Written by YIAStaff on February 2nd, 2012
“Paintings are but research and experiment. I never do a painting as a work of art. All of them are researches.” (Pablo Picasso)
Can art making be a form of hands-on research? What can we learn from our experiments and explorations?
How can we discover new things about our themes and about ourselves through making art?
Working with Mentor Artist Brooke Toczylowski the Mural Team at Davidson has been researching – both the history of San Rafael and painting. Toczylowski has studied Arts Based Research with Julia Marshall and Kimberley D’Adamo at San Francisco State University.
As they get ready to create the mural students are digging deep into both content and technique. Students use their art journals as a place to express, experiment, document, and learn.
To start their research the artists learned how to make a mind map in which they focused on what they already know about their chosen theme. For example, a student asks herself, “What do I already know about the Miwoks?” and “What do I want to know?”
Using resources from historical books, the internet, and oral histories from the Marin History Museum, students began their reading and researching. They created pages in their journals in which image and text intertwine and interact. Having such an open format allows them to make the content personal and relevant to their own lives.
In addition to historical research the artists are also experimenting with different paints and techniques. At the end of each session together students share what they’ve discovered support each other in their next steps.
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Mind Map
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Reading and responding
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Research Page
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Research Pages
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Presenting back to the group
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Working on landscapes
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An artist’s response to her research
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Rosvin experiments with mixing the NovaColor paints
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Mixing greens
Posted in General YIA News | No Responses »
Tags: Arts Based Research, Brooke Toczylowski, Davidson, Davidson Middle School, Davidson Mural Project, History of San Rafael, Ms. Brooke, Mural, Twilight After School Program, Visual Arts
Written by YIAStaff on February 2nd, 2012
Youth in Arts is offering three professional-level apprenticeships for young artists who would like to gain experience as a teaching artist and work as an apprentice. Apprentices must be enrolled in college or an equivalent educational program, have a documented disability and be of ages 18-25.
Apprentices will assist Mentor Artists (some of whom are also individuals with disabilities) in teaching dance, theater or visual art through “Arts Unite Us,” an innovative project at Harding Elementary in El Cerrito, California, that brings K-5 students with and without disabilities together to create original art side-by-side.
“Arts Unite Us” Apprentices will have a unique opportunity to acquire direct experience teaching the arts, while also serving as role models for children participating in the Harding project. Apprentices will also attend workshops in classroom management, arts teaching techniques, working with learners of all abilities, documenting student learning in the arts and developing a professional portfolio.
The project will take place from February to June of 2012.
We are offering 3 apprenticeship positions in Dance, Theater and Visual Arts. These apprenticeships are offered by Youth in Arts through the Rosemary Kennedy Internship Initiative. A stipend will be provided for each apprentice selected for the program.
Application Deadline: February 8th, 2012
Qualifications:
- Visual or performing artists, active in the arts field.
- Enrolled in college or an equivalent educational program; or an artistic training program.
- Have a documented disability.
- 18-25 years of age.
- Available to attend professional development workshops and teach during some school days.
If you would like to apply for this apprenticeship, you may do so by filling out our online form.
Contact: Nydia Gonzalez at ngonzalez@youthinarts.org
Posted in General YIA News, VSA arts, YIA Programs | No Responses »
Tags: apprentice, artists, Arts Unite Us, disabilities, Nydia Gonzalez, teaching artist, Visual Arts, VSA arts
Written by admin on February 1st, 2012
Our next project begins to explore the concept of FORM: how do we create art that comes off the page? Beginning in black and white, Marindalers learned about GLUE this week. How do we make things stick to our picture? How does glue feel compared to paint on our hands? (The answer was STICKY!)
Children are learning to make choices: Do I want a Big triangle or Small? Black or White?
In four weeks, children have learned some important rules for artists:
- Use one material at a time (so that your neighbor can have a turn),
- SHARE with your neighbor,
- Keep your hands on your own work, and
- TRY not to taste the art supplies!
Children are learning to follow a series of steps to make their art:
- Choose a shape,
- Wiggle it in the glue,
- Place it on the base, and
- Pick a new shape.
We are seeing individual artistic expression in their pieces: some are limiting their pallet to one color, some have glued their pieces in a row (making a pattern), some have chosen to draw the same shape on every piece, and some have chosen to smoosh each piece with a painty hand!
“I learned that LETTERS are very attractive to many children! I had cut up foam core signs from an art exhibit, and not only were most students able to grasp the shapes, many made choices based on the letters they found on the shapes.”–Suzanne Joyal, Mentor Artist
It turns out that for many children, no art project is complete until the paint has been applied: to hands as well as artwork.
