Olivia Gude response

I think Olivia Gude's ideas are really interesting and give good solutions to many different problems in art education and education in general. She her idea for creating curriculum are specific because they outline specific principles for students to learn and understand but they are also open enough that they can be used in many different ways. The changes that she suggests are important to understanding art and allowing students to create meaningful art.

I do sometimes wonder though, if her ideas don't give students the time to really master technical skills and the use of certain mediums.

One of my favorites of her ideas having a spirit of play in the classroom. I think that this is a very important part of making art that is easy to forget when we are constructing curriculums or in a public school setting.

James Mollison Evening for Educators.

James Mollison's choice of subject matter, the playground, is easy to relate to. The playground is a place where kids are free to have fun and enjoy themselves and the image of a playground is bound to bring nostalgia. The playground is a place where compared to the structure of a typical classroom setting there are almost no rules. But if you really look at a playground there are actually plenty of rules. There are rules to keep kids safe but there are also rules in almost any of the activities that children choose to engage in on the playground. Whether it's a sport, guessing game, or spontaneous competition, even play acting requires certain people to act in a specific role. What's different about this kind of structure though is that children create and choose those structures themselves. It is interesting to consider what rules children have when they make them up themselves.

This idea of creating your own constraints is an important one in art and James Mollison's photographs of playgrounds could be great way to introduce this idea to kids. Begin by showing students Mollison's images. Then discuss with them about the work. Why did the the photographer want to take pictures of playgrounds? Why do you like playgrounds? What kinds of things do you do on the playground? What rules do the games you play have?

Then introduce the activity. Students will be split into groups and each group will take a photograph based on rules that the class will make up. Ask the students for suggestions for rules. Some rules could be: the photo needs to include the entire group, everyone in the photo needs to be on top of the desks, or the photo needs to include a cat. Write all on the suggestions on different slips of paper. Mix them up and give each group three different rules for the photo to follow. Have the students set up and photograph their image using whatever iPads, camera phones, or cameras are available to you. Have students show their images with the class.