dream catcher collage video

(Exquisite Corps Workshop)

The Kids worked hard on their Paper Bag Masks to use in the Exquisite Corps Video.

These masks are based off of a character of each child's choosing. Most of the kids got their inspiration from Halloween creatures, after all Halloween is just around the corner.

This process was the first of many that we utilized to create our collaborative video.

YOu Can see the Care and concentration that the children took in creating their masks.

P.S. The final video is coming soon.

We have these great pictures thanks to Madelyn!

Video/New Media Workshop Lesson Plans (part five)

Characters in Narrative Writing and Play Acting

Objective:

Participants will explore Narrative form threw play acting with puppets and shoe box sets.

Materials:

Shoe boxes, small boxes, construction paper, craft glue, hot glue, pom-poms, feathers, scissors, old gloves, googley eyes, yarn, ribbon buttons, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, fabric, collage papers, old photographs, pop sickle sticks, old fashioned cloths pens, card board.

Motivation/ Inspiration: If I were any character who would I be? How would I act? Would I be a human? Would I be and animal? Would I be and object, like a house or a baseball or a chare? What special powers would I have? Would I behave differently when I was sad/ happy/ excited/ angry/ confused/ nervous/ scared? How would the character differ form my actual self? Would my character have any talents? What types of people/ animals/ monsters/ or creatures would your character hang out with? What type of stories would your character be in? Where will your character live? What will my characters eat? What will they say to each other?

Warm-Up:

Draw a design for your set. Draw your characters. Discussion about traditional narrative structure.

                                 Activity:

Participants will write a brief traditional narrative. They will be instructed to keep plot, characters, setting in mind. After writing for 10 to 20 minutes participants will move on to create a mini set out of a shoe box and some puppets based off of characters from there writings. Some puppet making techniques will be discussed. When the sets and puppets are completed students will perform their narrative for a camera. There finished narrative should be no longer then 2-5 minutes. Note: this class may take more then one session depending on the time needed to write and create.

Follow-up:

Personal art experience journaling exercise: Participant should write one to ten lines about their experience in class. Sample questions to answer: What was my favorite thing about today’s class? What did I not enjoy about today’s class? What are 3 things I learned? What are 3 things I am proud of? How did I feel after today’s class? Is there any thing that I want to state about my art piece? Note: if the child is not developmentally capable of writing it is encouraged that the child draw a picture or verbalize what they would like to be written and it be transcribed by a volunteer.

Historical/Conceptual Notes:

A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by a puppeteer. It is usually - but by no means always - a depiction of a human character, and is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre. The puppet undergoes a process of transformation through being animated, and is normally manipulated by at least one puppeteer.There are many different varieties of puppets, and they are made of a wide range of materials, depending on their form and intended use. They can be extremely complex or very simple in their construction. They may even be found objects. As Oscar Wilde wrote, "There are many advantages in puppets. They never argue. They have no crude views about art. They have no private lives".

Video/New Media Workshop Lesson Plans (part four)

Discover Persistence of Vision Thaumatropes and Flip-book Animation

Objective:

Participants will discover the phenomenon of Persistence of vision threw hands on experience. They will each create thaumatropes and flip book. These activities will create a basis for the understanding of how film and video works. They will also learn a rough early history of cinema.

Materials:

Disks made from ¼ inch birch plywood, yarn, ribbon, eyelets, mod-podge/clear coat spray, sand paper, paint pens, acrylic paint, colored sand, fine glitter, small rind stones, bangles, sequins, collage materials, brushes, old photographs, scissors, pre made flip books, ink pens colored pincels, journals

Warm-Up:

Play with thaumatropes that the art play team has made. After Image Exercise Participants will make thaumatropes from wooden disks. Participants will make traditional and non-traditional flipbooks.

Follow-up:

Personal art experience journaling exercise: Participant should write one to ten lines about their experience in class. Sample questions to answer: What was my favorite thing about today’s class? What did I not enjoy about today’s class? What are 3 things I learned? What are 3 things I am proud of? How did I feel after today’s class? Is there any thing that I want to state about my art piece? Note: if the child is not developmentally capable of writing it is encouraged that the child draw a picture or verbalize what they would like to be written and it be transcribed by a volunteer.

Historical/Conceptual Notes:

Persistence of vision is the phenomenon of the eye by which an afterimage is thought to persist for approximately one twenty-fifth of a second on the retina.

