I hope that everyone has received a copy of the book, Finding Art's Place, by Nicholas Paley. If you have not, please let me know! I can come up with an alternative complimentary reading assignment based on articles.
First I'd to say a few things about your blog comments on last week's reading. I was impressed by the depth of your engagement with the ideas of Vygotsky, Freire and hooks and by your ability to relate the writings to your own life experiences as teachers and artists. Each of us brings something unique to the discussion. I want you know how much this is appreciated and valued. I also want to make sure you know that you can disagree or expand on my responses to your comments. As we move forward from here, you are encouraged to interact with other people in the class (including me). It's vitally important that you read everyone's comments and think of the group as a community of learners. Please keep in mind that I'm a learner too!
The articles we read last week prepared you for this week's reading. You will notice that both Nicholas Paley and Tim Rollins (the leader of K.O.S. and the Art and Knowledge Workshop in NYC) mention Paulo Freire among others. This attests to the enduring relevance of Freire's theory of education. In the work of Tim Rollins & KOS, you see a successful adaptation of Freire's theory in action in a contemporary U.S.-American context.
This week I'm going to ask a number of questions designed to help you focus on specific aspects of the reading. You might find it useful to familiarize yourself with the questions before you start reading the assigned pages. This way, you will know what to look for as you read. But please don't limit yourself to do the equivalent of "teaching to the test" - don't read only for answers to the questions posted here. In formulating my questions, I had to select from many, many interesting ideas in the chapter, as you will see!
Here are the discussion questions. Choose three from the group and write thoughtfully.
Question #1 Describe the art-making process of Rollins & KOS. What (if anything) surprised you about it? What (if anything) bothered you about it?
Question #2
Relate the art-making process of Rollins & KOS to the educational theory of Paulo Freire. How is it similar and how is it different? Cite (quote) the Nicholas book and/or the article on Freire to support your answer.
Question #3
How does Rollins blend the political and aesthetic in his work with KOS? If you're not familiar with some of the artists who inspire him, look them up and see what Rollins is talking about. Hint - you might find the work of the German artist, John Heartfield, of interest here.
Question #4
The Art and Knowledge Workshop was not part of the NYC school system. What did some members of the KOS have to say about formal public school education? Could you relate to their feelings about school (for example, do you remember feeling that way about school when you were in K-12? If you are currently a public school teacher, do you ever feel that way now?). What does the Rollins + KOS example suggest about alternative routes to learning?
Question #5
Why is reading so important to Rollins, and why does he say, "an artist is a person who knows things, who has and makes knowledge," (italics added) (p. 58). Hint - Remember last week's readings.
If you have any questions at all about these discussion questions - for example, if the wording is vague or you you'd like a few more hints, please let me know!!! You can post your questions here or email me privately.
Happy reading, my friends! You are a terrific bunch!!!
carolyn/Dr. Erler
So Amazon has delivered the other three books I have ordered but has failed to deliver Findings Arts Place. Jennifer when your finished with your reading do think I could borrow your book?
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1:
ReplyDeleteFor Directions, Tim Rollins dedicated each piece to novels like Black Alice, The Autobiography of Malcolm X and The Red Badge of Courage. The students were gathered around and each novel was read aloud to help manage learning disabilities that were present. During the reading, the group would discuss about the various themes of the story and how they are tied to their own lives. After much discussion, they work out brainstorming by creating sketches of countless ideas they may have gotten out of the book. With that, they go into the design process and create the large artworks in Directions. At first, I was surprised with the selection of novels that Rollins went with. I guess I am used to the school districts being very tough with what is allowed in their schools, but I had to keep reminding myself that this was not attached to the school system. Which brings me to admit that what bothers me most about this project is that the “freedom” to choose what content we (as public school art teachers) can bring into the classroom is not really doing our students justice. How the book describes Rollins’ group is very similar to my own groups of students I teach.
Man I wish I had the book already, I didn't get that info from the alternative reading. The article I read put forth a picture of a bunch of Art History books and didn't mention the use of fiction as a starting point for visual concepts. Looking forward to Amazon getting their (explative) straight and delivering.
