed in the marketplace today, that a studio arts education is as good as it gets outside of the professions."

Then Luis Jacob (a Toronto based artist) makes a great point: “an art school is really important for giving young people a community — a set of peers all trying to create their artistic identities together."

Having been part of such a community at Sheridan College, in the Illustration program, I can attest to the importance of social interaction for the arts. Good ideas take collaboration and criticism to flourish. Innovations build on one another in a community. This leads to critical and creative thinking abilities, confidence, and true grit (See earlier post).

The title quote from this blog sums it up well, from a great thinker of our age, Alan Fletcher:

"Imagination is the active ingredient of thinking."

Lady Gaga submits a video to support tolerance campaign.

2011-11-28T03:36:00.000-08:00

A student at the Etobicoke School of the Arts wrote to a few celebrities asking for a video response to add to their anti-bullying campaign. Lady Gaga responded and the video was played at an assembly last friday at the school. The Globe covers the story here.

By doing videos like this, celebrities call attention to these issues and get people talking. It is great to see them using their power to address such important issues, like Rick Mercers's rant about teen suicide earlier this fall (you can see it here).

For excellence, "true grit" may be more important than talent.

2011-11-04T04:34:00.000-07:00

In a recent post on the Behance network blog 99%, the idea that true grit is more important than talent to achieve excellence, is explored based on the theory of a Harvard researcher. The post contains the arguments and some great links to a supporting TEDtalk and the "true grit" test. See how you rate.

The Two Most Famous Paintings In Canadian Art...

2011-10-18T03:24:00.000-07:00

I wondered what was going on when I was in the A.G.O. last week and noticed that Tom Thomson's "West Wind" was missing. Arguably the two most famous paintings in Canadian art are hanging side by side in a gallery in London, England this week: Thomson's "West Wind" and "Jack Pine".

Both images are considered icons of the Canadian spirit and it must be wonderful to see them together. They are part of a larger exhibit of Thomson and the Group of Seven that is touring Europe for the first time since the first quarter of last century. The Globe covers the details in this article.

Toronto's Urban Repair Squad's Lego bike lane

2011-10-12T04:28:00.000-07:00

The Urban Repair Squad reinstalled a bike lane on Dupont this week that was recently removed by the city, and they used lego. Check out this blog: urbanrepairs.blogspot.com, for the full story and a video about the project.

The Weston Family Learning Centre

2011-10-11T03:54:00.000-07:00

The A.G.O. has opened the Weston Family Learning Centre this month with a newly designed educational space including studios and seminar rooms. I'm looking forward to checking it out with some students soon. The Centre features huge windows onto the street and open, interconnected areas throughout. Here is a brief video tour of the Centre on their site.

Two Stories of Algonquin Park

2011-10-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

   I came across two inspiring articles this morning. Although both are about completely different people separated by almost a century, they share one common centre point: Algonquin Park.

   The first article is about a new film about the life (and not the death) of Canadian painter Tom Thomson that is opening this weekend at the Vancouver film festival.

   The second article, that features a beautiful short video, is about a Canadian Olympic Kayaker who trains in Algonquin Park, on the lakes that Tom Thomson painted. These articles make me want to get back up to the park to catch the autumn, and do some painting and kayaking.

The Major Parties on Education

2011-09-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

As the provincial election fast approaches, here's a look at where the major parties stand on education, written up in the Torontoist.

The ETFO's "Vote Against Kids" Campaign

2011-09-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

The Ontario Elementary Teacher's Union has produced this brilliant add campaign, discussed here in The Star, to highlight the importance of education and to get more people thinking about it before heading to the polls.

Picasso Exhibition at the A.G.O. in 2012 confirmed

2011-08-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

The A.G.O. has announced that they will be hosting a career-spanning Picasso exhibition in 2012, you can find details at the A.G.O. site.

