WK1 Response to Micheline Guerriero - Breaking out of your mold

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Week1 Reading Response: Breaking out of your mold

The fear of failure blocks the mind and spirit from growing. There is nothing more sincere than when a student looks up at me and says, “I know I didn’t do this right” or “this is horrible.” These are the moments when a simple pleasant response, a helpful tip, or words of encouragement can change a student’s life and outlook towards trial and error. Passion, drive, and originality are fragile qualities that a person possesses.

I love the “give an A policy” One complaint I always had about art school was the subjective grading. There were always rubrics that described the requirements but none factored in the professor’s opinion or hidden expectations. It is hard to place a grade value on something like a painting or performance. While I am sure most teachers would never intentionally grade based on their opinion I think the teacher’s preference for style and technique are always reflected.

Additionally I’d like to share this quote from the book, The art of Possibilities, page 18.

“On our path to achieving a goal we inevitably encounter obstacles. Some of the more familiar ones, aside from other people, are scarcities to time, money, power, love, resources, and inner strength.”

I think this passage speak for itself… Ain’t that the truth

The following video is a close up 3-D examination of the David by Michaelangelo. The video reflect the vision and dreams of Stanford University students as well as the extraordinary talent of the original artist.

Ashley said...

First of all, that was an amazing video on 3D rendering of David. I remember during my study abroad in Italy going to Academia to see the magnificent statue and nothing compared to seeing it up close in real life. The detail in the veins and muscles was incredible.

I do agree that as an art teacher, it is difficult to hear the uninspired words of our students. It is difficult to hear them struggle and think they can’t do anything right. Often, I hear the words. “Is this right..how about now, does it look good now?” They are so concerned with doing it right that they ask about every line, every brush stroke. It’s exhausting for me and them, yet I am subjectively grading them. And now I know the expectation of creating a perfect piece of art is very hard on a student. I do love the giving an A concept. It allows for much more freedom of expression.

Image: Creative Commons