DeleteQuestion 2: The process of Rollins and KOS are similar to the educational theory of Paulo Freire because of the idea of linking the students to the characters or themes of the novels. In the interview with the group the students talk about their success, not only with their projects but their own personal growth. One student explains how “going to college is a big deal for our generation, coming from the South Bronx”. Their growth in doing these projects takes them from wearing a “kind of ’A’ wherever you go” to having the realization that they are able to change their world. The only difference between Freire’s educational theory and their artistic process is that Rollins’ group uses literature, thus relying on the imagination of each to bring the visual images to life.
ReplyDeleteGreat answer, Ana!
DeleteSorry this next answer is so long...I had to vent near the end of it!!
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4: I chose to reflect on question 4 because I was an elementary/high public school student and now am an art teacher for the same district I used to go to. The students of KOS had a lot of negative things to say about the public school system. One talks about how school is “like prison being in a room with forty other people…and you have to be there” and another explains how school is “a giant daycare center”. Sadly, in my case, I have to agree on their opinions about that. I didn’t think much of it when I had to teach all Art I courses my first year, but I’ve noticed it more ever since I’ve been teaching Art II and III. We have no AP Art in our school, so I requested that the only students allowed in my Art III course be approved through me since I would be treating my Art III like an AP course. Despite this request I received a student, who the year before refused to do anything in my Art II (and was taking his Art I in credit recovery). Every year I ask my students why they signed up to be in Art II and III…their responses are always “I wasn’t asked, they just put me in here”. Right now my largest classes hit about 35-37 and each class runs 45 min/day. Of course there are some very talented and enthusiastic students in all of my classes, but wouldn’t it be lovely to get rid of the students who don’t care and have more time with the ones that do?? When it comes to curriculum management, the principal decides what he wants me to do in the classroom. I have been threatened to be fired over his opinion that learning is reading and defining vocabulary in their art textbooks. He wants me to do “stations” with high school students and doesn’t want to see the students working freely on their artwork because it doesn’t seem like there is teacher-directed learning going on in the classroom. I’ve struggled with him in getting approval on alternative routes to different parts of the art curriculum. I can remember when one of my high school art teachers was able to get approval on bringing his horse on campus for live gesture drawings! I attempted to get approval on bringing in one of my trained dogs to campus and he agreed on certain grounds, but as the days came closer he changed his mind. Instead, I showed a slideshow of different animals for my classes that day. It’s very unfortunate that something that can be so enriching for the students would not be allowed because it’s not formal education!!
Ana, Your experience is not unique. Working in the public school education system is tough for people who naturally think outside the box. Artists may have the toughest time of all because of the constraints, but a school principal can make a difference by supporting or blocking our efforts.
DeletePrincipals are under a lot of pressure to produce "results" in the form of high test scores. But what does this word mean - "results"? Who defines results? For what purpose? Are the results appropriate for all learners and all subjects? I'd like to hear how others in the class respond to question #4.
I went through K-12 at a time when schools were much more relaxed. However, I still felt like I was in prison. One of my friends actually jumped from a 2nd story classroom window. He wasn't hurt. But this wasn't a prank. He really was desperate to get out, and he saw no other way of escaping.
School is that painful for some of our students.
When I became a teacher, I couldn't get the jumping incident out of my mind. The school where I taught had surveillance cameras in the halls, restrooms, cafeteria and courtyard. The windows were sealed, the front gate was locked. The campus was in lockdown during school hours. Kids who skipped school were arrested along with their parents. I remember a little 6th grader who was found riding his sting-ray around the WalMart parking lot during school hours. He and his sister were foster kids who had gone from family to family all their lives. He was arrested, separated from his sister and dropped off at JJ for processing. This happened in a middle class suburb of Ft. Myers, Florida.
