Seminar I & II Spring '12

During our brief break from editing our final project videos, our class was able to go to the opening day for the MFA Graduate Exhibition which was really nice to see experienced, scholarly artists’ work. To keep this post brief, I am going to just focus on one artist: Shan Gao.

Gao’s concept invites the participant to make a wish in a digitalized well which looks similar to Brian Knep’s “Healing Pool” installation. However, Gao’s instructions lead the viewer to draw on their choice of colored papers with a circle in the middle for the viewer to draw in their wish. After they are finished drawing, the participant goes under the projection and hits a big red button which then allows their image to appear in the “wishing well.”

The well itself was square shaped and surrounded by rocks and the actual pool showed all of the wishes bumping into each other. If the participant wanted, they could then place their work on display on the wall to the right which really was lovely as it made participants in the traditional sense a part of the gallery.

Everyone gathered to the piece and it was a big hit. However, I would have liked to have seen a more organic shaped pool or perhaps an actual well to lean over and look into. We wondered whether or not if the wishes were cycled or refreshed. The concept was something that almost everyone can relate to: the act of making a wish. Where do the wishes go though after you make them? Or is it just a remainder to work towards a goal, because if one hopes for it and takes steps to make it happen, then there will be a better chance of it coming true? The experience is one that the participant can take with them which is really admirable on the part of the artist to make art that is shared or collaborative.

http://books.google.com/books?id=etS1DxvkdxwC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Sadly, I had just made it in time for the start of the lecture and the books they brought were sold out. The atmosphere of being there was a bit stuffy for me and being at Hardvard was weird too; I had sat outside of their graduate architecture and design building where there was a huge installation that welcomed people to sit on it. The entire sculpture was made out of mud brick which the artist statement emphasized volcanic rock that was transported as well as allowing the piece to be reformed by nature. There were so many people just coming by to take pictures, of the piece and also took pictures of me, which made me slightly uncomfortable. I felt like an outsider sitting there knitting just trying to enjoy some free time before the lecture.

Elliott Kai-Kee, Education Specialist, J. Paul Getty Museum

“In the Beginning: The Early History of Art Museum Education”

Kai-Kee’s lecture was interesting but what I generally got out of it was that museum education is very new starting with the late 1800s. The talk started by mentioning Charles Eliot Norton who was a Harvard graduate who came up with the concept of “learning to look in America.” America was pretty alien to “fine art” compared to Europe so Norton who was disciplined in a few areas but specifically history. How do you teach about art without pictures? Kai-Kee had questioned “did someone invent subject matter?” That question came to his during his research because the pioneers in this field were wealthy, educated individuals who could share their personal philosophies and be selective of what to present. The specific group of students were “young gentlemen” who attended Wesley and Syracuse. Later on, this education spread out to a younger, broader group of students but back then, they assumed that “children can’t understand art.” Kai-Kee mentioned how pictures were later discovered and mass printed for example and done so in Malden, MA. The focus continued to be on the ideology of beauty and taste which led to the dilemma of subject matter and morals; the emphasis was put more on the story which one could learn from, therefore context preceded formal elements.

Continuing with the turn of the century, there were about 50 to 60 museums such as the MFA, Gardner, and MET in the country. Kai-Kee accredited an artist named Licia Keeves (sp?) who emphasized formal elements as an artist and educator. She taught groups to draw based on the work and in relation of their experience/ memory. The importance was now put on the participant’s experience or transcendence.

Rika Burnham, Head of Education, The Frick Collection

“Teaching in the 21st Century: An Emancipatory Pedagogy”

Burnham is a very passionate individual in her field and I was so inspired from her lecture. Although she had a power point presentation, she kept it very casual and opened with talking about freedom and how important it is to just be free. With that said, she strongly emphasizes dialog and an open structure to teaching where the teacher is also the student and vice versa. Burnham mentions that she can teach from a curatorial stand point and even role played doing so, but there isn’t room for open interpretation at that point; someone is just pretty much talking at and not with another. Burnham showed a couple of pictures including Rembrandt’s “Self Portrait,” Giovanni Bellini’s “St. Francis,” Philip Guston, and others. She also talked about the difference between lecture and inquiry; lecture being the report of religious, intellectual, and scholarly whereas inquiry such as the Socrates philosophy where knowledge is driven by posing questions and engagement.

