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.