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Lesson Plans


Creativity

From: Patricia Knott (pknott)
Date: Thu Jun 29 2000 - 12:22:36 PDT

  • Next message: PHimmelber: "Re: Talent and Kinkaide...."

    > This reminds me of a child psychology class I took. The professor was
    > complaining about the lack of creativity in todayıs children. I disagreed with
    > him ­ I thought kids still had plenty of creativity. Over the weekend I went
    > to a party for my cousinıs promotion. They had hired a moon walk ­ carnival
    > game for the kids. The other kids soon grew tired of just jumping and started
    > whining. My three kid-aged cousins invented game after game to play in the
    > moon walk. When it was picked up, my cousin taught the other kid guests how
    > to play statues, simon says and several other games. On Monday I told the
    > professor ­ Your right no kids outside of my family have any creativity any
    > more.

    I have been reading ALL the posts about talent and trying to figure out how
    to respond. I have so much to say but feel I can't be as articulate as
    Larry and Henry, in particular. I am especially interested in pursuing the
    idea of why so many of our youngsters lack "creative thinking" skills. For
    the past couple of years, I have sacrificed teaching technique in my
    advanced classes- just to get the kids to think a little more. I started
    thinking that those kids with "talent" will go on to art schools no matter
    what I do and learn plenty of technique (although, I am in disbelief as to
    what I see going on in some of the "best' art schools.) and that my job was
    better served at having the students experiment with thinking and pushing
    themselves with concepts no matter how "primitive " the results may be. I
    give many projects where I limit the materials and state a concept and see
    where they can go with it. I always require journal/sketchbook entries to
    document the thinking process. I evaluate more on that then the final
    product.
    I have many students that can draw fabulously and they have been told all
    their lives that they have "talent." Yes they do, but they are not
    extending that talent into making art. We have to start looking at what we
    promote as talented art students. I have students that "think out of the
    box" but feel they have no potential because they "can't draw." Yet, I
    have students that draw incredibly but never get beyond that because they
    feel safe with what everyone has called a talent.

    Who gets considered to be an artist today seems to more to do with promotion
    than what "it" is about. I find I am looking more and more at little known
    artists than those promoted by the major galleries.(BTW There is a magazine
    on the stands called New American Paintings. It is costly - $20. but it
    renews my faith that there are some people out there making good art.) And
    why is it that the museums rely on "blockbuster" shows like any of the
    Impressionists to keep themselves going? Right now I'm trying to figure out
    how I explain why Jeff Koons topiary in Rockefeller plaza is art?

    I think this is a good thread going through the list right now. I apologize
    for not being as specific as I'd like to be. But, I am a passionate artist,
    and I have stick by my beliefs in what "art is." And, I guess, I believe
    that our job as art educators is to open creative avenues for ALL we teach.
    I have tracked our graduates, and at least 10% have gone into art related
    fields. I wonder about those I have touched that don't, because that's the
    majority. Every time I write curriculum or oversee the writing on levels I
    don't teach I ask "what do you want to leave these kids with that may never
    take another art class, ever?"

    Patty 

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