Teaching Surrealism

The Surrealism unit that I taught to the Grade 8 art class in Haida Gwaii was more difficult than I imagined. When I dreamt up the unit, I pictured it would be a great opportunity for the students to explore their own imagination and use their creative juices to come up with virtually anything.

Surrealism was an art movement during the 1920s-1930s that surfaced as a result of Dada- an anti-war movement that believed in the meaningless of life. Drawing from such radical beliefs, the Surrealists produced literary and visual works. One of the most well-known Surrealists is Salvador Dali, a Spanish artist. Dali was exceptional at tapping into the human psyche and putting these unconscious thoughts onto canvas. Primarily concerned with the notion of dreaming, many of the works produced by Surrealist artists appear to be fantastical, impossible, and ridiculous. Wanting to tap into my students’ imagination, I decided to take tis opportunity to create a mixed media project. I encountered several difficulties that I did not foresee.

1. Need more guidance (tapping into their own imagination and putting it onto a blank sheet of paper is more difficult than I thought)

2. The magazines that I brought out for the collaging aspects were taken advantage of; students would simply cut out images that they “liked” and said it represents them

3. Students had trouble focusing on a central theme. The project is indeed about themselves but something about them selecting random images that they liked did not sit well with me. I proceeded to show them my Surrealist project and how to focus their theme on one aspect of themselves

4. Surrealism and strict guidelines are inherently contradictory: Surrealism advocates “automatic” and “subconscious” thoughts. Limiting these “automatic” thoughts by enforcing project guidelines (I.e. One central theme) makes it easier for assessment but restricts the automatism and freedom that students should feel when making their art!!

These are some of the project obstacles that I encountered when working with this unit and with this grade level. At the very least, I have identified some of these major issues. The next time that I teach this unit, perhaps I will have to reassess how I evaluate their projects. Are rubrics possible for art projects let alone a Surrealist art project? I think focusing on one central theme is still important. I emphasized to the class that despite Dali’s “random” assortment of objects within one painting, he still chose THOSE objects over others; therefore, they are actually NOT random but are well thought out. Together, these seemingly misplaced and strange objects still tell a coherent narrative. Despite this, I have examples of my students’ work that I would like to share. I only had 3 classes with them so they are for the most part, unfinished. I believe that they will look wonderful when complete.

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Teaching Darkroom Photography

Teaching darkroom photography was a challenge. Out of all the courses I had to teach, the photography course was the most difficult to facilitate. This is because the kids are all at different paces and some will learn at a faster pace. As a student teacher, we must finish our projects with them before we leave and I was teaching photo for only 4-5 weeks. I opted to teach darkroom photography without fully understanding their comprehension of the darkroom photography process. When I started my unit with the students, there were about half of them that were ready to proceed on with my project and the other were still in the midst of learning and catching up. There were several challenges that I faced:

1. Not enough working cameras

2. Understanding levels

The way to accommodate this was to work in “waves”. The students who are ready to proceed on with taking photos can start by using the cameras while those who were behind had to work on catching up. Overall this worked well and eventually most of my students completed their project. It was difficult though because I cannot split myself into three and be at separate stations at once. This is something which I will have to figure out if and when I do teach darkroom photography. I did have the help of my SA but when I am on my own, she won’t be there. How do I navigate this issues? Nonetheless, several of my students handed in their finished project. Due to the stated limitations and the time constraints (which I did give them a 2 week extension and could very well keep extending their due date), the completed projects were of decent quality but not superb. I believe that having a better understanding of the camera’s technology and capabilities would certainly provide some answers as to how they can better this project. Some concerns that were raised include distinguishing where the mistakes happened: was the it the film? the camera? the student’s aptitude or lack thereof? or a combination of everything? With time and experience, I believe that I will be better equipped to figure these problems out.

