Throughout the duration of this class, the participants learned a variety of skills. Each week we encouraged students to discuss their art making in a group setting to articulate the choices they made in response to the prompt. The exploration of a multiplicity of projects allowed participants to experiment with multiple materials and surfaces for art making. Through these explorations we were able to help them understand how artists and designers use different processes and materials to create art. The overarching learning targets for this Artistic Abilities course included: exploration of self expression through physical representation, provoking intrigue, exploring tools for creation, critical analysis of artwork, use of sketching as a preparatory measure, importance of exploration and failure in the art making process, and how to have an informational and/or analytical conversation about their own and others’ work. 

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For project one, students gained an understanding of the way artists and designers can express their personal interests through the use of color and imagery. This served as a way to communicate something about themselves through visual cues. Discussing our interests in order to brainstorm what the students were going to draw sparked extensive conversation. Through these conversations, students were able to explore how artists and designers use their practice to express representations of themselves to an audience. This allowed us to connect with the students on a deeper level and form a sense of comradeship.

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For project two, we had many interpretations of the project, reflecting the flexibility of collage. Participants were able to look around and see the diversity of collage-making, how there are many ways to complete the project. Collages of many varieties were depicted--whether that was theme, color, interest, or object based! This built upon project one in recognizing the way in which individuality provides a sense of interest in artists and designers’ artwork. Art is an interpretive process--and should differ from person to person.

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For project three, students learned how artists and designers use their environment and interests to influence their art and art making processes. By using music as a guide to fill the canvas students were encouraged to use their emotions to inspire their art. Turning the canvases after each song pushed students to fill up their canvas, build on what they had, and see what they just painted in a new light as they rotated it around. Looking at their artwork from a different perspective taught them to view their art more critically--from the lense of an artist or designer--in order to see what needed to be added to make it successful and pleasing to them. 

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For project four, students were initially very excited to execute this project. The mention of “stained glass” made them ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’. Students learned how artists and designers employ sketches in order to build a plan that would work well for the project. Students learned how to transfer their sketch designs into their finished product. Challenge was very important in this project. Participants were determined and unwilling to give up. This project truly showed students how artists and designers must learn new techniques, problem solve, and persist in order to grow in their practice. 

For our last project, students were presented with a table full of rocks and they had many questions. We introduced the project by asking the students how artists and designers used non traditional art surfaces to create art. With specific guiding questions in the introduction and conclusion of the project, students learned how artists and designers discuss their work--and how communicating their ideas at the conclusion of a project can be useful in interpretation and understanding of a piece. It provided students with a sense of true ownership and clarity of their ideas. Even students that painted more abstractly were able to explain their concepts.

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Learning Targets for Artistic Abilities

• Explore the way artists and designers can express their personal interests through the use of color and imagery

• Recognize  the way in which individuality provides a sense of interest in artists and designers’ artwork

• Experiment and discover how artists and designers use their environment and interests to influence their art and art making processes

• Look at their artwork from the lense of an artist or designer--explore their art more critically or analytically

• Explore how artists and designers employ sketches in order to build a plan that would work well for their concept

• Explore how artists and designers transfer their sketch designs into their finished product

• Discover how artists and designers must learn new techniques, problem solve, and persist in order to grow in their practice

• Exhibit how artists and designers discuss their work and understand the importance of allowing communication between artist and audience