Weeks 5 & 6

Our students have been working very hard to get some of their ideas about personal representation and identity into simplified forms, images that can then be cut into stencils and applied to any chosen surface. Here are some examples of what we have come up with so far:

Week Three

This week, we have been working on the creation of personal symbols. By brainstorming lists of adjectives that describe themselves, then making drawings/symbols that relate to the words, the students are creating graphic representations of themselves. We will also be transitioning from the drawing and planning stage this week into cutting small stencils and working spraypainting (well, spraychalking).

Also included in the course are lessons that come from art history. Artists such as Basquiat, Keith Haring, Diego Rivera, and Banksy relate directly to some of the ideas we are trying to understand in this class, and become an inspiration to the work we are doing.

Week Two

Following our introduction to graffiti and street art, we began working with quick drawing, trying to reduce phrases to very simple representations. We played Pictionary as a group, both to practice these skills and build a sense of community. The words and phrases were words that related to our places, whether that be neighborhoods, places of safety, or favorite getaways. Next we will be working on personal symbols, based around these kinds of prompts.

First Classes

ArtSpace at Genesis Academy is up and running! For our first class, we got to know each other a bit, and talked a lot about how the students wanted the course to function. We decided that there are many people interested in graffiti and street art, and we will be pursuing that for the six weeks before winter break. On Friday, we learned about the beginnings of graffiti, the etymology of the word (it means "scratched"), and some contemporary practitioners of street art, such as Banksy. Also, we talked about our theme, which is place, and how that can apply to and influence our work this semester. It looks like it should be a great semester, so make sure to check back for regular updates.