It's the start of a new school year, and despite the good cheer of seeing the faces of people I like and admire, that back-to-school dread of childhood is powerful stuff. It's partly the lament of lost leisure time (the ultimate Sunday blues), partly the fear of the unknown, but everyone gets a little apprehensive around the start of a new school year. No one trusts the person who is the most excited to be back at school, right? Still, everyone I talk to is optimistic about this year in a way I haven't seen in a while. If everyone follows through on what they are talking about, I think there will be some exciting and challenging things happening around CHHS this year. And though I don't think I'll ever shake that first-day dread, I think I might be that person who is most excited to be back. But you can trust me. I promise.
This post is titled "New look for a new year", so there are some changes to highlight:
JW
This post is titled "New look for a new year", so there are some changes to highlight:
- Website: Returning students will notice (I hope!) that the website has been redesigned. It should be easier to navigate, but if it is not, please let me know
- This blog: Don't worry, I will not go on and on about how cute my cats are when they play piano (I don't have any cats, but if that's your thing, you should watch this: http://youtu.be/lF6IBWTDgnI). Instead, I want this to be a place to keep you, the reader (be you a student or a parent) informed and up to date about what's going on in the classroom.
- Yearlong classes: For the first time, all HS visual arts classes are now yearlong!
- Art21: Returning students will also be familiar (and by that I mean, "in love") with this resource. I am working with the Art21 Educators Institute this year, which means...
- Video cameras!: ... I will be documenting much of what happens in my classroom. I will send release forms home on the first day.
- The Process: As we increase our focus and attention on contemporary art, I think it is necessary to focus more on the process of artmaking than the product of it.
- ...And how to document it: All of my advanced classes (Studio Art and all Honors Visual Art students) will be asked to document their work in stages, from inception of an idea to gathering information to in-process documentation to final work to reflection, and present this documentation in the form of a Process Portfolio
- Online portfolios: Students in HVA will be required to create process portfolio websites (linked here).
- Themes: Projects always have an overarching "big idea", but this year advanced students will go deeper into their ideas, and the year itself will have an overarching theme. This year: Systems!
- Group show: Students in HVA will prepare a final exhibition of works in a professional gallery setting. Details TBA.
JW