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.
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