I had to ask myself if sometimes, in some cases, schools do more harm than good. It's been my experience that some children are harmed - not by rogue teachers but by the system itself. You might argue that what I'm calling "harm" is actually discipline. For me the question is not what we call it, but whether it's justifiable.
I've asked many undergraduates how they felt about K-12, and so far not one of them has said it felt like prison. So I guess my question pertains only to the kids (and teachers) whose minds do not fit the results-oriented model and whose spirits wilt in the zero-tolerance atmosphere that prevails in some of our schools. It pertains to our reading because the Kids Of Survival represent that kind of learner. This begs another question - are our most creative students dropping out?
Question #1
ReplyDeleteArt making in the KOS studio is an integrated educational experience based on the study of a classic piece of literature and the many directions it may lead under the direction of a teacher/mentor. The work is sometimes read aloud. During collaborative sessions, students and mentor discuss ideas and themes that are relevant to their daily lives and develop drawings of signs or visual emblems of the work (Vygotsky would approve.) Eventually over quite some time these emblems are critiqued and a set of the most moving are selected to reproduce on to a large surface, usually covered with pages from the text. They convert the written work into visual art with social relevance for today. It was as Rollins described it, somewhat like a master’s studio.
I have great respect for this type of education. The idea of basing education in the classics of literature is an ancient method of pedagogy and still the basis for some of the best universities in the world. The best part of my own college experience was in an integrated program of study of literature, history, government and the arts. We had the same mentor professor for two years with guest lecturers and a vast reading requirement. We met with our mentor professor for discussion group 3 times a week and the class included participation in debate, research, writing and reporting on various topics which arose out of the discussions. Education was made relevant through interaction with peers and mentor and a very high level of trust was developed within the group because we saw each other for two years. It is a mind broadening method of pedagogy!
Jennifer, I couldn't agree with you more. Rollins' approach is in keeping with the Socratic method, which has been central to classical western education off an on through the centuries. It is effective and mind-broadening, as you say. The effectiveness of this form of education hinges on the learner's interest in becoming a knowledgeable individual and citizen. This goal has been lost in much of our education today, but there are still schools and teachers within schools that practice it. We have a student in our MAE program now who teaches at such an institution. She's not in this class but you may know who she is. Let me know if you implement Socratic methods in your teaching. You are fortunate to have attended a college that honored the Socratic tradition.
DeleteJen! You're killing me. I read your responses and agreed with every darn thing you said! Once again, your eloquence is stunning. You made it hard for me to write my responses because I just wanted to say, "refer to Jennifer's responses!" Hows the desk? We missed you second session!
DeleteIt might suprise you to learn that my college education was mostly at Texas Tech, with summers at UT. I was a part of the first cohort of what became the Honors College at Tech
DeleteGail,the desk is a hard master! I never get there all day so I stayed until 7:15 tonight grading papers to get them all done.
#1 Continued
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me about it? This type of education works with highly motivated students in relatively small groups. Rollins KOS groups seemed to be of 6-8 students, and I did not discover how they are selected, but they were obviously very interested in art. I’m not sure it would be as effective in a public classroom with discipline problem students. The quality is highly dependent on the choice of the literature, the participation of the students, and the quality of the teacher. Although he said it was all very collaborative, it seemed that Rollins is a dominant force in leading and molding the outcome of the group experience, and the final art piece, which makes me question to some extent the artistic process for the students. There is definitely a “ style” in the resulting works of art – one which I would propose comes from Rollin’s design, rather than his students. He talked about it and how “people want these kinds of works.” (P.60). They seem to be selling and collectable by pretty high dollar museums. The overall process certainly resembles Freire’s “culture circle” but I wonder how Freire would feel about the development of a market for the work.
Right! Nicholas' book was published before a storm of criticism built up around Rollins + KOS for the very reasons you state. Also, he was accused of exploiting underprivileged kids to further his own artistic career - rightly or wrongly. You be the judge. It's a fine line.
