Allowing Things to Happen

After my first discussion about this directed study with Dr. Norm Yakel,  something important repeated in my mind.  Norm advised me to allow this project to take me in places that I haven’t intended.  Perhaps that may be where some of the greatest learning takes place.  Where is this taking me, and what is my focus?  The first community of artists that I have begun to study has come about rather matter-of-chance.  I did not set out to study a group of musicians, let alone the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  And yet, the Rock Hall is a great example of exactly what I’ve been looking for.  It is a unified community of artists that has had significant shaping force on the western world and beyond.  Before the start of this study, I thought that I knew exactly what I was looking for.  I want to find common elements between several major communities, and I want to find ways to replicate these elements in order to spark and fuel change from within my community.  However as a study of this scale unfolds, there is a need to allow it to take me to unintended places.

One of the central focuses of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation is to celebrate its culture and heritage.  One of the Foundation’s many functions is to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll by inducting them into the Hall of Fame.  This very process of recognition is something that could be emulated on a smaller scale.  In my situation, as a teacher of visual arts, I could make better use of awards ceremonies and banquets in order to better celebrate achievements in visual art in my school community.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame invites musicians to speak about the impact of and influence of their peers.  I feel that for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, these induction ceremonies solidify the sense of community while the musicians celebrate their common purpose: the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll.   Perhaps this is a model that could work in my setting as well.  Perhaps I could have student artists introduce and say a few words about their peers at awards ceremonies.  Perhaps this would contribute to, and enhance, a sense of community among the artists in my school community.

The Rock and Roll Community of Fame?

com⋅mu⋅ni⋅ty: /kəˈmyunɪti/ Pronunciation [kuh-myoo-ni-tee] – noun, plural -ties.

1.	a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.

2.	a locality inhabited by such a group.

3.	a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists (usually prec. by the): the business community; the community of scholars.

4.	a group of associated nations sharing common interests or a common heritage: the community of Western Europe.

5.	Ecclesiastical. a group of men or women leading a common life according to a rule.

6.	Ecology. an assemblage of interacting populations occupying a given area.

7.	joint possession, enjoyment, liability, etc.: community of property.

8.	similar character; agreement; identity: community of interests

The definition above is from www.dictionary.com.

Is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a community?  Perhaps not in the traditional sense of the word, but yes, I think that it is a pretty good and clear example of a community in the modern world.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a professional and social group whose members have a common cultural and historical heritage.  The Rock Hall is all about its heritage and celebrating the culture of Rock and Roll.  Its members have all been voted and inducted into the hall, and so in this way, share a form of government.  The Rock Hall is a group of some of the most elite and talented musicians in the history of Rock and Roll.  These musicians share common characteristics in that they are the musicians that have shaped, altered, and influenced the path of music in our society.  There is a locality, and a sense of interaction.  Many of the members gather year after year at the induction ceremonies to celebrate the induction of new members, often at the same venue – the Waldorf Astoria Theater in New York City.

German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies, in his 1887 work entitled Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft [which means Community and Society], argued that community is perceived to be a tighter and more cohesive social entity, due to the presence of a “unity of will.” He also stated that family and kinship were the perfect expressions of community. These are perhaps the aspects of community that I have found most apparent to exist among the members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  There is a true sense of family and kinship between many of the Hall’s members.  There is also a presence of a “unity of will.”  The members have all willfully accepted their place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and willfully attend annual induction ceremonies and concerts.  [Some haven't.  In 2008, original punk rockers, The Sex Pistols, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and yet declined to attend, sending a letter denouncing the Hall instead.]

Although the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame may not be a community in a traditional, geographical sense of the word, it is quite clear to me that it is a great examples of a community none-the-less.  Now that we’ve established that, it is time to get onto the larger questions:  What is the focus of this community?  How was this focus created, and what have they done with it?  What is the overall impact of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its larger society?  Is there anything that can be learned from this that can be emulated on a smaller scale?

Stay tuned…

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame LIVE

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a very important community of artists that has made significant impact and has created change in the greater society of which it is part.  Rock and Roll is a vast genre of music that originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  The genre was influenced and derived from early forms of blues music, jazz, as well as country, folk, and gospel.  Today, more than sixty years later, the term rock and roll has become an umbrella term which encompasses a large variety of its derived sub-genres, from blues-rock to heavy metal and everything in between.

