The Sketchbook Project 2012

First of all, thank you for continuing to read my blog!
I know I have been rather absent and haven't really posted anything about lessons, which is one of my primary goals for this little side project, in like months. I can't promise that I will go back through anything I did this past school year over the summer, but I'd like to say that I will try. While the school year wrapped up for kiddos back in mid June, I just finished an intense online course that started in May and started another course in person, this week. I'm truckin' through my grad school requirements! I really enjoyed the online course, albeit crazy amounts of reading and sometimes rather abstract, like how chaos theory could help explain creativity... yea, that happened.  It was called Seminar in Creativity. I will try to explain later, this post is about The Sketchbook Project.

I spent hours this afternoon at LynnArts viewing my students' sketchbooks and random selections from various themes and places around the world. You can see a few selections from my students' work as well as my own book(s) and ranting here.

The space itself was pretty cool. Really high ceilings with fun chandeliers that had intricate crown moulding around the base on the ceiling. There was a fire place and huge windows with natural light pouring in despite the over cast day. 

From where I live, Lynn is like traveling to a foreign country. Its only forty minutes away, but on the other side of Boston. The buildings are much closer together and the streets are narrow, even the main drag, and winding and occasionally one way. I went through numerous tunnels (thanks Big Dig!) and two rotaries or " round- a- bouts" for you non- New Englanders, just to get there.  I'm very happy I had a GPS. And thankfully there was free on street parking. However there was next to nothing that looked open in the surrounding area. Of course, there was a Dunkin Donuts. As my boyfriend would say, "You can't swing a cat without hitting a Dunkin Donuts" around here. I don't advise swinging cats though.

Thats me! With the co-founder of the Sketchbook Project, Steven Peterman.

During a lull in the action, there were only a few people in the space along with a camera crew and the staff. I'm not sure what the crew was for, but I was asked if I wouldn't mind being taped while answering a few questions. Turns out Steve, who chatted with me, is co-founder of the project! Since none of my students came during the time I was at the show, I plan to write a little something up for the local paper and perhaps attach the photo. 

I know its a huge project, with thousands of books from around the world, but I am very glad that I participated and was able to provide my students with the opportunity. 

Would I do it again with kids? I don't know. There are things that I would need to change if I did, on my behalf. One of the things I've really had to learn as a new teacher is how to advocate for myself. And while I got the funding to do this project, that was it. I had no other support. Administration wanted this project to get our name out there, but no one set anything up to get it there. I think the long time frame of starting the books in October and the show not being in the area until July was an "out of sight, out of mind" type situation. No one asked me if they could set up some publicity for me and I did what I could during the art show and passed out "save the dates" to students, but the end of the year came and went. I know what I could do differently next year and I hope that if I decide to do this again, that my ideas are fully supported and I'm not just pushed forward on my own. I need support.

What I like about the Sketchbook Project, with my heightened sense of how creativity works thanks to my grad school work, is that it provides people with the opportunity to be creative. This is a chance for people to test the water so to speak. There is no right way or wrong way to fill out a sketchbook and thats the beauty of it!

I came across this "Encyclopedia of..." sketchbook and the ideas that came through the imagery resonated with me. This person's book became therapeutic.  She had something she needed to work through, like my book from last year, and it probably felt awesome to get it out! 

For kids in particular the Sketchbook Project is a way to find a process that works for the individual and be able to have confidence in the final product. By mailing it back, you get this sense of accomplishment. You have finality. Some people get stuck there in their creativity, they don't want to finish their work for fear of not knowing what happens next or fear of outside criticism. You will never have to know what others think about your Sketchbook and if you do, go to the show! Or post images online. In today's global society, if you really want feedback about your work, you can find it. Just be prepared for the good AND the bad. 

For my students, I know how great they feel for having put so much time and energy into their books. Each one is so different! Through the process, they found materials they liked to work with, or not. They had days they didn't want to talk to anyone while working and days they couldn't stop laughing. I know that for them, just having the opportunity to come to the art room for a few hours each day, and to be welcomed and encouraged, boosted their self esteem in ways that I will never fully know. As cheesy as it is, thats the truth. Whatever process they find, whatever their favorite medium, doesn't matter. That confidence and positive relationship with themselves is the biggest thing I could ever hope to provide my students.   

A little of this, a little of that

Forks and Spoon

I signed up to participate in the Sketchbook Project again this year, along with about twelve of my middle school students. We met once or twice a week for a couple of hours doing homework, eating snacks and making art. I think I only worked on my book a couple of times during the meetings, focusing more on helping students with their books or cleaning/ organizing/ planning. I am in the process of scanning each book and making a cd of images for each student, since we need to return the books by the end of next week.
 