Financial Literacy

2011-07-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

The Globe featured this article today about a new focus on financial literacy in the Ontario curriculum. I think it's important for kids to learn about money throughout school. This can be supported in any subject area to provide a comprehensive approach to financial literacy.

   An example of this for Visual Arts, that I would like to try, is how to plan an art show in Toronto. This would involve many related stages: planning the show, producing artwork, securing participants, fundraising, organizing entertainment, booking a venue, promotion, establishing working relationships, opening night, sales, and a review of the overall experience from a financial perspective.

   Another example for Visual Arts is planning a small business in the arts or planning a freelance career as an independent contractor in the arts. This would involve writing a complete business plan and investigating need, cost, return, investing, borrowing and projecting results.

   Financial literacy is of course of utmost importance when students are considering post-secondary education and must be examined while addressing the careers in art lessons.

Any of these ideas would serve as the basis for a challenging and rewarding cumulative task.

Milton Glaser on the fear of failure

2011-07-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

The Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm, Sweden has produced a graduate exhibit that focuses on the fear of failure, an important subject for students and artists. Part of the project includes videos of various people discussing their views on the fear of failure, here is Milton Glaser's- his conclusion: "embrace the failure."

Group of Seven paintings stolen from Toronto gallery

2011-07-12T04:45:00.000-07:00

The Globe featured this article about last night's robbery of paintings from a Toronto gallery, including a few from the Group of 7.

Thor Concept Art: Michael Kutsche

2011-07-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a look at some of the concept art that went into the making of the film Thor. I enjoyed the film a lot, largely because of the visual beauty. It's fascinating to see how some of the characters and visuals come about. Here is some of Michael Kutsche's concept art for the film, and his website.

Developing Your Creative Practice: Tips from Brian Eno

2011-05-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you're stuck on a problem that you need to solve?
Where do great ideas come from?

This article, written by Scott McDowell, provides some answers from musician/composer/producer Brian Eno. Very insightful!

In it, Eno recalls:
"There’s a proverb that says that the fruit takes a long time to ripen, but it falls suddenly ... And that seems to be the process."

5 Manifestos for Art, Life & Business

2011-05-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

The Behance network featured this article a little while ago and I think it's worth a read. It presents the manifestos of five interesting and influential people.

Manifestos are essential foundations for many fields including politics, business and art. At the end the author asks: "what's your manifesto?" This is a good question to think about as a teacher or a student and can be useful in any subject.

Art Students: thinkers as well as makers

2011-05-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

The Globe featured this article about how art education is giving students the skills to succeed in careers that don't even exist yet.

Virtual Sistine Chapel Vatican Site

2011-04-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Vatican site provides the link bellow to access the Sistine Chapel with superb visual resolution. This is a great resource for art history teachers and students, and obviously provides a much more interactive and memorable experience than looking at a dozen slides, enjoy:

The Sistine Chapel

Class Activity:
Students explore the site and choose one image/figure for a sketchbook assignment. Students choose any piece and research its meaning and complete a sketch using coloured pencils. Students must also come up with one puzzle or question about their chosen piece.

Surreal Drawing Exercises

2011-04-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here are two surreal drawing exercises that can be effectively explored in a 75 minute class.

#1. Homage to Andre Breton

Using an exercise handout that has four square grids of equally placed dots, draw and try not to think about what you are drawing. Try to allow the drawing process to be automatic. Do this with the first three grids and then use the forth to refine the composition in a conscious way, using a more usual approach to drawing.

#2. Illustrating a random phrase

Take any passage of text and randomly underline 6-8 words, not in a row, but sporadically throughout the passage. Work out some sketches to illustrate the random phrase. Try this a few times and choose the most interesting one to develop into a larger composition.

Mick Ebeling: The invention that unlocked a locked-in artist

2011-04-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

"Mick Ebeling: The invention that unlocked a locked-in artist."

This is an inspiring talk that shows how much difference creativity can make. Mike Ebeling had a far-fetched idea and with a group of creative people, made it happen. Towards the end he asks the motivational questions that many innovators ask, "if not now, then when?" and "if not me, then who?"

