2016 Summer Institute for Art Educators - Day 2

On Day 2 of the 2016 Summer Institute for Art Educators, organized by the AGO and the CSEA, our group of art educators went to explore the beautiful Aga Khan Museum.

The architecture alone is worth the visit. We started our tour looking out over the gardens and granite pools that connect the museum to the Ismaili Centre Toronto, and you can even see the C.N. Tower in the background. We then made our way into the luminous inner courtyard.

We were lead up the free-standing blue staircase to check out the spectacular auditorium.

As we entered the museum collection, we were greeted with an animated wall of moving patterns and script and a massive map showing the wide-reaching impact of Muslim art and civilization.

The diverse collection was fascinating to examine and there is so much to see, I will definitely return to continue my exploration. One item that stuck out for me is the illuminated botanical text explaining the growth of a specific tree. A theme that emerged from the day is the concept of cross-cultural commonalities, in classrooms, lesson plans and museum collection-  like the Tom Thomson tree painting that I posted about yesterday.

Back at the A.G.O. in the afternoon, we took part in a great workshop about how to Amplify Diverse Student Voices with strategies and lesson plan ideas that we can use in our classes. The workshop was lead by Ilene Soca, from Blank Canvases and Noorin Fazal, from Story Planet. Looking forward to the rest of the week!

For more, check out the twitter updates about the week's adventures here, #AGOCSEA. And have a look at the A.G.O. Schools and Teachers Facebook page here.

- Patrick

2016 Summer Institute for Art Educators - Day 1

This week I'm fortunate to be participating in some fascinating professional development at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The 2016 Summer Institute for Art Educators that has been organized by the AGO and the CSEA (the Canadian Society for Education through Art).

Yesterday was our first day and the program is off to a great start! Art educators from around Ontario teaching in elementary, secondary, post-secondary and museums studies have come together to explore how we can use galleries in our teaching practice. We spoke with the eye-opening and inspirational guest curator Wanda Nanibush and explored the Canadian galleries on the second floor.

I have always loved bringing all my classes (not just art!) to the gallery and I regularly use artwork in my lessons in the classroom, this week I hope to expand these practices and find new ways of engaging my students.

The AGO is updating on twitter about the adventures we have this week, check it out here, #AGOCSEA - and check out the A.G.O. School and Teachers facebook page here.

One of my personal favourites is Tom Thomson, and I got to spend some time with his oil sketches, here's "Dead Pine":

- Patrick

Drawing = Curriculum essential

Thanks to the OAEA (and of course the Guardian) for recently posting this article about the value of drawing in the education curriculum- definitely worth a read! 

Drawing skills are increasingly important in our visually dominated culture. Here's a quick quote from the article:

"As a primary visual language, essential for communication and expression, drawing is as important as the development of written and verbal skills. The need to understand the world through visual means would seem more acute than ever; images transcend the barriers of language, and enhance communications in an increasingly globalised world."

As a classroom teacher, I use drawing as way to help students visualize their work, especially when it involves a complex, multi-step process such as constructing an argument in a debate or essay; a research project; a study plan; or even an equation. Drawing is a quick way to get what's in your head on to paper, without having to worry about language, which involves barriers to the thinking process such as conventions, grammar, structure and punctuation. While some learners may be able to express their thoughts and processes through written or spoken language, I have found that many do not possess these abilities and can express themselves more directly through a sketch or a mind-map. 

- Patrick

Neil Degrasse Tyson & David Byrne explaining the importance of art education

Here's a great, quick video of Neil Degrasse Tyson and David Byrne explaining the importance of art education: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/startalk/videos/the-importance-of-art-education/

I think what they are saying is that education/real learning is interdisciplinary in nature. Studying art and science go well together - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You will become a better engineer or scientist if you study art and you will become a better artist if you study science.

I'm currently developing my first online course (for Blyth Academy Online), and it's a Grade 12 Interdisciplinary Studies course on Museum Studies. It combines visual arts, social sciences, marketing and technology to introduce students to the world of museums and galleries. I'm really enjoying putting it together and it should be up and running by February 2017. More info to come...

Thanks to the OAEA for making it easy for me to find this video!

- Patrick

5 Reasons why Art is Good for Your Health

Happy World Health Day! I saw this article on the A.G.O. Facebook page:

https://www.10mag.com/5-reasons-art-is-good-for-health/

- Patrick

A few wonderful artists to check out:

I find so many inspirational artists online- in this post I'll share a few of the ones I've found recently. In our daily online exploration, we are inundated with images and works from a seemingly endless stream of artists. It is important to slow down and appreciate them sometimes.

An idea for a class activity:

Have students research and explore art sites online and make a list of 10 artists that inspire them. Using curriculum/project-specific criteria, have them narrow down their list to the 3 most inspirational and course-relevant artists. Have them prepare a brief slide show presentation with examples of the artists' work, a bio and 1 example of the application of the critical analysis process to analyze 1 work from each of their chosen artists.

Here are 3 that I choose:

Dan McCarthy: http://www.danmccarthy.org

Beth Zaiken: http://www.bethzaiken.com/projects.html

Song Kang: http://www.song-kang.com


Enjoy!

- Patrick

The Smithsonian Digitizes & Lets You Download 40,000 Works of Asian and American Art!

I saw this awesome link on the Ontario Art Education Association's Facebook page to the Open Culture site:

http://www.openculture.com/2015/06/smithsonian-digitizes-lets-you-download-40000-works-of-asian-and-american-art.html

Definitely worth checking out!