I love the idea of exposing students to the many local talents their city has to offer. Furthermore, it provides a good opportunity to show students the various ways people choose to express themselves (while also knocking off a few PLO's). Great talent can be hiding anywhere, and you don't have to go looking in the big cities to find it. Learning about local artists not only helps support your community but it helps support the art industry. Even in times of economic hardships art is still apart of the community. Why? Art is comfort, an escape from the every day, and cognitive enrichment. Even in the darkest days art thrives in ways unprecedented.
One of my favourite local artists also happens to be one of my dearest friends. After dropping out from
the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, my friend made her way to the remote forests of BC. She constantly inspires me even when my creativity is running on empty and has introduced me to a wide array of local artists. It's amazing how one person can unveil a whole other world to the one you thought you already knew. Her work has taught me that you can make art and beauty out of anything, it just depends on the angle you decide to look at it.
The two different ends of the spectrum that your friend went to with regards to art are pretty cool. I think a cool lesson could be comparing the art she did in Austria with the art she made when she came back. I think there could be lots of opportunities to use Social Studies, Language Arts, and Fine Arts in assignments with these art pieces.
ReplyDeleteInteresting contrast. I'm glad you are having the chance to know artists and hear about what their work means to them.
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