Handspring Puppet Co.: The genius puppetry behind War Horse

2011-04-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

"Handspring Puppet Co.: The genius puppetry behind War Horse."

This is a very inspiring talk, well worth a listen.

A.G.O. visit follow-up lesson and CPT studio project

2011-03-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Anticipatory Set: have students write a list of words, ideas, phrases that represent Canadian culture/identity to them personally, based on their experiences.

Follow this with a powerpoint and class discussion, reviewing some of the Group of 7 work that was explored at the A.G.O. What would their list include? Review the creative process used by the Group of 7. Then introduce the studio project, which has three stages.

Stage one: for the rest of class today, students will look through magazines to find images of the items on their list (that represent Canadian identity). Students are encouraged to use the internet and print out search results. (15 Minutes) If they have time they will begin to create a collage that covers one piece of illustration board (16X20) using these collected images. To be completed during the following class.

Stage two: students will engage in the creative process used by the Group of 7, by outdoor sketching on a class trip to a nearby park. Sketches will be done in their sketchbooks and will focus on a landscape that must incorporate some wilderness. Students will take 3-5 digital photographs of what they sketched for reference, upload them to the class folder, and print them during the next class.

Stage three: students will explore composition in their sketchbooks based on their outdoor sketch and their digital photographs. After I approve their sketches and composition, students will begin an acrylic painting on top of their collage, based on their sketch, their digital photographs and their explorations. Students will paint over their collage but must leave some showing through. (For example, students may keep the collage as the sky, or as the background, or a texture). I will model each stage as we go.

Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education

2011-03-09T16:51:00.000-08:00

"Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education."

Salman Khan presents an effective way of using video to instruct content mastery so that students can watch at their own pace at home. This opens up the class time for activity-based learning, more one-to-one time and peer interaction. I have seen so many attempts to shoe-horn technology into the classroom, this is an example of a way to really use technology to enhance education. This is an inspiring and motivating talk.

If you want to learn more about this, check out: The Khan Academy site.

JR: Can Art Change The World?

2011-03-05T13:31:00.000-08:00

French street artist JR's TEDtalk addresses the question: "can art change the world?"
He is this year's winner of the TED prize and his wish is: "use art to turn the world inside out".

Check out his site and get involved if you want to: inside out project.

Maps

2011-02-19T04:47:00.000-08:00

A map is a visual representation of an area, a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of space such as objects, regions, and themes.

Typically when the term map is used it is referring to a two-dimensional spatial map, like the map of the world. But maps can be used for much more, to visually represent information. We see them all the time and may not realize it. A basic spatial map that is not to scale or spatially accurate but quickly communicates order and direction is the TTC subway map:

This kind of map can be used to communicate basic information even though it leaves out most of the geographical features of the area that is represented, another example is how to get to the coffee shop from my house:

Maps can get more interesting when they use metaphor, here is an example of a metaphoric map of my route to school:

Another interesting way to visually convey meaning by using a map is a cartogram. A cartogram is a map in which a thematic variable is substituted for land area or distance. The space of the map is distorted to communicate the information about the variable in question. For example, M.E.J. Newman created this cartogram with each county of the U.S. rescaled in proportion to its population. The colours refer to the voting results of the 2004 Presidential election.

Maps can also reveal the scope of the knowledge of a time, such as the T and O maps of the early modern era, that reveal what they knew the world to be then: Asia at the top, Europe on the left and Africa on the right. This one was created by Gunther Zainer (one of the first printers from Augsburg) in 1472 illustrating the Etymologiae of Isodore of Seville.

Class activity:

Part 1:(Think/ Pair/Share) Start by creating a verbal, instructional map of how to get somewhere from the school, or another public place. Share with a partner so that they will be able to get there.

Part 2: Individually create a basic spatial map, like the one from my house to the coffee shop.