For the last 25 years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has honoured the music’s most influential and important musicians at annual induction ceremonies.  This year, the Rock Hall, in conjunction with Time Life, has released an unprecedented collection titled the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame LIVE.  This is a massive collection of nine DVD video discs and contains over 30 hours of footage of rare and unique performances by the greatest musicians in the history of rock music.   The main segment of each video is a collection of live performances, mostly unique ‘one-off’ musical collaborations and reunions.  Often the Hall puts together performers who have intense respect and admiration for eachother’s talents and contributions to the evolution of music and free thinking.  The most intriguing part of the collection  might be its inclusion of dozens of witty induction speeches in which musicians pay tribute to their idols in extremely honest, sincere, and often revealing ways.

This collection shows that this hall is clearly a community of artists.  The collection includes hours of priceless bonus footage of ‘behind the scenes’ moments and rehearsals.  When viewing these scenes, the real connection, friendship, and kinship amongst the musicians is clearly evident.  Have you ever wished that you could be a fly on the wall when rare geniuses connect?  This is exactly what it is like to view some of the special moments in rock history in this collection.  It is truly inspiring.

Identifying a New Purpose…

Most of the posts in this blog space will contribute to my understanding of a new purpose.  I have recently begun an independent directed study though which I aim to explore several communities of artists that have had significant and shaping impact on their greater societies.  The aim is to discover common traits and characteristics that can be emulated and applied to my own pedagogical practices.  The end goal is to learn from significant communities of artists and find ways to create and inspire change in my society, from my community.

Some clarity has come from my first meeting with my advisor, Dr. Norm Yakel.  In our first major discussion about how this study will take shape, it became clear to me that I was perhaps ‘biting’ off more than I can chew’ (again).  My original plan was to investigate several communities of artists, however, with Norm’s guidance, I can see that it may be best to narrow this down to about three groups first.  At first that sounded like a simplifying task, however, this is no easy job.  I want to make sure that the three groups that I select will lead me onto a path of discovery.

The first group that I have begun to study has relatively happened by chance.  My wife and I purchased a DVD set titled The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame LIVE.  One of our common interests is the history of rock music and many of its variations.  We bought this as something that we could watch together in the rare moments of ‘down time’ we get together in this insanely busy life of ours.  It didn’t take very long after we began to watch some parts of  this set that I realized that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a great example of a community of artists that has had a significant impact in creating change in this world.  So it is in this way that my first group was chosen.  I aim to watch the entire set, all 30-plus hours of inspiring footage, and reflect upon the application of this to my study.  I aim to reflect upon the aspect of community, and the perception of change that has been created.

Selecting the next groups may not happen quite so matter-of-chance.  I am thinking about the community of artists living and working in New York in the 1940’s and 50’s.   This would include groups of influential poets, musicians, and visual artists among others.  The third group may be a community of visual artists – perhaps the school of expressionist painters that called themselves Der Blaeu Reiter, or something along those lines.

I need to keep my focus on the purpose of this study, and that is to [hopefully] find common elements between the communities that I study.  Were there central gathering places?  Are there similarities in these places?  Were there particular leaders?  Is there anything similar about these leaders?  What, if anything, can be learned from this?  What was the overall impact of the movement on the greater society?

Some important points of focus came out of my meeting with Norm.  I need to allow the project to take me in places that I haven’t intended.  Perhaps that may be where some of the greatest learning takes place.  Where is this taking me, and what is my focus?  When I look at these groups of artist, I need to ask, “What was their focus?  How did they create it?  What did they do with it?  What creates the change, and how does it happen.”

More to come very soon.

Reflections on the 11th Hour

The 11th Hour is a very powerful and thought-provoking film that explores some of the most important and pressing issues that face our planet and it’s people.  The title of the film comes from the concept that human existence on our planet is in the 11th hour, the last hour in which change is still possible.  From David Suzuki to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, along with over 50 other leading scientists, the film compiles interview footage of some of the most respected and knowledgeable scientists and leaders of our time.  It clearly outlines the reasons for which change is necessary, and explores how we have arrived at our current state – the 11th Hour.  

