Art in the Community – Page 8

January 6, 2014January 5, 2014

The Weather is There, I wish I were… beautiful…

“Talent may get someone off the starting blocks faster, but without a sense of direction or a goal to strive for, it won’t count for much.”
– David Bayles and Ted Orland, Art and Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

Welcome to KorbArtWuhs.WordPress.com… take a walk around, stretch your legs, get a feel for the landscape. Here is where I begin and end all of my classes, while also providing a resource for my students, their parents, as well as teachers and students around the world.

GOALS:

Know about how one teacher uses daily goal setting and interaction in the classroom.
Know about the use of a website as a communication tool both inside and outside of the classroom.
Know about how using a students prior knowledge can help set the stage for better understanding of the topic at hand.

(Originally Posted: June 26, 2013) Technology in the classroom was my big presentation at this years InterActiv Learning Conference 2013 in Whitewater, WI. My largest concern with the use of today’s technology is the misuse of it. Having had an opportunity to listen to a new Freshman in High School (not mine… well, my kid, but not my district) discuss the use (or in some conversations that stand out – misuse) of important resources such as YouTube and Google it struck me that the conversation of how we use technology in the classroom as a learning TOOL and not as “bells and whistles” to entertain or simply to “connect” with the kids was important.

Technology and Interaction in the Classroom (link to my Google Presentation is HERE) was the presentation I had at the conference and I really wish I had heard Michael Wesch’s 201o Presentation at the University of Denver prior to my presentation. The good news (maybe for me) is that I am working in the direction he speaks about in his lecture (link to his presentation is HERE). To keep this brief (and give you a chance to watch his presentation) I feel the most important part of his lecture was to emphasize that the INFORMATION out there is NOT SCARCE and the student of today has all the access to it, in their pocket! The important thing to keep in mind, and this is a brain shift for all in education (kids, parents, teachers, administrators, school board members… everyone), is that the teachers need to help the kids learn HOW to use the technology to be self directed learners. The kids sure know how to entertain themselves with the internet… but strong learners of Web 2.0 tools they are not.

How can we, as teachers, use the tools that are out there to help the kids LEARN how to LEARN? How do we demonstrate the tricks of the trade, the skills that are essential in the process of learning so that the students we have the privileged to work with, can become more independent learners? One of the tricks of using the technology (information really) that is out there is to make sure we are teaching them how to CONNECT to it and not to simply learn it all for the test. This also ties into the thoughts of Noah Chomsky (HERE for a YouTube video Presented at the Learning Without Frontiers Conference – Jan 25th 2012- London) that the TEST is not a very good demonstration of the knowledge the kids have. Yes, maybe for the day and a few weeks later, but then – POOF – that is gone. How can we, as concerned educators and leaders, help the learners make sure that the information we provide them with connects to the world they are living in? The tools are there, and they will be using them for as long as they live. How can we connect the tools, the information that is available, and the techniques to gather, toss aside, sort, filter, and use that information is through demonstration by example, teaching and reteaching, and reviewing the importance of being aware of how the tools and information is to be used.

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

Knowing that sketchbooks and goals will ALWAYS be part of the courses, what is one suggestion that you have to offer for future classes? What are some suggestions you may have to help the class become even stronger or more fulfilling than it already is? These require explanation please.

“Make the goals so that everyone does them and doesn’t slack. It helps my brain learn from the beginning of class and I know it will help others.”
“To take the goals and understand them not just write them down.”
“The goals were kind of hard to understand when looking back at them. It’s easy to understand when you explain. but the way they are written down is tricky to look back at.”

November 25, 2013November 25, 2013

What are you THANKFUL for?

2013 Open Canvas Art Event – Milwaukee WI

Welcome to the event.

Beginning of the Open Canvas Night – 15 minutes in!

My Empty Wall

2 works beginning. Mixed Media of Coffee Filters, Coffee Grounds, Bible Pages.

Propped up and ready to begin painting.

First coats with a light blue in the sky. The ethereal side of things.

A little bit more paint.

And now the yellow, the spiritual side of life.

A detail of “In Our Confusion, It Can Always Be.”

My second work – I forgot to document this one as it progressed. “”Walking The Path of the Awakened.”

A detail of “Walking the Path of the Awakened.”

A detail of “In Our Confusion, It Can Always Be.”

The 2 works sold together for $275. All proceeds went to MIAD and the Peck School of the Arts, UWM.

The buyer and her friend, Thank you Tina Gallup. Ms. Gallup purchased my work LAST year too. Thanks! Good to see you again!

“You won’t be happy with more until you’re happy with what you’ve got.” – Viki King (author, writer, speaker)

What are YOU thankful for? Take 30 seconds and write out 3 things you are thankful for.