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Exploring Your Dreams

Today the mixed media project based on Surrealism and their association with the subconscious and dreaming ended. The short period of time I had to work with these students (special needs) was very enjoyable and rewarding. I made sure to go over the key points about Surrealism and the idea of dreams. Dreams can be seen as “dreams from sleeping” or dreams as “future goals”. Many of the students had a difficult time coming up with their project ideas because they had never had to think about these things in a creative way. With added encouragement and a variety of materials, they were given the free reign to create from their own imagination. I believe they created work that was not only personal and exploratory, they also created work that contained an element of surprise and mystery. Their potential to create artwork from their own minds is what I hope this group of students will have gained from this project. One student said that his piece was going to be hung on the wall because it’s the best artwork he has ever made. Needless to say, I was very pleased. 🙂

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Designing Tattoos

Before I started this project with the class, I was a bit hesitant as to how the class would receive this project. Rooted in the theme of social justice and accepting diversity, I decided to introduce a tattoo design unit. My interest in tattoo design stems from designing my own. I spent many months thinking about what is meaningful to me and did plenty of research to find the perfect images for it. I spent many hours drawing the tattoo and I am very proud of it. Through the experience of designing my own tattoo, I can say that I am a changed person. Before delving into this project, I’d like to share my own experience being a tattooed individual.

I got my sleeve as an adult. It was certainly not a spontaneous event. I spent many days thinking about what I want on it and I felt ready to attempt it. For many years, tattoos have always intrigued me but I was never serious about getting one. It just “wasn’t me”. I am usually told that I don’t look like a person who would have tattoos. Yes that is true. Even I agree with that because we always believe the generic stereotypes that are prevalent in today’s society. Despite them being more mainstream, tattoos are still an area of reservation for me. I don’t usually go around flaunting my work but will gladly talk about the concept when asked. I don’t do it for attention (in fact I dislike the attention. Kind of ironic considering how noticeable it is on my arms). I did it for me at time when I felt like I had to. I was compelled to and put much thought into what I would get and what it should look like. I worked for months with my tattoo artist to design the perfect sleeve. It is now a part of me and I am proud of my accomplishment. Although there are days when I just wish to hide it (because I can’t be bothered with people staring and pointing) I am still proud of the spiritual journey I took to design it myself. When the experience itself was over, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I did it. All those painful hours in the chair are finally over.

How does this relate to teaching? Well, I’ve been judged as a certain type of person: one that is quiet and conservative…and I am. However, I am also an individual with a unique personality. When I roll up my sleeves, suddenly their perceptions of me are shattered and they cannot believe I am hiding such markings that are generally reserved for the “gangsters, bikers, punks, criminals…etc”. Stereotypes can work against you or for you. In this case, as a teacher and in a position of authority, how can I do this to myself? Individuality and self expression is appreciated in my classroom. I practice the acceptance of diversity and this is exactly what I want to exhibit. I want them to understand that you cannot judge a person just by their appearance.

For this project, I made it very clear that they are NOT to get tattoos and that I am in no way promoting the use of tattooing to express individuality. I emphasized that this project is more about self expression than it is about tattoos. It does not matter to me if they don’t want to get a tattoo. The challenge comes from discovering their own interests, motivations, and symbols that would take significance in a “permanent” tattoo design. Assuming that this would be a permanent design on you, what text or imagery would you absolutely use or not use. I had some students tell me they didn’t want a tattoo but it does not excuse them from not doing my project. I had to reiterate many times that this is project about themselves and not so much the concept of tattooing.

I wish I had more time with them on this project but overall, I am pleased with the results. Here are some examples.

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Young Impressionists

Last week, I ended my unit on Impressionism with one of my classes. This class was a short 5 week class so I didn’t have plenty of time to go over all the little tidbits associated with the art movement. Despite this, I believe that my students built on top of their current painting skills by adding the painting techniques used by the Impressionists. I emphasized the use of visible brush strokes and the mixing of complementary colours to create dark “shadow” colours. The Impressionists avoided the use of pure black paint so this was a good way to mix their own dark colours from the palette they are currently working with. The requirements for this project were to find a picture that consisted of at least 3 colours. They were to do a colour analysis on the image they want to paint and do an undersketch on their good painting. Prior to this, they had practice on a worksheet I handed out for t hem to do. This worksheet required them to use various brushstrokes including pointillism. They also had to practice highlighting and darkening areas with the use of creating tints and shades to their colours. With all this practice, I believe I’ve equipped them with the proper skills and knowledge to create /mimic their own Impressionist style painting. The results were fabulous. I couldn’t be more happier. The students all did very well and their use of colours, highlighting, and shadowing were well done. During the final critique/presentation, about half of them admitted that they were happy with their painting. Half of the class also felt that they had “learned useful techniques” they could carry on into the future. Although the class was fairly quiet, I could feel that they were satisfied with their work. Here are some examples.