Also, Burnham discussed how students are viewed as “passive receivers” where they are treated more as a victim than activist. She then introduced the variety of ways teachers can talk to students and structured them as shapes to better visualize. Here are my awesome drawings of these ideas in MS Paint.

The difference between the third diagram and fourth diagram is that Burnham believes that it is the teacher’s job to guide the student into thinking which may lead the student into critically thinking (opposition) which would lead into inquiry where then the teacher is the listener and then the student. It creates a cycle of discussion which is rich conversation. Burnham’s philosophy of emancipation of the participant is really simple but so crucial in letting ideas and interpretations fly. I was really grateful to be a part of the lecture (ironic term), and I was itching to ask her what she thought of contemporary art practices and how art making can be a part of the curatorial experience. However, the last question ended up dealing with statistics and a pretentious air of how important it is to incorporate such research. I had no idea what the individual was talking about and it caught the authors off guard. I thought Burnham answered it well, by answering how does one quantify appreciation? Kind of reminds me of the question, well according to economics, what is the actual value of happiness?

There was a lot of anticipation building up to this event and I am really humbled to be a part of this experience. I remember looking at colleges that I would be going to and remembering the marketing strategies that were used. Towards the end of high school, I was accepted to private, all women’s business school which I got a major cut on the tuition but my mother would pay out of pocket for the remainder. Instead, I dropped out of high school, worked third shift, and realized that I needed to get my GED and get out of the graveyard shift. My role models are the women in my family who were all ended up being single parents raising at least two kids on their own. The odds were definitely against me, but thankfully I have a really huge love for learning and sharing my knowledge because that’s what my favorite teachers did. I thought that if I could just be good in one subject I could just effectually learn how to teach that skill, and I wanted to teach adults. I was also accepted to Mount Holyoke College as a junior in studio art tuition-free because my mother has worked there for over 25 years as a janitor even with me in her belly and even now with her health failing her.Their art department was lacking and I thought it was so trite that they have photos posted of all 20 art majors (actually minors or doubles). I heard from a student I shadowed that they babied female minds and catered to sensitivity. I thought that was disappointing since I learned best from thinking critically rather espousing facts and perceived truths. Aside from that, I didn’t think I could compete with so much pretentiousness. I had also applied to two other private, “liberal” colleges which did not accept me.

Actually, MassArt didn’t accept me twice as a transfer student; initially I wanted to be a painting major, then a printmaking major, and then finally art education which was a last minute choice but probably the best one. Going into art education would allow me to transfer a lot more credits though I would still only be accepted as a sophomore instead of a junior. I could have easily gone to UMASS Amherst tuition-free and continued printmaking. I struggled to get into MassArt, and I went here on my own cause because I knew cost-wise it was the best option and there’s just something much endearing about public education versus private. I wanted the city experience and my absolute love for art to continue. Back home, things could easily stagnate and I just didn’t feel as challenged. A major part of what drives me is learning from mistakes because its made me who I am today; but I do what I am compelled towards and if it doesn’t work out, I know I have other options and chances to make up. And as a server this whole time, I understand what it’s like to be undermined and treated like a lessor being; I want to radically change hierarchies as an educator.