Please take the time to read what my students – our young adults - have to say in response to watching this film.  Read their responses below.  Also, check out the 11th Hour Action website.  If you haven’t already done so, view the film; here is a trailor.

Trees . . . We’ve Got Trees!

In much of my reading and viewing of information about the Necessary Revolution, I’ve been affected by the power of trees.  In Suzuki Speaks, David Suzuki talks quite inspiringly about the importance of trees on our planet, as do many important scientists in the film The 11^th Hour.  At some point, through discussions with co-workers (namely Dylan Johns) I came up with the idea of getting trees for the students at our school. 

I have two tree planting projects in mind, one smaller, and one quite large (from my perspective).  I would like to plant trees indoor (inside our classroom) as soon as possible with my homeroom and with a couple of other teacher’s homeroom classrooms in the school as well.  The idea here is to have students take care of the tree seedlings for the rest of the school year, and at the end of the year, they will take them home to plant in their yard. 

The larger project that I have in mind is to provide one tree seedling to each of our students in the school – we have about 500 students and about 50 staff members at Martin Collegiate.  I would think that this would work best in the spring time – likely March or April.  Each student will take home a seedling to plant in their yard, or to plant in a place that they can be attached to.

Originally, I had attempted to get trees from our provincial crown power corporation.  That was a process that just didn’t feel quite right.  This corporation uses the waste heat produced by one of its power plants aid in growing over 500,000 seedlings each year which are given away for various reasons and projects.   After finding the proper contact person, I was directed to some extensive paper-work.  Unfortunately, the application is somewhat of a lottery, through which I will have to wait until April to find out whether or not I will receive any of the requested tree seedlings.  I completed the application, but as I have stated, that just did not feel quite right. 

Shortly after, I found the Love Trees web-site of Andrea Koehle Jones.  Andrea is Executive Director of Love Trees as well as the ChariTree Foundation.  What a godsend!  She responded promptly, agreed that she thought my projects were great, and said that she was happy to provide trees for both of my projects as well as shipping (so there will be no cost to me or our school).  After receiving such an exceptional response from Andrea, I did a little searching, and found out that she is also the author of the children’s environmental picture book The Wish Trees.  I bought the book as a gift for my girls (along with Suzuki’s Tree: A Life Story for me).

“If children are going to make a lifelong commitment to protect the environment for themselves and future generations, they first need time to explore the wonders of nature,” said Andrea Koehle Jones, Executive Director of Love Trees. She says one of the best ways to learn about the environment is to plant, care for and watch a seedling grow into a magnificent tree.

 I couldn’t agree with her more.  I know first hand how this has helped me.  Planting a tree from a seedling has made that tree special to me, and I still have the tree that I planted as a child.  This is exactly what I hope to see take place with this project. 

 Andrea has notified me that Love Trees is a member of the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign.  The trees that we are planting will help the UN reach this very substantial goal.  I feel pretty good about that.

United Nations Environmental Program

Gaia at Night . . . Mother is Sick

Earthrise is the name given to this photograph of the Earth taken by astronaut William Anders in 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission.  In Life’s 100 Photographs that Changed the World, it was called “the most influential environmental photograph ever taken.”  Photos of the Earth from space are so striking because they show how beautiful the planet is when viewed from a distance.  Such photos of Earth allow us to view our planet as one singular system, which we are a part of.  They remind us that we only have one Earth to work with, and that we depend on it for our survival.  Against the inky blackness of space, our home appears small and fragile, a living miracle of air, water, soil, and vegetation. 

Such a worldview is particularly important in light of our growing human disconnect from nature.  As our smaller worlds have become more industrial and our lives have become more dependant on technology, we’ve begun to lose our essential connection to the natural world of which were are a part.  Most of the human beings on this planet live in cities and a great number of us spend most of our time wrapped in technology and manufactured goods.  Although it is of course true that humans are animals, we do not often like to be reminded of it.  Indeed most of us know that we are mammals, however, we think it an insult to be called an animal, be it a pig, a dog, monkey, what have-you.  Calling someone an animal is deemed as a derogatory statement.

