Category: Art

This past week, Art Foundations (Ages 8-11) class instructor Rachel Wiseman took her students outside for a creative project where they collected leaves, twigs and other natural materials and constructed miniature “boats” which they set afloat upon Mason Pond for all to see.

“As a teacher, I strive to build lessons that can provide my students with both artistic exploration and personal enrichment,” explained Miss Rachel. “The general idea of the lesson was to expose the students to Eco Art Sculpture through having them collect natural materials and create boats that they could float onto the Mason Pond.”

 

 

The lesson was designed to have many valuable components and provide the  students with a learning experience that would contribute to both their artistic and personal development. They had to first experiment with materials, attaining an understanding that sometimes when creating art, your project can fall apart, and that it’s okay. “Sometimes it’s the experience of rebuilding something after having it fall apart that can give us the confidence we need to embrace the challenges we face, both in art and in life,” said Rachel.

 

 

Students had to make choices about the objects they were selecting to create their boats, experimenting with the buoyancy of their materials, and clearly having to acknowledge that rocks don’t float!

 

 

“Nature is degenerative, continually cycling between growth and decomposition,” Rachel stated. “After shipping off our boats, we would not be retrieving them. They would be left in the lake to interact with the rest of nature, eventually decomposing, just as everything else, and with that, there is the experience of letting go. It is hard to put time and effort into creating a work of art, just to leave it outside and know that it’s going to fall apart, but in life, there is value to understanding that it is okay to let go, and that the experiences we have can be just as profound without possessing the different components of them.”

 

 

Aside from the bigger ideas put into the lesson, the students were able to get outside in the sun to release energy, work together collaboratively to construct their sculptures, form relationships, and communicate with one another about their different approaches to the project.

“As we moved outside to begin collecting materials, the students all seemed to be really excited about what materials they wanted to use and how they wanted to approach the assignment,” described Rachel. “We all gathered around the pond to construct the sculptures, and this was where everyone seemed to be in their own worlds. Some students were focusing solely on the construction the entire time while others were anxious to test their boats in different stages to ensure that they would float. Finally we all gathered as a group to watch each boat get shipped off and hear what each artist had to say about their project. Some were discussing what inspired their designs while others were expressing how challenging it was to work with natural materials. The children all approached the assignment so differently that we ended up with a beautiful array of boats in different colors, shapes, and sizes, and all of the students were eager to see what theirs could do! None of the boats sank and the excitement of the activity was evident with how anxious the kids were to huddle around and see what each boat did.”

 

 

The students had a wonderful out-of-the-box experience. Thanks to Miss Rachel for implementing such a wonderful, innovative lesson into the Art Foundations curriculum.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ART CLASSES
The next session of art classes will begin in February 2017!

ABOVE: Photo of a pet portrait by Nathan Loda

Our fall session of visual art programs begins tomorrow, Saturday September 24th. Enjoy a few insights into the classes and instructors, and grab one of the remaining spots if you’re interested!

Our Saturday Visual Art classes take place in the Art & Design Building on the Mason Fairfax Campus and offer students ages 4 to adult the opportunity to express themselves through drawing, painting, and many other art mediums. Our Fall 2016 instructors, Rachel Wiseman, Nathan Loda, and Arthur Reinaltt – all Mason School of Art Master’s students and alum – create unique and engaging curriculum to inspire their students. The session ends with a fun “Art Showcase” where students can display and discuss their works for family and friends.

 

 Rachel Wiseman
 Nathan Loda
 Arthur Reinaltt

 

Potomac Arts Academy Faculty Coordinator (and blogger) Claire Allen recently sat down with Rachel Wiseman (Art Foundations class for ages 8-11) and Nathan Loda (Oil Painting class for adults) to talk about their experiences both as artists and teachers:

 

CAllen: What is your favorite thing about teaching art?

NLoda: I love showing people how to make a painting or drawing because it is rewarding to see how amazed and accomplished they feel after completing their art work.

RWiseman: I love working with children and seeing their faces light up in that moment when they understand the value of a new experience, taking in the deeper lessons that art can convey, and allowing themselves to explore a personal connection with an idea or material that they find to be personally enriching. I value the depth at which students can grow into themselves, both reflectively and expressively, and how this growth impacts their future lives.

 

CAllen: What are your favorite memories from previous art classes?

RWiseman: A few years back, I was teaching painting courses, and in one of my classes, I had a young boy who was being teased because his art wasn’t as developed as his classmates. Naturally, this was upsetting, and as a resolution, I altered my curriculum and came up with an entire lesson on the value of abstract painting. The student excelled, his classmates all gathered around to praise his efforts, asking him about his unique techniques, and by the end of the session, his confidence was skyrocketing and he had announced to me that he was determined to become “the next Jackson Pollock!” From that point on, the class ceased to tease him and my students expressed an appreciation for independent innovative thinking. This is my favorite memory because not only did it improve the experiences of my immediate students, but it also challenged me to become a better teacher, assessing how to use art as a tool for providing deeper lessons and meaningful life experiences for my students.

 

Photo of Mouthless painting by Rachel Wiseman

 

CAllen: What are your hopes for your art classes in the coming year?

NLoda: To continue to show how it is possible for everyone to enjoy and improve in their creative art abilities.

 

CAllen: What do you most want your students to learn from you in class?

RWiseman: I want my students to attain important life skills through their artistic endeavors, such as having an appreciation for learning with an open mind, which includes tolerating differences and being able to look at the world with an observational eye rather than making assumptions to satisfy pre-existing schemas.

 

To learn more about these Teaching Artists, visit their websites!
Nathan Loda: http://nathanloda.com/
Rachel Wiseman: https://rachelwisemanart.files.wordpress.com

 

Arthur Reinaltt (Art Adventures class for ages 4-7, Art Explorations class for ages 12-18) has taught for Potomac Arts Academy for several years, starting out as a Teaching Assistant, then moving in to an Instructor role, and now also helps with our burgeoning Summer Art Camps. A particular area of interest for him is helping teenage students build effective personal portfolios to use in college admission interviews if they decide to pursue a career in art.

 

SEE VISUAL ART CLASSES – SPACE IS STILL AVAILABLE*

*Please note, if you register late you may not receive the Welcome Letter. Please be sure to go to the Mason campus in Fairfax – NOT the Potomac Arts Academy Building on Chain Bridge Road – and park in Lot A near the Art & Design Building. Once you get to the building, Potomac staff can assist you to the classroom.

 

Mason School of Art professor Stephanie Booth is presenting two Photography workshops for ages 13-18 this summer, utilizing the university photography labs and classrooms.

• Photo Magic Workshop: July 18-22, 2016
• Digital Photography Workshop: July 25-29, 2016

The Photo Magic Workshop explores the traditional method of creating photographs, involving experience in a darkroom, creating cyanotypes, taking portraits and even making your own camera from an oatmeal canister!

 

 

The Digital Photography Workshop delves into the digital world of Photoshop software, shooting techniques, lighting, printing and more.

Both programs will have a “gallery showcase” of student work presented at the end of the week for family and friends to enjoy.

 

 

Stephanie Booth is an artist working in the Washington D.C. metro area. Her interdisciplinary practice integrates digital photography, printmaking, video, and fiber art techniques to investigate the connections between memory and history. Booth has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, including galleries in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Toronto, and China. Her series entitled Spinster was published in the Washington Post as a part of the Real Art D.C. contest.

Information about Stephanie Booth’s work in progress and her views on art can be found on her blog.

 

SEE ALL SUMMER CAMPS