@NipRockArt

Apparently I have some clay geniuses in my classes!  The past few days have been amazing in the #NipRockArt room.  Take a look at some of the amazing work. The students and I created the Twitter hashtag #TeachTheTeacher after a few giggles around the wheel.  I will be the first to admit that I am horrible at forming any sort of vessel on the wheel, but some of my students are absolute naturals.  I have no problem at all if they can show me a thing or two.   *All of the photos above are documentation of "first attempts".  Can you believe it?* .

When we return from March break, grade 12 #NipRockArt students will be exploring Modern Art. Some questions that will help us begin to understand the art of this time period: What is  Modern Art? Were there changes in history or style to help develop Modern Art? What types of artists were a part of Modern Art? Anyone who studies history will start to understand that there were several art periods that were a part of Modern Art.  Can you do a bit of research to see how many Modern art periods you can find?   Here are a few sites to help you out: MoMA Learning (from the Museum of Modern Art) MoMA's Art History for Teens Khan Academy After we start to understand what Modern Art is, we'll be exploring the art periods in more depth.   If you enjoy art history, and know of a resource that will help our class, please leave a comment with a link!

Today, Alix Spiegel posted an article on the National Public Radio site, " Good Art is Popular Because It's Good.  Right? ".  What a great question!  Have you ever wondered why some artworks get more attention than others? Barnett Newman's " Voice of Fire " got a lot  of attention when it was purchased by Canada's National Gallery in 1990 for $1.8 million.  You can imagine the comments: "$1.8 million!  For three stripes?!" How does this compare to the popularity of the Mona Lisa? Listen to a short radio clip that questions successful art: Grade 12 #NipRockArt students, what do you think?  Do you think that popular  art is good art?  What about art in galleries: is it chosen because it's good?  Who decides what is 'good art'?  Is there a way to find out? *When you respond to these questions, don't forget to check the criteria for writing a good blog post . .