In the Artist’s Studio
By Maria Katzman and Mark Sunderwirth
trike a pose! An Egyptian pose!” Voices giggle with curiosity and excitement at the strange command of their teacher. “What’s that?” One student asks. “Like this, of course!” Another student takes a stereotypical ancient Egyptian stance, elbows bent into corners and hands flat like pancakes. The teacher responds, “Good! Is that the way we normally stand or walk around? How does that compare to our pictures of Greek figures? Does one seem more stylized than the other?” This initial playful question and answer session is carefully designed to introduce a deeper level of investigation that inspires students’ imaginations and begins a rigorous process of inquiry. In this article, we will look at the artis-
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“Having rigorously pursued their art, students feel a sense of accomplishment and empowerment when they finish their work.”
tic practices of our students, in “The Artist’s Studio” and at how persistent, deep investigation forms the basis for acquiring knowledge and understanding, developing skills, and learning how to reflect on the artistic experience. In the art rooms, pottery room, and woodshop of Saint David’s School, it is this combination of intense inquiry and acquisition of skills that forms the foundation of a vibrant and creative art program. Artists must possess at least three things to create successful art. First, they must know something about their chosen topic in a way that fosters intellectual curiosity and sparks their imagination to plan their project. Second, they must have the artistic skills necessary to create the images or objects they have planned. Third, they need the critical thinking capacity to analyze and reflect on what they have done in order to not only grow and learn, but to trust their intuition. In the case of young artists, fostering curiosity is crucial. The first discipline of the three is the acquisition of knowledge, specifically knowledge of the cultures, artists, styles, and themes relevant to their assignment. Inquiry is the key that opens the door to this information. Teachers
both model modes of questioning and encourage students to develop their own investigations. This process involves a series of sequential steps that spurs their curiosity and desire to dig deeper. For example, in Fourth Grade art and pottery, students create sculptures and paintings of traditional and imaginary Egyptian gods. The project begins with group discussions that introduce a series of questions comparing Egyptian and Western art. Boys then break up into pairs and generate lists of similarities and differences between Greek and Egyptian figures. By comparing and contrasting the poses, clothing, style, color, and backgrounds of these cultures, a discussion develops about conventions and why the Egyptian figure is portrayed in such a stylized fashion. In this way, the boys’ inquiries lead to a greater understanding and appreciation for the art they are studying and the art they are planning to make. This understanding produces enthusiasm and mastery of the subject matter that propels the student forward into the process of sculpting or painting his own artwork. The spark that gets ignited has everything to do with inspiration and personal identification. This excitement helps the student to build a trust in his own experience that is truly authentic. The eagerness that comes out of the boys’ connection with the subject matter leads the fourth graders to the next stage of the project, which is to plan their design. In this case, inquiry leads to a preparatory sketch, as the students ask themselves which gods they are interested in reproducing or how they could combine various attributes and aspects into a new, imaginary deity. The questioning continues with how they might combine different patterns to reproduce the pageantry of royal attire. Once the boys have designed their Egyptian god, they need to be able to make it. Skills are a natural outgrowth of the inquiring mind, but need to be honed. At Saint David’s, the project is the vehicle for developing strong artistic technique. Here, much of the acquiring is through practice. It is the repetitious process of shaping clay and applying paint that strengthens students’ artistic fluency. Yet still, inquiry plays a vital role in gaining expertise. After the fourth graders have finalized their sketches, they meet to discuss the nuts and bolts of how they will create their masterpiece. The first question that gets asked is, “How was this made?” By guessing at the artist’s materials and techniques, the boys attain insights into how they will proceed.
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