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Lesson Plans


Re: Remington and Russell

From: The Austin's (whest177)
Date: Wed Jul 19 2000 - 17:13:38 PDT

  • Next message: Michelle H. Harrell: "Re: Interpretations on a theme- narrative art"

    I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree on this point - I show artist's
    reproductions all the time and my students all know that in order to
    accomplish art like theirs you have to PRACTICE! My job as an elementary art
    teacher is to show them how to improve upon the skill the already possess. I
    have and advantage teaching K-12 students. I know what they know, and have
    had 6 years already to instill in them a sense of pride in the work that
    they have accomplished. I have a couple of students (elementary) that tell
    me that they are unhappy with the outcome of their projects, but these are
    also my laziest kids who want the results without the work. They also know
    that even if one project was not successful the next one may be.

    I don't believe that "real art" is only for advanced students. Our 1st grade
    teacher always takes her students to the zoo for their field trip, and on
    the way back they always stop at the local museum to "look at the art". The
    kids come back bursting with excitement over what they saw. Funny how a
    simple oil painting can excite a little guy over an elephant! *L* I take all
    my high school classes to the museum every spring, and the kids always get
    very motivated by what they perceive as what they should have been working
    towards. Some of my talented but not-so-motivated kids come up to me and
    admit they weren't accomplishing what they should have been working towards.
    Nobody questions the use of art reproductions in the schools, but the kids
    need to know that these are a poor substitute for seeing the real thing.

    Now if I took the Remington in and expected the kids to reproduce what they
    saw in clay, then yes, I can imagine frustration. But this is elementary -
    my job is to show them how to "see". Break down the shapes and recreate
    using basic shapes. Advance from there.

    Just my 2cents worth ~Michal

    > This will probably peg me for the anal little twit I was in
    > public school but . . If I had had a Remington sculpture as a
    > model for an assignment it would probably have taken me 2 minutes
    > to discover that I could not produce an even modestly acceptable
    > "forgery" of the object. And that would have been IT!

    > I took my art and assignments seriously and expected MUCH too
    > MUCH of myself. As I grew older I became aware of that but it
    > didn't really matter. You know how little kids like to do what
    > adults do. I always had that problem and plastic or kid-sized
    > tools and projects wouldn't cut it. As A kid I couldn't accept
    > that I was at all "good" if I couldn't do work at about the same
    > level as a professional and no rational explanation by
    > well-meaning adults had any effect on my thinking there. I really
    > wanted to be an artist but it was obvious that I never would
    > be...I couldn't even get close. 

    ---

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