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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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).
Aboveis Dr. Tony Wagner’s Video and Belowis his Power Point Presentation… Definitely worth the look. Thank you Edutopia and Dr. Tony Wagner.
“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).
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.
“Controversial Backdrop Sought” from 2012 at the Art*Bar.
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.
The original painting I came upon.
My first thoughts and preliminary notions for the artwork.
The first grid has been laid in and the rest is still up in the air.
Continuing with the process…
The center column is laid in and as are the Bible pages.
The lower portion has been whitewashed – ready for paint!
Beginning with yellow and Gesso at the top.
Blues come into play next.
Red is next in the color choices… are you seeing a relationship in the use of colors?
Partway through the process…
Details and pure colors are being added.
GREAT Detail… Idea for future smaller work I think.
Detail.
Detail.
Another detail.
From the side… I love the new layout…
The entire area – great crowd!
The palette I put up last year is still getting used! I have made my mark!
The final art work “I Will Fill It With Splendid Gifts” July 7, 2013 – the Art*Bar.
Detail of NEW work over mine…
The lines have stayed in place… YEAH!
It was great to see the collaged materials still in place.
Great texture… great colors new artist!
Here it is… the new painting over my last week painting.
From the Daily Inspirational Blog Goal Achievement Quote – June 24, 2013
by Paul Mark Sutherland “I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.” —John D. Rockefeller
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What inspires you? Ryan Braun has done a number on countless baseball fans… even with the challenges of alleged doping. Braun, Austin Schroeder, pencil and ink, 17.5″ by 23.25″, 2013.
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One of my colleagues, a great leader in the building and inspiration to our 1100ish students, asked about the lengthy notes I had taken during the 2012 – 13 school year about the 2nd Edition of Classroom Instruction That Works – (An ASCD Publication [Link HERE for the ASCD Website]) by Dean, Hebbell, Pitler, and Stone. I now have the notes available to you… but I suggest getting a hold of the book as well. The Google Document is set up so that ANYONE who can access it (you bu clicking on the book) can read it and MAKE COMMENTS – GO FOR IT! (Thanks Russel.)
Click on the Book Cover to go to my not quite complete (still haven’t finished writing about Chapter 10) notes.
While this book was a great read – and is an essential reminder for all of those who already feel like I do things such as, but in no order of importance: Feedback, Recognition, Co-operative Learning, Non-Linguistic Representations… among other technique and strategies. It is one thing to DO them, daily, but it is an altogether different thing when you are AWARE of the strategies you are using and doing them with the purpose of moving Student Centered Learning FORWARD.
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Another GREAT Video bit of Inspiration I recently got was the YouTube clip (26 minutes, so get a cup of coffee and a set of headphones) was by Anthony Salcito on The New Classroom Experience(my notes HERE – please add your comments).
There are a lot of GREAT thoughts in this lecture and I have been moved to look at the Look of MY Classroom. I feel that the activities ARE the most important aspect of the classroom, not the look of the classroom, and that is why I am REALLY emphasizing the use of technology to create environments for COLLABORATION and also how the ARTWORK the kids are learnign about and producing is essential to how they solve problems as well as the necessity of them failing (not necessarily with an F, but rather just not producing exactly what they thought it was “suppose” to look like), reflect on their failures, move forward from their failures, and continue to fail until they succeed – in WHATEVER WAY THEY SUCCEED!
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LASTLY – Some thoughts and comments from the kids from 2012 – 13 as the school year wrapped up. The question that was posed was: What was the single greatest accomplishment for you over the past semester?
I learned to focus on visual unity and the elements of art to create pieces of art with ideas and processes being executed well.
I learned to take time while drawing and give effort towards art. I’m proud that I can now be a better drawer.
I expanded my mind. I really didn’t like art at all. When I had to take it in 7th grade I said I was never going to take it again. But this semester I took it and some parts were pretty fun with this class.
Learning how to use dimension, proportion, shading, and drawing in general.
“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting—in the trying, not the triumph.” —Zig Ziglar
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“Not all of our best students are our “A” students. I have had “C” students who I consider excellent students because they were so engaged into the educational process. I really don’t think it has to do with a letter grade, it has to do with enthusiasm.” – Charles Rineheimer – NPR – Talk of the Nation Interview LINK HERE: The Students That Keep Teachers Inspired
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What has inspired me? Hard Work – New Thinking, Hallways…
“Not all of our best students are our “A” students. I have had “C” students who I consider excellent students because they were so engaged into the educational process. I really don’t think it has to do with a letter grade, it has to do with enthusiasm.” – Charles Rineheimer – NPR – Talk of the Nation Interview LINK HERE: The Students That Keep Teachers Inspired
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What was the most difficult or challenging aspect of this course for you personally? Were you able to learn from this experience or gain something from it that has helped you to develop as an artist?
Abstract Art and I just really had to think about it.
Thinking through things before beginning the piece of artwork.
The hardest thing for me would have to be taking time to slow down when making art.
“A dream only becomes overrated when not pursued by the dreamer.” ― Courtney Hickman
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Art Foundations: Collage and build the ABSTRACT IMAGE based on your personal life and feelings…
Simplicity in the use of ELEMENTS of ART can make an abstraction – what are you doing? What are your textures?
GOALS:
1.3 communicate your thoughts on social topics clearly
4.3 compare relationships in visual art in terms of 4.3.3 your culture as it relates to your own art.
What have you learned about the creation of ABSTRACT ART? What have you learned about the important things in your life THROUGH the creation of your ABSTRACT ART PROCESS?
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DRAWING: 1) Perspective and 2) Critiques… 6th hour is going to have to hustle ONE DAY tocatch up. PHOTOGRAPHS will HAVE TO BE a part of the process. THESE Photos are going to be UPLOADED to the FINAL CRITIQUE for the FINAL EXAM… make sure you are documenting the process.
EVOL, “DRESDEN 09”, 2010 Spray paint on cardboard, 61 x 76 cm —> High Resolution… How can you do this… GOUACHE, GESSO, PENCIL!
GOALS:
5.1 Identify the rationale behind making art.
1.4 Create, define, and solve visual challenges using 1.4.1 Analysis (how do you see the perspective in your drawing?)
Where did you struggle in remembering perspective? How can you use the skills of sighting in to refresh your memory and heighten your skills? THIS IS A FAST PROJECT that IS the basis of the FINAL EXAM. If you do not finish the drawing in the time allotted – you will have a hard time passing the final exam. HOW can you make this YOUR own special drawing? Your locker? Your favorite hallway / doorway / classroom?
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AP Studio Art: CONGRATULATIONS! Let’s get out there and be proud of the 9 months of ART MAKING!
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GOALS:
2.5 defend personal evaluations
3.3 describe the creation of images and ideas and explain why they are of value Work at the (AP) Art Exhibition.
What did you contribute to the cultural end of the school day? What questions came up? What controversy came up? Who do you impress and why? What were your thoughts as the day / hour went by? Good job folks… One more week of Art Making and then the end…
Art With Korb 