My last blog update was over 3 years ago. The Millis High School Art Department was swimming along in a tide of happy contentment. Students were learning, creating and growing. I honestly felt like my reflections and postings here were getting a bit repetitive.

And then the Universe said, "HA!" and we've been hanging on to this wild ride since March 13, 2020! 
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Since then we have learned what it means to exist through a global pandemic, we've experienced divisive political and social upheaval. Educators everywhere (myself included) are negotiating what it means to meet the increased needs of our students. Reflecting daily on my cultural lens has always been a priority but suddenly more urgent. Students need a safe and inclusive environment that acknowledges and responds to all of our current challenges.

​Just being in the creative space of the art room and engaging in art making is a wonderful way to process and heal and experience growth as an artist an individual. 

There have been ups and downs. Here's an example: Last year, my digital program had to pivot and evolve (student Chromebooks couldn't run the Adobe Creative Suite) and we had to use Google Drawing for almost all vector projects.  This year, some students used Google Drawing (a program designed to create charts and posters) and some use Adobe Illustrator. Here are a few - aren't they amazing?  We figured it out. Enjoy these faces of the future :)

We are halfway through the third quarter of this school year. I know that because I just updated my grade book. The 2017-2018 school year marks an increasing shift to a choice-based art program based on the artistic behaviors in the digital domain. My focus is on balancing the  introduction of  new skills and artistic concepts with encouraging the creation of original art. 

 Art, Design and New Media: The first priority and mutual goal is to establish that everyone is up speed on what it means to create, store and post digital media. File types and the lesson of not arbitrarily changing extensions is actually really important! So is what it means to be safe online and the discussion of "trolling" was very popular and referred to often ;) I also learned about Fortnight...

Digital Photography/Advanced Compute Art is really a very exciting class due to the huge variety of interests. As in Art, Design and New Media (a suggested pre-req) for this class, I teach new skills and introduce new artistic concepts periodically. From there the students take off. Here's a gallery of some of the images created this school year:

Click on photos to see image captions - skills/concepts covered during each project. ​

Credit for many of these ideas to an amazing supportive group of Art Educators in my virtual PLC (mostly on FB).  The digital geometric collage was from this tutorial.

There are always amazing things happening in the Millis High School art department - this post is a quick highlight on a few special things from this Fall!

Lauren's painting and Matt's illuminated letter were both contenders for Artist of the Week on Artsonia. We didn't win the Blick gift cards but it was still nice to be recognized! You can look at lots more of our artwork on Artsonia.

This afternoon, I'll be driving these two paintings to  the drop off for the National Art Honor Society Exhibition:
Taking Shape
on view from Thursday, November 8-Friday, November 17
Closing  Reception Saturday, November 11
3:00-5:00 pm
Hampshire College Art Gallery
Harold Johnson Library
893 West Street
Amherst, MA 01002

And I'll close this post with few memories from a fun and inspirational day last week at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston!

Another year - another fantastic group of shoe designs!

Four teams each received a brand new pair of shoes to customize using Music, Action Sports, Art and Local Flavor as the theme.  The result is a creative collection and among the strongest we've ever submitted. New this year was a 2D design component with the broad theme "Technology & Design."

As a unit, the students worked together to creatively solve the given design requirements for this authentic challenge! And it was really FUN!

Can you believe that my picture was in the newspaper on the first day of kindergarten and on the last day, too?
​I knew I had these clippings and uncovered them the other day.  The newspapers are over 50 years old and I decided to share them here because of the  relevance to Black History Month (and to what's going on in our country and schools today).  See below for caption/article transcriptions:

Classroom photo caption: Bayonne's youngest students, members of the kindergarten class at Woodrow Wilson School, began their scholastic careers this morning. For many of them, it was the beginning of almost two decades of education. Some of them were a little apprehensive of the awesome task before them but most had settled into the routine of school bells and scholarship by noon. Parents help out in the weaning process at Wilson, following the suggestion of Principal John A. Marconi, who thinks children can adjust better if their parents are around for a little time.  (That's me at the bottom corner of the table.)

Kennedy Set to Use Troops To Aid Alabama Integration - BULLETIN BIRMINGHAM, Ala (UPI)- Two Negro students slipped into a back door of a white elementary school today, becoming the first of their race to attend a white public school. Gov. George C. Wallace made no move to halt them. 
Three other Negroes were scheduled to enter the city's previously white schools for the first time, although Wallace vowed they would not and sent nearly 200 state troopers to turn them away. 
WASHINGTON (UPI)- The Kennedy administration was prepared today to use federal troops if necessary to enforce school desegregation in a new show-down with Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace. Justice Department officials said they hoped the Alabama crisis could be resolved by local authorities but they made it clear that troops would be brought in if required to back up federal court orders. Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy and his aides were watching developments in Birmingham, where three public schools were scheduled to be integrated today before deciding on federal action. (...)

