Behind the Canvas is back this semester -- with a vengeance! Free Ice Cream Day was a huge success with the student body, and many students expressed interest in joining the club. New members came to our weekly meeting today, and we plan to open the invitation to the students who signed up for our email updates at Free Ice Cream Day.
With the increased number of members, we hope to take on even more projects, events, and initiatives. Lots of great ideas were presented in today's meeting, so stay tuned for updates on upcoming activities.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Free ice cream day! How is that activism?
Behind the Canvas is back and ready to take on a new year. Last year the club was formed by a group of students in one of my Art and Activism classes with the purpose of improving community at the Academy.
The club held two bake sales during the spring semester, and donated all of the proceeds to the student body by purchasing items suggested by the students. The first donation was five first aid kits, distributed to some of the studio classrooms and the front desk receptionist.
At the second bake sale, students asked for ice cream. So the club decided, why not? Don't we all need a little ice cream now and then?
On Monday, September 21st, the Behind the Canvas club will be handing out free icecream sandwiches to students in the student lounge on 3rd floor. We plan to purchase about 400 icecream sandwiches, or at least as many as we can fit into the coolers we've been able to borrow.
We hope many students will come and enjoy this event, and perhaps consider joining the club.
The club held two bake sales during the spring semester, and donated all of the proceeds to the student body by purchasing items suggested by the students. The first donation was five first aid kits, distributed to some of the studio classrooms and the front desk receptionist.
At the second bake sale, students asked for ice cream. So the club decided, why not? Don't we all need a little ice cream now and then?
On Monday, September 21st, the Behind the Canvas club will be handing out free icecream sandwiches to students in the student lounge on 3rd floor. We plan to purchase about 400 icecream sandwiches, or at least as many as we can fit into the coolers we've been able to borrow.
We hope many students will come and enjoy this event, and perhaps consider joining the club.
Quote of the Day
As I was re-reading an essay that the Art and Activism class covers early in the semester, I came across this passage that I had highlighted. I think this is a succinct explanation of why art is so important to society.
"The more that is hidden and suppressed, the more simplistic the representation of daily life, the more one-dimensional and caught in the dominant ideology the society is, the more art must reveal. In form and content its aggressive refusal to sustain society's illusions, demonstrates the "limits of immediacy." Art refuses to be easy."
(Carol Becker, "Presenting the Problem" in the introduction to The Subversive Imagination)
I believe this is why art often engenders such heated debates. It divides those who want to get deeper at the truth of reality from those who desperately want to keep the truth hidden, particularly when the truth doesn't line up with the reality they want to believe in. Art often shows us painful or dark things, but it is only by revealing those things that we have any chance of healing them.
"The more that is hidden and suppressed, the more simplistic the representation of daily life, the more one-dimensional and caught in the dominant ideology the society is, the more art must reveal. In form and content its aggressive refusal to sustain society's illusions, demonstrates the "limits of immediacy." Art refuses to be easy."
(Carol Becker, "Presenting the Problem" in the introduction to The Subversive Imagination)
I believe this is why art often engenders such heated debates. It divides those who want to get deeper at the truth of reality from those who desperately want to keep the truth hidden, particularly when the truth doesn't line up with the reality they want to believe in. Art often shows us painful or dark things, but it is only by revealing those things that we have any chance of healing them.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Fall 2009 -- New semester, new adventure
Wow. Fall is here again. I really dropped the ball on updating the blog about all the great projects that students completed in Art and Activism in the spring semester, but they once again far exceeded my expectations. Teaching this class is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life. I am constantly inspired by these young artists who have a real passion for making the world a better place. I hope that this class will give them some of the tools and inspiration that will help them to do that wherever their future may take them.
I have been slowly working my way through Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed over the summer. I know the title makes it sound depressing, but that could not be further from the truth. I have to read it in small chunks just to absorb all the ideas that Freire presents. I love the book. I strive to make transformational education the core of my own teaching philosophy -- the idea that education should empower students to understand, control, and change their own lives and the world around them.
I have a small class this fall -- five students in one section and two independent study students. I don't know if that will change the way the class works or not, but the last time I had a smallish class, Behind the Canvas was born, and it continues to make positive contributions to the welfare of the students at the school. I love the mystery of a new semester, and the anticipation of what can happen when artists apply their creativity to the needs of the world around them.
I have been slowly working my way through Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed over the summer. I know the title makes it sound depressing, but that could not be further from the truth. I have to read it in small chunks just to absorb all the ideas that Freire presents. I love the book. I strive to make transformational education the core of my own teaching philosophy -- the idea that education should empower students to understand, control, and change their own lives and the world around them.