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Ceramic Success

The ceramics class that I worked with on a multi-week long project has finally come to a close. Their project was to design shoes under the premise of “walking a mile in someone else’s shoe”. They also had to make an accompanying ceramic label to go with their shoe display detailing their name, block, and a neat title for their shoe. The process started off with an introduction to the history of shoes and an assortment of footwear designs. By the end of it, and 4 hours of laborious marking, the projects are finished! They did a beautiful job and I couldn’t be more proud. Here are some examples.

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Celebrating with Pinatas

We celebrated the end of art class with one group of special needs students by breaking their pinatas. The day was gorgeous and the time was perfect. The pinatas were loaded with candy and the tree was picked. We went outside and the kids started smashing! It was great to see and hear the laughter, enjoyment, and pride that was being emitted from all of the students. Rarely does art class take place outside but it certainly can! When we learn to incorporate the outdoors with art, it can be a very rich experience for the students. Not only are they presented with the opportunity to go outside, they also learn to view art as a subject not restricted solely to the classroom. The best part about art is enjoying the product you created afterwards!

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Presentations & Due Dates

Today was the first due date for one of my class’ major projects. I warned them that I was going to collect the artist statements as well as their art projects (social justice comic). If they do not hand in their comics today, then they face the consequence of losing marks. They will lose 1 mark per day including today (the due date) if not handed in. They must also hand in their artist statement with the possibility of a mark deduction as well.

I started off the class by collecting their artist statements. Many seemed concerned and shocked that I would pull such a move. My SA had set up the classroom so that deadlines were

rolling and flexible. The moment I impose solid deadlines, they are in shock. I saw many “deer in the headlights” when I demanded the artist statement immediately after taking attendance. They were not used to such strictness in art class. I proceeded to take them to the multipurpose room where I had my CS student set up the chairs. There they brought their comics and everyone was encouraged to present their project regardless of whether or not they had completed it. I told them to relax and that this is not going to be hard. All they have to do is talk about their art project and to breathe.

The first set of students I went order from one end to the other end. They were told to talk about

1. Title of the comic

2. Concept of the comic

3. Brief summary of their comic

The majority of the students did a very good job in presenting their topic. Understandably, the nerves got to many of them and they slithered/ran back to their seat prematurely. The main thing was that their ideas were conveyed and how they could relate them to social justice. Students who struggled with speaking English used fellow classmates as translators. This was a fantastic tactic and was much appreciated by the class. I feel very fortunate that I can count on these students who were willing to volunteer. In the other class, I went up to help a student with translating his comic. I wanted to make sure that all students were going to participate. At the very end, I did a brief wrap up asking them what they learned from this project and how they felt seeing other people’s work. The overwhelming response to these comics was a sense of disillusionment with reality.

The majority of the comics illustrated popular or anecdotal stories. Many of these ended bleakly with the ending of the story resulting in death of the main character. On the flip side, there were also quite a few that had ended positively presenting an optimistic outlook for the characters in the future. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to ask questions and to give feedback for each student but I could tell that the majority of the students enjoyed being in a different room and sharing work with their peers. Tangential questions also surfaced as a result of the great discussions we had surrounding these comics.

I was disappointed to see that at the end of the day, I only received about half of the student’s projects. This means there will be a lot of late marks! I felt that I was being fair by extending their deadline to a week after spring break. Still, no matter how many times you hammer it into them, if they don’t want to do it, they will not do it. In addition to that, perhaps I had hoped for more ground breaking stories of social justice whereby the protagonist identifies the social issue at hand and comes to a realization that solving this issue is more important than he/she can fathom. Groundbreaking and even shocking discoveries occur in the story that will lead the protagonist to this conclusion. However, the vast majority of the comics that came from my students were ones that depict a problem that ends either positively, negatively, or ambiguously without explaining what the significance of these issues are and why they must be dealt with vigorously. I felt that the stories were more contrived to fit a happy or dismal ending just because I asked for a “resolution”. I believe that they all understood the concept of social justice very well and their work certainly reflects their knowledge and negativity surrounding social issues, particularly the inability to come up with plausible solutions. Perhaps it is difficult to write this type of a comic because solutions to these social issues are hard to come by in the real world let alone in the fictional one. Overall, I am proud of their efforts. I challenged them and they, for the most part, realize that handling social justice issues is an ongoing job that everyone must work together at.

See pictures below: