Arts Explorer #10: Community Arts Project

Art word of the week: Space

"Artists use space in different ways. Some artworks are completely filled with vibrant colours and exciting designs (positive space), with little white paper (negative space) showing" (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142)

How can a community arts project cover positive or negative space?

One Camp, One Love

Believes that all children deserve the chance to lead an active lifestyle.

Believes that children benefit holistically from participating in recreation programs such as Summer Fun Camps.

We believe (children and our community) can help other children have the chance to participate in active recreation programs and live an active lifestyle through low costs. 

Jerry Love Children's Fund
He was an advocate for all children and believed no matter the families' financial situations, children deserved to participate in recreation programs.
Mayor Hazel McCallion recognized his dreams by renaming the fund after him: The Jerry Love Children's Fund.
Since the fund began in 1985, it has provided memorable recreation experiences for 11, 094 children in Mississauga. 

OUR BIG IDEA!!
To promote US (children and our community) to help other children have the chance to participate in active recreation programs and live in active lifestyle through low cost effective ways; THROUGH schools and the greater community!!

3 ways to stay a healthy kid this summer...
1. Eat Healthy
2. Get Active
3. Have fun doing it! 
Introduction of CAMP!

After the presentation:

The presentation of ONE CAMP, ONE LOVE went extremely well. We stressed the importance of diminishing childhood obesity and getting children to recreation programs for the summer. Incorporating the YMCA song into our presentation was an effective way to get the audience listening to our idea. We also created our version of the "breast cancer" ribbons. The reason why we chose this design was because green and blue both symbolize the outdoors and our goal was to get all children into recreation programs during the summer.

 One Camp, One Love. Diminish childhood obesity and get children into recreation programs this summer. Educate them on the importance of a healthy living! Be happy, eat healthy and get active!

My group worked well together and we all have very creative ideas in how to present the idea of childhood obesity! Being a healthy kid and seeing healthy kids is one things that keeps us interested in the field of ECE. No matter what you do with kids, seeing a smile on their faces and knowing that you have made a difference in their life, is an accomplishment as an educator :) 

Reference

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children 

        (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar

 

Arts Explorer #9: Guerilla Art

Art word of the Week: Line

What is a line? It can be something that you draw with a pencil that continuously flows throughout the page. It can be something to which your imagination goes with no limitations. A line can be a pattern, a shape or a reflection. Yes, a reflection; simple yet to the point. No matter what the definition, a line will always be interpreted by each unique individual. 

When applying a "line" to guerilla art, I chose a banana. A banana, to me, is a line. A line that covers the surface of a space and generally...tastes good. 

I found a banana in my house and decided to draw a face and place it outside hanging off of a tree. If I were a casual Joe walking down the street and happen to see a banana hanging off of a tree, I too would stop, look and question. My first reaction would be, "What was the person thinking wasting a really good banana?" But then I would stop and say, "What was the purpose of the banana hanging from the tree?" The possibilities could be anything and that...is something to each person's content. 

 

This is my guerilla art! The concept behind Mr.Banana Man was the idea to get someone to stop and think. I know that if it was me who was witnessing odd behaviour, I would stop....and think. So I put people to the ultimate test!

Mr.Banana Man hanging out

Children running to Mr.Banana Man

Examining

 

Removing Mr.Banana Man

Let's just say...Mr.Banana Man was eaten. These children instantly showed an interest in the weird and strange guerilla art. It was interesting to see how people reacted to Mr.Banana Man. They seemed surprised to see a banana with a smiley face hanging off of a tree. Another interesting observation was the fact that these children just ran onto the driveway of this strangers house. But the nice thing about living in a neighborhood is that everyone knows everyone. When the children ate the banana, I came out and asked them what they thought of Mr.Banana Man. They looked at me and laughed and asked me "Why is I put it there?" I answered, "Well its for my school. I wanted to see your reactions to something strange." They all got a kick out of Mr.Banana Man and are now looking forward to see him again...in the near future. 

As a future ECE educator, I plan on working with children in creating guerilla art. Its a good way to get children thinking outside the box. What is strange? What is cool? Or what will get people thinking? All these questions will get children thinking as well. Keeping an open mind about art will help in their artistic development. Not everything has to be to "the book" but rather taking something simple, like a banana, and transforming it into a piece of art. 

 

Arts Explorer #8: Pretend Play and Magical Thinking

Art word of the week: Mass or Volume

"Mass and volume are appropriate criteria for critiquing three-dimensional art, which has height, length and width" (Fox & Schirrmacher, 2009, p. 142). When you walk down the streets of downtown Toronto, what do you mainly see? Sky scrapers, business buildings, the Toronto Eaton Center, Old City Hall, the CTV building...the list goes on and on.

When you, as an educator, do a three-dimensional activity with a group of children, you have to let their imagination soar. Allow them to create an object or a person and have that creation come to life. Children can also take a building from downtown Toronto and say it looks like a giant mountain and people have to climb that mountain to get to the top. Well, you can then ask, "What will they see when they reach the top?" By then, the imagination is ready to be explored....

This is Charlie FanFare

Charlie Fanfare is the type of guy that likes to be outdoors. Not only is he cool and collected but he really knows how to carry a conversation. His personality is very laid back, outgoing, likes to have a fun time and most importantly, loves watching movies. His favourite is Charlie and the Chocolate factory. Why? Well why wouldn't you like a movie that has the main character has the same name as you. Another one of his favourite hobbies is to roller blade. Sometimes he can roller blade for 5 hours STRAIGHT! I think he's crazy but he loves doing it. I asked him one day why he would rather roller blade for 5 hours instead of 1 or 2, he says he likes the wind in his hair. Charlie comes from a very active family. His mother, Anabelle, is a beautician. She loves giving people makeovers...especially Charlie. His father, Bill, was a marathon runner. At times, he use to run for 6 hours, NONSTOP! I guess that's why Charlie can roller blade for 5 hours without being tired. Unfortunately, Charlie does not have any siblings. But he does have a dog name Scout. As children, Charlie and Scout use to play ball outside of their house. All the neighborhood kids would be terrified of Scout but I never understood why because Scout...is a Chiwawa. Charlie is not fluent in any other languages except for English. He took a Spanish and French course but dropped out because he couldn't get past "Hola" and "Bonjour"

Two of Charlie's favourite foods are pasta and pizza. He had a friend once who brought pizza everyday for lunch. Charlie thought it was super cool to have pizza for lunch everyday so he pitched the idea to his mother. His mother looked at him and said, "No" Charlie was devastated so he would buy pizza everyday at school. This went for 2 weeks when Charlie got sick. The doctor told him that he became sick because of the amount of pizzas he was eating. When his mother found out, boy was he in trouble! 

Charlie Fanfare is a character to know. He always has a smile on his face and loves having a good time. People say, when they first meet him, that he has a real sense of humor. He enjoys playing pranks on his friends and family and is constantly telling jokes. Meeting Charlie would be someone that you will NEVER forget. 

This activity was very interesting. I could go on and on about Charlie Fanfare. Children should be encouraged to bring an inanimate object to life. It allows them to think outside the box and to explore their surroundings. As I was doing this activity, I felt like a kid again! It's entertaining, fun and above all, educational. 

"You're never to old to be a kid again"

Reference

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children 

        (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar

Arts Explorer #7: Grocery Shopping with a Twist

Art word of the week: Colour

Colour can be anything that you want it to be! Colour can be bright, dark, strong, weak, vibrant, seductive, powerful, cold or hot, etc. When you mix two colours together, what colour do you get? Is it something you expected? Is it a new colour? 

Our world is surrounded by colour. When you get dressed in the morning, when you take a bite out of your big RED apple, when you hop into you GREEN car...whatever it may be, colour is present. When I was younger, I use to see pictures of my grandmother as a child. Those pictures were taken in black and white. As a child, I use to ask "Grandma, did you have colour back in your time?" She use to laugh and say "Of course we did! Just the type of camera we used did not"

 I work in a grocery store and everyday I'm surrounded by colourful foods (tasty ones too might I add). My section in the grocery store is the Deli Department. When you first look at the meat, you never really understand how can certain meats (such as chicken and turkey) be completely different. Yes taste wise...they are different but when you look at their colour, some are difficult to distinguish. 