Art Foundations 2D: Intro to Critiquing, 2 Point Perspective

What are YOU incorporating into your city / neighborhood / interior?

Goals:

(1.2) Create 2 point perspective art that demonstrates how your ideas relate to the media, techniques (VALUE) and processes you use. (P)
(2.3) Create artworks that uses organization and function to solve specific visual challenges.

What was the success in today’s drawing? What was the challenge? What were the goals we have had over the past couple of weeks that you feel you have accomplished? WHY are you successful or unsuccessful with this artwork?

Advanced Drawing: Drawing and Evaluation

How are you using pastels? How did Degas?

Goals:

3.3 describe the creation of images and ideas and explain why they are of value
NETS: TONIGHT Use digital media to work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning (Begin your crit.)

What was the success in today’s first portion of the critique? What did you see when you ANALYZED your work? What was the surprising to you? What were the goals we have had over the past couple of weeks that you feel you have accomplished? WHY are you successful or unsuccessful with this artwork?

AP Studio Art: Still Life and Concentration (and WEB Design)

Goals:

3.1 reflect on how your art differs and describe how it relates to the CONCENTRATION you have begun.
3.3 describe the creation of your images and ideas and how they work with your concentration.

What did you accomplish today? What do you need to do tomorrow? Developing Still Life works, concentration work. How can you develop your OWN voice?

September 6, 2013September 4, 2013

Ask Me ARTnother – A game show about what you may or may not know about art.

Welcome to the BEST ART CLASSES in the WORLD!

Put your GOALS sheets away!

Today the ONLY goal is to test your knowledge of the arts and make it to the final round.

TODAY – ALL of my art classes will be participating in a quiz show called:

Special Thanks to the inspiration of all the folks from NPR’s Ask Me Another. NPR’s exciting new show featuring puzzles, word games and trivia played in front of a live audience. Ask Me Another is a co-production of NPR and WNYC. Host Ophira Eisenberg invites in-studio guests and listeners alike to stretch their noggins, tickle their funny bones, and enjoy witty banter and guitar riffs from house musician Jonathan Coulton. Additional thanks to game gurus John Chaneski, Art Chung, and actor/writer Will Hines

August 23, 2013August 23, 2013

Youth Frontiers with the Sophomores at Waterford Union High School Stand up (and dance) for RESPECT (take 2)

Youth Frontiers is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that partners with schools to build positive communities where students thrive socially, emotionally and academically. Our vision is to change the way kids treat each other in every hallway, lunch line and classroom of every school in America. Bring Youth Frontiers to your school.

Our long and exhausting day with Dan and KK – it was AWESOME and an Adventure. I, and the rest of the group, were pooped at the end of the day! Thanks Guys! I only wish I’d have gotten some feedback from the kids about the experience they took away from the day. Personally, I know that I have a direction I am focused on over the next year (lifetime I hope) and walked away with a better understanding of others.

Dan the Guitar Player and Retreat Presenter

Dan is a singer/songwriter from Detroit who moved to Minneapolis when he was 18 to pursue a career in music. Seven years later, he has released three albums and has traveled all over the United States playing different venues and festivals.

In 2009, Dan came across a volunteer position at Youth Frontiers, and since then has come on board as a Retreat Staff Musician. He shares his music on retreat, and considers it a blessing to be able to work with an organization that allows him to pursue his passion and make a difference at the same time.

KK (Kesiah)

Kesiah, Retreat Director, has been with Youth Frontiers since 2007, though it feels as through it has been a part of her life since Junior High when she was a student on a YF Courage Retreat. She returned to work with YF as a high school leader, thus starting her career at YF.

She grew up in Forest Lake, Minn., with nine siblings, and when she wasn’t changing a younger sibling’s diaper or feeding them a bottle, she found her fun playing sports and participating in performance arts. After changing thousands of diapers, she felt that it was appropriate to devote her life to working with youth… and not just to be sure that their diapers were dry and the babies happy. Kesiah considers working with kids a privilege and she is delighted to walk into work everyday knowing that she gets to make a difference in the world.

Kesiah attended the University of St. Thomas where she studied Social Work and Political Science. In her spare time she loves playing and watching sports, running and doing anything outdoors. She also loves to cook for just about anyone.

August 9, 2013August 9, 2013

Why do the Arts Matter?

While I could go on and on about the arts and why they matter… I will let the American for the Arts Action Fund do it in their own words. This is straight from their website: http://www.artsactionfund.org/pages/why

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But first: #BeTheARTbeat on twitter and social media present a quick little video by artists from around the country (me included – see if you can find me)… TWEET AND RT – SHARE ON FACEBOOK, WHEREVER YOU SOCIALIZE… LET’S MAKE SURE THE ARTS ARE SUPPORTED WHEN THE WE NEED THEM THE MOST!