Photo Caption - END OF SCHOOL - Whee! School's out. A whole summer of fun. These thoughts are on the minds of hundreds of Bayonne youngsters as the school vacation session begins. Shown here are students in the Woodrow Wilson School helping Mrs. Joseph Fleisher, kindergarten teacher, put toys away for the summer. The student (l. to r.) are Patrick Devaney, Karen Romano, John Franconeri, and Carol Messenger (ME!). 

President Hails Civil Rights Bill as Challenge -
House Leaders Promise Speedy Action on Measure WASHINGTON (UPI) - Americans of every race and creed faced a challenge from President Johnson today to join in making the provisions of the newly passed civil rights bill "the customs of our land."
The president, on a speech making trip to the West Coast, issued a statement in SanFrancisco shortly after the Senate approved the controversial measure Friday Night, exactly a year after it was first requested by the late President John F. Kennedy. Johnson hailed the action as "a major step toward making equal opportunities for all Americans," and said that while no law can eliminate prejudice, the bill will go further  "to invest the rights of man with the protection of law than any legislation in this century. " Looking forward to the day "which will not be long forthcoming," when he signs the bill into law, ...

Further reading/ links to share with your students:
The History Cannel: Black History Month
Unpublished photos relating to Black History from the NY Times Archives

 Mature Content -
Two 2017 Films Nominated for best documentary feature that deal with race in America:
O.J.: Made in America (Hulu)
13th (Netflix)
Also:
Loving (Amazon, iTunes, Google Play or Vudu)

 My school has a seven day schedule and each period has a long block once during that rotation.  In digital photography /advanced computer art  I've started a tradition called the "Double Challenge." It's a great opportunity to try something new - to add some hands on skills to our digital repertoire and to step away from our computers for a bit. We've done light painting, photographed lizards, designed spooky book covers and made and created  paper lanterns. 

When I saw this Create a Futuristic City tutorial on the High School Photography Teachers Facebook group, I knew it would be perfect for our next double challenge! Well, it was so much fun and I think the variety of results really surprised me. 

The Millis High School Art Department congratulates all those that submitted pieces, and we are pleased to announce that the following students have received awards through the Scholastic Art and Writing program:  

• Johanna C was awarded a Silver Key for her oil painting of Kylie and 2 Honorable Mentions for her oil paintings Chopper and her Self-Portrait.  

• Adriana G received a Gold Key for her photograph,  Ride Of Self Reflection and a  Silver Key for her photograph Stories On Province Street.
• Emma M received 2 Silver Keys, one for her illustration titled Acadia and one for her photograph, Boat Nest, and she received an Honorable Mention for her photograph, Beefeater. ​

The regional award ceremony for Gold and Silver Key winners and their teachers will take place on Saturday, March 11, 2017 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. There will also be an exhibit of Gold Key work - we're currently waiting for more details as it is sure to be amazing! Congratulations all!

​"Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth, and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated."  ​

I KNOW that taking a photo a day will result in improved photographic skills and potentially yield other great benefits - and many seem to agree. My digital photography/advanced computer art class, however,  was not quite so enthusiastic but we pressed on anyway. Some are following along with me, using the prompts provided by an Austrailan named Chantelle on her (unfortunately named) website, Fat Mum Slim. Checking the #s each day allows us insight and inspiration as we see how other artists and photographers from around the world interpret and present the daily prompt. 
Students are either participating on Instagram or updating their blogs with the daily photos. Follow along or join in!
My challenge pics are on Instagram at millis_photography!
​Student instagram participants so far (I'll update as they send me their links):

I will preface this post with saying that I love learning, evolving and trying new things - especially when it comes to my teaching practice. BUT this is one educational sequence that I've been following for a few years and it's a tried and true way for students to learn the basics in Adobe Illustrator - including the pen tool! Engagement and motivation stay high as everyone gains skills  while getting to be creative. Success for all.  Here's the basic one-two-three:

I was introduced to this pen tool worksheet by my mentor, Bonnie, and I'm not sure if she designed it herself or got it from someone. I've redrawn it a few times but it's essentially remained the same - 'cause it's that good. This is one assignment that I insist on perfection (it's skill building after-all - no creativity involved ;). In our final review of the class, most students cite it as their most hated assignment - and then go on to say it was a skill they came to rely on for many other projects. When done correctly, it teaches how to use all of the pen tools and the direct selection tool. We may spend 3-4 class periods or more  on this worksheet. But from here, the silhouette is an easy step - tracing around your profile pic is analogous to tracing Figure 10 in the Pen tool Worksheet! The concept of layers is introduced  as is adding the decorative border to a path. 

The self portrait is the next jump in the progression. Creative decisions have to be made - the students are now drawing (taking what they see in the 3D world and flattening it onto the picture plane...). First everyone creates a self portrait with a black one point stroke - then a portrait with stroke variation - then one in full color. The students learn so many new things along the way and are always enthusiastic to share their discoveries with their classmates.