All in Learning Through the Arts
It’s been 10 months since Arts Commons teaching artists started to navigate virtual instruction and adapt their livelihoods to the virtual realm, unable to work directly with teachers and students in schools and onsite at Arts Commons or in their studios. And with growth mindset in mind, they have inevitable developed new best practices for creating interactive virtual arts education.
We reached out to teaching artists from the visual and performing arts to talk about what sort of constraints they have overcome and new joys they have discovered in keeping children and youth inspired and connected through the arts.
The Day of the Dead (November 1st) is approaching, and so is the day of the Faithful Departed (November 2nd) two days that are particularly important in several Latin American cultures. Although there are variations in the traditions, one common thread among all the celebrations is that those days are meant to be about remembering, and visiting those we lost... or rather allowing them to visit us.
Art has power. Studies have shown that engaging with arts and culture reduces stress and leads to longer, happier lives. As we move into the sixth month of the global pandemic, the arts have never been more important, to our children, our elderly, ourselves.
In just a few days, after weeks of preparation, teachers will return to classrooms all over Alberta to inspire learning in thousands of students. Lesson plans will unfold, and many teachers will work with their students to create something new through brainstorming and collected ideas. It may sound simple but perfecting the process of creating a work with a group of students is no easy task.
How many times, recently, have you heard or used the phrase, “We are in unprecedented times”? It has been used often in the past several months because it is undeniably true.
While a global pandemic has ravaged our economy and impacted the well being of our community, another crisis necessarily took the spotlight.
It seems to me if you ask a good question, you will get a good answer. My name is Jennifer Roberts, and my role at Arts Commons is to work with teachers and students to design and then implement an immersive arts-focused session or a week-long field study. A large part of how I go about doing this is through asking questions.
This installment of Notice. Wonder. Make. gives you the tools to explore your home, neighbourhood park or backyard with your young learners and discuss what colours, symbols or images you can use to sketch a “map” out of nontraditional materials.
This activity draws inspiration from Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark project, a collection of beautiful photos of endangered animals, to guide you through creating simple mixed media animal masks with your family.