I have a small class this fall -- five students in one section and two independent study students. I don't know if that will change the way the class works or not, but the last time I had a smallish class, Behind the Canvas was born, and it continues to make positive contributions to the welfare of the students at the school. I love the mystery of a new semester, and the anticipation of what can happen when artists apply their creativity to the needs of the world around them.
State budget cuts eliminate Dreamcatcher grant
Well, if you've been following the blog, you know that three departments at the Academy had been working collaboratively on a grant from the Illinois Library Association to provide additional post-graduation resources for our students. We were very excited about the proposed stArt program, and all of the great information it would have brought to the students, and we felt confident in the quality of our proposal.
Unfortunately, in the week we were to find out who the grants were awarded to, we instead received notification that the funds for this particular grant had been cut. What a disappointment! It is hard to put so much work into something and then have the rug pulled out from under you.
We plan to keep all of the grant materials just in case the grant is revived in the future so that we will be ready to update our proposal and resubmit it.
In the meantime, the Academy has added many updated career books to the library collection for artists seeking employment in all fields. We are happy that we can offer these resources to the students, and hope that they will take advantage of it as they pursue employment in a difficult economy.
Unfortunately, in the week we were to find out who the grants were awarded to, we instead received notification that the funds for this particular grant had been cut. What a disappointment! It is hard to put so much work into something and then have the rug pulled out from under you.
We plan to keep all of the grant materials just in case the grant is revived in the future so that we will be ready to update our proposal and resubmit it.
In the meantime, the Academy has added many updated career books to the library collection for artists seeking employment in all fields. We are happy that we can offer these resources to the students, and hope that they will take advantage of it as they pursue employment in a difficult economy.
Keep the Faith
In the fall 2008 semester, two students in my class, Heather Leininger and Jen Brazas, did an extensive study on the health and saftey policies at the Academy, including a survey of student and faculty knowledge of these policies. They uncovered that most of the students and faculty were unaware of current policies and had no first aid or CPR certification. After presenting a proposal to improve these areas at the school, we lost hope after waiting months for a response.
I am happy to report that as part of the opening faculty meeting of the fall 2009 semester, a Red Cross trainer gave a two hour presentation covering basic first aid for emergency situations. This is definitely a step in the right direction.
I guess we lost hope a bit too soon. Just a reminder that you never can tell the long-term effects of your attempts to do something good.
I am happy to report that as part of the opening faculty meeting of the fall 2009 semester, a Red Cross trainer gave a two hour presentation covering basic first aid for emergency situations. This is definitely a step in the right direction.
I guess we lost hope a bit too soon. Just a reminder that you never can tell the long-term effects of your attempts to do something good.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Dreamcatcher Grant Progress Report
This week the Irving Shapiro Library, Career Services Office, and Humanities and Sciences Department submitted a letter of intent to apply for the Dreamcatcher grant offered through the Library Services and Technology Act administered by Illinois State Library. The letter of intent consists of a short description of the program that the grant funds would be used to provide. Here's what we're hoping to do if we are awarded the grant:
The American Academy of Art’s stART program will expand students’ palettes of post-graduation possibilities by introducing them to creative strategies for starting their careers. The library will partner with the Career Services Office and the Humanities and Sciences Department to present a series of guest speakers and programs that teach students how to identify and pursue non-traditional career paths, creative sources of funding, and other opportunities. Library resources that support these programs will be purchased and added to the permanent collection so that students can research the paths that best complement their interests and skills.
The American Academy of Art’s stART program will expand students’ palettes of post-graduation possibilities by introducing them to creative strategies for starting their careers. The library will partner with the Career Services Office and the Humanities and Sciences Department to present a series of guest speakers and programs that teach students how to identify and pursue non-traditional career paths, creative sources of funding, and other opportunities. Library resources that support these programs will be purchased and added to the permanent collection so that students can research the paths that best complement their interests and skills.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
How sweet it is . . .
Behind the Canvas raised over $72 at their first bake sale on Friday the 13th. Thank you to everyone who consumed our calorie-laden delectables. A few students left suggestions for how we might best spend the money on the student body, and we will be taking them all into consideration.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Health policy update
Here's where I'd like to give an update on changes being made to the health and safety policy at the Academy, but unfortunately, there is nothing to report. Heather Leininger and Jen Brazas are still waiting for a response from the administration to the proposal they presented in January.
In the meantime, most of our student body still doesn't know where to get a band aid or what to do in the case of a medical emergency.
Jen and Heather have been presenting their research in the current Art and Activism classes, and have done great work at raising awareness about the need for more widely publicized policies and improved services for students in this area.
In the meantime, most of our student body still doesn't know where to get a band aid or what to do in the case of a medical emergency.