Part 3: As a first step in a long-term project, choose to begin either a metaphoric map or a cartogram and work on some overall ideas and themes that you want to explore.

Symbolism: Creating a Logo

2011-02-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

Narrative: a literal scenario: time and place.
Example: King and his court
After working on narrative, (see earlier post: Scott McCloud on Comics) discuss the use of narrative vs. symbolism in visual communication.

SYMBOLISM
Metaphor: an implied comparison between things that are not literally alike.
Example: King, Lion
Metonymy: the subject is represented by a thing that is closely associated with it.
Example: King, Crown

Class Activity Part 1: Create a logo from two random words using symbolism
1. separate words
2. write out associations (brainstorm)
3. make simple pictures of the associations (pictographs)
4. synthesis: make formal relationships between pictographs using shapes/forms (*not literal)
5. Assess: which synthesis works the best?

Part 2: Create a logo of a chosen subject using symbolism
Follow the same steps as in Part 1.

School for low-income kids in Niagara region

2011-01-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

The Toronto Star featured this article about a new low-income school in the Niagara region. Kids will only be admitted if their parents have not gone to college or university. Is segregation the answer to poverty? Should this deficit mentality be encouraged? Can't any potential resources that this school might receive be effectively used in inclusive schools? Separating these kids from their peers will only alienate and stigmatize them more. Strength and resiliency come from diversity even though it may be the more challenging alternative.

The TDSB offers a better solution. Extra classes with relevant goals are being offered on weekends for kids who need the help. This way specific areas can be addressed without the labelling and separating that the Niagara region is resorting to. Saying that this approach has worked in the States is not a valid justification. We can't keep comparing ourselves to a different country with different strengths and challenges. We're better than that, lets come up with our own solutions.

Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms | Video on TED.com

2010-12-19T20:32:00.000-08:00

Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms | Video on TED.com

One of the most relevant and interesting talks in a while...

Community Gardens: Experiential Learning with GTGK

2010-12-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

Green Thumbs Growing Kids is a Toronto-based group that provides experiential learning in environmentally sustainable community gardens for urban youth and their families.

I had the opportunity to volunteer with them a few summers ago and had a great time in their Winchester community garden learning about plants and drawing some of the helpful pollinators.

This is a recent video of theirs, produced by an OISE teacher candidate.
To find out more, have a look at their site.

The Third Teacher

2010-12-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

I have to link to the site for a fantastic book that I just got: The Third Teacher.
This book is the result of a collaboration of three design firms, one in engineering (OWP/P | Cannon Design), one in educational furnishings (VS America) and one in culture (Bruce Mau Design).

The focus of the book is the role that the design of the physical environment plays in supporting or inhibiting learning. This is a question that every teacher should consider: how does your classroom help or hinder your efforts as an educator?

Class Activity: ask the students, what elements of the design of the classroom and of the school help your learning, and why; and what elements are obstacles, why? How can we address these issues?

Stefan Sagmeister: Don't Take Creativity For Granted

2010-12-02T04:25:00.000-08:00

This presentation addresses the great challenge of the creative process: how to keep it new.
They come up with some pretty fascinating results including an interactive digital spiderweb with type and animals eating their way to produce type...

Stefan Sagmeister,
@sagmeisterinc

Class Activity: This would be good to show to get students thinking about where they find inspiration. A survey could be completed by the class before watching this about typical sources of inspiration. We could suggest some different approaches to try after watching the video and having a class discussion.

AGO and TDSB negotiating art collection

2010-11-14T04:12:00.000-08:00

The TDSB may be lending the AGO a substantial collection of Canadian art. Negotiations are currently underway. Here is the article from the Globe.

Emily Pilloton: Teaching design for change

2010-11-09T03:56:00.000-08:00

"Emily Pilloton: Teaching design for change."

"Design is education. 'In order to do something good you first have to do something'"
An inspiring story for design and for public education.

