“A Meeting, 1884” by Maria Bashkirtseff

 

I like this choice of image for the Boy Writer's Club pre-assessment activity.  It lives up to the challenge posed by the diversity of ages and stages represented in the group and provides us with one unified "control" image from which to compare pre and post assessment responses. 

According to Abigail Housen's article Art Viewing and Aesthetic Development: Designing for the Viewer, "Stage II viewers’ central questions concern the way the image looks and how it was made; questions about technique and skill mix with ones about artistic choice and values".  In light of this assertion, I think it's notable that this image is more realistically rendered and objective, therefore, I predict these students (many of them stage II) will be less fixated on the ‘quality’ or appearance of the work, as they might be with a more abstracted piece, and more curious about what is going on, what are the boys talking about, what are they planning to do, what is in the tallest boy’s hand, etc.  Furthermore, I think the imagery is relatable given that the BWC is a group of multi-aged boys, as are the figures represented.  There is clearly a story going on here, leaving the viewer with much to speculate about events leading up to this moment and what may be about to happen.  Their imaginations could really run wild with this, generating lots of stories about the nature of this rendezvous.  I wonder if any of the boys will take notice of the figure on the far right of the image in the background, who appears to be a girl.  Perhaps there is some kind of exclusivity to this meeting, if not a little old-fashioned playground gender warfare.  Her back is turned to the viewer and given her position in the frame, it is possible that the girls are staging a meeting of their own.

Some of the students who may be brushing up against a stage III level of inquiry and interpretation may take note of the time period, based on the kinds of clothes the figures are wearing and want to know more about the historical context of this artist and this piece.

Overall, I think there will be no shortage of imaginative speculation.  I look forward to the experience!

VTS Blog Post 2

Going in to the afternoon session of Saturday's activities, I admit, I was nervous about doing VTS for the first time.  I was so impressed by how confidently and eloquently everyone led their discussion, even though most of us were newbies.  Many of us described the discussion becoming easier and more natural as the activity went on and I certainly felt the same way.  Hopefully, this is an indication of a continued upward trajectory for my confidence with this method.

Working with such a bright and astute group (wink, wink) who were relatively familiar with the method certainly made this process work much more smoothly than I would expect it to go with beginning viewers.
The thing that impressed me most, however, was the apparent value of simply discussing artwork in a group.  Most museum goers shuffle through the galleries and corridors speaking only in hushed whispers and seem apprehensive to disclose their reactions even to members of their own party, let alone strangers.  The structure of this method, in particular, is clearly well thought out and lends itself to optimal results, but just the process of looking carefully and sharing our observations aloud takes the experience in an upward spiral of deeper noticing.

What I really love about the VTS method so far is how naturally it can bring art to life for someone who might normally feel alienated by it.  Because VTS allows the viewer to analyze the work as part of a group, building upon and spinning off of what others have noticed, the viewer is not left alone with the piece, stabbing in the dark about what it might mean and second guessing themselves over whether or not they're "getting it right" as though there were a definitive right or wrong answer to be extracted.

To further this point, I also wanted to draw attention to the article we read by Phillip Yenawine, Theory into Practice: the visual thinking strategies (1999).  He describes the inadequacy of teaching art from a distance, focusing on the dusty tombs of art history, as if that could possibly engage a passion for art in the heart of the raw, untrained viewer, especially children.  He states, "the presentation of historical fact - a mainstay of museum teaching - so often proved ineffectual in engaging people before early adolescence.  At that early age, viewers make sense of what they encounter concretely as they maneuver through the world.  Abstract concepts, such as the concept of time, are of little interest or meaning...Schooling makes the same mistake in asking children to learn history from a factual basis - names, dates, and events.  Young people can indeed make a kind of sense of the objects left to us by history, but it is from examining them concretely for whatever visual information they can connect to concrete experience form their own lives. (p. 4)  This REALLY resonated with me.  I believe in fostering a "naturalized affection" for the arts in children by exposing them to art in the present (even if the art is from the past).  Children need to make, touch, smell, and hear art, as well as be enabled to look at work in a way that lets them tell the story.  When they feel comfortable with and excited about art a natural curiosity about the history, the facts, and the theories emerges; they will be hungry for it.

I got so much more out of the pieces we VTSed in the museum together than I EVER would have alone.  I'm looking forward to jumping in and trying it out with the kiddies and seeing what curve balls that experience throws at me.  I'm sure I'll have to take a great deal more care in setting up and explaining the activity; laying the ground rules and getting everyone focused.  I plan to work on scripting that out roughly before my first session with the boy writers.  Suggestions are welcome!

Thanks for such a great Saturday everyone!

VTS Blog Post 1

Hi everyone!  My name is Karen Shortt-Stout.  I am embarking on my second semester in the Art Education Graduate Studies program, and as such I am not a full-fledged classroom teacher yet.  Fortunately, I have been offered the opportunity to do VTS work this semester with the Boy Writers Club at Ridgeway Elementary School here in Columbia, Mo.  Unfortunately, I don’t have all the details just yet on the specific group of students with whom I will be working, so this first blog post will have to be based largely on my own speculation.

What I can say about the Boy Writer’s Club in general is that it is the brain child of Ridgeway Principal Ben Tilley who hopes to find ways to make writing fun and exciting for boys, who statistically are not as strong in writing as girls.  Part of the rationale for working with students in a writing centered program is that their written responses to the VTS experience, whether reflective or creative, provide a unique tool for assessing the ways in which VTS can address the Common Core Standards for Language arts and Literacy (https://bblearn.missouri.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-846480-dt-content-rid-17937669_1/courses/ltc_8900_mf2/COMMON%20CORE%20State%20Standards%20Initiative.PDF), a goal which is of particular interest to the research being conducted in this class.

Many of the boys in the club have done VTS with students in the past, so depending on the particular group I wind up working with, I imagine at least some of them will be familiar with discussing art and even with the VTS method itself.  Working with a large group of young boys, I think it is safe to anticipate some issues with corralling and holding their attention, however, I hope to be able to redirect all of that energy into some positive outcomes.  Young boys possess such  a fantastic, not to mention entertaining, wealth of creativity and energy that is in every way equal to, although different from that of girls.  I anticipate no shortage of creative ideas, but I think the biggest challenge may be in guiding and honing those ideas into materialization.

I am so excited about working with this program and learning from all of you!