Retired!

After thirteen years as a high school art teacher, I have retired from my job at Arts Academy in the Woods. As a result, there will be no further posts on this blog. However, I know that a lot of people use it as a resource, so it will continue to be available for viewing &  reading.

On this blog you will find some excellent student work, class assignments, research materials, etc.

AAW Spring Art Show 2013

Outdoor Installation Art: The Heidelberg Project / The Caroline Project

Our combined Intermediate/Advanced 3D Art class recently took a trip to The Heidelberg Project in Detroit. The Heidelberg Project is an outdoor art installation on Heidelberg Street, created over several years by Detroit artist Tyree Guyton. Guyton took a devastated inner city neighborhood street and turned it into a work of art.

Some people view the Heidelberg Project as art; others view it as trash and an eyesore. It raises the question, "What is ART?" This is not an easy question to answer, and ultimately one could argue that it is in large part up to the viewer to decide.

 

Is is art, or is it trash?

 






















Our 3D class is going to create an art installation on our school grounds. Our school is on Caroline Street-- hence the name The Caroline Project. We are taking our inspiration from the Heidelberg Project. We are located in a residential area, with neighbors directly across the street. Our school is located in Fraser, an upper-east-side blue-collar suburb of Detroit. It may be interesting to see how our neighbors respond to this project. As of this writing, we are on day two of our installation project. Here are a few photos, with more to come as the project progresses.

Raku Workshop at Marygrove College, Detroit

I was recently invited to bring a small number of my 3D Art students to Marygrove College in Detroit for a Raku Workshop. I selected eight of my best students to participate. We had two sessions, a week apart. The first session was for building our pots; the second was for doing the actual raku glaze firing.

 

Marygrove instructor Jim Lutomski showed the students a quick method of building a pot from a slab by wrapping it around a cardboard tube.

Session two: Glazing and Firing

Many thanks to Jim Lutomski and Marygrove for this awesome workshop! 
 

Beginning 3D: Felties

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Inspired by some little felt creatures (a.k.a. "felties") one of my students was making on her own last year, I did a bit of research and discovered that this has become a bit of a popular thing. Always looking for projects that develop skills, have a creative element, and are fun, I thought that this would be a good one for the beginning class. The students really enjoyed the project and did some great work!

(special thanks to Celia Eddy!)