Work Of Art Proposal

I am tossing between two projects for my Work Of Art Project. The first would be a commercial for the National Art Educators Association (NAEA) National Conference, based upon this year’s even between March 16th and 20^th. The second idea I have would be to make a video introduction to an art lesson I could use in my classroom somewhere in the future. Which Work Of Art project I pursue will be determined on how many quality artifacts I could muster together during my trip to Seattle. If I can assemble a respectable video, I will stay with the NAEA Conference idea. I will use the art lesson introduction as a back up to the effects deferred by the conference.

To answer the questions in order:

Q. 1.) Person. Who the subject is of your inquiry?

A. 1a.) The National Art Education Association would be the main subject of my Work Of Art. Every year the NAEA puts on a conference in a different city. Each conference is filled with mini-seminars, where each attendee chooses to sit through a colleague discussing a particular topic. Sometimes it is that person sharing lesson ideas. Another session might be centered on how to adapt an art classroom to fit special need students. The possibilities are as endless as there are presenters.

A. 1b.) In my art room, I like to include some form of technology whenever possible. Sometimes this is a hard thing, due to the fact that I travel between buildings and then between classrooms every week. Each school, and each class, has a different form of technological set up, so whatever I choose has to be easily projected and gain student interest as fast as possible. I love to include art history that centers on a particular artist who worked in a particular art movement. If I deliver biographical information of one artist, the students take notes that can be used for “Tootsie Roll Quizzes.” A “Tootsie Roll Quiz” is very simple: correct answers to: who, where & when (born), where (recognized as an artist), what (art movement) and when (died) – are rewarded with a medium-sized Tootsie Roll, literally thrown across the room for the student to enjoy.

Q. 2.) Experience. What compelling experience do they create?

A. 2a.) The NAEA conference is a very informative conference. Since it is peer-to-peer led, there is very little diversion to what is taught. How much a person takes away from the conference is determined by how many sessions they attend. How compelled they are, is determined by how attentive they are.

A. 2b.) I only get to see my students for one hour, once per week, so every art lesson I give has to gather student interest very fast. If my Work Of Art is an art lesson, I would choose something that fits both realms, my art class and my CEP 882 requirements.

Q. 3.) Aesthetic Forms. What aspects of their WOA you might initially focus on? In other words, what “forms” – as discussed in Eisner – might you look closely at?

A. 3a.) There would be three main “forms” in an NAEA video. The first would be all of the art teachers in attendance. This would be the easy part. How attentive are they? Where are they from? The second “form” would be a bit more difficult; it would be the conference itself. My largest hurdle would be to gather artifacts that effectively represent the conference. The third would be the inclusion of this year’s host city: Seattle.

A. 3b.) The “form” in a lesson video would be based upon me introducing an artist, art movement and art idea in a few short minutes. The rest of the “forms” in the video would be all of those details presented in quality fashion for the students to be compelled to produce art “in the style of…”

Q. 4.) Plan for investigation. What is your plan for how you might explore the work of art that goes into making this experience compelling? Remember that getting at the WOA and the "forms" is very difficult. With this in mind, describe how you think this particular plan is likely to be an effective one.

A. 4a.) My plan for the NAEA is to attend the conference, taking pictures and video throughout the week. I will also take pictures and video of the city when I get a chance to get away from the conference. It will be a very busy time, but I like it that way.

A. 4b.) In order to present a compelling art lesson video, I would have to do my research into a particular artist, their major art movement and develop a quality art lesson for the students to perform. The hardest part will be finding a way to present all of this in a fashion that gains and keeps student interest.