Local Visual Cultures & a Museum Visit

Week 3

                   I was really interested about learning how artistic collaboration among children might be positive yet negative. In the reading, Ivashkevich mentioned how two young girls collaborated while making their artwork and their way of communicating really interested me. They seemed to copy one another but at the same time they would tweak their pictures so they wouldn't look entirely the same. Personally, I saw this type of collaboration as something positive. I believe that children should communicate their ideas in art so each one of them can either take or leave inspiration. At the same time, I also thought this might be troublesome because the child who is copying another is not really extending his/her imagination. As a teacher, I would encourage certain age levels to collaborate but to a certain extent so it doesn't become a habit like it did to the girls in the article.I agreed to what Ivashkevich said "Collaborating drawing among peers provides interesting insights into picture making as a part of children's culture." (pg. 56) Collaboration is something good when it comes to creating but it's something children shouldn't rely on all the time. One thing I questioned though, is how can collaboration be encouraged in a high school setting? This is something I will have to research and ask high school teachers for their perspective. 
                   By Thursday, I could make connections from Wilsons' readings regarding children's artwork across cultures. Reading about their research made me rethink the way children's art looks around the world instead of my central focus of America. Wilsons' article also made me realize since children's artwork differs around the world, in reality, there isn't an example of perfect children's art or a standard view of what it should look like. After reading their article, I got to look at children's artwork from a whole, different perspective. While on my visit to the Tucson museum of art, I noticed how child refugees from around the world depicted their experiences before living in Tucson. Although they were from different places, their age similarities made their works of art similar to one another. The only differences, like Wilson stated, was the way in which they drew people. Their works had a lot of cultural influences as well as setting. I enjoyed learning about the places they came from and how drastically their lives changed for the better when they moved to Tucson. Learning about how children's art differentiates from one place to another made me realize how as a teacher I'll be exposed to different kinds of art if I plan to teach in different places. It'll be really exciting. 

                      The image above is a photograph I took while on my visit to the Tucson Museum of Art. I read the artist's statement and I realized the importance of having students practice writing their own every time they finish an art piece. Because each child wrote a description of their artworks, other people can connect with them as well. Personally, I connected with this child's art piece because I also used to make up my own heroes when I felt lonely as a child. We both had a love for animals especially felines. I think children should practice writing artist statements to strengthen the bond adults have with children. Adults will get to know them better and see what kind of culture they explore as children.