Of course there are some extremely significant factors that set us apart form the rest of the animal kingdom.  We are afterall, or so we hope to think, the most developed communicators on the planet.  And of course we cannot overlook our mastery of tool making and technology.  However, although these factors do make us stand out from the other organisms that we share our home with, they do not separate us from nature.  We must not forget that we are nature.  This is why it is so important to spend time outdoors, in nature, and with wildlife.  This time allows us to reconnect with who we actually are.

The first photos of the Earth from space are very powerful because they remind us that our planet is alive – she is Gaia, Mother Earth, she is life – and because of her, we have life.  More recently a variety of photos [composites or collages moreso than actual photographs] have become very popular on line.  These are the views of the Earth at night.  These assembled photos also provide us with very powerful perspectives of our home.  They allow us to visualize mankind’s extreme impact on the Earth.  From these composite images, we can clearly see densly populated areas of the Earth lit brightly.  We can clearly see the industrialized parts of the planet.  That is to say that we can see were the natural Earth has been converted into cities.  We can see where the natural Earth has been converted to man-made structures of concrete, wood, and steel.  That is to say that we can clearly see where non-renewable fossil fuels are being converted and used as electricity.  We can see where we live, and the impact we have made to our planet. 

When I first looked at images of the Earth at night, I remember being struck by their power.  They are immediatley grasping in their ability to communicate visually.  If we go by the old rule that every picture is worth a thousand words, then these collage of images certainly have something interesting to say.  As I have spent more time looking at these images, I am struck by the notion that the Earth looks sick.  The lights are symptoms of the spreading illness.  Man-kinds current ways of thinking are destroying our planet. 

Now, this all seems very depressing, in a doom and gloom sort of manner.  There is however a positive spin that can be taken from these visuals.  That of course would be to understand the size and scope of impact that we have had in transforming our planet in such a small amount of time.  This is important only because there is still hope.  There is still time to reverse our effects.  Man-kind is not necessarily the cause of Earth’s sickness, but rather man-kinds current ways of thinking.  We need to change the ways in which we think, consume, and pollute.  If we get the ball rolling towards new ways of thinking, we can have massive impact in very little time.  Our objective is to work towards a sustainable, healthy relationship with our home, Gaia, Mother Earth.

I’ve created a page called Earth at Night that allows you to see many of these images in their larger formats, and allows you to click the images and follow links to other sights with great information related to these images.  Fascinating stuff.  Check out the giant roll-over image at the top of the page.  Just roll your mouse over or off of the image to switch the light.  Cool huh?

Plastic and the Albatross

I have spent a couple of hours over the last week or two reading and viewing Chris Jordan’s video blog about his “Midway Journey.”  At www.midwayjourney.com, Chris shares photos and video clips as he journals his experience walking amid the decimation of young Albatross birds on the Midway Atoll.  As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Chris has some truly exceptional insight into the current state of waste on our planet.  I’m going to come right out say that this guy is a true visionary, a rare genius of visual communication.  Given that I am a teacher of visual arts, that statement is not to be taken lightly.  Chris has an ability to allow us to see realities about our world that we simply cannot (or chose not to) see.  Chris’ works encourages us to break down the barriers that exist in an age in which we are bombarded with statistics and factual information.  Chris has an exceptional ability to use a visual media to inspire change. 

The Midway Atoll is an oasis of sand, coral (and now plastic waste) in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles from the nearest continent.  Chris’ new photographic work documents the decimation of thousands of baby Albatross birds that occurs each year on the Midway Atoll.  Chris explains that, “The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young.  On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.”

Some may find the visuals that Chris has captured to be disturbing or disgusting.  Regardless, the images speak clearly – and very loudly – about the impact of our ways of life and mass consumption and waste.  Statistics and facts attempt to communicate that our human mass consumption is causing significant changes to our planet.  There is a plethora of information outlining that our ways of living are responsible for the destruction and extinction of exceeding species of life.  However, statistics and facts lack emotion and immediate connection to our reality.  This is where Chris’ work truly comes to life.  Chris’ images do what statistics and facts often cannot.  They make us feel our impact.  These images make these realities actually matter to us.  The message is extremely clear.

