©2017, cindy ingram, the art curator for kids · ©2017, cindy ingram, the art curator for kids 9...

©2017, Cindy Ingram, The Art Curator for Kids

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What's your greatest fear when it comes to talking about art with your students?

If your first thought is "What if they have nothing to say?," stop right there. You're wrong. I hate to be blunt with you, but your students have more to say than you could possibly ever imagine.

Take this story as an example.

I recently held an online training: How to Talk About Art with Kids. One of my participants rarely discussed art with her students because of this same fear. After the encouragements and ideas from the session, she decided to give it a go.

This was her email to me.

http://artcuratorforkids.com/


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"I had a fear of "just talking" about an artwork with my 5th and 6th graders. I have plenty of enthusiasm elsewhere, but felt that they wouldn't want to keep talking. The workshop [How to Talk about Art with Kids] gave me confidence to try- and I had the most amazing 6th grade class today. They were jumping out of their seats with hands raised just to respond and give input. It was as if I was waving candy in front of them! They saw more and more and the ideas and interpretations unfolded. So cool!!! This is what makes teaching art so wonderful- thank you!!" -- Caroline G.

This. That feeling of excitement. That jolt. Watching the kids react and get excited. It's why I do this.

Before we can get to a place where you are ready, let's think a bit about why you are here. Your first task in this 5-day challenge is to think about why you should discuss works of art with your students and also what keeps you from doing so regularly.

Fill in the blanks below and paste it in this challenge Facebook thread:

My name is __________. I want to discuss works of art with my students because ____________________. What keeps me from doing this more frequently is __________, __________, and __________.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/arttalkchallenge/permalink/454495631548212/


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Now you may be wondering why we are starting with this, and we covered that more in our Facebook Live session linked below. In the session, we dove deeper into this topic as we unpack and make suggestions to break down the barriers brought up in your comments.

I have a feeling many of your answers will be similar. Hopefully, we can debunk those hesitations one by one to get you ready and prepared for some awesome art talk with your kids.

Have a great day! :)

Facebook Live Day 1:


https://www.facebook.com/ArtCuratorForKids/videos/1224701110980789/


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Now that we've unpacked and discussed the barriers* of talking about art with kids, let's get to the how-tos. Where do you start?

Yesterday, I told you about Caroline, whose students acted like candy was dangling in front of them the first time they had the opportunity to discuss an artwork in class. Now that we have broken down some of the barriers to art discussion, you'll learn that there's no big secret to making the same thing happen in your classroom!

Today, I'd like you to study an easy strategy called Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). This was developed by Philip Yenawine and Abigail Housen. With VTS, you really only need to use three questions. And you don't need any background info about art.

What's easier than that?


http://www.vtshome.org/


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These questions are:

1. What's going on in this picture?

2. What do you see that makes you say that?

3. What more can you find?

Humans are hard-wired for narrative, and these questions both get immediately to the meaning of the art and ensure students are backing up all of their assertions with visual clues from the artwork itself. And the "what more can you find?" keeps them looking and thinking.

Your job as a facilitator is to ask, validate, repeat, and connect ideas among students. The conversation always loops back around when you pull out "what more can you find?" The students always can find more. As long as they can back up their interpretations with evidence from the artwork, they're good.

Your task today is to watch VTS in action. I have two recommended videos for you to watch. The first is from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston that gives a good overview of VTS and why it is valuable.



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The second video shows one of the creators of VTS, Philip Yenawine, modeling the teaching. As you watch, really focus on his role in the discussion. What is he saying? What is he doing? How much information is he providing?

For the first 12 minutes of the video, he models the process and the rest he discusses his role as the teacher in the process.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKb4uuRAymM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnyfHTJVzh8


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Let's keep the discussion on VTS going today in our live session. Please join me TODAY on Facebook Live at 5:30 pm CST (See video below).

After you watch the demo, visit this thread in our Facebook group and list 2 observations you had about the VTS technique after you've seen it in action.

Thanks for your dedication to meaningful art teaching! Day 2 of the Art Talk Challenge is in the books! See you tomorrow!

Cindy

artcuratorforkids.com

** P.S. I added some discussion threads in the Facebook about several of the specific barriers. I'd love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and encouragement on these topics!






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Now that we've covered your art discussion strategy (VTS), it's time to choose your artwork!

When I used to work in art museums, my choices were limited. We were limited to what we had in the collection--whether or not it naturally lent itself to discussion and interpretation.

The limited choices made it a little easier back then, but what do you do when you have almost the entirety of art at your fingertips on the internet? It's overwhelming.

Here are some tips to consider when choosing your artwork.

1. Communicative—I believe that the best artworks to begin with are those that contain narrative. When you look at the art, do you immediately begin to figure out what's going on? Chances are that's a good artwork with which to start.