Types of Meat:

Chicken:

- Colour: White

-Flavours: Mediterranean, Thai, BBQ, Oven Roasted, Smoked, Cooked, Cajun, Seasoned

Turkey:

-Colour: Pink

-Flavours: Oven Roasted, Smoked, Cooked, Sun-dried tomato and basil, Montreal style, Savory herb, Honey, Mesquite, Fat Free

Ham:

-Colour: Pink

-Flavours: Brown Sugar and Maple, Black Forest, Honey Maple, Pepper, Fat Free, Honey Garlic, Rosemary, Tuscany, Cooked, Prosciutto

Roast Beef:

-Colour: brown, red

-Flavours: Cooked (well done), Oven Roasted, All Beef Salami, Red grill angus (rare), Cornbeef, Pastrami, Smoked meat

Pork:

-Colour: Pink, red, brown

-Flavours: Red Pepper Salami, Ground Black Peppercorn, Genoa hot and mild Salami, Hungarian and German Salami, Mortdaella (regular, light and hot), Calabresse (hot and mild), Summer Sausage

 

Because I've come to know what each of these meats tastes, looks and feels, I have chosen three kinds that show how different these meats are.

In a classroom setting, many educators chose fruits and vegetables as some of the topics to discuss in class. I believe that educators should introduce meat products as a way to get children aware of a variety of foods. It is important for children to be exposed to taste, look and texture of food especially when it comes to meat.

Arts Explorer #6: Collaging With Scissors

Art word of the week: Design and Compostion

"Did the artist accomplish what he or she originally set out to do? Do line, shape, colour, texture and form blend and work together as a unified whole?" (Fox & Schirrmacher, 2009, p.142). When collaging with scissors the answer to those questions are yes.

Introducing originality when teaching children how to express themselves, can be a challenging thing, especially when it is about themselves. Some children may have difficulty expressing their emotions and how they view themselves, but allowing children to gather information (such as things they like, dislike, what makes them unique, etc).

 Activity: EXPRESS YOURSELF!

Step 1: Grab a piece of paper. You could use construction paper or regular paper...whichever you prefer. OR you could use the computer (which is what I chose to do)

Step 2: Start thinking about what inspires you, what are your interests, your dislikes (maybe), your views on the world, places you've been that you've fell in love with. This may be interesting for young children because they are not at that stage where they really know or comprehend what they like or dislike. So as an educator, encouraging them to place any object on a sheet of paper that has meaning to them. Once they've placed the object, start building on what they have. Other than that....start brainstorming

Step 3: Place each picture, word or letter onto the sheet of paper or on the computer. Once everything that been placed according to your standards, take a step back and observe your creation! 

Children learn from collaging because it allows them to have a better self-concept of who they are. They may know that they prefer blue over green or Disney Princesses over Spiderman...whichever it may be, children are allowing themselves to understand more about themselves. 

You can also do this activity when you want children to see how they view the world. Providing children the opportunity to choose colours, pictures or sayings that best describe their definition of the world. Either way, children need to develop their self-concept by understanding and expressing who they are and what makes them...unique!

Reference

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children 

        (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar

Arts Explorer #5: Eternal Sunshine

Art word of the week: Balance

"Balance involves how an artist uses positive and negative space"  (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, P 142). I chose this word because it metaphorically speaks for the movie. The balance between removing the negative space of remembering someone you use to love and the positive space between wanting them. 

This is the conversation that my partner Krystal and I had about Eternal Sunshine.

Krystal: Hey girl how did you find the movie Eternal Sunshine?

Katherine: It was good. weird at first, didnt get it, but near the end....things started coming together. How about you?

