High School Studio Lesson
SEEING THROUGH
OTHER EYES
Nicole D. Brisco
As teachers, we
sometimes forget
what it means to
have our learning
assessed. We continue our
education with professional
development, institutes, workshops, and conferences. These
opportunities are beneficial
and enjoyable but there are
no direct assessments, no
tests, no critiques, or public
showings of our work at the
end—only our expectations of
what we will carry back to our
classrooms.
I believe people rise to the
occasion when we are working
not only for ourselves, but for
or with someone else. Working together inspired my new
approach for art educators and
professional development: collaborations! I decided to bring
two entities together and place
both the student and teacher
on the same playing field.
Breaking the Code
I envisioned a product that
each artist could work on
individually and then combine aesthetically—artworks
that could be viewed independently yet work together as a
unit. I decided an installation
would be the best vehicle for
this type of learning. Having
directed successful collaborative installations with my students, I believed this approach
would allow individual input
while requiring collaboration
between student and teacher.
A Unique Collaboration
Each teacher was asked to
select one student as a partner.
The teachers did not know
what to expect, other than
they would be asked to work
as a team with their students.
I decided to place myself in the
In this work, you can see a clear integration of the teacher’s and student’s work.
One original work was light blue while the other was a deep violet. As the pair
merged their work, they sought ways to create unity with contrasting palettes.
