Arts Infusion in Alabama

Art Production Time during the Arts Infusion Workshop in Dothan, Alabama

Arts Infusion! I love that title! It perfectly describes how the arts should be presented in the classroom. Infuse them with what you already teach! I get so excited when I think about the children that will benefit from the "hands- on" working with visual art, music, dance and theatre. I had the privilege of working with teams of teachers from Grandview and Fain Schools in Dothan, Alabama. We met at Troy University of Dothan for four days working with ideas on incorporating the arts. Randy Foster, AIEA program and music director, coordinated and taught lessons in music and Tina Cherry, a teacher from Sneed, AL, assisted us.

Beginning with the Texas artist, David Bates, we explored how to use the Big Ideas from works of art with students. What do you already teach using these ideas? Man's relationship to nature or man's relationship to man? Who doesn't teach something like that during the course of a year? Our production was a collage depicting one of those relationships. It could have been from a variety of different mediums- drawing, painting, sculpting. It is getting students to realize that most art and artists have meaning and they can communicate in their works of art as well.

Tuesday, we looked at da Vinci and how he painted the Mystery Lady (Mona Lisa). Then, what does a portrait show about a person and how can we show a portrait? Wednesday, we looked at the narrative works of Jacob Lawrence. Using an art criticism technique, we compared The Apartment to van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles. Can your students do this?? Of course they can! You can find a number of works that will compare and contrast to fit your curriculum. Urban vs Rural was a theme we talked about.

It was great to see the principals and administrative staff working along side their teachers in creating artworks. It can be outside someones comfort zone to draw or paint when you haven't been given the opportunity in a few years. It is not about the final product-- it is about the process. You will improve and feel more comfortable as you PRACTICE. Your students will too!

I hope that the teachers will be excited about finding connections and giving their students tools such as creative thinking and problem solving that the arts provides. I never approach a painting or drawing without THINKING- it is a continuous thought and problem solving attempt when you create art.

Thanks to all who made it a great week- the principals, Todd Weeks and Deloris Potter, the program coordinators, and the staff of both schools. Thanks too to the Dothan city schools Director of Elementary Curriculum Services, Susan Loftin, for inviting us to come.

Keep Making Art!

Durinda