2. Complex—Narrative is important, but we also don't want kids to all come to the exact same conclusion about the meaning. When you look at the art, can you think of at least three possible directions the interpretations go?



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3. Captivating—The artwork doesn't have to make you instantly go "whoa!" but when it does, it certainly makes the students more excited at the onset of the discussion. Does the artwork illicit an immediate emotional reaction from you and your students? Then it's probably a good choice.

To help you remember those 3 tips, I (and my word-savvy Facebook friends) came up with a little catchy alliterative "Three Cs" phrase to help you pick the artwork. Is the artwork communicative, complex, and captivating? If so, you're in. Take that artwork and run with it. Your challenge task today? Pick an artwork to discuss with your students. You may choose one that is related to what you are already learning in class, but that's not necessary.

If you aren't sure where to start, check out these posts on The Art Curator for Kids to get you started:

Once you have your artwork picked out, go ahead and post a picture of it with the title art artist and explain why you chose it in our Facebook group thread. I cannot wait to see what you chose! I may have to do a blog post with all of the selections from the group!

And of course, to further discuss artwork selection, come to our Facebook Live session today at 5:30pm CST to talk it out.

We're halfway throug the challenge and gearing up to lead your discussion. Stick with it! You're about to experience that exciting buzz that happens with a really great art discussion!

Cindy



http://artcuratorforkids.com/20-great-artworks-to-look-at-with-young-kids/

http://artcuratorforkids.com/art-criticism-lesson/

http://artcuratorforkids.com/5-artworks-your-children-will-love/

http://artcuratorforkids.com/5-artworks-to-intrigue-your-high-schooler/


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http://artcuratorforkids.com/join


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You are just one day away from leading your art discussion. How are you feeling about this? I think you are almost ready, but let's take another day to prepare.

Today, we are going to discuss the giving of information. When do you tell students about the artwork, and when do you hold back?

When you know the back story of the artwork—the meaning set forth by the artist, the museum label text, the symbolism, etc—it's tempting to pass this information along to the students. But it is tricky, because if you give too much information too soon, you'll stifle the discussion, and you could end up teaching the students that they are "wrong" about the meaning of the work.



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But, the truth is—there is no wrong. I emphasize to my students that their meanings are just as valid and just as TRUE as mine, just as valid as the museum curator's, and shockingly just as valid as the artist's! When you look at a work of art, it becomes yours, and its meanings are fluid and many.

Now that you have picked your artwork, it's time to do a little bit of research. You don't need to know a whole lot about the artwork, but coming in with a couple of tidbits of information will help you make connections when leading discussion.

VTS doesn't include information about the art at all as part of the strategy. I like to insert bits of information into the discussion, but in a very strategic way. If you give information about the art before the student has a chance to discover it for themselves, you may inadvertently suppress the discussion. Let the students do all the work first.

Today's challenge task is to research your chosen artwork and pick four bits of information about the artwork that directly relate to its meaning and interpretation.



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For example, if I chose The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo as my artwork, I may note Frida's dual heritage (German and Mexican) because that is shown in the artwork, but not note that Frida lived in New York for a portion of her life. I would not choose random facts about where the artist went to school or when she was born. These don't inform the interpretation of the artwork or add value to the discussion.

In the comments of your Facebook group post about your artwork choice, share your new insights about the art with us.

Join me tonight at 5:30 pm CST on The Art Curator for Kids Facebook page where I will share more about my strategies for when to give information and when to hold back.

Have a lovely day!

Cindy


http://artcuratorforkids.com/the-two-fridas/



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It's the last day of the 5-Day Art Talk Challenge, and today (or tomorrow) is the day your get to lead your art discussion. Are you ready?



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Here are some final words of encouragement:

• When all else fails, stick with the script. All you need are the three VTS questions—What's going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can you find? Remember those, and you'll be fine.

• Give them time / let them breathe. If a small silence forms in the class, that doesn't mean you are done. Let the students think and allow those quiet ideas to bubble to the surface. The moments of silence may be just what your introverted students needed to let their ideas process and come to life. Let it be silently awkward for a minute. Stare creepily at your students until someone says something else. Inevitably, they will come up with something great in those silences.

• Have fun! When a student shares a creative comment, marvel aloud with excitement, laugh at the funny comments, and be amazed at what your students discover. Celebrate and take joy in the art, in your students, and in this process.

Let's do this! Go forth and discuss!



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Once you have led your discussion, come back to the Facebook group and tell us how it went! If you aren't in the group, let me know the details with a reply to my e-mail.

Join us live again to tie up the loose ends of the challenge today at 5:30 pm CST on The Art Curator for Kids Facebook page. Come with any last minute questions that you have or reply to this e-mail if there is a question that you'd like me to cover today in this final session!

Cindy






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©2017, cindy ingram, the art curator for kids · ©2017, cindy ingram, the art curator for kids 9...

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