Class Activity: In groups find some issues or problems in your community and suggest some ideas of how art or design could be used to better them.

Surrealism

2010-11-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Surrealism: "Pure psychic automatism by which it is intended to express (...)the true function of thought. Thought dictated in the absence of all control exerted by reason and outside aesthetic or moral preoccupations." (Andre Breton)

Presented in 1924 by Andre Breton in the First Surrealist Manifesto.

Class activity: "Exquisite Corpse" practiced by Andre Breton.
Start with a big piece of paper. The first student draws something and folds the paper to conceal most of what they drew, leaving only a few marks visible, and then passes it to the next student. The next student continues to draw from the marks left visible by the previous student and then folds and partly conceals their addition. This process is repeated for every student. At the end you can unfold the paper and present a collaboratively drawn surrealist work.

"I believe in the future resolution of these two states- outwardly so contradictory- which are dream and reality, into a sort of absolute reality, a surreality, so to speak." (Andre Breton)

There is lots of fun surrealist work to explore with students by Salvador Dali and
Rene Magritte.

Scott McCloud on Comics

2010-10-27T03:58:00.001-07:00

Class activity: This talk would be a great way to introduce a narrative project. Scott McCloud addresses the essential elements of narrative work and presents them through the medium of comics. Part one: have students research one comic and use the critical analysis process to identify some of the main elements of narrative and how they are applied. Part two: students apply the information they gained from part one in the creative process by producing their own narrative.

A List of Artists to Know

2010-10-27T03:57:00.000-07:00

Charles Burns
Leonid Gore
Edward Sorel
Winslow Homer
Ivan Chermayeff
Frances Jetter
Edel Rodriguez
Chester Brown
Ludwig Bemelmans
Nick Bantock
Seth
Kinuko Craft
Maurice Vellekoop
Hokusai
Women Painters of Mithila
Tomio Nitto
Peter Collington
Julie Dicet
Paul Zelinsky
Saul Steinberg
Kay Nielsen
Rose Cecil O'Neill
Orson Lowell
Akira Yokoyama
Olga and Andrej Dugin
Nicolas Debon
Gennady Spirin
Peter Kuper

Class Activity: A good way to develop interest is to allow students to explore various artists and their work and to decide which one appeals to them. From this they can research their chosen artist and submit a short written report with a brief class presentation. This would work as an individual or as a paired activity.

David Bryne: How Architecture Helped Music Evolve

2010-10-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

"David Bryne: How Architecture Helped Music Evolve"

Class activity: I would like to use this video as a way in to a unit on architecture. Students could choose any work of architecture and discover how it's design helped shape (or was shaped by) a cultural phenomenon.

Paul Rand: Design

2010-10-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

"A work of art is realized when form and content are indistinguishable"
Paul Rand.

Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education

2010-10-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

"Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education."

Two great quotes that he mentions, from Arthur C. Clarke: "a teacher that can be replaced by a machine should be," and "when you have interest, then you have education."

Visual Rhetoric Toolbox

2010-10-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here are 11 ways of using visual rhetoric:

1. Substitution: an element of the image is replaced by something else
2. Repetition: an element appears more than once
3. Addition: a new element is brought into the image
4. Subtraction: an element is removed from the image
5. Distortion: an element is altered, perhaps exaggerated
6. Scale: a kind of distortion, elements are increased or decreased in relation to something
7. Juxtaposition: an unlikely combination or improbable setting
8. Personification: applying human qualities to an inanimate object or an abstract idea
9. Reduction: applying non-human attributes to a human
10. Metaphor: a comparison that implies a likeness in things that are not literally alike
11. Catalogue: lists or represents the components of an object or an idea
(from Ted Zourntos's Conceptual Process Class, Sheridan College, B.A.A.)

Here is the Purdue OWL link for visual literacy:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/729/01/

The work of the best graffiti artists is a good place to find excellent use of visual rhetoric such as Toronto based artist Dan Bergeron(fauxreel): http://fauxreel.ca/,

or UK artist Banksy: http://www.banksy.co.uk/.

