As you read the articles about contemporary art in this issue and share the associated projects with your students, keep in mind that you’re not discarding the teaching of traditional artists and art-making approaches, but rather exposing students to a full range of possibilities at their disposal. The journey of artistic exploration knows no bounds, and by embracing the enormity of creative possibilities, we pave the way for an enriched artistic education.
As an artist, I find flow between divergent thinking (exploring new ideas) and convergent thinking (synthesizing these ideas into a coherent and meaningful framework). Teaching contemporary art to students expands their horizons while providing a greater understanding and appreciation of the present. Students can use an array of media presently available to investigate contemporary issues.
What’s the big whoop-de-doo about teaching contemporary art? Well, let me share my experience with the artist-led collaborative Whoop Dee Doo when they teamed up with local high-school students in Utah to create a performance art piece at the ARTcetera student-run gallery inside a mall.
Whoop Dee Doo’s Matt Roche and Jaimie Warren worked with students to craft an off-the-wall variety show featuring live performances and active audience participation. The result? The performance drew over 700 attendees to the productions, and the lines to get in to see the shows attested to people’s curiosity and interest.
For almost two weeks, Matt and Jaimie brainstormed and collaborated with students to come up with ideas for acts, designing sets, and costumes. The dynamic process completely captivated students and mall patrons alike as they watched it unfold from conception to production. Both the students and audiences were introduced to contemporary art in a fun and highly collaborative way. It embraced the process of art-making as a playful ebb and flow between a restless, unconstrained imagination and the thoughtful curation of the outcome.
All the sets and costumes that were carefully made were destroyed after they were used and the performances were short-lived, but they left a lasting impression. This emphasizes the artistic process over the end product—a common trait of contemporary art.
As you read the articles about contemporary art in this issue and share the associated projects with your students, keep in mind that you’re not discarding the teaching of traditional artists and art-making approaches, but rather exposing students to a full range of possibilities at their disposal. The journey of artistic exploration knows no bounds, and by embracing the enormity of creative possibilities, we pave the way for an enriched artistic education.
James Rees is an art education consultant and a contributing editor for SchoolArts. James@JamesReesArt.com, JRees@DavisArt.com
Art teachers inspire bold creative expression while incorporating contemporary art into their lessons. Students discover the large-scale paintings of Sean Scully and create multi-panel patterned compositions, investigate the landscape art of Dahlia Elsayed and assemble collaborative and individual collages, embrace mark-making as a whole-body exercise while using charcoal-taped drawing sticks, and more.
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