Jen and Heather have been presenting their research in the current Art and Activism classes, and have done great work at raising awareness about the need for more widely publicized policies and improved services for students in this area.
Behind the Canvas Bake Sale!
Behind the Canvas is introducing a new kind of bake sale to the American Academy of Art. On Friday, March 13, students CAN have their cake and eat it, too! Members of the club will be selling yummy, sweet, sticky and chocolaty stuff and using all proceeds to purchase a gift for the student body. Every student, staff, or faculty who makes a purchase will also be able to make a suggestion about how the money collected should be spent. The Behind the Canvas staff will consider all suggestions and select the best one within the price range of what we collect.
Behind the Canvas Black Light Launch
Behind the Canvas launched its Facebook and Myspace presence as part of the Spring Arts Festival on February 26. This student organization, started by students in one of my Art and Activism classes in fall 2008, was formed out of a need for students at the American Academy of Art to have a forum for discussion of events and issues at the school.
Part of the launch took place in a blacklight room with a chalk mural where students were welcome to add their own artwork or answer a question posed by the group, "If you had a room dedicated to you, what would be in it?"
The group also set up a video confessional room where students could say their opinion of the school on video, to be edited and posted on YouTube by one of the students in Behind the Canvas. Sadly, very few students would participate in the video project. Most were afraid to voice their true opinions on video, even after we offered to blur faces and alter voices. I was saddened by the fact that so many students are afraid to say what they think on a student forum.
Our hope is that Behind the Canvas will help to show students that they are not alone and give them the courage to speak up and advocate for positive change.
Part of the launch took place in a blacklight room with a chalk mural where students were welcome to add their own artwork or answer a question posed by the group, "If you had a room dedicated to you, what would be in it?"
The group also set up a video confessional room where students could say their opinion of the school on video, to be edited and posted on YouTube by one of the students in Behind the Canvas. Sadly, very few students would participate in the video project. Most were afraid to voice their true opinions on video, even after we offered to blur faces and alter voices. I was saddened by the fact that so many students are afraid to say what they think on a student forum.
Our hope is that Behind the Canvas will help to show students that they are not alone and give them the courage to speak up and advocate for positive change.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Something to Look at
Believe it or not, we are in the midst of midterm papers and presentations in Art and Activism. I moved the midterm assignment due date up this semester to allow more time for the research project in the second half of the class.
The presentations have been informative and inspiring so far. I love this assignment, because I always learn about artists and issues that I didn't know about before. I'm slowly adding links to blogs and websites for many of these artist/activists to this blog, so I hope you'll check some of them out.
Enjoy!
The presentations have been informative and inspiring so far. I love this assignment, because I always learn about artists and issues that I didn't know about before. I'm slowly adding links to blogs and websites for many of these artist/activists to this blog, so I hope you'll check some of them out.
Enjoy!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Collaboration on Library grant
Lindsay Harmon, Academy librarian and ardent supporter of student research projects of all kinds, has found an available grant that would benefit the students at the Academy and potentially add some updated books to our library collection. As a member of the library advisory committee, I'm going to have the opportunity to participate in the grant writing process, and will get to help out with the research involved to make a strong case for the Academy to be awarded with the grant money.
If successful, the grant will provide funds for a series of expert speakers to address the students on various issues, and will allow us to purchase complimentary materials for the library collection.
Wish us luck!
If successful, the grant will provide funds for a series of expert speakers to address the students on various issues, and will allow us to purchase complimentary materials for the library collection.
Wish us luck!
Behind the Canvas -- approved! And coming soon to a computer near you!
One of my classes last semester was small enough that we could all take on a common issue. We chose to address the lack of community at the Academy. Many of the students in the class, and in the research conducted by the class, expressed a feeling of isolation within their major and a lack of social connection at the school and with peers.
We identified several challenges in creating opportunities for community, including the new class schedule, high percentage of commuter students, lack of school support for social events, and difficulty in communicating with the student body at large about things happening at the school.
The class came up with a brilliant idea to address these issues and to provide students with an active forum to discuss issues related to the school. They developed several online outlets to provide information and news about what's what at the Academy, and called the sum total of these sites "Behind the Canvas."
Again, there was a concern about how to keep this going after seniors involved in the project graduated and moved on, so we wrote up a proposal for a new student organization. At the beginning of this semester, the organization was approved, and the members are now collecting information and creating posts on their Facebook, Myspace, You Tube, and blogger sites.
The sites will officially launch as part of the Spring Arts Festival at the end of February. Behind the Canvas will also have an open "video confessional" during the event for students to come by and video tape their own messages to post on You Tube and link to the Behind the Canvas sites.
