Telfair’s Education staff is in the process of completing a great deal of very exciting winter classes and events. We have a slew of diverse and equally exciting educational opportunities planned for our upcoming exhibits. See our calendar for a full list of exhibits. Personally, I have been thinking a lot about perception, observation, and the materials we apply to expressing our interpretation of those experiences. I’m developing studio projects that key into and explore these concepts. you can see our classes and camps here.
In the most recent Toddler Third Thursday Program, we explored practices that encourage observational drawing skills in 2-4 years olds. Michelle Mazzie, who teaches a Toddler Tuesday at Oatland Island, dropped by our studios with our subjects of the day: an alligator and a broad-headed skink! I like to encourage connections between tracing and sight drawing. I ask kids to hold a pencil in the air and trace along the contour of the object, while I describe the movements that make up its outline: “a sharp bend, then a long wobbly line that has small bumps.”
Initial responses from the older 4yr olds included, “I don’t know how to draw that!” The use of the word “know” suggests a thought-based approach to perception. But ignoring that response and re-directing to tracing in the air seemed to quell fears of not “knowing” -. The kids dove right in. By tracing in air, they made a more direct connection between drawing and hand-eye coordination.
In a class for 6-10yr old kids, the museum took a whole new approach. In this class, students explored the elements of drawing design. By using robots and light to using laser pointers, students drew andtraced objects, creating color light brushes using LED’s. Here are a couple of the final images.
In the second project, everyone assembled cute vibrating robots with plastic cups, markers, and dollar store electric toothbrushes. These drawing robots brought to life qualities of line, directional movement, and color. The other day I came across a variation on this idea where the artist used kite to create a drawing.
In another new class offering, The Way Cool LED Cube, participants broke all the rules
and re-invented the basic project to make their own LED sculptures. Then, they created advancedprograms to control the lights despite a complete lack of experience and know-how. They took the Nike initiative and just did it, with rewarding results
One of the most exciting things about Education and Art is that they are both always changing and being challenged. In my research for projects I came across this great French paper cut out animation from the 80’s about art and fear. Our adult classes are inspiring individuals that may or may not know how to draw and paint but they are interested in trying. Having an open objective view of new and older practices and ideas is significant to personal growth and development. But, most importantly, I think art provides the inspiration to go from not knowing to trying, discovering, and developing new skills.
One Comment
Love, love, love this. Your drawing “instructions” (”long wavy line, bumps’), and contour drawing in air are such wonderful approaches. Wish I had had you for an art teacher 50 + years ago! Thank you for inspiring the wee ones, not only to draw, but to have fun.