8.10.11 - Toy Design at Pratt Institute

11.20.10 - Abstract Comics / Adult Foundations

 

                                                                                                                                              (images above, L to R:  Warren Craghead III, Mike Getsiv, Jeff Zenick)

After working on some abstract paintings with my adult class, I wanted to move away from thinking about formal elements of painting (composition, balance, emphasis) and to begin exploring other possibilites for abstract imagery. We had already discussed how different cultures assign meanings to colors (i.e. blue for sadness, or red for anger/passion) and I wanted to push these ideas further.

Around the same time, I discovered "abstract comics''.  In these works, artists create a series of abstract images that are arranged like the panels in a comic book.  Because viewers are accustomed to seeing narratives in this format,  we are compelled to invent stories and events when we look at these images.  These comics inspired great discussions during class, and students offered their varied interpretations of each image.

After discussing these examples, we made our own abstract comics.  Rather than working alone, we worked in an 'exquisite corpse' fashion:  each student had five minutes to paint one abstract panel, then everyone passed their paper to a classmate.  That person would paint the second panel, responding to the image in first panel.  Afterward, the paper was passed again, and so on until each panel had been painted.  These are some of the comics that resulted from this process:

While reflecting on this activity, many students felt that it was relaxing and rewarding to respond to their classmates' paintings. Not only was it fun to imagine the abstract images as stories, but students also said that the process challenged them to work in styles that they would not have chosen for themselves. For example, a woman who is typically heavy-handed with paint received an image that had been painted with delicate brushstrokes and paint washes. She had to adjust her style in order to respond to that image appropriately.

Students also discussed the challenges of deciding how 'closely' they should follow the image that came before; how many elements should be changed - just the color? the shapes? everything?  The class noticed that no one chose to paint a contrasting or 'opposite' image, even though there were no restrictions on how to respond to others' paintings.  This observation sparked a discussion about empathy. The conversations inspired by this project were very rich.

11.08.10 - The Map as Art / Adult Foundations

This was a printmaking project that spanned three classes, constructed around the theme of maps. We began with a discussion of images from                    The Map as Art, an amazing collection of contemporary artworks that use maps as the subject and/or medium of their work.  We discussed the implications of mapmaking, how information is emphasized or omitted, and what kind of maps exist. We looked at Ptolemy's maps of the earth when it was widely believed that our planet was flat.  Students were invited to create images inspired by maps - whether real or imaginary.

Students sketched and then carved their maps into corkboard to create the printing plates.  Some students were expert printmakers, while others had never touched a brayer or linoleum cutter.  Because many maps are geometric and made up of lines, I felt that the topic would offer simple solutions for beginners.

Here were some examples of the work that was produced over three weeks:

1.10.10 - Lesson Examples / NYC Public School, Grades 6-8