Posted in General YIA News, VSA arts | No Responses »
Tags: essential question, paint, special day class, Suzanne Joyal, Visual Arts
Written by admin on February 1st, 2012
Marindale students have been experimenting with SLIPPERY: how does it feel to draw and paint on a slippery surface? How does your crayon move? Your paintbrush? Your hands? What does it sound like when you tap on the foil? On the plastic? How is it different from drawing on paper?
Mentor artist Suzanne Joyal designed several projects to explore this topic. Students were able to experiment with a variety of media on foil, green cellophane, and clear plastic, mounted on foam core scraps. Crayola Window Crayons, Twistables, and Dry Erase Markers allow students with all levels of fine motor development to see success with making marks on the boards.
Our next project was inspired by Amstel when she chose to use our erasers (meant to be pushed through the paint thereby making a new kind of mark) as a building material. She stacked them all into a tower (which unfortunately fell down).
Posted in General YIA News, VSA arts | No Responses »
Tags: crayola, essential question, Suzanne Joyal, Visual Arts, VSA arts, Youth in Arts
Written by YIAStaff on February 1st, 2012
Delta Rae, the North Carolina-based Americana band built around the masterful songwriting, emotive vocals and sublime harmonies of 4 ‘Til Dawn alums, just signed a record deal with Warner Brothers. Siblings Ian, Eric and Britanny Hölljes grew up together in San Rafael, but through ‘Til Dawn met, befriended and formed a durable musical kinship with Liz Hopkins, another ‘Til Dawn alumna from San Rafael. Long before Delta Rae’s existence, they sang together on ‘Til Dawn’s award-winning CD, Songs in the Key of AWESOME. They talk in a recent Washington Post article about what it is like for them to work all in the family. Grant Emerson and Mike McKee are the rhythm section.
Austin Willacy, `Til Dawn Director states, “Delta Rae’s songs, voices and live show are so undeniable that a record deal was inevitable. They are some of the hardest working, most talented and grounded people I know.”
Delta Rae was signed by Seymour Stein, Vice President of Warner Brothers who signed The Ramones and Madonna and recently received a lifetime achievement award from billboard.
“Their music touches on all aspects of Americana – Gospel, Country, Bluegrass, and Blues. That said the songs are strong pop and have wide appeal.”
- Seymour Stein, co-founder Sire Records and VP at Warner Bros. Records
Posted in General YIA News, `Til Dawn | No Responses »
Tags: Austin Willacy, a_cappella, Britanny Hölljes, delta rae, Elizabeth Hopkins, Eric Hölljes, Ian Hölljes, warner brothers
Written by YIAStaff on January 31st, 2012
On February 12 Mill Valley’s famed Sweetwater Music Hall reopens its doors with youth performances including `Til Dawn. From 5-8pm, don’t miss the excitement!
Posted in `Til Dawn | No Responses »
Tags: Austin Willacy, a_cappella, til_dawn
Written by MentorArtist on January 17th, 2012
An earlier post describes the theater production of the original one-act play lead by YIA Mentor Artist Melissa Briggs in collaboration with students from Mr. Michael Lovejoy’s Marin County Office of Education (MCOE) Special Ed class.
Mentor Artist Donna Keiko Ozawa joined the production in December to work with the students on stage props and sets. Here are some photos of the process.
Some of the students’ characters required props they could carry on stage. These were fabricated from simple materials: cardboard, wood, craft foam, metal hinges, and stickers. Students learned how to drill, and colored the wood with permanent markers.
Mentor Artist Donna Keiko Ozawa assists Tevin with marking holes for the hinge on the cellphone prop.
Tevin loves woodworking.
Maribel enjoys working with tools.
Jake learns to drill holes for a hinge.
Various cellphones, PDAs and camera props for the show that students made.
Students also used rubber stamps on foam core to create a miniature cityscape to represent San Francisco on one side of our large prop of the Golden Gate Bridge.
This process also took into account students’ physical and cognitive abilities to create an aesthetic that worked well with theme of the show. (Spoiler: There is an earthquake involved…)
The cityscape assembled and will be seen off the Bridge (a larger prop not pictured here).
Maggie working on the fascade of a building in the cityscape prop.
Buildings students stamped for the cityscape.
The cityscape prop is light and portable for quick placement on stage.
Can you imagine this cargo ship off the Bay in the distance? (Foamcore, paint, cardboard, hot glue).
Show time is January 12 and 17. Please join us on Thursday January 12th or 19th at 7PM, Tam High’s Caldwell Theatre, 700 Miller Avenue (near the back parking lot) Mill Valley, CA. Box office opens at 6:30PM and advance tickets are available online as well.
Posted in Artists In Schools, VSA arts, YIA Programs | No Responses »
Tags: Collaboration, Donna Keiko Ozawa, performances, special day class, theatre, VSA arts
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