So I feel like I could absolutely relate to these kids who came in today because I come from a similar background. There is huge pressure throughout high school to figure out the future and a period of identity finding. As a young adult, the new responsibilities and countless paths are pretty confusing and sometimes off-putting. Art school has definitely been a very difficult choice and it’s a choice that is almost shunned and treated as a novelty or lacking credibility. Honestly, I know there is a way to wake up everyone’s artistic ability but the school environment becomes more geared towards high stakes testing and charter schooling; art seems to become obsolete. A lot of the students who came to visit the school didn’t necessarily think art was for them. Most of the students I talked to wanted to do something in the medical field or in technology. Absolutely understandable because I strongly feel that there is a huge business model in regards to educational institutions. The product is the student, who should be made into a productive, civil worker.

Back to the actual event, starting right off at 10, the activity group worked out logistics and finalized the script which I think went pretty well. Though more people could have openly taken charge, I felt it necessary to take a leadership position in setting up. Even if one has no clue of what do, at least pretend that way the energy stays strong and the audience has no idea that one has no idea. I really enjoyed the unplanned aspects and working within the moment such as when they got pizza because they didn’t have food before the activity which really irritated me. How could you hold an event and not feed the kids and expect them to function? As soon as we got working, we took into consideration that it was important to show the students that we’re students too and collage right next to them. I absolutely loved the fact that even the facilitators who brought the kids here were really applying themselves to the activities as well.

I was blown away when we saw all of the work up on the wall, and I was really proud of these supposed non-artists and proud that our collective action worked out just fine. It was really was just a super fun rush and I was happy to meet everyone, and I really felt like we could have just kept going for a couple more hours if we wanted. I was also taken back by how everyone did such a fantastic job cleaning. I will not lie, there is a notion that those of a non-wealthy background don’t care for their environment because there isn’t much. Actually, on the contrary, I find that people with more than they need will be the first to leave trash every where.

I was so busy the whole time that I wasn’t able to take good video or photo, but Taylor and Anna are fabulous partners and got a lot of footage for our final project. Moving towards the Exhibition group, I was unsure of where the actual group was taking place and after going to every gallery I thought I knew up, I randomly found Erica who led me to the Student Life Gallery that had amazing senior fibers work. I could understand why they chose that gallery because it really does raise the question of “what is art?” I actually had no idea that their group was struggling because I just came in and participated like everyone else. I enjoyed their activity and chose to draw the work of a fellow classmate who made so much work that was shown there; I had no idea she was that talented and industrious. Everyone was coming up to me while I was drawing and they could see that I wasn’t trying to draw it exactly as I saw it but just responding on the paper. It was nice because although I usually don’t like it when people look over my shoulder at the MFA, I was totally fine with it since they were also drawing and not judging me in the sense of the crowd at the MFA would.

After the exhibition group, the students seemed pretty ready to go and a lot of them didn’t end up taking their work. They weren’t necessarily attached to something they just did out of the blue and they’re new to making in the art sense. I was sad that its all just sitting on my studio desk among a bunch of other things from the Artward Bound stuff. I need to be more organized. I wish I had been there for the first exhibition group so I could have offered more moral support. I think it’s extra tough in a gallery situation because it’s a different environment if one hasn’t been initiated, because I really do feel that some galleries exude a pretentious status atmosphere with rules that aren’t necessarily child friendly. Isn’t that age discrimination? That’s why I was lost at the Godine Gallery for a bit because it just seemed a lot more suited to the group who visited us; but that is my personal bias.

Today, we visited the Boston Center for the Arts which was my first visit of a gallery in that area. I am pumped that I know where this place is so I can attend the First Friday’s events.

Upon entering the space, we were invited to just wonder and gather our own thoughts on the work. I directly went into a work that was actually really unsettling for me called “You’re All a Bunch of Fucking Idiots.” It was a video of ’80s B-Boys who were doing a really strange crab-like move and the film was really dark and distorted. This was superimposed with the voice of Jim Morrison yelling some stuff that with the context of the video seemed really offensive, at least to me. Before I found out it was Jim Morrison of the Doors, I was thinking of a white man screaming profanities almost like a dominatrix script at African Americans who were just dancing to express themselves with a movement that is still going on today. And now that I am thinking about it deeper, one of the curators discussed how Morrison was mad about the social norms of the time where one couldn’t shout like this without getting arrested. Fast forward a few years later, break dancing is born and this form of expression was pretty exclusive to status, almost similar to disco where working people started a trend and every one then caught on. Fast forward today, both the Doors and break dancing are used as forms of nostalgia to sell products especially so in Urban Outfitters to Newbury Comics where it’s hip to try to appropriate the past.

Jim Morrison’s “You’re All A Bunch Of Fucking Idiots”

Honestly, I was blown away by Cordova’s work because on so many levels I could relate to the intellectual integrity of trying to piece the remnants of history and making it all connect. The synthesis was pulled off so brilliantly and the irony was that the show was as is and could really never be recreated again. The duality and overlaying was just done with such care and spontaneity that I believed a lot of it to be true. Another amazing piece was the structure that one could take for granted as it made the gallery space seem like it was still in progress. I walked right through it to find it leading to an area of a room that was like a closet space where there was a picture of a house hanging from a shelf that had paper up there that I just wanted so badly to read. On the floor, was a picture of what seemed to be blinds.Later on, we learned it was about the Black Panther murders executed by an FBI investigation led by Edgar J. Hoover. I was taken back to my political science/ philosophy class where we read a lot about the Black Panthers and how they were investigated because of their protest of the then social norms even though all they wanted were universal, equal rights of speech, livelihood, free education, and public services. Another extremely important note was the idea of fame and recognition after death; how the work of people just go by unrecognized until they are deceased, but then glorified not on their work but by the way they died and short context of their death.

Black Panthers Documentary (1968)

Another major theme incorporated the use of “found” or reclaimed materials. I noted the irony because while walking to the space, it was trash day in the neighborhood and actually while we were on break, Grace, Erica, and I found some sweet gems to be incorporated in our own future work. There were hair ties every where, and in most of the pieces, traces of a single hair, which reminded me of Yoko Ono’s piece which was interactive where you took a piece of stray hair and nailed it to the piece of wood. Hair has a notion of dirtiness and could also be seen as a means of  status, because of the stereotype of straight, long hair being better than short, “nappy” hair. The hair ties made me nostalgic because I don’t know how many countless times I have cleaned my apartment or room and found hair ties every where, which could be an interesting metaphor.  There’s just so much more to read into Cordova’s work that I just find it really powerful and intriguing for the viewers to have open discussion, which is something that naturally happened. I can imagine working there and just the interesting conversations to follow between visitors, curators, and the artist.

At Linda Price’s studio, her work involves this concept of trying to locate, connect, and experience the sublime. Her studio was very well organized and seemed to have a lovely flow about it. She works with a lot of material that some may consider non-art but this is if one wants to put art into hierarchical categories. There’s pipe cleaner pieces, paper, mylar, some remnants of actual nature resembling feminine attributes, and set into an installation. Price is working on a projection that is superimposed on a large piece of a mountain with an eye in it. There’s an overlaying theme of water and just doodles and drawing coming to “life.” Her work has been highly criticized and I love that she just continues to make what’s important to her and to just shrug it off. Honestly, I can understand the whole color argument because I have a preference of more muted, earthy tones which is pretty ironic compared to her work. I loved her comment about in defense of her use of color because humans are just essentially carbons, so why not? Price’s free-spirited philosophy shows in her work and really love her use “craft” supplies which turns a “traditional” media into “non-traditional” so it’s a duality and a challenge to what art is.

Her drawings are so interesting and to see them after the big installations makes some clear connections with process. I was actually really jealous that she had such a nice paper drawer because it’s my dream to own one of those which is essential for printmaking. I was interested in her choice of books as well as when we visited Brian Knep’s studio his choice of literature. Visiting Price’s studio made it seem like the whole art career is absolutely doable and easy. Reflecting on my experiences in the portfolio studio, I really want my own studio space now because I just can’t work as large as I want to. After all of the installation work we saw today, I really want to pursue an installation piece because the space expands the concept and integrates the viewer to become a part of the piece. At that point, the work then becomes a collaboration when it’s open for discussion and interpretation via experience.

Yesterday was pretty rough, I had gathered so much material in hopes of possibly having a couple of students but Andy and Franklin did not show up and Shymiel was not so nice to me. I had tried really hard to get him motivated but I think I failed by rushing into it because I wanted him to just print. I forgot that it takes a while and I wondered how Alisa did it so effortlessly. It most likely had to do with the fact that we had wanted him to do his signature which would require reversing the image and transferring the text onto the linoleum which did not work at all.

Anna and Taylor tried really hard to help me out but I ended up being way more ambitious than I anticipated. Shymiel was not happy with the process and didn’t understand it and ultimately gave up. I didn’t want to push him into doing something that he didn’t want to do so we stopped kind of early. He was walking around and socializing a lot after he was frustrated with the project.

I really was at a loss and I didn’t know what do to and I felt like I failed as a teacher. I didn’t get to work with Shymiel the whole time and I felt bad because I sort of took over the project from Anna and Taylor and it flopped miserably.

On a positive note, we were able to interview Shymiel and get his opinion on things and this experience was definitely a learning one for me. I shouldn’t assume everyone wants to make prints just because I love making prints. Anna tried to make me feel better by saying that we weren’t the teachers really but still students and it would be hard for him to take us seriously.

In class, Taylor, Anna, and I decided to team up because we’re kind of all on the same page in regards to field work and study habits. At Burke, I watched Anna teach Ashley how to knit, Taylor is a technological wiz with awesome camera angles and Final Cut Pro, and I don’t know where I fall except with a strong opinion and philosophy on education. I’ve got the responsibility of interviewing various people we’ve encountered and asking them their experience of art and education.

As of right now, we’ve come up with a general format of our video, focusing on identity, community, and the gestalt of contemporary art in Boston. We’re going to start off by showing off Burke and the format of the classroom as well as the questions that Alisa Rodney poses in her classroom.

At the Forms in Flux Exhibit, it was a really rushed experience and I would like to venture back on my own time to really capture the work. I still don’t really know the artists’ names who faculty at SMFA but from what I can recall I was really taken in by this time-based film that showed these pretty portraits of women melting off of a mirror from the hot light. It looked like melted make up and I concluded my own social commentary on the subtlety of women and cosmetics. I thought the work was well presented and I enjoyed that the exhibition incorporated a variety of media which all were aesthetically pleasing and definitely catering to a specific art crowd.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the BPS YAM Exhibition which was a really lovely experience, much like MassArt’s current exhibitions on student work all around the school. I had such an amazing energy just from being there, and I really was not happy when I first woke up that day. I ran into Alisa Rodney there and I was so happy to see her students work up there, especially the community mural they did. I also enjoyed the choir which made me very nostalgic and appreciated the recognition given to the school system by city officials.

How unprepared I felt today, running around with a bunch of printmaking supplies and paper, semi-ready-to-go. Sadly today, Franklin did not show up but I had the opportunity to work with Andy who took a bit to warm up to me. I’m thinking I may have scared him because I was a little frazzled from running between buildings to get everything together. And what do you know? I didn’t end up printing with him, but painting.

Andy was late last week but early this week. Last week, he ended up sketching a red maple tree which he found the color to be very important. I was honestly confused by the actual format of the Fens project but realized after asking a bunch of questions that the image would get scanned and manipulated in Photoshop.

Andy and I looked through a lot of the books I brought but he was more partial to looking up the image on his phone and making his variation. I noticed that Andy likes to sketch line by line and I realized that if I let him do that, he would be a little too worried about messing up. He was also pretty carefree about his mark making with his use of bold lines and his influence of street art. Definitely going to show him Swoon’s work next week. He said he wanted to paint it so everyone in the class was awesome enough to share their acquired supplies with us.

So we started talking about format and I folded a piece of paper to get the size accounted for. Andy just started sketching on the branches and tree trunk and then went in with primary paints. Watching in detail paint made me think of ways to make the process quicker and freer with a variety of results. I tried to show him how to do Warshak-like marks by folding the paper and just making one side really wet and loosely. Really, it felt like we were just playing within the perimeters of the assignment which definitely made it more appealing for both of us. Naturally, Andy knew not to do the exact same technique but tweaked it himself by adding in line work.

After he worked on the smaller piece and found himself satisfied, I challenged him to work bigger. In my own experience when it comes to painting, bigger is usually better. Andy went to town and I just gave him some basic water color pointers like blotting, wetting the surface first, and then he naturally found his own color palette of mixing. Everyone was flocking to see what he was doing and he did not mind being the center of attention, as I found out that he also liked to read poetry and perform in the school talent show and told me how popular he is. Andy is a really cool kid and I found he needed very little suggestion from me, and he would either use the technique or not. I was going to try to fit some collage into the painting, but maybe that’ll be next week. I saved his blotting napkins and I wanted to have him glue them on there for texture, but we ran out of time and he started to get really attached to the larger painting as well as the smaller.

The only problem I faced was that the Artward Bound room doesn’t really have a sink or hand washing area and I had to go to Collins and down a flight. I did this a couple of times, even though I really would have liked Andy to do it himself and understand the importance of fresh water when it comes to painting. Really though, Andy was very fluid with the meeting and just needs to make more art on a regular basis, and he would easily get into MassArt. I believe he also told me that he does just fine in his classes.

In reflection, I find myself being flexible and absolutely being okay with going the route of what the student wants to do. I really would hate to have students do something they absolutely hate, unless it was a once in a while thing that needed to get done to teach an important lesson. Throughout the exchange of ideas, I found myself wanted to take charge but I needed to relax and check myself as I don’t want to be overbearing with all of the answers, because I really don’t have them. The one on one session is tough because it’s one student and I felt like I was just on him except when I went to change the water. A question that I keep mulling over is whether or not it’s important to appear as a friend to the student or solely as a teacher. I know the hierarchy and power trip is off-putting yet alluring in my own experience. On a friend basis, a lot of things can be taken for granted, respect as a professional lost, and possibly laziness in regards to challenge. I’m not sure if any of that makes sense but I find that my goal as an educator is to get a young mind to think, problem-solve, and create in a variety of ways. The Artward Bound structure that Beth showed in class now pops up.

Another thing I wanted to tackle is whether or not I should be doing something to keep myself busy while the student works and I’m not breathing on them or just walking around the class to see if any one else needs help who wasn’t in my group. I walked around a couple of times and I found the group happy to share their work.

In closing, I was very happy to work with Andy and for the next phase, we’re going to make time to make prints. I will be better organized and have Andy create a print that is nature oriented and hopefully incorporate some words or letters.

On Monday, I had the pleasure of helping Nicole Prefontaine help set up for the yearly Boston Public School “Youth Arts Mouth” Exhibition at City Hall. This was my first visit to city hall and it was really easy to get there and I was the first person there, probably looking really clueless. I made another volunteer named Christian who is a junior at Berklee with a focus on vocals. He told me about how he had actually put in work for the same art show when he was younger when it was exhibited at Prudential. I’ve had experiences like that and I want to continue it, because it’s a reminder that everyone is an artist and continues to be so and I want to help!

Any ways, I ended up meeting Debbie from Mary Lyon School who told me all about how she unknowingly became an art teacher. She had wanted to just become a regular elementary school teacher but also had a art history minor. She explained how she was asked to teach art as a part of her curriculum to teach history such as Ancient Egypt and writing. Her students’ work was just so colorful, expressive and one could tell that they learned a lot whether or not they struggled with academics. I’m definitely interested in looking towards concentrating in art history as I strongly feel that art is the material history which continues to exist and is contemporary.