Simply put, the arts are essential to the proper functioning of our society. The arts continue to demonstrate their ability to provide categorical evidence of their impact on social issues that concern virtually every facet of American society. The arts are especially important for our children. Students with an arts rich education:

Have better grade point averages
Score better on standardized tests in reading and math
Have lower dropout rates

Funding for arts education programs in schools is being cut back or eliminated. Many arts organizations have had to make drastic reductions in hours, and offer fewer productions each season.

The work of the Arts Action Fund helps reverse these trends. The Arts Action Fund is the only national organization that mobilizes Americans in the fight for arts funding and arts education. We’re building a nationwide army of citizen activists who will help guarantee that arts-friendly public policies are adopted at the federal, state, and local levels. Add your voice!

Donate to the Arts Action Fund
Help the Arts Action Fund advance the arts and arts education in your community and across the country.

Become a Member
Annual membership is free. Join the movement to advance the arts and arts education in your community and across the country.

Support Pro-Arts Representatives
Review the Congressional Arts Report Card which grades all current Members of Congress on their support for the arts.

Tell a friend
Spread the word and share what you’ve found with your friends. You can even customize the message, if you’d like.

Contact Your Legislator
Two minutes! That’s all it takes to tell Congress to support the arts and arts education.

August 3, 2013August 2, 2013

Are you running in the Full Moon Four Miler Race in Waterford?

Saturday, August 3 the Waterford Chamber of Commerce is running the Full Moon Four Miler race in Waterford. I remember YEARS ago – 10+ years maybe, sitting at the top of the hill, back near the Waterford Water Tower, ringing a cow bell saying to my family “I’ll do that next year!” That didn’t happen for a number of years – but I remember it well. Now, a few marathons behind me, I still enjoy the run. Today was a 17 miler in training for a fall marathon, I think that I will NOT be able to make the Full Moon on Saturday, but… Brett Roberts and I managed to pull together the awards for the first place finishers. All the best of running to all of the runners – big kids and little kids alike. Thanks to the Waterford Chamber of Commerce for trusting the Waterford Union High School Art Department for making the awards again.

Run Well Runners, Run Well…

August 2, 2013August 1, 2013

My lunch (and art) at Cafe LuLu with my family in Bay View, Milwaukee

Once again, but with a moving twist, I offer a brief glimpse of the works currently on display (and for sale) at Cafe LuLu in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI. When you happen to be in the neighborhood – please stop in and take a look. My family and I had a great lunch there and this is a short video of the works. Please, stop in and check out the works, have a GREAT MEAL, and contact me when you are interested in the works. Also… mark your calendars for September 27 when the ENTIRE BAY VIEW Neighborhood opens their artistic doors to celebrate the artwork, artists, art galleries, and art spaces that Bay View, Milwaukee has to offer. I will be at Café LuLu to talk and chat… I hope to see you, and all your friends, there!

July 29, 2013July 28, 2013

34 works of art in 50 seconds… Thanks Southampton Art Fair and Blouin Art Info for the Inspiration

It seems like I have been on a two week sabbatical… it has been busy and I am glad to be back.

Thanks to the Inspiration of Blouin Art Info‘s Southampton Art Fair (the Third and LARGEST art fair in Southampton), and the 60 works in 60 seconds video produced to publicize the show (Link Here). I present to you 34 Works of Art in 50 seconds. The video of my works (with music presented by YouTube – Thanks) I offer a brief glimpse of the works currently on display (and for sale) at Cafe LuLu in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI. If you happen to be in the neighborhood – please stop in and take a look. If you are in Southampton, do the same for their show!

July 11, 2013July 9, 2013

It’s Not Just Content Anymore…

In a great video by Dr. Tony Wagner (Twitter: @DrTonyWagner), he describes the Seven Skills that are essential to the graduates of today. The unfortunate thing is… most courses do not offer these skills because, so it seems, most classes are so content driven, there is no room for the other skills that need to be taught.

Thanks to Edudemic.Com’s Post “The 7 Skills Students Must Have For The Future”, the seven skills that ARE needed include:

Critical thinking and problem-solving
Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
Agility and adaptability
Initiative and entrepreneurialism
Effective oral and written communication
Accessing and analyzing information
Curiosity and imagination

As I consider the Arts Curriculum that I teach, with Goals and Objectives based on the National Visual Arts Standards, the Seven Skills that are “Must Have’s” are touched on and dealt with on a regular basis. Maybe not each skill every day, but as I look at particular assignments / artworks, one may see the connections that are dealt with to emphasize the seven skills (and one may look at Marzano’s Instructional Strategies [my notes on the book: Classroom Instruction that Works] to see if and how they all tie together). I am in a fortunate position where the elements and principles of art are simply a foundation for the creation of artwork and tie together and build upon one another from the very first class to the highest level of an AP course. Line is Line is Line… Value is Value is Value… Balance is Balance is Balance… and the artists just get more adept at using them throughout the years.