Chris Jordan – Picturing Excess

Chris Jordan is one of the most conscious visual artists working today.  If you haven’t been introduced to his photographic artwork, now is the time to become acquainted.  Check out his web-site at ChrisJordan.com.  His works are enormous, aesthetically beautiful, mind-boggling, and thought-provoking.  I was introduced to Chris’ works through a video of his presentation on TED Talks.  This may be a great starting point for anyone who is not yet familiar with what Chris is doing. 

Chris puts statistics into a visual format so that we can truly understand.  Facts and statistics are often provided to inform or to educate.  However, statistics and facts are overwhelming and often completely impossible to comprehend.  A problem arises when facts contain very large numbers.  What does 1 billion actually mean?  When statistics contain gigantic numbers, they lose their meaning because it is just too difficult to comprehend how big they really are.  Chris’ work attempts to break down the barriers between the language of statistics and facts that bombard us in an age of information overload, and to allow us to find meaning. 

Chris understands that seeing is believing, and he creates a visual portrait of our world today that allows us to see and understand just how wasteful we are.  Chris has created two series of works titled Running the Numbers.  The first series is An American Self-Portrait.  His second is A Portrait of Global Mass Culture.  The works in these series show us an arresting view of what Western culture looks like.  His supersized images picture some almost unimaginable statistics — like the astonishing number of paper cups we use every single day.

Chris creates these enormous images in order to help us feel more as a society; in order for issues to really matter to us.  He aims to break through the anesthetizing effect that most statistics have.  His main goal is to help us to wake up from our slumbering state of mass consumption, to face the facts, and to find ways to create change.  His artworks make us confront the real issues of our time, and they make us question how we are going to create change.  Perhaps this is why I love Chris’ work so much.  I feel where Chris is coming from.   Often I feel the need to scream WAKE UP.  I feel that too many of us need to wake up and take our heads out of the sand.  It is time for us to stop pretending that there is nothing wrong with our culture of global mass consumption.  It is time for us to stop many things.  It is time for us to wake up, and to demand change, create change, and to be the change that we want to see in this world.

DIGITAL ART GALLERY IS NOW OPEN

Mr. Flood’s Digital Art Gallery is now on-line and open.  Follow this link:  https://mrflood.wikispaces.com/art to view digital galleries of student artworks.   Please take the time to leave comments.  It is quick and simple to leave comments, and yet may have significant impact on the confidence and developement of many young artists. 

The following galleries are now being exhibited: 

Grade 9 Arts Ed. Multi-Colour Landscape Paintings
Grade 9 Arts Ed. ‘Take a Dot for a Walk’ Abstract Drawings
Grade 9 Arts Ed. Magazine Clipping Blending Paintings
Grade 10 Art Self Portrait Drawings

https://mrflood.wikispaces.com/art

Check this space for new updates

Use this space to keep up to date in Visual Arts Ed. 9.  Assignments, Links, and other resources will be posted here.

Check back often.

Check the space for Weekly updates for Art 10

Use this space to keep up to date with what is happening in Art 10.  Assignments, links, and other resources will be posted here.

Check back often.

Art 20-30 Wrap-Up

Your final exam in this class is on Monday, June 16th at 8:30 AM. 
The exam will be primarily multiple choice, and will be based on your study of the Art History unit “Artists, Artworks, & Art Movements” that is available on the Art 20/30 page above. 

Visit that page, download both presentations, and complete the study guide questions.

Don’t forget to finish up all artworks and post them on your wikispace.  I will need you to submit an evaluation form for each of the following works:

1. Abstract painting, and Expressionist painting (at least one of each) both on same form.
2. Pop Art painting
3. Impressionist painting
4. Replica or Inspired artwork (of Artist from your Art History paper.)
5. Creative sculpture piece.*
6. Functional sculpture piece.*

*5, 6 will be evaluated on the day of the final exam.

Week 14 – Keyboarding Numbers

Right click on each of these files and save them to your student folder.  

Numbers Spreadsheet #1.  
Numbers Spreadsheet #2.
Numbers Spreadsheet #3.   Hello.

You will be given pages to copy from, in order to practice the number keypad.

ART 20/30 Digital Pop Art Photos

The Art 20/30 Digital Pop Art Photos are now posted on our Wikispace.  Check them out here!  Please leave comments, as we encourage constructive criticism!