After that, I ended up quickly helping Yvonne from Martin Luther King Jr. School and she was in a rush but we ended up working together really well. She was raving about how awesome MassArt students are and since the school recently changed from K-5 to K-8, she’s really all the help she can get. Her students’ work was also similar to Debbie’s structure of looking at art history and responding to it. I got really amazing energy from her and it made me really energized too so I could see how her class would overcrowded in that sense too.

Finally, my last teacher whose name I didn’t catch from the Haynes Early Education Center was also really fun and laid back. I really loved that she took her time and told me how she taught 4 year olds composition, color theory, and painting. I was blown away because these works looked like they could be done by adults, no offense to the little ones. Really, these paintings and collages were gorgeous and it showed the influence she had on her students as well. We ended up putting up her work very quickly and before I knew it Nicole told me it was okay for me to go.

Honestly, I really thought that I would only be interested in teaching high school but just looking at the work that was being put up really made me re-evaluate. My first grade teacher, Mrs. Mulcahy was the first impact I had in my artistic career. She absolutely loved my rendition of Picasso’s “Bust of a Woman with Hat” which I made with oil pastels. She featured it right in front of the student art show and I got an award for it; seriously changed my life right then and there.

At this point in my life, I still don’t know what I want to do because I’ve just had so many rich experiences that at the time, I took for granted. I really do want to give back in all the ways all of these life events have structured me as an individual. I want to work in a community environment, be a public school teacher, and experiment with new media. And I really do feel I can do it all working in such a fabulous field!

Back to the YAM Exhibition, the opening is March 31, 9AM to 1PM and I will most definitely go to put in my time and I encourage any one else with hours to spare to come and see all these upcoming little artists as well as meet the local teachers who don’t get enough credit. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos; city hall is poorly lit which is a total bummer but the drab, concrete walls are brightening up with all of the artwork.

The article by Carol Vogel reports the shift in the method of teaching that I am grateful to be a part of and learning. In this article, the focus is put on the Whitney Museum of American Art where changing sculptures and installations breed curiosity to artistic translations of such an experience. This concept is really innovative and will most definitely be a leading example for other museums to follow. In our personal case, at MassArt we have the Looking to Learn programs as well as Artward Bound where students are open to discussion by VTS and then left to interpret visually by activities set up by MassArt students and faculty. Sadly, unlike the article, based on the location of the Paine and Balakar Galleries, it is difficult to openly display such work in the public (though I have seen ads on the T for the galleries).

The article then takes a look at the National Gallery of Art and Walker Art Center for the more hands on, possibly more “traditional” approach of slowing down and focusing on one piece. I really enjoyed their mentioning of the “Drawing Club” activity of starting a drawing and then passing it on to the next artist to “break down hierarchies.” I remember doing this activity in my very first college level drawing class and feeling really insecure and unsure about marking up another person’s work. Later on, I did it again in painting and it again taught me to not become overly attached any single piece.  However, the National Gallery of Art’s visit definitely reminds me of traditional family time, almost similar to board game night, which I found endearing. I could see this really just catering to practicing artist families and I really don’t like just dwelling on one piece of work unless it is by personal choice. A lot of artistic learning is independent problem solving and decision making and for some reason I just imagine my mother just telling me to do it a really specific way and being chastised by a sibling for not making an observational sketch.

Any ways, the article suggests the integration of technology and networking  as a huge developing proponent for the museum education. Online classes are an outlet for those looking to learn from abroad who may not necessary have the funds to visit the actual museum but to pay a fraction of the cost to participate in classes. There are pros and cons to this as for most artists, there is a huge need to be physical whether through experience and/or through kinetics. This article is a reflection of a new movement with endless possibilities and I was sad that there were no mentions of any Boston museums. That is up to us to change that.