During my first years of teaching, I didn’t teach art. When I looked at the bulletin board after our art class, all of the students’ work was the same. Even the students couldn’t tell whose was whose! Eventually I realized that I was leading my students in making crafts instead of teaching art techniques and allowing imagination and innovation to inspire their creations. What a disservice to those students!
Last night we saw a play at our local theatre. I was swept up by the visuals and captivated by the language. At some point though, I realized that even as I was enjoying the performance, I was also thinking about my own current projects. Art inspiring art.
Why not inspire one form of art with another in our classrooms? What might be inspired by classical music… beautifully written mentor texts… paintings by the masters… spoken word poetry… short films… books on fashion or architecture…? What might your students write, draw, or create?
I love this. As someone who is not great at art…I love seeing the creation come from my students and take on forms I had never considered.