art ed digested

^{© David Shrigley}

I love this guy.
Simple, clever, funny. There should be more artists like him.

^{© David Shrigley}

As a long-time enthusiast of sock puppets, I realize that I have never done a sock puppet lesson with my students. I think that perhaps the world at large does not understand what sock puppets are truly capable of… pretty much anything.

One of my favorite shows of all time is Sifl and Olly, a short-lived sock puppet show on MTV made by Liam Lynch. Sifl and Olly, though socks, have distinct personalities, mannerisms and even singing styles. There are also a cavalcade of peripheral characters that make appearances such as Chester the intern, and Precious Roy, home shopping network host.

I’d love to make music videos using sock puppets with the music teacher at my school, who also happens to be a fan of Sifl and Olly. For those uninitiated into the world of sock puppet, here are a couple example videos:

Meme: Passion Quilt
The rules are simple.
1. Think about what you are passionate about teaching your students.
2. Post a picture from a source like FlickrCC or Flickr Creative Commons or make/take your own that captures what YOU are most passionate about for kids to learn about…and give your picture a short title.
3. Title your blog post “Meme: Passion Quilt” and link back to this blog entry.
4. Include links to 5 folks in your professional learning network or whom you follow on Twitter/Pownce.

I was tagged a week or so ago by Joyce Valenza to do this meme, and I’ve been thinking about what I’d most like kids to learn, boiled down into one little photographic blurb.

This SCUL member (Subversive Choppers’ Urban Legion) in my neighborhood illustrates the benefits of taking risks, especially frightening ones. Dare to expose yourself to criticism, to look different, to ask dangerous questions that may not have easy answers. Art is all about taking risks and pushing boundaries. As elementary students, taking risks and deviating from the plan can have varied results for those brave enough to try. Being their teacher, I need to always encourage and reward the students who choose to ride that quadruple-decker bicycle down a main street at rush hour. Wahoo!

I tag anyone reading this blog to post their Passion Quilt as well.

Here are some thumbnails of the finished tapestries on the loom, with and without embellishments. The images on the left are from the elementary students, the ones on the right are from preschool.

Our One-Drawing-A-Day exhibition was even more successful than I could have hoped. Jazz music filled the air, students and their parents mingled with teachers and sipped sparkling grape juice. Each participant had a comment sheet next to their work, and our guests were specific and generous with their compliments and comments. I am so proud of everyone who took the challenge!