DeleteThats the same thing I got from the KOS classroom make up. Small and motivated. I still think it could be a great project in a large public classroom but, as I said in my post, as a supplement to other more how might I put it.. managable methods. ;)
DeleteYeah - you go Daniel! Figure out how we can make this work in our classes and let's do it! You write the lesson plan! I'm really serious - I want to do it
DeleteQuestion #4
ReplyDeleteTim Rollins said, ”I’m enraged and disgusted at how the institution of the school has given knowledge a bad reputation.” Don’t we hear this on the news every day!
Student, Nelson , said,” In public school, its like you’re in prison in a room with forty other and you have to be there. The teachers after so many years of doing the same thing, you can tell they are really bored. They write the aim of the days lesson on the board, you copy it down and that’s it…..But school, its like a giant daycare center. Actually you feel the real aim of going to school is just getting out.
As a public high school teacher in a neighborhood not too different from Nelson’s, I see this attitude every day, and I agree with it. Teaching to the test, the limiting of information to be imparted, and the constant emphasis on passing the TAKS or EOC test to get out makes every year about getting out. The constant talk of going to college in the future has little relevance for students like Tim who said, “ When you are brought up not to live decade to decade… or even month to month – when you live day to day, then what you’re going to eat for breakfast, then lunch, then dinner – these become the burning issues of your life – not what the “A” on Hester’s breast represents.” I see these students every day and it makes me sad. In so many cases, they feel they are the victims and the vessels to be filled rather than the agents of their own educations. Many of the students in my art classes did not choose to be there, even though it is an elective!
Education like Tim Rollins proposes creates value in the process of learning, it empowers learners, develops agency. It is about making education relevant to real life. His student Nelson also said,” We get into geometry and math by calculating the sizes of works, There’s no boundaries to what we can learn.” Rollins calls it a more active and engaged form of study. His work suggests a method that could transform American education – an inspiration for those of us who teach art, through which we really can teach anything.
Jennifer, read my response to Ana's take on question #4 (if you haven't already). What do you think?
DeleteQuestion #5
ReplyDeleteLiterature for Rollins is a gateway to knowledge. He told his students that one of the best ways to gain knowledge is by reading every day and that you have to have knowledge to make knowledge. He sees literature as ” playing an active, mediating role between the past and the present, constantly needing to be reconsidered in the light of contemporary conditions and events.”( P.40) He uses literature as the stimulant for further creative thought and process – the creation of new knowledge relevant to current situations. I loved his quote,” Books relate the visceral struggle we undertake now with the struggle from the past.” I am a voracious reader and this has inspired me to start reading to my students again. I used to read to my middle school students and have not done so in a long time. One of the KOS students said that Rollins is rescuing these works from their imprisonment in history and bringing them to this present time and place. What an amazing compliment! I want to do that!
Although I first read about Freire only last week, it is obvious that Rollins has put his philosophy into practice. Like Frieire proposed, Rollins sees his students as co-participants in discovering new knowledge through the experience of reading. They discover new truths and create new knowledge. He is not the imparter of knowledge but the guide in the process of discovery.
Yes, amid all the talk about the US and perhaps other western societies entering a "post-literate" age, I can't help but think what could be lost if we stop reading and reading voraciously. Many Americans have lost their appetite for reading, we see this every day with our students. While I believe that new forms of literacy will replace the old (just as print media replaced oral traditions in the 15th century), I can't help but fear that something of great value is slipping away. Of course, oral traditions were of great value too, and many societies still practice it today under a lot of social, economic and political duress. These are the indigenous cultures, the 'Fourth World' as they''re known collectively today. Around the world, indigenous societies struggle to hold onto the languages that are key to maintaining their repository of knowledge and history. Many societies have already passed into extinction.
DeleteHi All! I'll have my responses posted by the end of day Monday. I've had a visiting instructor here teaching sculpture for four days and we just finished cleaning up the studios. I'm too pooped to post! I drop him off at the airport tomorrow at 7am! Yeah, then back to normal. Thanks for your indulgence. I really love what Tim Rollins is doing! Very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteQuestion #1 Describe the art-making process of Rollins & KOS. What (if anything) surprised you about it? What (if anything) bothered you about it?
ReplyDeleteTim Rollins, and his program for Kids of Survival, puts forth a collaborative approach that blends individual interest and experiences in with the traditional classroom. Students are exposed to a wide variety of influences from various cultures around the world, as well as different time periods of Art History. Rollins says he begins by having students replicate works from Art history, a process undertaken by countless Art students for centuries. Students then collaborate on works by critiquing and elaborating on existing ideas in a forum style discussion. Here Rollins seems himself as student and teacher, as he share in the thought process and idea sharing with his students who in turn become teacher as well as student.
This is made to seem novel by exposing students to non-western Art. While I am all for a multicultural conscious curriculum, this simple replication of what you might call “the other” without proper explanation and context might reinforce stereotypes. I would hope Rollins goes into great detail about other cultures aesthetics, concepts, and cultural relevance’s in a contemporary light to prevent students from applying generalizations based on works of other cultures that might be centuries old.
It is this starting point that feels like the same “depositing” of ideas that Freire and Lev V. discuss. Students then expand upon this bringing their own personal interesting and concepts and begin to create their own knowledge. So in a way it is a bit of the old and the new as far as education theory goes. I very much like the concepts Rollins talks about with regards to giving students the means to teach themselves and the motivation he puts forth in order to engage the students and make them take ownership of their education. Students are after all the largest stake holders in education, not the teachers. The pessimist in me questions how well that idea will work with the general public in terms of Art education. I think for a small group of students who are intrinsically interested in the visual aspects of life it would work great. Might problems arise with this method in larger classes with a demographic of students who may or may not be interested in the subject? I am not sure. I think as a supplement to other instruction methods and practices it would absolutely provide a way to reach some students that might not respond to more traditional and individualistic methods. However some students might not respond as well which goes back to the topics discussed last week specifically, different students from different social, economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds all learn in different ways.
Daniel, I was hard-pressed to find an article with the same information and viewpoint as Nicholas' book. It is interesting that the article you read was the best of several published by major art education journals. This is interesting because Rollins was the keynote speaker of the National Art Education Association annual convention several years ago. His work with KOS is widely admired in art ed circles. So what about the documentary? I haven't seen it yet but thought it might provide a fuller picture than the book and certainly more than the article. Have you watched it yet? Let me know what you think.
DeleteDocumentary was missing a few sections, part 3 and seven I believe, but was very very interesting. While reading the article I didn't realize the work was as old as it is. All the more interesting givn the time period.
DeleteMaybe someone else in the class would like to watch the documentary - or least the fragments that are available. Can you give us the link?
DeleteWhen reading a book or article, always check the publication date. Knowing when it was published provides important contextual information.
Collaborative art has its roots in 2nd wave feminism from the late '60s to the early '70s. Women like Judy Chicago, Suzanne Lacy, Judy Baca, Faith Ringgold and Mierle Ladderman Ukeles (famous for her work with the NYC Dept of Sanitation) blazed the trail and defined the genre. Tim Rollins came on board a little later. His approach to collaborative artmaking puts more emphasis on education and literacy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_KdAO6MqiM
DeleteThats the link to part one, the links for the rest are in the youtube nav. bar on the right. It gets really interesting about part 3 or 4.
I just checked the link and found all parts of the documentary are available, for anyone who wants to watch.
DeleteWell worth checking out everyone!
DeleteResponse #2 & #3 coming tonight when I get off work from the pizza palace.
ReplyDeleteQuestion #4:
ReplyDeleteTim Rollin's KOS students described their public school experiences as prison like, and I can completely relate to their position. I shared this viewpoint from as early on as 7th grade. I am a high school drop out. I left school in 2 weeks after my 16th birthday. Here's some of my insight on this subject and why Tim Rollin's approach is so exciting to me.