A thaumatrope is a toy that was popular in Victorian times. A disk or card with a picture on each side is attached to two pieces of string. When the strings are twirled quickly between the fingers the two pictures appear to combine into a single image due to persistence of vision.

The invention of the thaumatrope is usually credited to either John Ayrton Paris or Peter Mark Roget. Paris used one to demonstrate persistence of vision to the Royal College of Physicians in London in 1824. He based his invention on ideas of the astronomer John Herschel and the geologist William Henry Fitton, and some sources attribute the actual invention to Fitton rather than Paris. Others claim that Charles Babbage was the inventor.

Examples of common thaumatrope pictures include a bare tree on one side of the disk, and its leaves on the other, or a bird on one side and a cage on the other. They often also included riddles or short poems, with one line on each side.

Thaumatropes were one of a number of simple, mechanical optical toys that used persistence of vision. They are recognised as important antecedents of cinematography and in particular of animation.

The coined name translates roughly as "wonder turner", from Ancient Greek: θαῦμα "wonder" and τρόπος "turn".

A flip book or flick book is a book with a series of pictures that vary gradually from one page to the next, so that when the pages are turned rapidly, the pictures appear to animate by simulating motion or some other change. Flip books are often illustrated books for children, but may also be geared towards adults and employ a series of photographs rather than drawings. Flip books are not always separate books, but may appear as an added feature in ordinary books or magazines, often in the page corners. Software packages and websites are also available that convert digital video files into custom-made flip books.

Flipbooks are essentially a primitive form of animation. Like motion pictures, they rely on persistence of vision to create the illusion that continuous motion is being seen rather than a series of discontinuous images being exchanged in succession. Rather than "reading" left to right, a viewer simply stares at the same location of the pictures in the flipbook as the pages turn. The book must also be flipped with enough speed for the illusion to work, so the standard way to "read" a flip book is to hold the book with one hand and flip through its pages with the thumb of the other hand. The German word for flipbook—Daumenkino, literally "thumb cinema"—reflects this process.

Video/New Media Workshop Lesson Plans (part three)

Instant Shadow Murals

Objective:

Students will be introduced to concepts of performance art, They will learn about how to create compositions keeping positive and negative space in mind, students will be introduced to the history of the shadow puppet theater, students will be introduced to the history of Latin American mural painting,and introduced to art placed in the public realm.

Materials:

Screen (big white sheets), Light kit, two flip video cameras, two tripods, Mac book pro, our bodies, speakers or a boom box for mood music, journals, clip lights, staple gun, colored light bulbs.

Motivation/ Inspiration:

If I could express anything to anyone who would it be? What would I say to some one like Oprah, President Obama, Justin Bieber ect.? How could I portray these issues threw an art expression? Can one person make a difference in the world? What things can one do in his or her own life to make a positive change in the world? How can I work with others (friends, family, school mates) to make a change?

Warm-Up: 

Hand sculpture exercise then body sculpture exercise

Activity:

Participants will journal about statement that they would like to make to a community. They will sketch tableaus based on the statements that they would like to communicate. Students will consider how human bodies can be sculpted into props, back drop, wardrobe. Participants will be split up into small or medium groups they will use a their tableau sketches as references to act out scenes using their bodies. They after each group has rehearsed and feels comfortable with the tableau that they have created we will transfer it to behind the screen. Their shadow silhouette will then be photographed and videoed. If there is enough time the groups can collaborate to make one giant all inclusive shadow mural. The class will then look at what they have made and compose statements to be viewed with the shadow murals.

Follow-up:

Personal art experience journaling exercise: Participant should write one to ten lines about their experience in class. Sample questions to answer: What was my favorite thing about today’s class? What did I not enjoy about today’s class? What are 3 things I learned? What are 3 things I am proud of? How did I feel after today’s class? Is there any thing that I want to state about my art piece? Note: if the child is not developmentally capable of writing it is encouraged that the child draw a picture or verbalize what they would like to be written and it be transcribed by a volunteer.

Historical/Conceptual Notes:

A mural is any piece of artwork painted directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. Murals of sorts date to Upper Paleolithic times such as the paintings in the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche department of southern France (around 30.000 BC). Many ancient murals have survived in Egyptian tombs (around 3150 BC),[1] the Minoan palaces (Middle period III of the Neopalatial period, 1700-1600 BC) and in Pompeii (around 100 BC - AD 79).

In modern times the term became more well-known with the Mexican "muralista" art movement (Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros, or José Orozco). There are many different styles and techniques. The best-known is probably fresco, which uses water-soluble paints with a damp lime wash, a rapid use of the resulting mixture over a large surface, and often in parts (but with a sense of the whole). The colors lighten as they dry. The marouflage method has also been used for millennia.

Murals today are painted in a variety of ways, using oil or water-based media. The styles can vary from abstract to trompe-l'œil (a French term for "fool" or "trick the eye"). Initiated by the works of mural artists like Graham Rust or Rainer Maria Latzke in the 1980s, trompe-l'oeil painting has experienced a renaissance in private and public buildings in Europe. Today, the beauty of a wall mural has become much more widely available with a technique whereby a painting or photographic image is transferred to poster paper or canvas which is then pasted to a wall surface (see wallpaper, Frescography) to give the effect of either a hand-painted mural or realistic scene.

Shadow play or shadow puppetry is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment using opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving images. It is popular in various cultures. At present, more than 20 countries are known to have shadow show troupes.

Performance art refers largely to a performance which is presented to an audience but which does not seek to present a conventional theatrical play or a formal linear narrative, or which alternately does not seek to depict a set of fictitious characters in formal scripted interactions. It therefore will often include some form of action or spoken word which is a form of direct communication between the artist and audience, rather than a script written beforehand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNNNIz2Y1q0&feature=channel

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This is a Super Cool Example of Shadow Dance.

Painting: Keeping Brush Strokes in Mind

My Power Point on Brush Strokes and Painting Techniques

This is the power point presentation that I gave before the participants were asked to paint utilizing their choice of brush strokes. The participants were exposed to several different art historical periods and painting techniques.

A Portrait of Miss Emily Talking Loud 

11"x17" 

Acrylic on Board

An Interpretation Of the Colors a Sky Can Be

13"x11"

Acrylic on Board

Green Textures

10"x11"

Acrylic on Board

My Daughter's Name in Dots
8.5"x11"
Acrylic on Board

Collaborative Dream Catcher

Collaborative Dream Catcher: Our Experiences with Domestic Violence

Dream Catcher College Video<<click here)

   At the Kansas City art institute we have several programs that help us as artists make connections with and help the community using our unique skill sets. Through this idea of artists being able to help the community in special ways I have become very involved in a program called Artplay. Artplay is a collective of artists that go to high-risk communities and offer learning opportunities, positive mentorship, a venue for expression, and sometimes just fun using art as the means to do this. A community that I have been working with is children of battered women at Rosebrook’s a local battered woman’s shelter.  We usually teach fun art or creative movement classes for an hour and one half each week. Sometimes we help the children beautify the premises by mural painting and making collaborative sculpture.  This past week we were privileged to be able to sit in on one of the children’s group therapy sessions and come up with an art therapeutic way to discuss the topic more.  Since the month of October is domestic violence awareness month we talked about our experiences with domestic violence.  As a class we came up with lists of ways that domestic violence could affect us, our families and, our communities. After that we utilized a large hula-hoop to make a web/dream catcher type structure.  The threads of the web came from everyone in a circle passing a yarn ball around. People that had similar experiences with domestic violence and abuse would pass the yarn to each other.  For example I would ask, “Has domestic violence affected your pets?” If three children were to answer yes to the question the yarn ball would be passed to each of those three and as they were winding the yarn around their section they could tell their story about there experience with domestic violence and pets. We went threw the list and made our webs pretty dense.  Then at the end of that class we talked about how we have shared experiences and how because as a group we understand what each other has been threw we have support and safety. It was a great class. We experienced group catharsis. We experienced togetherness. We learned about each other. We had fun!!!!

Video/New Media Workshop Lesson Plans (part two)

Capturing the Sound of Percussion for Video

Objective:

To learn about how sound for video is captured, to be exposed to sound equipment, to learn about composing rhythms, make connections between sound and mood, to be exposed to different cultures that utilize percussion instruments in music.

Materials:

Pots, pans, spoons, rice, beans, rhythm sticks, toilet paper roles, wax paper, rubber bands, string, ribbon, stapler, pie tins, nuts, bolts, plastic Easter eggs, sand, rocks, coins, micro phones and recording equipment, view sonic projector, final cut pro, video from previous week, Mac book pro, body sound recorder or a stethoscope, snare drum, bongo, mic. Drums.

