May 8-12 | Artist Statements

*Please note Addie and Heather will lead the artist statement workshop.
**IDEAS Block groups not in workshop should engage in studio time.
Recommendations as noted below:
  • Write artist statement
    • What is my point within this topic? 
    • What was my process of creation? What do the different components of my creation symbolize? 
    • How do I want to sound to the reader? What kind of language do I want to use?
  • Make needed revisions/edits to creation
  • Create EoL presentation outline/notecards
  • Practice EoL presentations 


Tuesday

Schedule

  • Addie:
    • 35 minutes: Erin & Tim (3307)
    • 35 minutes: Becky (Beckah's Room)

  • Heather: 
    • 35 minutes: Drew (Music Room)
    • 35 minutes: Dan (Ray Bradbury Room)

Step 1: See, Think, Wonder 
Think/View Time - Circle Up!

  • What details do you notice in the visual art piece?
  • Why do you think someone would be motivated to create this piece?
  • According to what you think the purpose of this piece is, what do you think the details like color, spacing, or texture symbolize?
  • According to what you think the purpose of this piece is, what do you wonder about the creator's personal connection to it?
  • What do you think the creator wants the audience to experience from looking at the painting?


Bitter Water, Anne Stahl 


Step 2: Connections to Artist Statement

  • Read aloud
  • Annotate Teacher Notations

Bitter WaterAnne Stahl 
Water is essential to life. Without water, neither man nor any other life would exist. It is thus all the more shocking how little respect we have for water, how we humans waste and pollute it, with no regard for the consequences: the end of life itself.

My interest in water began in Ireland, where water nourishes the bogs, and intensified after moving to California, where severe drought persists and causes havoc. Series such as bog, iceworld and the marina project have each dealt with aspects of water. Now, in ‘Bitter Water’ I’m considering the pollution of water, particularly through plastic and micro-plastics.
Visual elements for Bitter Water

The aim of this new series is to show works that illustrate the beauty of water while also addressing the ‘bitter’ side: pollution and waste. On many works I use transparent papers treated with wax and ink, placed on top of the painting using magnets, essentially hiding much of the underlying image. The layer is not attached permanently, but rather tentatively and it invites the viewer to touch it, move it, look beneath. The beautiful blue is there, but hidden behind a plastic-like film. It can be guessed and you can also remove this layer. The work is fragile and highly tactile, aimed to raise curiosity and awareness. Some visitors may dare to look behind the layer. Carefully. Inquisitively. What hides under the, plastic ‘. Can we undo this pollution?

I quite consciously used natural materials (where at all possible). Wax is ideal to represent wetness and translucency and allows me to develop a largely free artistic interpretation. To work with wax on a large area, the images are somewhat “cast” and must be horizontal to solidify and are then scraped and scratched. On other surfaces the wax is ironed only very thinly and is thus quite fragile ‘- such as the eco-system water, fragile’ is.

The titles of the smaller works on wood, are things that you may find in the water nowadays, but don’t perhaps belong there.

Contradictions and duality is united figuratively. Good and bad overlaps in gray areas. Hidden secrets can be discovered or guessed. Details are as important as the overall impression from afar. Understanding is as important as feeling.

Connect

  • Was the artist statement what you expected? 
  • What did you like and not like about it? 
  • How did the artist statement add to your understanding of visual art piece? Did it take away too much of the mystery?!
  • Look at this artist statement like a completed puzzle. Now think about how you would put together the pieces of your puzzle. What do your pieces look like? How do they fit best together?


Step 3: Break down:
  • Why: Provide your audience with an explanation of why you created this particular art piece. This should include several things: motivation, subject matter, inspiration
    • What was your motivation for this piece?
    • What is your topic and what do you believe about it? 
  • How: Provide your audience with an explanation of how you created meaning or argument in your piece without providing your readers with a play-by-play of what you did.
    • Who or what was your inspiration behind the art? 
    • How does your piece expose meaning? Color, images, text, repetition, symbolism, theme etc.
  • What: Provide your audience with a reflection of what the piece means to you as the artist. 
    • What is your personal connection to the artist piece?
    • What do you want your audience to understand after they experience your project?


Wednesday

Studio Time: 
  • Write artist statement
    • What is my point within this topic? 
    • What was my process of creation? What do the different components of my creation symbolize? 
    • How do I want to sound to the reader? What kind of language do I want to use?
  • Make needed revisions/edits to creation
  • Create EoL presentation outline/notecards
  • Practice EoL presentations 


Thursday

Writing Conferences (English teachers will conference and grade with students on their written artist statements for about 5 minutes per student):
  • Addie:
    • 35 minutes: Mike (Drama Room)
    • 35 minutes: Molly (Dance Room)
  • Heather: 
    • 35 minutes: Timi (Science Room)
    • 35 minutes: Stuart (Art Room)

Studio Time: 
  • Revise artist statement
  • Make needed revisions/edits to creation
  • Create EoL presentation outline/notecards
  • Practice EoL presentations 


Friday

Writing Conferences (English teachers will conference and grade with students on their written artist statements):
  • Addie:
    • 35 minutes: Erin & Tim (3307)
    • 35 minutes: Becky (Beckah's Room)
  • Heather: 
    • 35 minutes: Drew (Music Room)
    • 35 minutes: Dan (Ray Bradbury Room)

Studio Time: 
  • Revise artist statement
  • Make needed revisions/edits to creation
  • Create EoL presentation outline/notecards
  • Practice EoL presentations