Week 9, Residency 2. 3 hours. Perpich Center for Arts Education, Golden Valley, MN.
This week the students were beginning a new project–a final book project for the term plus a single, multi-layered print. Process prints are also a part of the project. Today, Jeremy and I went around to each student to ask what they’re working on/thinking of for this project and offer what guidance might be useful. I mostly listened, a role that I feel much more comfortable in now than before. It’s not doing nothing––by listening and observing now I’ll much better be able to help students later. Plus, I was observing not just the students’ work but Jeremy’s process, which is useful for thinking about my own teaching practice and questions I can ask students in the future. Note to self: take physical notes, because my memory is trash.
Some of the things the students are learning currently are how to do a reduction print, how to think about sequence and passage of time in a book form (the books can be a collection of prints showing a reductive relief process, or something else), and how to begin thinking of tying concept to form. It’s wild to me to think of everything they’re being exposed to in this class. I was homeschooled and didn’t even have a word for or mental concept of linoleum/wood-block relief printing or artist books. It makes me excited to think of where they can go if they choose to pursue fine arts after high school. I wonder what it could change for them, especially if they were to attend an art school like MCAD. How does it affect their understanding of art? How does being in an arts-focused institution at an earlier age inform their practice?