Motivation/Inspiration:

What is my favorite type of sound (music, voices, air conditioner, air planes, motorcycles, animals, ect.)? Where do sounds come from? What do sounds look like? Do certain types of sound affect my moods or the way that I feel? How is sound used in the movies that I watch? If my character had a sound/theme/song or rhythm associated with him/her what would it be? What are some sounds I hear in a field? What are some sounds I hear in a neighborhood? What are some sounds I hear in the city? What sounds does my body make? What does sadness/ happiness/ anger/ excitement/peace/sound like? What is the fastest sound that you have herd? What is the slowest?

Warm up:

Room noise exercise: participants will close eyes for 30 seconds to one minute being silent in a silent room. The participants will be prompted to listen to silence.  After the time period is over participants will be asked to comment on what was heard in a silent room. No instruments needed exercise: Talk about sounds that can be created with ones body (clapping, stomping, teeth chattering, mouth noises, ect.) We’ve got rhythm exercise: participants are asked to follow a series of rhythms created by the instructor.

Activity:

Participants will view the exquisite corps video from previous week. With the video and their character in mind the participants will create or obtain a few percussion instruments of they’re choosing. These instruments will be created with everyday household items. After the procreation of instruments the class will compose a series of rhythms. Participants will practice the rhythms and then perform the composed rhythms for a recording devise. After class the sound that is recorded will be applied to the exquisite corps video by the instructor. The final video will be screened during the next class.

 Follow up:

Personal art experience journaling exercise: Participant should write one to ten lines about their experience in class. Sample questions to answer: What was my favorite thing about today’s class? What did I not enjoy about today’s class? What are 3 things I learned? What are 3 things I am proud of? How did I feel after today’s class? Is there any thing that I want to state about my art piece? Note: if the child is not developmentally capable of writing it is encouraged that the child draw a picture or verbalize what they would like to be written and it be transcribed by a volunteer.

Historical /Conceptual Notes:

A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. The term usually applies to an object used in a rhythmic context or with musical intent.

Anthropologists and historians often speculate that percussion instruments were the first musical devices ever created. The human voice was probably the first musical instrument, but percussion instruments such as hands and feet, then sticks, rocks, and logs were almost certainly the next steps in the evolution of music.

Many caves in France, near Caberets and Grotte du Pech Merle, are believed to have been inhabited by early human communities. In those caves, anthropologists have observed red dots, which appear in most places where other carvings/paintings appear. It is believed that the dots/markings were formed by people who would tap or hammer those parts of the rock which have obvious acoustic significance; tapping those particular places causes tones which resonate throughout the cavern (like the echo of voices in a giant cathedral or drums in a large hall). This may be proof that humans were aware of the acoustic properties of percussion instruments and resonating chambers as early as 25,000 years ago; through much speculation suggests that humans likely used percussion instruments long before that.

As humans developed tools for hunting and eventually agriculture, their skill and technology enabled them to craft more complex instruments. For example, a simple log may have been carved to produce louder tones (a log drum) and instruments may have been combined to produce multiple tones (as in a 'set' of log drums).

Percussion instruments play not only rhythm, but also melody and harmony.

Percussion is commonly referred to as "the backbone" or "the heartbeat" of a musical ensemble, often working in close collaboration with bass instruments, when present. In jazz and other popular music ensembles, the bassist and the drummer are often referred to as the rhythm section. Most classical pieces written for full orchestra since the time of Haydn and Mozart are orchestrated to place emphasis on the strings, woodwinds, and brass. However, often at least one pair of timpani is included, though they rarely play continuously. Rather, they serve to provide additional accents when needed. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, other percussion instruments (like the triangle or cymbals) have been used, again relatively sparingly in general. The use of percussion instruments became more frequent in the twentieth century classical music.

In almost every style of music, percussion plays a pivotal role. In military marching bands and pipes and drums, it is the beat of the bass drum that keeps the soldiers in step and at a regular speed, and it is the snare that provides that crisp, decisive air to the tune of a regiment. In classic jazz, one almost immediately thinks of the distinctive rhythm of the hi-hats or the ride cymbal when the word "swing" is spoken. In more recent popular music culture, it is almost impossible to name three or four rock, hip-hop, rap, funk or even soul charts or songs that do not have some sort of percussive beat keeping the tune in time.

Because of the diversity of percussive instruments, it is not uncommon to find large musical ensembles composed entirely of percussion. Rhythm, melody, and harmony are all represented in these ensembles.