A good place to find weekly international examples is the Wooster Collective: http://www.woostercollective.com/.

Milton Glaser, Art is Work

2010-10-05T12:43:00.001-07:00

Milton Glaser quoting Horace: "Art at its best informs and delights."

Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

2010-10-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

"Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity"

It is so refreshing to hear him speak of creativity as being just as important as literacy and numeracy. I love that Picasso quote that he mentions, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

The Psychology of Colour

2010-10-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

"colour is a psychological phenomenon that exists in our mind"

The psychology of colour focuses on two main approaches: symbolic and formal.

The symbolic considerations are personal, communal and cultural.

The formal considerations are empirical and include these basics:

blue: cold, depth, spatial, calm

red: warm, moves forward in space

white: overflows its boundaries

black: contracts

An interesting observation: almost all logos and most flags are predominantly red, blue and white or a combination of these three colours.

Class activity: have students write down their associations with different colours. Compare with the whole class and make lists noting which are common to all or many (communal, cultural, empirical) and which are personal.

A follow-up exercise: look through magazines or other texts with images to find examples of different functions of colour.

Some important and frequently confused terms:

Primary Colours: Red, Yellow and Blue, can't be mixed from any other colours

Secondary Colours: Two primary colours mixed together to make violet, orange and green

Tertiary Colours: One primary and one secondary colour mixed together

Chroma: the intensity of a colour

Hue: another name for colour

Tone: Colour + Gray

Tint: Colour + White

Shade: Colour + Black

Value: the lightness or darkness of a colour

Mono-chromatic: using any shade, tint or tone of one colour

Analogous: Using any shades, tints or tones of colours that are at 90 degrees on the colour wheel

Acromatic: using only blacks, whites and grays

Complementary: opposite colours on the colour wheel (and their shades, tints and tones)

Split Complementary: choosing one colour and using the colour on each side of its complement on the colour wheel

Ben Cameron: The true power of the performing arts | Video on TED.com

2010-10-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a great TEDtalk by Ben Cameron, "The True Power of the Performing Arts."
He addresses the current "democratization of the arts" with new media and the resulting monumental reformation of the arts: "we now live in a world defined not by consumption but by participation." If you have a few minutes it's a great talk.

Abstract Expressionism Toolbox

2010-10-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

Toolbox:
1. Quality of line
2. Movement- direction/speed
3. Placement/Proximity
4. Cropping
5. Distortion
6. Form
7. Colour
8. Composition

Abstract Expressionism: expression of a quality through form and colour
(denoting a quality or condition rather than a concrete object)
Abstract: not concrete; general, ideal, conceptual, theoretical

Class activity: (with newsprint and conte)
Make marks that convey the following states:

State Usual Result

Greed: mark moving out or into a central area
Ecstacy: light, floating, lines emanating
Anxiety: small, not in the centre
Lonliness: many contained smaller shapes
Wrath: up close, jagged lines, dark values
Apathy: smaller, over to one side, no highlights or deep shadows
(From Ted Zourntos' Conceptual Process Class, Sheridan College, B.A.A.)

Follow-up Exercise: Make lists noting which responses were common throughout the class (collective/cultural) and which were unique to individual students (personal).

Art Matters + Mayoral Arts Debate

2010-10-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is the first post! I'll start with the basics: the A.G.O. info and a link to the arts debate that just happened.

Last Wednesday evening was choatic outside the A.G.O. with a massive crowd full of political types, the media and members of the Toronto arts community. All gathered to witness the Mayoral Arts debate that filled up so fast they had to run a live feed next door.

Here is the full video, http://artmatters.ca/wp/2010/09/toronto-mayoral-arts-debate-full-video/

from the A.G.O. blog (http://artmatters.ca/wp/). The main A.G.O. website is: http://www.ago.net/.