Krystal: At first I was very confused. The beginning started of oddly

Katherine: I agree. half way through the beginning, the introduction came on...saying the actors and the publication...i was lost! lol

Krystal: Exactly!!

Katherine: I really liked how you were able to see the process of him forgetting about clementine 
Krystal: I found that pretty interesting and I liked the twist at the end when she went to go get Joel erased from her memory. I found the whole aspect of removing your memories pretty interesting

Katherine: How would you feel if there was a way to remove someone from your memory completely? would you do it?

Krystal: Honestly I don't know if I would consider removing someone from my memory. I believe people come and go from your lives for a reason. There is a purpose why they came into your life at that time. Whether it's a positive or negative. how about you?

Katherine: The concept of removing someone is definitely interesting but i wouldnt erase someone, especially on Valentines Day. People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. And simply by removing them just because they broke your heart or because of hatred, it just isnt ethical

Krystal: I completely agree. The concept of removing someone is interesting but what happens if they erased some of your other memories by accident?

Katherine: That’s what im afraid of. For example, for me n Tim...if i erased the memory of us going to the AGO and seeing the King Tut Exhibit...because hes in that memory, ill probably loose it. And like you said, how can someone be sure that other memories wont get erased. WHAT i also found interesting was when he wanted to wake up and tell them to stop....THAT would freak me out!

Krystal: Exactly! Joel wanted some of the good memories he had with Clementine and he couldn't tell them to stop erasing. That was sad and kinda scary at the same time.I liked how they would use the artifacts, how they made them feel and what memories they were attached too. That was pretty neat how they would use those to find the memories to be erased.

Katherine: Yeah! I liked that too! And it shows how significant those artifacts mean to you. You may think a fork is just a fork but its the memories behind it. i also liked the way things started disappearing in the background

Krystal: It's pretty interesting how we as individuals attach meanings to such small things that mean such a big deal to us. Yeah, showing how there memories were being erased right in front of them.

Katherine: The idea of memories is a very sacred thing and i think its what makes us human. If we dont have memories, then..in my opinion....we wouldnt be able to continue our everyday lives. would you recommend this movie to someone???

Krystal: I agree, we all create memories and that;s what keeps us healthy and living by creating new ones. I would recommend this movie to someone BUT I would tell them you have to pay close attention throughout or you'll become confused and lost very easily.

Katherine: I’m not one for movies that are confusing and try to make you think but i guess thats why they are so popular...try watching inception...now thats...weird. Why do u think this movie was an independent film?

Krystal: But it keeps you watching and guessing throughout the entire movie. You don't loose interest quickly. Inception was an amazing movie had to watch it twice made more sense the second time. It is an independent film because it has more of a creative aspect and not everyone interested in the arts 
Krystal: Well Katherine it was a joy discussing this independent film with you!!

  

Reference
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children 

        (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar

Arts Explorer #4: Patterns

Art word of the week: Pattern

"Pattern refers to the treatment given to a surface, suggests flow, rhythm, motion or movement. It can be made with forms, shapes, lines, colours, textures or symbols" (Fox & Schirrmacher, 2009, p. 142).

Patterns are everywhere. No matter where you are, no matter where you look....patterns are visible to us. I find patterns interesting to look at simply because it intrigues the imagination. When it refers back to children and how children see patterns, its almost impossible not to allow them to explore. For example, pattern painting. Giving children materials such as cookie cutters, lids, or corks and encourage the child to notice a pattern and see if they are able to repeat it.I found patterns through out my house as well as downtown Toronto.

 
These patterns are simple and regular. They immediately stand out to you because you know what they are. The circles clearly state that the pattern is in a regular form and that it is simple. It doesn't make the eye focus on too many things.
Many of the objects that we see in our day to day lives, we do not appreciate the meaning and composition behind them. 
We think "oh a pattern is JUST a pattern" but a pattern can be anything! Many artists may chose follow the "rules" of patterns (which may be symmetry, regularity, and simple) or may follow their own rules and create what they see patterns as being. 

Even the floors at union station were created with a fundamental purpose....to get people to where they want to be.

References
Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children      
      (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar