Co-Editors’ Letter: Curiosity

As former classroom art educators and current preparers of preservice art educators, we see the art room as a place alive with curiosity. We see this in the myriad of ways learners approach making through their selection and use of a range of materials, techniques, and subjects. As members of the NAEA Research Commission, we are excited to share examples of research in classrooms in this issue devoted to curiosity. By sharing their stories, these teachers are contributing to the field with new ideas and ways of knowing about learning, curriculum, and pedagogy.

Warhol Flower Prints

Printmaking with first grade—for some, that might sound like a scary idea. I’ve had a real passion for printmaking since college and have tried to pass that passion on to my students. I know it may seem daunting to try a messy media with a group of young students, but trust me when I say it can be done quickly and easily.

Chalk the Walk

Through an artist choice board, students could select options based on their interests and supplies they had readily available. One of the options from the choice board included an interactive chalk walk. This assignment prompted students to choose a scene they would like to draw with chalk and to photograph themselves inside the scene as if they were a part of it. This assignment encouraged students to get outside, get some fresh air, and be creative in a different space.

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Extraterrestrial Installations

I’ve noticed the art lessons that really spark curiosity in students have two things in common: multiple tasks that build on each other and the opportunity for students to collaborate with their peers. In this extraterrestrial installation project, students created a clay space creature, worked in small groups to transform a trifold cardboard display into a planet landscape, photographed their creature in the installation, and wrote a story about the creature’s journey.

Dagwood Sandwiches

Are you looking for an exciting project to engage and challenge your students? I recommend these two sequential assignments that will whet your appetite and are adaptable to a variety of media and ability levels. I recently developed and taught these Dagwood Sandwich painting and ceramic sculpture lessons to my seventh- and eighth-grade art students. The results were impressive.

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Cultivating Inquiry

I wondered how I might provide students with the space to linger in the ambiguity of the creative process; a place where they could play with materials and develop ideas. Students need time built into the curriculum for sustained inquiry—brainstorming ideas, collecting information, designing projects, experimenting with materials, and receiving feedback to reflect on and refine their ideas.

Exploring Oneself through Artmaking

As a high-school art teacher and practicing artist, I explored this question with my students: “How does an authentic studio practice connect us to ourselves, to one another, and to the world around us?” Working alongside my students as artists, we made sense of this question through the process of journaling.

Kehinde Wiley Inspired Portraits

Self-portraits are always a popular project at all grade levels, but this year, I wanted to connect them to a contemporary artist instead of the Renaissance artists I usually do. I wanted to offer a simple version of this exploration for my introductory students and a more complex exploration for my advanced students.

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Collaborative Public Art Design

I saw how collaborative public art could transform the lives of people in neighborhoods who might not have much direct experience with visual art. Also, involving local residents in the design process gave them a voice with which to express their ideas and an increased feeling of ownership in their neighborhood.

Identity through Fantasy

JooYoung Choi’s journey as an artist began as a child when she first saw the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It opened up a fascinating world with endless possibilities and inspired her goals to become an artist and work for Disney. Today, through painting, video, sculpture, animation, and installation, Choi transforms autobiographic and fantastical elements into dazzling visual form.

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