As our first assignment in AP art this year, students created political posters solely using cut paper. Their goal was to create a poster that compels the viewer to take action.
If you like what you see, give them some love, as they have submitted their work to the Say Something Poster Project.
Click here to give these students credit for their awesome work!
Last week I was invited to teach an art lesson at a local high school. Given that it was on such short notice, I decided to use a modified version of a lesson developed at RISD with fellow MAT Amanda Gross. This assignment was designed to make drawing more approachable to students at all levels by focusing on humor instead of realistic rendering.
This past Monday I had the opportunity to teach a Media Arts lesson to seventh grade students at Q2L in NYC. The lesson I taught used animation as a context for breaking down movements. Students used their own bodies to analyze dance moves and then reanimate them using stop motion animation. Working together to animate one single clay figurine, each group added ten frames of animation to the piece. The end result was a collaborative animated dance.
Nicaragua | In Retrospect
While most everyone in my life was aware of my travel plans, few were aware of the motivation behind this endeavor. While earning my Masters I began researching global arts communities. In particular, I became interested in the role that technology plays in facilitating and maintaining learning communities. Seeking to continue this research I wrote a grant and received funding. This grant allowed me to travel to Nicaragua with The Art of Solidarity (AoS). AoS is an abroad program offered by Maryland Institute College of Art. Through AoS, art educators and film documentarians travel to Nicaragua to collaborate with local artists (For more info about Art of Solidarity click here, or visit the Art of Solidarity blog). As part of this program I was able to experience first-hand the challenges and benefits of cross-cultural collaboration. In the coming months I will be publishing an article on my experiences on the Community Arts Network.
In addition to my interest in the role of technology in cross-cultural collaborations, this experience also allowed me to further another goal of mine, learning Spanish.
Below is a brief run-down of how I spent my time in Nicaragua.
Managua | July 17th - July 20th
We spent three days in Managua getting our bearings. Some highlights from our stay in Managua/Masaya:
Video workshop on Poyo Lake in Masaya.
Hotel La Abuela en Masaya
Exploring the islands of Lake Nicaragua by boat.
Celebrating the 31st anniversary of the revolution in Managua.
Estelí | July 20th - August 1st
While in Estelí each day began at the the house of Mothers of Heroes and Martyrs. There we ate breakfast prepared by the mothers and then spent three hours studying Spanish. The rest of our days were devoted to shooting and editing video documentaries in collaboration with VIMAU.
Exploring at Casa de Cultura, home of the Muralist Collective
Mural tour through Estelí
Working hard at VIMAU.
House of Mothers of Heroes and Martyrs.
Limay | August 1st - August 13th
While in Limay we spent our mornings working at the youth center. The majority of Art of Solidarity participants worked with youths to create two large murals. I worked with a smaller group leading students in the creation of a video piece. In addition to working at the youth center we spent evenings working in the marmolina stone carving studio. I also had the privilege of living with the family that runs the studio.
Milking cows with my host brother.
Students shooting a scene in the local cemetary.
Animation workshop
Students chose to incorporate animation as a time-lapse illustrating the effects of drug use. We used makeup to age “Gustavo’s” face and make him appear gaunt and sickly.
The mural team hard at work on preliminary sketches.
On our last night we premiered our student film at a local dance hall. The crowd erupted as soon as the title reading “Limay, Nicaragua” appeared on screen. I could feel not only the pride of our students, but the pride of the entire audience. Throughout the making of the film we received a great deal of support from people in the town. We were welcomed into their homes to shoot and several people volunteered as actors. The response to this film was really overwhelming. This was the first moment where I understood what our presence in Nicaragua meant to the people there.
Estelí | August 13th - August 16th
We returned to Estelí briefly to show our videos and say goodbye to everyone at VIMAU.
Check out this video from the premier.
León | August 17th - August 19th
We spent the last three days of our trip relaxing on the coast and reflecting on our work.
Alright, that’s all for now. More photos here.
While in Limay our group is working on two projects with students at the youth center. The majority of Art of Solidarity participants are working on mural projects. I am working with a smaller group that is leading students in the creation of a video.
Our students chose to work with the theme of drug abuse in Limay. In the course of planning out their video, students decided that they wanted to shoot a scene in Limay’s police station. Not only did the police agree to let our students film in the station, they also agreed to act in our film! One of our student actors was booked, cuffed and thrown in a cell. After shooting this scene the police also filmed a chase scene where they catch a drug dealer in the act. It was a fun shoot, and the police seemed to enjoy it as much as the students did.
Overall our students have done an awesome job, both on camera and behind the scenes. I’ve been really impressed by their ability to select a theme, generate a story, and edit it down to create a storyboard. I’ve also been impressed by how well they have been framing their shots.
I made this for a stop motion demo. On Monday I will be teaching a stop animation workshop. The goal is to have our students integrate some form of animation into their film.
After two sweltering days with no running water in Limay it is finally back on.
Can’t wait to post some videos for you folks.
We arrived in Limay on August 2nd. While here we will be working with youths to create several murals as well as a video project. I have not yet decided which team I’ll be working on. After spending a very intense week shooting and editing a documentary in Estelí, painting would be a welcomed change. Then again, I would also really love to teach animation. As a video instructor I will have the opportunity to teach a three hour workshop of my own design.
One of our first stops in Limay was the youth center where we will be working for the next twelve days. Roughly 25 students showed up on the first day for our initial meet up. After introducing ourselves we jumped right into brainstorming and sketching. The kids seem really enthusiastic and engaged. I can’t wait to get started.
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