The structure of the pubic high school experience is very rigid, and is based on production of standardized products; home work, classwork, test scores. Students are rewarded for following the very rigid guidelines of production, and teachers are encouraged to stick to curricula (again work product) that delivers high test scores. This approach works for many students, but also works against so many. The journey toward acquisition of knowledge is not stressed, only the end result. It is very disheartening to me that breaking this cycle is most often in the hands of the individual teacher, and not something that the entire system works toward.
Creative thinkers typically require a less rigid, and more dynamic environment in which to discover knowledge. Rollins comment that new teachers should have drama/theatre training really rings true. Presentation of material needs to be exciting and dramatic, and teachers need to learn this skill. Those teachers who fail to engage, excite, and draw in their students ultimately loose them along the way.
Rollins' alternative teaching model, which I personally could have benefitted from, has been adapted in numerous communities across the country. We have a program here in San Antonio named Say Si that mirrors Rollins and the KOS model. it is very successful with waiting lists of children who want to join the program.
I'm hopeful that projects like the Art and Knowledge Workshop might be adapted to work within the public school environment. The cross pollination of material from all disciplines would serve to develop the students NEED TO LEARN to further the project. The student then becomes motivated by their OWN need to acquire the information, and not the SYSTEM'S need to prove it is effective.
My child attends an alternative school where the teachers work in tandem to develop projects that incorporate multiple disciplines. My son is thriving and is engaged!
The Chicago public school teachers are on strike to oppose the emphasis on standardized testing. Teachers in other cities are watching with great interest because if the strike is successful, there could be a domino effect across the country. This is why labor unions are important and necessary.
DeletePlaying devils advocate, it can be argued that teachers unions keep bad teachers in the classroom too.
DeleteI am a member of TSTA so I am all for organized labor, but I also see the flip side of the argument.
Democracy comes at a price. I'm glad that you are a TSTA member. This tells me that you have weighed the options and understand what's at stake. A quick glance at the history of industrialization from the worker's perspective is enough to convince anyone.
DeleteQuestion #1:
ReplyDeleteThe art making process of Rollins and the KOS is one of inclusion and cooperation. The members of the group read a classic novel together aloud, which democratizes the experience, and then engage in communal discussion about the material and it's relevance in their lives. Based on these discussions, the group, lead by the facilitator, then determines the creative direction and theme of the art project, and they work together over a period of years to develop a body of work based on their connection to the novel.
What I completely love about this approach is its inclusiveness of all members of the unit. The democratization of the exchange is appealing because it engages each member regardless of their pre-evaluated academic ranking. Each individual can be an equal contributor to the project. In addition, the approach is one of collaboration of the team to develop the project with a strong focus on peer to peer mentoring. How could any kid not feel excited in that environment?
What I didn't like about this program was that Rollin's role a facilitator should have remained just that. He seemed to be co-credited on the work, which rubbed me the wrong way. That smacked of self promotion.
In my final analysis, nothing is all good or all bad. I do think that Rollins' contributions far out weigh his missteps.
Rollins has been criticized for using KOS to launch himself into art stardom. This may be true, but like you I think it was worthwhile because it revealed the interconnectivity of studio art production and art education.
DeleteQuestion #5
ReplyDeleteWhy is reading so important to Rollins, and why does he say, "an artist is a person who knows things, who has and makes knowledge," (italics added) (p. 58). Hint - Remember last week's readings.
I have to admit that this is hard for me. I am not an avid reader as a rule. But, when I find something that intrigues me, I am hungry to learn, so I read all that I can on the subject until the hunger subsides. I do find that words feed me on an intellectual basis as well as emotionally. This is likely why reading is so important to Rollins and his program. Reading is a tool that opens your mind to new and different perspectives and experiences and makes you grow. Each new bit of knowledge gained allows for a broader contribution to society.
Books are exactly the type of tool that Vigotsky was referring to in his theories. "And which tools are available to us is contingent on our social context. Thus, he argued, it is especially through our tools that cognition is socially mediated." I didn’t really connect to this until I put Rollins and Vigotsky into the same context.
Since I am not a K-12 teacher, much of this class seems to be a foreign language to me. But I find that I’m learning a lot already.