Skills and tools like Critical Thinking: looking at the assignment, challenge at hand and coming up with multiple successful solutions to the same challenge; Collaboration: sharing ideas and critiques – both through writing and orally; Being Agile and Adaptable: enough to solve problems with resources at hand; Taking Initiative: to be self driven artists (some struggle with this – some are pro’s); Effective Oral and Written Communication: Critiquing, again the written and oral – both self, teacher based, and peer to peer – soon parent to child to teacher; Accessing and Analyzing Information: taking the historical and contemporary ideas and tying the artistic challenge into their own artwork. Making sure that the artwork they create speaks about their important place in history; and finally Curiosity and Imagination: Making successful and challenging art – Duh? These are ALL parts of each and every artwork (sans the Art Foundations on EACH of the projects – there are the elements and principles one has to get through… but give it time).

Above is Dr. Tony Wagner’s Video and Below is his Power Point Presentation… Definitely worth the look. Thank you Edutopia and Dr. Tony Wagner.

The Global Achievement Gap from Asia Society Education Programs

July 8, 2013July 15, 2013

Making Plans to Create an “One Week Painting”

"I Will Fill It With Splendid Gifts," 2013, Art*Bar. — “I Will Fill It With Splendid Gifts,” 2013, Art*Bar.

Once a year, I get the opportunity to create a temporary artwork at the Art*Bar in Milwaukee, WI. The Art*Bar is exactly what it sounds like, a Bar that has no wall advertising for the adult beverages that it serves, but rather walls full of real, live, legitimate Art (with a capital A). To see MORE of my art and the PURCHASE MORE of my art (nudge nudge…) please visit frankkorb.com and get in tough with me through my e-mail there.

After September 11, 2001 occurred, and the world was still reeling from the shock, “Don Krause, then 42, took the event as a personal wake-up call and sought out a place to cultivate his Riverwest dream, to create a unique tavern. “I never told anyone what I was working on and I didn’t know when it was going to open,” says Krause. “I had never done anything like it before.” All he knew was how to create a good atmosphere, developed from his eight years as an interior designer at Ethan Allen.” (Putz, http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2013/05/27/taverns-artbar-is-a-painters-paradise/). Thank heavens Krause had this vision and was able to follow through with it. (As a side note: Please visit the a fore mentioned article / link about the Art*Bar. It is amazing how SMALL the world is. Nastasia Putz was a one semester student of mine YEARS ago and has now made her marks in the world of journalism. It is funny how people circle in and out of one’s life. Thanks for the conversation Nastasia – great article!)

10 years fast forward (and 10 paintings of my own at the Art*Bar) we arrive at July 7, 2013. Ok, the math doesn’t work out quite right, but the Art*Bar has been around for 10 years now… Walking into the space, I arrive with a start and see that the traditional scaffolding that usually holds the artist for the evening above the 3′ x 5′ canvas above the door is missing. This happened to me last year also, but it was just that the scaffolding had been forgotten about. This year… the scaffolding is gone and the canvas is propped up on a table awaiting the new ideas of the arriving artist.

Previous work by Jason Roberts (I think... sorry Jason). — Previous work by Jason Roberts (I think… sorry Jason).

The idea behind the “One Week Painting” that I have created and planned on creating is such an ingenious idea of temporary art, I have carried it into (or rather just outside of) my high school classroom. For one small amount of time (8 hours) a painting is created and then hangs for one week. After that week, another artist comes in and reworks, incorporates, or completely obliterates the previous weeks work and a NEW work is presented for the week. This happens for 51 weeks and then the final week a PARTY is held for the 51 artists who took part. Slide show of all the year’s paintings is projected, prints of the works are hanging on the large metal / magnet wall, and Don’s favorite 10 are printed / frames and hanging in the prominent place around the bar. I have had the fortune to be a “favorite” twice in my 9 previous year… maybe 3 times… I’ll have to check my CV.

Not entirely certain as to the direction I was planning on going, I prepared with some supplies of recycled drop papers, coffee filters, and my faith in the Bible pages I base most of my artworks over. I stepped into the establishment with supplies in hand, my trusty buckets and milk crates of paints, ready to attack, or at least gently work the painting from the previous week into my thoughts for the current week. The 6 hours I needed on July 7 were full of “What do I do NOW,” “How to solve that issue,” and “I think this is going to work, I have got it.” Here is the process of the 6 hours of making a “One Week Painting” at the Art*Bar.