Dylan Welch. This student found relationships between creative writing and
visual art, and made an homage to personal self-expression in this piece.
ng experience
for us as well as them. In this case,
although I had expected more stu-
dents to approach this project con-
ceptually, the fact that the majority
of students were more interested in
crafting more traditional sculptural
objects did not make the project
any less successful. The whole class
appreciated the “happenings” that
some students created in response
to the project challenge, and all
students had their definitions of art
expanded with the presentation and
discussion about conceptual art.
In the wide range of solutions to
this project, each unique response,
whether it fit neatly into the category of conceptual or not, was valued. It is in the variety of responses
that I am reminded that my class is
made up of artists, not just students,
and their creativity is something to
be admired and cherished.
Reflections
The students’ personal connec-
tion to the textbooks allowed them
to become imaginatively engaged
with the project. They showed their
excitement about their ideas by
bringing friends into the artroom to
see the works in progress. A project
critique provided the opportunity
for students to articulate the concept behind their piece, and for
the class to discuss the differences
between conceptual and more traditional approaches to the project.
NATIONAL STANDARD
Students conceive and create works
of visual art that demonstrate an
understanding of how the commu-
nication of their ideas relates to the
media, techniques, and processes
they use.
Carol Horst is an art teacher at Tehachapi
High School in Tehachapi, California.
chorst@teh.k12.ca.us
WEB LINK
www.u- 46.org/huff
www.mindinst.org