I think next year I'd like to have an art journaling club and have "library hours" a few times during the school year, so the kids can keep their books and share them with friends and family.

cover of my book

It felt great to be able to make some little works of art. This year my theme was "This is a Sketchbook." I got most of the work done after the grad school semester was over, but it was great to have the kids asking me what I was doing in my book and keeping me accountable. Here are a few of the pages:

I spent a few days this week updating bulletin boards with new visuals for our new lessons. I have a few more things to add to this board, but so far so good. I am attempting to make it look like a Facebook page dedicated to the profile of an artist one of the grades is currently studying. Grade Eight started optical illusions last week, so this page is about Bridget Riley.

 

duckfat!

it has been a busy few weeks! thankfully, April vacation is just around the corner, which means summer will be here before we know it.... and I will be panicking as I am the Summer Program Director for the first ever summer camp at my school. :)

as of Friday, I have officially applied to grad school. now I just need to make sure I can afford it and get in!

the last couple of weekends have been pretty exciting too. two Saturdays ago, a bunch of friends who normally wouldn't be able to stay up late enough to see my boyfriend's band, got to catch an evening performance at the local record store.

I really enjoy going to see them play at the venues in town, but this was a nice change of pace and great to see new people get to see them for the first time.

This past weekend, we piled into the car with an other couple and road tripped it up to Portland, Maine for the day. We started with a snack at a restaurant called Duckfat. Everything made there uses duck fat and we had heard, via the Food Network, that the fries were very good. So, we ventured!

we ordered a large fry with a garlic mayo kind of dipping sauce (I don't know how to spell the fancy name) and truffle oil ketchup. we also had the above order of poutine that came covered in cheese curd and duck fat gravy! although I know some were hesitant, it was seriously good! I can't even describe how great the gravy was.
from Duckfat we went to SPACE.
the SPACE Gallery that is. I participated, for the first time, in Art House Co-op's Sketchbook Project. you can find more information here. Essentially, I filled a sketchbook with my images/ thoughts on the theme, "... you'd be home by now," and returned it. About 9,999 other artists did the same, with varying themes, and now the sketchbooks are  on tour! I am super excited about it because my friend in Atlanta can go check my book out next weekend, and during the summer, my mom who lives in Florida, can do the same!

its great that I was able to do some artwork for myself. so often I am experimenting with the materials I have at school, to make sure that the kids will be able to use them to complete their activity, that I don't practice making my own work. however, one of the coolest parts of the sketchbook project is being able to see other artist's works. (on the down side, there were so many books that mine has only been checked out by people I know) I was able to checkout a former classmate's, from high school, sketchbook. her theme was "its raining cats and dogs."

I was also able to track down Phyl from There's a Dragon in my Art Room! As a fellow blogging art teacher, I found this super cool. My friends and I agreed that this was our favorite book of the over two dozen we must have checked out.

you can tell Phyl had a ton of fun with her theme, "science experiment gone wrong." if I participate again, I think I want to pick a theme that is not so near and dear, and I can loosen up a bit!

after a few hours at the gallery, and hit or miss with the sketchbooks, we opted to wander the streets of portland. really, we just went to record stores, but cool nonetheless. knowing how much I love living near our city, I'm not sure I would have lasted had I gone to Maine College of Art, but it was a fun city to visit. I enjoyed the old architecture and the down town arts center. it somewhat reminded me of Brattleboro, VT.

hopefully the weather will be warm by April vacation, and we can take the bikes out of the basement. for now, there are a few concerts on the horizon, and my own school's early June art show to plan. I look forward to my friend's and family's reaction to the Sketchbook Project experience!

you'd be home by now

I love long weekends.
but I hate the dread of having to go back to work and realizing I should have gotten more work done!

its not that I dread by job. in fact, I have even gotten lots of positive feedback lately. its more the process and realization that its time to get back to the grind. --- last week I was asked to pass in my plan book, the spaces I fill in not nearly large enough to describe everything we do in a forty-five minute period. not to mention, its written in a language I can understand, so I wasn't sure how it would be received. when it was returned, there was a note inside from my principal saying "... if I had had an Art teacher like you when I was in school I might have actually enjoyed it, not to mention I may have even been a tad successful and maybe even learned something about Art!" I was grinning from ear to ear. how awesome!?

the following day was a snow day and I was more than happy about that. I signed up for the Sketchbook Project 2011 and with the postmark date looming at the end of the week, I had a ton to do. seriously, I totally cheated, gluing pages together and tearing more than half out! but it felt amazing to spend a whole working on my art, not an example or practice piece for school. the process was also therapeutic, the movie quote I used for inspiration has been my favorite for years, but now holds new meaning.

after rushing to finish the project, I put it in the mail Friday, after I was at school (on my day off) doing progress reports. when I got home, I had an email stating the postmark date was extended!

this week in room 15, grades 2, 6, and 7 are working on activities learning about Matisse. grades 3 and 4 are working on their "Snowmen at Night." grade 5 is working on Maud Lewis inspired tempera paintings while grade 8 is venturing into positive and negative space!