April 1 Slide projector. Comments on interviews. Wendell’s individual stufy (yrly project) different levels suburban district, different topics, different projects. High school AP project – work with elementary kids. Child psychologist did workshop on how to ask questions. Shred experience of hurricane Sandy. Their first time without power and water. Kids paired up – they wanted to mentor with younger kids. 1st > drawing of the inside of their house. 2nd > drawing of the outside neighborhood. 3rd > large group drawings (charcoal reverse) [toy trucks to get the street layout – discussed and worked out as group] 4th > photo portraits by high school kids & by elementary kids together. Each of the other. [3 meetings to do the big drawings] the project has been shown at the library and school 2nd part > after school has no materials, or outside on playground raised money for art supplies motive – college interviews, nervous about questions, started there. W. suggested working with the younger kids. Surprised how natural the high school kids with teaching the younger kids. Variation: work with elderly. The high schoolers keep responding re: the younger kids, they want to keep the conversation going. How to get the little kids to make big drawings > challenge presented to the high school kids. AP class after school. Butcher paper (they had it); conti crayons (W wanted them to try it). The storm conversation was an icebreaker. Lots of chatter.Conversation. High school kids focused on the story, narrative, not the style of drawing. Elementary kids loved it. They felt famous. Other art teachers’ reactions: not sure. ~~ slides: adolescent development 12 to 18 yrs. Developing a new sense of self, a new ID Reflection on Self > think differently > • past, present, future • relational • multiple • to put it all together • Erikson: continuous and stable while also multiple & changing. • Ado, not the only ID conflict > redo the stable ID from earlier in their lives. • a challenge to their stability • perhaps Ado is the first really profound challenge in their lives. • major themes: • each material has its own voice. • new meanings made as consequence of using new materials. • see Gatsby > the confusions of ado novel deal with ado conflits even if not dealing with the ado period diretly. [slides of recurring themes, variety] • a lot is spontaneous. • draw and then deface [notebook is a safe place] • sense of self through self-portaits • self that is other to Self. • in the guise of someone they’d like to be [portrait as Leonardo da Vinci]. • sense of vulnerability of the body [grotesque face] • metaphysical [shoe with wings in the sky], early ado shoe drawings, show as intimate, physical, wear with you. • self as animal [cat with guitar][mermaid in shell][as fallen angel][as hands (I’m not very good at talking)] •self as artist [looking in, looking out][invited to reflect on themselves] *visit the self portrait from time to time. • vary the starting points, internal landscape, not always from the mirror, enable them to address different aspects of the Self. Next theme • everyone can see inside you. I am transparent. I must protect myself > to be not be too open. • reconstruction of inner process •thoughts as visual metaphoprs, coming from his head • sense of being looked at > eyes Being vulnerable [boy in hallway, nude with towel, eyes on wall] • feeling uncomfortable • individual drawings from many different directions • early ADO art works reflect self directly. • older ADO, drawings reflect self indirectly. • questions about what’s true, right, what I need to do > so art work is looked at critically. • requirement to make something look realistic > shift from earlier. • older > stand back while also drawing as your own. • young ADO > critical of art work is critical of self. • older ADO > can stand back a bit. Wendell – project runway makes kids want to be critiqued Jesse – question – more variability today or not? Judy – not as personal – study needs to be done (?) – kids less comfortable with materials (?) Anthing that is shiney can stare back or out of you. [phone box] Vulnerability • skewered •self cut in half •cut off from roots • boys and girls • (from ADO experience) Sense of multiple, many in one • taking on different senses of self • sense of being more than one • good self vs. bad self. > ages – overlaps, shifts, idiosyncratic > kids “out in the world” open to a world of images and styles they draw on multiple sources • move towards their own style, gravitate to surreal because of the play between worlds. • teacher – to keep options open to them. > need examples so we know what these look like > see development in its multiplicity • cultural differences, e.g., drawing style in China vs. West. Judy: whenever I travel I ask to see someplace where I won’t see any Western influences. • sense of nurturance > 15 yr old drawing of grandfather in the snow. • expressing emotions > sexual > controversial > what should be available to be seen in schools? > should they be shown? • to be above board > talk about exploratory imagers. > censorship: safe space vs. what we will and won’t allow [clay sculpture of the birth of a baby, very graphic, supported by the school] • wacky sense of humor > brain surgery salad. > snotty Sam comics. • mythologies > strong vs. weak. > other worlds > everything is not as it seems. [giraffe with conch shell on nose “rude noise”][ wrong shoes] [loneliness][journey][death][drugs] • combine drawings begin with small detail and put it into other context “mushroom signage in larger context” • the teacher needs to hunt around for interesting things. • motion [road in the sky] • transformation [pastel of two rocks and flowers, very soft, made by a boy] slides of drawings (majority), paintings (some), clay (few) find your own examples of these themes.