General Guidelines for Studio Explorations

Emmanuelle CrossEliza Ely

Vanessa LinkchorstBrian Valentine

Steph Yetter

Learning the Language of Art

• We explore the physical qualities of a particular medium

• We experiment with tools and techniques

• We finally become COMFORTABLE with the new art medium

• We then claim the language of art as our own

The Space

• Working with the amount of space you have(a lot or a little)• You might have a corner or a center, or an entire room dedicated to art• Its not the formality of the space that matters most but the

experiences you share with your students • A tile floor• A table with plenty of workspace for four or five children• Good light• Storage shelves• Space for paintings to dry• Space for three dimensional sculptures to dry

• Studio should be set apart from regular

classroom

Materials

• Variety of materials• Places to buy materials• Hardware stores• Restaurant supply stores• Kitchenware stores• Yard sales• Typical arts and crafts stores(Ac Moore, Michaels)• Discount School Supply• Dick Blick• Creation Station

Gathering the Students• Small groups• Strategies

– Ask help from parents– “Floater” positions– “Trading time”

New Art Medium• Make it personal• Be simple and direct

• Use “technical” language

The Teacher’s Role• Encourage children to slow down and take their time• Ask questions• Call attention to each others work• Gently coach children with new tools• Avoid walking around the room• Keep work space uncluttered• Keep track of time• Always try the project before you do it in class.

More than once.

Clean Up Time!

• Have a plan before you begin

• Things to consider:– Where the children

will put their artwork

– How you will keep track of the children’s work

Revisiting Work

• Students need to take time • Create storage and labeling

• Encourage students to take a break and come back

Create Opportunities for Different Encounters

• Let the students experiment

• Teach them how to set up a studio space using a certain

medium

Representing and Re-representing an Idea or Experience

• Encourage students to use different mediums for ideas• Develop Awareness• Transforms Thinking

Documentation

• written documentation tells stories of children’s art education

• documentation can be used for formal assessment and curriculum planning

• children deserve to have stories; not just grades

Documentation Process

• Tell the Story• Reflect on Story

• Describe Next Steps and Further Plans

Written Documentation Uses

• children benefit from revisiting project• allows families to see children’s exploration

and share thoughts with teachers• meets program requirements for keeping records

Displaying Children’s Work• visual arrangement/display• invites viewers to look closely at

children’s work• Tips

– display across neutral background– include close up photos of children

at work– keep text to a minimum– use large font– use a title (creative)– consider framing to enhance

aesthetics – weave child’s poetry into a display– include questions to invite the

viewer into work

Creating Portfolios

• allows children to revisit past and see progress

• ask child for consideration of what should be included in portfolio

• invite parents in to review portfolios

Reflect on Work

• Teacher should reflect on classroom experiences

• What worked and what didn’t work?

Getting Launched Materials:

– you will need a list of materials for exploration and for cleanup.

• Setting Up The Studio– Set up studio for children's first

encounter with an art medium– Keep coaching students about

how they set up their workspace for themselves

– When you set up child workspaces, set one up for yourself

Exploring & Creating

• Steps to follow, questions to pose, an aspects of an art medium to emphasize as you explore an art medium.

• Another important aspect is things you might say during an art exploration

• Cleanup– Adapt how to coach children about cleanup of an

art medium

Documentation & Display• Communicate with family members about the skills

that students require during studio experiences and how we create a history for the students of their work in the studio

• Ways to Build Exploration– Use suggestions for how you might use this art

medium to expand children's learning and to strengthen their relationships with each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlY1Vyx5ymM

Art Studio ClassroomActivity