Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.

Lesson Plans


Re: mistakes and portfolios

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]
Kem (kml156)
Tue, 03 Mar 1998 01:37:57 -0500

After reading Reatha's response to students destroying their work, I agree
with her. Keeping portfolios is a good idea for artists of any age. I have
kept most of my work and when I look back on it now, I can critique it more
objectively. Usually, I get so involved in my work that it's hard for me to
step back from it and look at it to see what I like and what mistakes I've
made. If I work on other projects and time goes by, I can go through my
previous work and make improvements on future works based on my past
mistakes. I know that there have been some pieces that I've wanted to
destroy because I thought that they were so bad and I didn't want to
remember them, but now I'm glad that I saved them because I can see my
progress. I think that this will benefit students greatly and help them
see how they've grown as artisits.
Kem Leonard
Penn State student

>Keeping work:
>My students have portfolios in which they place everything that they do.
>Mistakes and successes. They know that at the end of the semester we will go
>through and decide what is to remain in the portfolio. This includes mistakes
>as well as successes. They are encouraged to take home as much as possible.
>But I am looking for a few really good pieces and a few of the mistakes to
>stay. I will keep this portfolio until they graduate. They will either
>continue to take art and continue to add to it or it will just be stored in
>the art department until they graduate. From this on-going portfolio we will
>develop presentation portfolios for other purposes.
>They know that I keep two portfolios myself. One is my presentation portfolio
>and the other is my working portfolio. I keep anything that I want to remember
>in my working portfolio. Some of the things in that portfolio are pretty
>strange. But they serve as reminders to me.
>I think that the fact that I keep their work for all that time makes an
>impression on them. I don't have the problem of crumpled up mini-mistakes so
>much anymore.
>But I do have a growing number of risk takers. And I like that.
>Reatha
>
>