An essay on elementary Visual Art
This article concerns prescribed ways for children to feasibly resemble primary source artifacts. For example molding then painting clay from selection and observation of a Native American mask, rather than wood carving or practicing reading and writing about them. Classes that saw indigenous masks were briefly explained a ritual dance context along with reason for which they were generally made then worn, and at my discretion, students likewise designed original embodiments of supernatural power. This entailed assigning children to imagine an extraordinary ability and to visually express it in a face covering. Individual ideas included a mask to breathe underwater via multiple mouths, one to help its wearer experience meeting Janet Jackson, as well as one with crocodile-like teeth.
A few months after turning mask sketches into painted ceramic sculptures students were quizzed. Typed questions prompted each child handwrite what they knew about Native American masks along with some more recently completed history requirements. This included Mandan village huts, which 2nd graders had all prefabricated models of by casting metal bowl armatures in paper mache and then painted brown to imitate sod. Students read, comprehended, and wrote legible but short answers to the questions. In most cases they listed brown or round to recall the engineered huts, and used a sentence to explain the masks are for summoning supernatural power.
A few months after turning mask sketches into painted ceramic sculptures students were quizzed. Typed questions prompted each child handwrite what they knew about Native American masks along with some more recently completed history requirements. This included Mandan village huts, which 2nd graders had all prefabricated models of by casting metal bowl armatures in paper mache and then painted brown to imitate sod. Students read, comprehended, and wrote legible but short answers to the questions. In most cases they listed brown or round to recall the engineered huts, and used a sentence to explain the masks are for summoning supernatural power.
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| 2nd grade mask drawing |
Another illustration that mathematically applied an architectural concept began when I identified a research topic. That is to say I found and photographed lobbies with ceramic tile flooring. Next, I started to draw solid-color tiles using pencils on graph paper. These did not include any unobserved geometric shapes or unique tessellations, however to scale pixelated-like patterns into my own areas of a larger paper, I setup tile-to-motif length measurement ratios and solved proportions. For Greek keys to intersect at each perimeter corner in a continuous pattern, my drawn axes and plot points also had to be precise. Toward the center is a collage of parakeets with rolled up diplomas under their wings. This image was first computer scanned, scaled and reprinted from a vinyl recording for phonically "training" pet birds. Finally, I titled my certificate parody.
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| Parakeet Diploma, 30" x 22" |
Accredited grade schools have informed training visual art and English. When monitoring the aforementioned mask drawings, I observed a student who had explored multiple sketches. Their separate disguises which were boxed and numbered on the same page yet without any dialogue, led to the sculpture plans also becoming superhuman themed comic strips. Lead-in lessons typically review handwriting captions and speech bubbles for pre-made panels and caricatures then storyboarding individually with rulers. Homeroom teachers have identified more plot queries plus objectives for comics.
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| 2nd grade comic with onomatopoeia, 12" x 18" |
More cross-subject study began with an eight-year-old's rhetorical question. While animating Native American pictographs they asked, "why can't we draw black holes?" Subsequent classes have encouraged 3-dimensional expressions in uniform chronology. Introduction usually demonstrates a gelatinous cube jumping up and then being weighted down as if by its mass and gravity. When assigning 4th graders to come up with ideas for an animated video on outer space, one immediately wanted to know more about the first monkey in space. Their curiosity about the earliest space flights led them to depict a scrolling “1961” for the year Yuri Gagarin became the first human. Another permitted use of text exclaimed “Oh no, a black hole.” One depicted sublimation from pressure in comet tails. A 12-column storyboard and pre-numbered frames helped children understand a 12-frames per second rate, in addition to counting drawings in my 3-second demo. Animators explore kinetic concepts of velocity and acceleration. Collaboration with a science teacher could help plan specific objectives.
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| 4th grade animation frame, 4" x 6" |
Art teachers have written developmental rationales for allowing elementary classes to be creative. For example “The First Visual Symbols” discusses children’s artwork as evidence of physical development. It describes a “sensory logic stage” (Burton, 1980, p.61) where basic cognitive and sensory motor skills are honed through experience with tools and materials. Observing diverse transitions between using pre-representational and representational symbols backed this teacher's reasoning that art lessons should allow pupils to change ideas as they work. The convoke Janet Jackson masks suggested sensory logic. This 2nd grader's preparatory, carnivalesque mask drawing became more abstract when clay sculpting. Upon glazing and being prompted to jot down a title to explain or amplify the finished mask, they near correctly spelled, “Michael Jackson Face.” Physical maturity and practice would likely make requiring more realism appropriate. In the meantime this student also wondered, "what happened to Michael?" Supposing they surveyed their peers, class would aim to share ideas or techniques for sculpting, painting or perhaps choreographing.
To teach visual art I recommend schools plan relevant, inquiry-based subject dialogues along with related, problem solving activities. Then assess if creativity helped children learn the intended subject objectives. In the interests of studying art history I suggest elementary schools prioritize literacy.
References
Burton, J. (1980). Developing Minds: The First Visual Symbols. School Arts. (October Issue), p.60 - 65.