The Essential Question that guided our projects’ focus was:
What conditions, attitudes, and behaviors support creativity and innovative thinking?
Our field trips are designed to provide instruction in a particular artistic style, technique, or subject matter. Education Specialist Julie Hill presents an illustrated lesson, during which students complete small art projects at different points that relate to the content being taught and demonstrate their understanding of the concept(s). We provide guidance and examples for the projects, but do not limit or discourage the students in their approach to the work. Open discussion is encouraged, and Julie prompts students to think about the visual components of an artwork, how artists approach the creation of an artwork, and how different materials and art concepts are used to create different effects. By participating in an ARTitorium field trip, students engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials (VA:Cr1.1.ka), use observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art (VA:Cr1.2.1a), and brainstorm multiple approaches to a creative art or design problem (VA:Cr1.1.4a).
At the conclusion of the project, students responded to questions related to the identified Standards:
Education Specialist Julie Hill always conducts a quick verbal survey with students after completing a field trip. She then collects the student comments. We find this informal, open-ended approach is the best way to get honest student feedback about the experience. These quotes are all in response to the question “What did you learn today?”
– “You can color [draw] something even if you don’t know it at all!” Mackay Elementary Kindergarten student
– “We can draw scary things. They are not real, but I can draw them.” Mackay Elementary Kindergarten student
– “Art can make you happy” Burton Elementary 2nd grade student
– “I learned you can always improve your art” Adams Elementary 4th grade student
– “I will never look at a landscape again without thinking about the way things look close and then far away.” Adams Elementary 4th grade student
Impact
From Education Specialist, Julie Hill: “As long as I have taught art, I have been amazed at the way making art influences kids. This year my favorite field trip was one called ‘Happy Art’ based on the art of contemporary artist Roberto Romero. During this lesson we talked about things that made us happy, and while some of the answers to that question seemed typical, such as their puppy, or hugs from their mom, some were uniquely specific. The project involved dividing a paper up into sections and making patterns based on things that made them happy. One boy had different kinds of trains. A girl had some unusual shapes in her picture, and when I asked about them, she said they were seashells. The compelling moment for me was a reminder that kids need open-ended projects to express themselves. While easy and convenient to do projects with expected outcomes, it is worth the effort to provide them something more in art lessons. I have been torn with the art lessons available on the internet that provide “draw a …” instructions. While they are fun for kids, I felt they have missed something important. This lesson just reinforced to me that kids need real, authentic art in their lives. Art based on who they are and what they feel.”
Reflection
From Education Specialist Julie Hill: “I felt like this year was a great success. Kids at the ages we work with generally love art. One challenge I have had is not knowing where the kids are in their art experiences. Many schools in our area do not have a very established art program, so there is not a shared knowledge base. This makes it hard to manage a one-time lesson with many kids. For people doing this kind of project I would recommend that they keep that in mind. The best recommendation I have is to develop open-ended projects that allow kids of many different abilities and interests to find a connection in what they are doing. While taking more planning time, developing projects that help kids make connections makes art more meaningful.”
