In 2010, I was asked by Dr. Fulani to teach a series of art classes with UX. Wow - what a flattering and challenging invitation! The opportunity came at a perfect time. I was overworked in my corporate job and seeking a way to connect with others in new and joyful ways. My father had just passed away and I had been going through a painful break-up. In short - I had a broken heart. Life in New York was an intense grind and I felt particularly alienated in the corporate sphere. My passion for the city revolved very much around my love of art and people. I was eager to find a way to bring these passions to life in my classes.
In thinking about the philosophies of the All Stars and my community, I wanted to go beyond "being a teacher". How could I create environments for others to create and inspire each other? How could I make a space where art is for everyone? My mission was to welcome people to create together, to do something social and artistic in a safe setting where we could experiment and get out of our comfort zones. My passion for folk art, outsider art and the naive work done by children and non-artists also inspired my program.
In designing my classes, I decided to create projects that lent themselves to "non-fail" results where there was a combination of structure along with the "X factor." The structure was meant to provide clarity and direction such as a specific technique or material, while the X-factor gave us the permission to try something new and maybe something that scared us. I, for one, was scared! What if my classes were boring? What if no one showed up? What if, what if, what if???
Over the year, I designed and executed 10 art classes total. I designed projects using the work of artists I loved to inspire the projects. The first class had 5 attendees and then quickly grew! Our largest class was 20 plus with a couple of folks finding spots on the ground when table-space was gone. In one class we had an 8 year old boy and an 80 year old woman. The spectrum of age and backgrounds varied from those who had done art before to those who had never picked up a paintbrush. Some class members had jobs and others didn't even have a home. There is a belief that we learn the most from those who are not like us, and we can develop doing things we do not yet know how to do. Here is the story of how we all created together, new pieces of art and new conversations.
March 5, 2011: Week 1 of MIXED MEDIA PORTRAITURE FOR BEGINNERS:
We looked at and talked about the "Flower Heads" and embellished portraits by Olaf Hajek. I provided a variety of pre-cut elements from magazines (lips, noses, eyes, flowers, symbols and patterns). This was the structured, non-fail element. The drawing and design was the "X-factor". We discussed the proportions of the face, drew the outline and designed the collage on large black paper. The art work was finished with oil pastel.
March 12, 2011: Week 2 of MIXED MEDIA PORTRAITURE FOR BEGINNERS:
We explored portraiture and pattern by talking about the works of Kehinde Wiley.
March 19, 2011: Week 3 of MIXED MEDIA PORTRAITURE FOR BEGINNERS:
We studied Frida Kahlo's intimate portraits, her use of line, embellishments, symbolism, and color. We used watercolor paints for the first time.
March 26, 2011: Week 4 of MIXED MEDIA PORTRAITURE FOR BEGINNERS:
We talked about Shepard Fairey's graphic and dynamic work. The group resonated with the social component of his being a street artist. We discussed his limited use of color. We experimented with printmaking for the first time! We used very ordinary materials to make our prints: styrofoam plates for the printblock and sharp pencils to carve into the plate. Basic white paint served as our printing ink. The results were surprising and bold.
Summer Series: JULY 23, 30, AUGUST 6, 13 2011 MIXED MEDIA PORTRAITURE FOR BEGINNERS:
Class size has grown! I had to move into a new room to accommodate the expanding attendance. Having a summer series opened the class to more young people on summer break. I took the same themes, materials and artists from the first series and ran with it! Here are some of the things we created.
MARCH and AUGUST 2012 : "PLAY WITH ART" Still-Life and Improvisation:
I enlisted dear friend, Jenessa Eisler, to partner with me on 2 one-day workshops: "PLAY WITH ART". Jenessa and I decided to combine improvisation with a still-life art class.
We opened the workshop by telling a collective story by using an improvisational game called "Yes And". The spirit of "Yes And" is that we build with others, by truly listening and creating with whatever they contribute to the story.
How is listening and building like making art?
We looked at still-life reference shots and then took ordinary objects to build our own still-life 'sculptures'. Using rolling pins, stuffed animals, shoes, bottles, paper flowers, and other random things we made several creations around the room and began to draw. Here are the things we created.
MURALS and BENCHES and PIGS - OH MY!
My passion for creating public art pieces started when I was an art student at University of Michigan. During my summers, I had the amazing fortune to partner with awesome community organizer Tamara Harkavy to help launch her visionary program: ArtWorks.
This inner-city program hires youth to make art for the city in my hometown of Cincinnati. The program is still flourishing today and has completely transformed the downtown area with large, bold, colorful and gorgeous murals. Additionally the program empowers and emboldens youth by employing them to make art and partner with accomplished artists. Below is one project I led and co-created for the Cincinnati Zoo. This bench was placed in the Tropical Rain Forest Exhibition at the Zoo for both sitting and display!
Additionally, I independently created murals for schools and homes in Los Angeles and participated in the Cincinnati Pig Gig - a fun project to help raise tourism for the city. The "Doggie Signs" were commissioned for the Farmer's Market in Venice, California.
