Back in September, Josephine started Kindergarten. Needless to say, she was and continues to be super excited for school and "the most favorite kindergarten teacher she has ever had in her entire life" Mrs. Wilson. Early in the year, I attended a few parent meetings which were filled with logistical information and volunteer opportunities. One that I jumped on was the chance to lead an "art smart" program in Josephine's classroom. I attend a workshop hosted at the Frye Art Museum presented by Visual Thinking Strategies organization  who emphasize the importance of observation over straight art history. I am simplifying their approach but the idea is to encourage kids to talk about what they see (right or wrong) through paraphrasing and simple questions used to keep the discussion moving along. It is a fantastic approach and it is really fun to see the excitement the kids have once they start opening up. My goal is to get every child participating.

I have committed to be in the classroom one day a month (the first Friday of each) and the sessions begin with the observation of a piece of art followed by a lesson. Through this activity I have increased an already high level of respect for the work teachers do - creating a lesson can be a bit challenging.

My first session in the classroom was based on Cave Paintings with the observation exercise being an image of from the Caves Of Lascaux, the Hall of Bulls. As it was the first time, it was a bit rough. We talked for a little while about the image and I showed some detailed shots to stretch the discussion. Important was the concept that what had been painted on the walls were the direct observation of what the people had experienced at that time. The lesson involved brown paper which we had taped to the underside of the (small) tables and a limited palette of crayons. Sliding under their tables, into their caves, the kids began to draw what had been their "favorite activity of the week". After a while, we had a short discussion - holding up individual "creations" and asking, "what can we observe happened in (child's name) world this week?" The kids were excited to share their works - it was fun.

Yesterday was my second venture into the classroom. Having learned a personal lesson of finding a work that had a lot of activity I projected a slide of "Hunters in the Snow" by Pieter Bruegel (1565) which was really great. Once the discussion slowed, I showed a couple detailed shots and the discussion took off again. My hidden agenda was to show how the use of warm and cool colors could influence the feeling of the painting. The lesson involved filling in a color wheel to explain primary and complimentary colors. Next, was to take the 6 colors and organize them into warm and cool color palettes. Fresh with the concept of warm/cool colors I showed a quick slide show and asked the kids what type of palette was used. It was a really fun session. To see the kids excited to learn was a great reward - I look forward to the next time back in the classroom.

A few days before the calendar changes to reflect a new year, my wife and I sit down to create a list of things we would like to improve, accomplish, etc. Calling them "resolutions" makes it much to formal and usually attaches personal guilt if they do not happen over the course of the next 12 months. Going into 2006, I made is a goal to increase my exposure to art - to visit more museums. Of all the items  I have ever listed, this has been my most enjoyable. The resolution started out with a visit to the Vancouver Art Galley and an exhibit titled "Protean Picasso: Drawings and Prints from the National Gallery of Canada". This was my first real (large scale) exposure to Picasso. It was a great show and lit a fire that now has me visiting modern art museums any chance I get. In addition, I have become a quick fan of Picasso's work.

I was very excited to see that several professors from Texas A&M University have collaborated together to create the On-line Picasso Project which has published a comprehensive illustrated catalogue of Picasso's work. 13,147 individual pieces of art from 633 collections. It is an incredible portfolio of work when looked at over the span of a life time. All the work is indexed by year (1881 - 1973) and is accompanied by detailed biographical data, as well as, complete summaries of the featured art work. You could literally spend hours/days on this site. The amount of work completed is mind-boggling. Having the ability to view works displayed in chronological order only helps to emphasize the importance of Picasso's contributions to the art world.

Next month, as part of my ongoing effort to view more art, I have plans to visit the MOMA in New York to view the Richard Serra - 40 year Retrospective exhibit. I am really looking forward to this opportunity. 

[via: Guardian Unlimited: Art blog]