What happens? Whether or not the partnership limps along on its dysfunctional path, barely making any progress or partners start pulling out of the program fed up with the perceived impossibility of their colleagues, everybody loses.
The following is a worst-case scenario: The afterschool arts program ceases to exist at a particular school in a particular [...]
Archive for the ‘teaching artist’ Category
When a Partnership turns Sour…
Posted in artist practice, it could be worse, observation, teaching artist, tagged artist practice, everybody loses, partnership, sour, teaching artist, what is lost on 27 February 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Teaching Art [has what effect on] Making Art?
Posted in artist practice, observation, teaching artist, tagged TARP, teaching artist, teaching artist survey on 12 February 2009 | 1 Comment »
What effect do you feel work as a teaching artist has had on your art making?
I don’t know the answer to this question.
I took a Teaching Artist Survey (TARP) on Monday from the University of Chicago’s Survey Lab and I was surprised to note how it opened my eyes to looking at my teaching artistry [...]
Teachers: Gripes and Thanks.
Posted in it could be worse, observation, teaching artist, tagged gripes, teachers, thanks on 10 February 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Every so often, I am in partnership with a classroom teacher with whom, for whatever reason, collaboration is difficult, if not excruciating. Silly things like ego, territorialism, and lack of flexibility tend to make a promising collaboration something just short of a nightmare because not only must I manage a classroom full of kids, but [...]
On the banks of the river.
Posted in artist practice, observation, teaching artist, tagged architecture, high skool, interview, oral histories, vocalo.org on 26 January 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Today, I began a project on creating audio-based oral histories with a group of lively seniors at a high school in my neighborhood. I knew I would be seeing a few kids who I’d taught previously in an afterschool arts program I created at a youth service agency a few years back. I knew I’d [...]
Je ne sais quoi, but I like it.
Posted in artist practice, observation, performance, teaching artist, tagged adventures, artist practice, ghost towns, gratefulness, hope, love, teaching artist on 1 January 2009 | 2 Comments »
As I stand where I am this brisk and monochrome morning, grinding my coffee as I always do in my grandmother’s wooden box grinder, I consider how I want to begin this new year. 2008 has certainly been a wild ride: very huge highs and very deep lows and, to my surprise and awe, somewhere [...]
Be the Change.
Posted in observation, teaching artist, tagged accountability, cooperation, hope, Obama, possibility, Si se puede, yes we can on 6 November 2008 | 3 Comments »
I spent 5 hours at Grant Park in Chicago last night at the Obama election night rally, waiting and watching and cheering with a quarter million others. My voice is hoarse from the jubilee, my heart is remarkably light and, with my eye on my many communities, I can see clearly the work I have [...]
More, Bigger and Outside.
Posted in artist practice, observation, teaching artist, tagged artist practice, bigger, kids, making learning visible, more, outside, sculpture, teaching artist, undergrad on 19 June 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Not that I am trying to non un-write my fellowship application which is naturally due tomorrow, but I had a day full of meetings and it just got my wheels a-spinning, you know?
Questions…
So after I do all the good work with the kids, how do we make their learning more visible, more public, more inclusive? [...]
Howdy, Stranger!
Posted in artist practice, observation, teaching artist, tagged balance, busy, energy, focus, teaching artist on 11 June 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Meaning myself, of course. Wow. I have been busy with teaching and its subsequent responsibilities, like tons of meetings, PDs and putting together endless documentation of what the kids did during my many residencies at many different schools.
The thing that makes it so difficult to keep up with myself is not the lack of time [...]
Now is the Winter of My Discontent… again.
Posted in artist practice, it could be worse, observation, teaching artist, tagged American employee, art, begone winter!, discontent, getting paid, hairdo, horrible, money, on time, rent, teaching artist, The Recession on 21 March 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Holy crap. It is snowing again. Winter storm watch. Up to 8″ of wet, heavy snow. Proceed with caution when shoveling.
Yesterday was so lovely, a brisk, mid-40° day which I spent raking up dank fall leaves and errant dog turds in the garden, discovering that, yes! there is some green left [...]
Whose Art is it anyway?
Posted in artist practice, it could be worse, observation, teaching artist, tagged art, catch-22, paycheck, sustainability, teaching artist on 27 February 2008 | Leave a Comment »
On the long drive home from an inexplicably weighty day of teaching, I thought these things:
I teach the children to make the art to make the money to make the work to be an artist.
I must actively be making the art to earn the title of “teaching artist.”
When I am teaching so much that I [...]
Peepshow crows.
Posted in artist practice, observation, performance, teaching artist, tagged blue jay, burlesque, carcass, crow, great-tailed grackle, mourning dove, peepers, peepshow, performance on 19 February 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Before I dive into Everything today, I must say out loud that I have been thinking of incorporating more than just the sound of crows into my performances, I want to start using their imagery as well. I have used the angry, tattered din of blue jays and the lonely, resigned coos of mourning [...]
I am my own community.
Posted in teaching artist, tagged community, empowerment, PSA, teaching artist on 14 February 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Twenty-two degrees at 8am on a sporadically sunny Valentine’s Day. I’ll take it. Today I am taking to one of my classes a huge bag of my recyclables, not so the children can see what I eat, but as props for a Public Service Announcement project we are diligently working on. Yeah, [...]
I never thought I’d see the day…
Posted in teaching artist, tagged chicago, jessi appleseed, muffins, teaching artist, why on 12 February 2008 | Leave a Comment »
…when I actually created a blog. Mm-mm. I was lying in bed this morning on random February day off #2 thinking, Why keep my experiences as a teaching artist to myself when they could be of help to someone? And, Maybe this will keep me in a good habit of learning to [...]