Gail, yes reading is mind-opening - a book is like a window onto a new world. All my life I have challenged myself to read "hard" books (meaning content that is almost beyond my ability to comprehend) and I think what I like about it is "feeling the burn," as they say in athletics. You feel the burn when pushing yourself to the max, reaching for the next level.
DeleteLike you, I push myself to expand my vocabulary. I noticed this about you in Junction. It's been estimated that an "average" person who has not been to college uses about 35,000 words in everyday speech. A college educated person uses about 75,000 and masters of language like Leo Tolstoy have vocabularies exceeding 100,000 words.
I imagine Rollins and the KOS had a dictionary in the room, because to learn from a text you almost have to get in the habit of looking up new words. New words build intellectual muscle and gradually open the mind to more subtle ways of thinking. For this reason, like you I see the literary and the visual art components working together to bring growth.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteQuestion #2
ReplyDeleteTim Rollins and KOS start by reading as a brainstorming process to create visuals. They ultimately come up with their own interpretations of the readings in the form of symbols such as red badges of courage in the aesthetic of bullet wounds (can’t believe I just typed that) or Dr. Suess-esk trumpets (which I admittedly loved) as a personal connection to the piece of literature, history, or music they are studying. This is a prime example of a sign system as described by Lev Vygotsky, the students are creating their own artifacts to make a connection to their own lives or ZPD’s to something that might seem irrelevant to a young Boricua living in the South Bronx. You can also compare the KOS method to a culture circle as put forth by Paublo Freire.
“Freire's revolutionary pedagogy starts from a deep love for, and humility before, poor and oppressed people and a respect for their "common sense," which constitutes a knowledge no less important than the scientific knowledge of the professional. This humility makes possible a condition of reciprocal trust and communication between the educator, who also learns, and the student, who also teaches. Thus, education becomes a "communion" between participants in a dialogue characterized by a reflexive, reciprocal, and socially relevant exchange, rather than the unilateral action of one individual agent for the benefit of the other.”
Tim Rollins is acting as facilitator for dialogue as a means to get his KOS to create their own knowledge and pursue their own answers and conclusions…maybe. One can’t help but ask how involved is Rollins in the process, is he facilitator or conductor? After watching the documentary it’s hard to ignore the fact that he went out of his way to find poor minorities from the Bronx, not being a native of New York, poor, or a minority himself. I think he wanted to gain a different perspective on Art in doing so though I can’t help but question something in the way he goes about his business…
The students talk about how they want to be taken seriously as Artist and not just poor kids from the wrong side of the tracks, well in this case the bridge. One even says “We want to show people we can make real Art, not just graffiti like everyone expects.” Somewhere Banksy is choking on a soda and Shepary Fairey’s nose is bleeding. This idea that only high Art canons as put forth by western salon culture is in fact “real” Art. Here I thought my ceramic work in undergrad was Art, silly Daniel pottery is for kids. All along I have been telling a lie; I’ve in fact a Bachelors of Fine Craft (BFC).
Not only is there this dismissal of Art that doesn’t fit into the gallery scene of SoHo, but here is a privileged white male telling a room full of underprivileged minorities that they can make “real art” and express their unique urban Hispanic / Black perspective on traditional Western European pieces of literature not works but people of their own cultural background. Didn’t you know kids? That other stuff written in the East and Latin parts of the world isn’t “real” intellectual literature. Don’t you want to be intellectual?
As the documentary progressed my cynicism subsided and I started to look past these nit-picks to see a man that clearly was very devoted to his work and these kids. At the end of the day did he teach these kids to read at a high level? Yes he did. Did they collaborate to create some very beautiful paintings? You better believe it. Did he raise their self-confidence and give them a way to get out of the trouble that might have awaited them without a studio to work in and avenue to pursue Art? It would be hard to argue against that. Am I jealous of his success? A little bit. Do I feel lazy and sub-par as a teacher after seeing how dedicated this man was to his Art Education work. In many ways yes.