We hope you'll all take advantage of this opportunity to get connected and have your say.
We identified several challenges in creating opportunities for community, including the new class schedule, high percentage of commuter students, lack of school support for social events, and difficulty in communicating with the student body at large about things happening at the school.
The class came up with a brilliant idea to address these issues and to provide students with an active forum to discuss issues related to the school. They developed several online outlets to provide information and news about what's what at the Academy, and called the sum total of these sites "Behind the Canvas."
Again, there was a concern about how to keep this going after seniors involved in the project graduated and moved on, so we wrote up a proposal for a new student organization. At the beginning of this semester, the organization was approved, and the members are now collecting information and creating posts on their Facebook, Myspace, You Tube, and blogger sites.
The sites will officially launch as part of the Spring Arts Festival at the end of February. Behind the Canvas will also have an open "video confessional" during the event for students to come by and video tape their own messages to post on You Tube and link to the Behind the Canvas sites.
We hope you'll all take advantage of this opportunity to get connected and have your say.
Will we be swept under the rug?
Last semester, Heather Leininger and Jen Brazas did an extensive study on the state of health and health care for students at the Academy. Many of you probably participated in their survey, since they surveyed nearly half of the student body and interviewed a third of the faculty on this important issue.
With each step of the research, they uncovered more and more issues that needed attention. Such as the lack of a health policy in the student handbook, confusion about the location and availability of first aid kits, and absence of faculty or staff certified in first aid or CPR. Through their research, they also gathered valuable suggestions for improvements from faculty and students, and they garnered overwhelming support for their cause.
As we reviewed the extensive nature of the changes they wanted to propose, we decided that this was more than a two-student job. Plus, with their graduation date rapidly approaching, we did not want all of their hard work to be forgotten after they were gone.
Our solution: to form a standing committee of students and staff that would work toward improvements in this area, and act as an accountability group to evaluate and follow up on policies from semester to semester. We brought this proposal to the administration last week.
We have not yet recieved a definite response to our proposal. The immediate response was that the research and attention drawn to the issue was appreciated, but that a committee might not be as effective in administering change as an assigned staff person. The question is, who on a staff already wearing multiple hats, will have the time to give attention to this issue? Who will be willing to take on an added responsibility? And, will students still have input on this issue which most directly impacts them?
We hope that the administration will carefully consider our proposal, and that a decision can be reached that all parties can agree with. And, please, don't let this be swept under the rug.
With each step of the research, they uncovered more and more issues that needed attention. Such as the lack of a health policy in the student handbook, confusion about the location and availability of first aid kits, and absence of faculty or staff certified in first aid or CPR. Through their research, they also gathered valuable suggestions for improvements from faculty and students, and they garnered overwhelming support for their cause.
As we reviewed the extensive nature of the changes they wanted to propose, we decided that this was more than a two-student job. Plus, with their graduation date rapidly approaching, we did not want all of their hard work to be forgotten after they were gone.
Our solution: to form a standing committee of students and staff that would work toward improvements in this area, and act as an accountability group to evaluate and follow up on policies from semester to semester. We brought this proposal to the administration last week.
We have not yet recieved a definite response to our proposal. The immediate response was that the research and attention drawn to the issue was appreciated, but that a committee might not be as effective in administering change as an assigned staff person. The question is, who on a staff already wearing multiple hats, will have the time to give attention to this issue? Who will be willing to take on an added responsibility? And, will students still have input on this issue which most directly impacts them?
We hope that the administration will carefully consider our proposal, and that a decision can be reached that all parties can agree with. And, please, don't let this be swept under the rug.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
New Semester
A new semester of Art and Activism just started today, and I am looking forward to what these students will create over the next sixteen weeks. I have a total of 38 students taking the course in two sections.
Today we covered the introductory, boring stuff -- overview of the syllabus, textbook commercials, etc. -- and then we covered generational theory ala Strauss and Howe. Many of the students who have had me for class before have already heard it, but I like to remind them about the many great traits of their generation. As a Gen-Xer, I find the abundant optimism of this Millenial generation to be refreshing and inpiring.
I think part of what made this course so successful last semester was the positive attitude toward change that these students embody. I hope that this class will feed that passion.
Today we covered the introductory, boring stuff -- overview of the syllabus, textbook commercials, etc. -- and then we covered generational theory ala Strauss and Howe. Many of the students who have had me for class before have already heard it, but I like to remind them about the many great traits of their generation. As a Gen-Xer, I find the abundant optimism of this Millenial generation to be refreshing and inpiring.
I think part of what made this course so successful last semester was the positive attitude toward change that these students embody. I hope that this class will feed that passion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