Edit: I removed the origonal post because my paragraph spacing didn't copy over from my word file. That drives me crazy!
Nice critique, Daniel To be fair, Rollins + KOS did read the Autobiography of Malcolm X, an established classic of modern writing and one of a very small number of great American autobiographies.
DeleteYet why Rollins could have gone further, much further. He could have had the kids reading Chinua Achebe (Nigerian author of Things Fall Apart and other great works of contemporary fiction), or Wole Solyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize for literature - the person from Africa or the African diaspora to be awarded this honor. Or any from the long list of great Latin American novelists - Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende, Octavio Paz, Gloria Anzaldua. The answer may be that Rollins himself had limited knowledge of world literature and literary traditions. Personally, I think he owed it to his students to push his own literary frontiers as much as he was pushing theirs. But this is easy to say as an outside observer with 20 years of hindsight.
Multiculturalism has come a long way since Rollins + KOS, whose work allowed artists and artist-educators to see the pitfalls and benefits. Thanks to influential works like Rollins + KOS, educators have been able to develop a more nuanced and critical understanding of multiculturalism in practice and theory. Critical multiculturalism could not have evolved without these early experiments.
And let me add that I too am humbled by the enormity of Rollin + KOS' contribution to art education. Few people have made such an impact.
DeleteHello everyone. I know this is way overdue. I have had an overwhelming week of work.
ReplyDeleteQuestion #1
The process of Tim Rollins and KOS is an intriguing one that combines different literary works with visual representations through a collaborative effort. Rollins chooses books that typically “need to be dusted off” for his class, and have some relavence or relation to the students present day life. The students then sit and read aloud with each other pausing to discuss different topics or ideas, and examine how those situations relate to them in a modern setting. After their discussion Rollins has the students draw and paint ideas that they may have for the new piece. From here the students collaborate and design a composition to paint or draw on the laid out pages of novel they are investigating.
I was surprised to see how well the KOS worked with each other, supporting each other to compensate for their learning disabilities. Rollins does guide the discussions and offers his own ideas for the piece, and the students use this information in supplement with their own ideas. It is this collaboration between teacher and student that I find fascinating. On that note, it is also the one thing that bothers me most. This is a process that you don’t see in the public school systems today. There is a line between teacher and student, students are assigned project with little ability to apply their own input into initial design process. I suppose I see it as a limitation for the student’s ultimate creativity.
Question #4
ReplyDeleteThe Art and Knowledge Workshop was not a part of the public school system, which more likely attributes to its success. But isn’t that a shame. One of the boys from KOS explains how he feels the public school system feels like prison. A place where you are forced to be there cause there is no other option but to do so. I can honestly say this is how I felt about my public education, along with many of my friends. Fortunately my school offered some art courses that were frequently my release from the monotonous dread that was school.
My teacher was one that did have strict curriculum that we had to learn, but when it came to the creative process she would prompt a project and generally have a few required elements or guidelines. These guidelines were something that forced individual creativity. Or at least offered the option of creativity for some, there were always students who didn’t care and just did what they had to get by and get “the grade”. But for those who did care our teacher would keep us engaged in what we wanted to do and it force me to explain the decisions I was making with my work. Had my teacher not given me that creative outlet I most likely would have lost my interest in art and pursued other things. That’s why I believe there should be more programs available like that of Rollins and KOS. Their workshop is an outstanding example of alternative learning. Putting students in a collaborative, open environment pushes them to create works that they may otherwise not have the opportunity for.
Question #5
ReplyDeleteReading was one of the foundations of Rollins work. Working with student that have learning disabilities such as dyslexia, reading can be a challenge. They also learn things from more difficult readings that are not offered or allowed in the public school systems. Its with this new knowledge that KOS can portray something visually and explain themselves. In their explanation to others gives them the ability to teach someone else something they may have not known, or change their perspective. Rollins is teaching the students how to be artist. He provides them the tools and guidance to expand their knowledge, and with this new found knowledge the KOS make a piece to inform viewers of what they know.