Yayoi Kusama - *Studio Habit of Mind: Understand the Art World

"I convert the energy of my life into dots of the universe"

 Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is a painter, collage artist, sculptor, performance artist and installation artist.

Yayoi Kusama is known for her repetitive polka dots and mirrored rooms that create the illusion of infinite space. 

 In addition to polka dots, pumpkins have been a source of inspiration from her childhood.

Her dream as a child was to become a painter when she grew up.  From the age of 10 she started painting many pictures.  Her mother didn't want her to be an artist, she wanted Yayoi to learn manners and marry a husband.

She moved to New York to escape.  With a suitcase full of drawings she arrived in New York to pursue her career as an artist. In NYC she devoted herself to her art. She showed her art work next to Andy Warhol and Pop Artists.  Eventually she moved back to Japan.

As a child she began to seeing polka dots everywhere she went.  Kusama has dealt with mental health challenges since a young age which cause her to have visions or hallucinations (see things that actually aren't there), visions that have inspired much of her work.  She says, "I have a flood of ideas in my mind. I just follow my vision."

Art is a healing process for her, she describes her work as therapy

She paints everyday.  "My art was made to change people's minds, I hope it can make the world more peaceful."
Yayoi Kusama has had a successful 65-year-long art career but recently her popularity has skyrocketed and has become a social media sensation. 

Based on museum attendance the 88-year-old “Polka Dot Princess”was named the world’s most popular artist. She hands-down beat out all of her male and female competition.

People have been flocking to her Infinity Mirrors exhibit at major art museums across the country.  Museum goers wait in long lines for this sold out exhibition.

With mirrors, Kusama creates the Illusion of infinite space.  What is an Illusion?

Let's take a virtual look inside several of the Infinity Mirror rooms.

We will be creating an infinity space.  An important part of Kusama's work is for viewers to interact with the art. We will use stickers as done in the Obliteration Room and a mirror like surface.  You may add stickers or dots with sharpie.  As with any museum visit there are expectations that must be followed.

"More and more, I think about the role of the arts, and as an artist, I think that it's important that I share the love and peace." - Kusama

As you think about your art, What do you want to share in your work?

Has art ever helped you express an idea or emotion when you were feeling a certain way?
As an artist, do you want the viewer to interact with your art?

Sources:
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmFBlE4cg3w&disable_polymer=true
*https://observer.com/2015/04/the-stunning-story-of-the-woman-who-is-the-worlds-most-popular-artist/

Illustrator Christian Robinson (Studio Habit - Understanding the Arts World)

Illustrator Christian Robinson

Raise your hand if you have seen these books before?

 

These books are in our Meramec library!  You may have even checked one out or have them on your bookshelf at home.  One of the reasons you might recognize them is by their colorful COLLAGED illustrations by Award Winning (2016 Caldecott Honoree, Newbery Medal winner) Illustrator Christian Robinson. 

Let's find out more about this artist and his creative process.

What first made you excited about art?

As a child, I loved making things: drawings, paintings, sculpture, anything I could get my hands on. Creativity allowed me to be in charge, to make my own rules, and create my own little world on paper.Where do you find inspiration for your illustrations? 

Epic question! So many things inspire me: children’s book illustration and graphic art from the ‘50s and ‘60s, nature, simplicity, cities, children’s art, animation, fine art, music … I could keep going.

What does your workspace look like?

I work in an old warehouse that’s been converted into a shared artist studio.What materials do you most like to use?

I love working in collage. Last Stop on Market Street was produced using a mix of paint and collage. Other books I’ve illustrated like The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade, written by Justin Roberts, were created in colored pencil. I have the most fun by experimenting and trying all sorts of different mediums and techniques.What design resources would you recommend to young artists?

Not sure if this is a design resource, but I’m obsessed with Pinterest and collecting images that inspire me. The best design resource would have to be a museum or library though. That’s where I go when I need to recharge and find a spark of inspiration.

Think about how what Christian Robinson just said connects with the idea of the  creativity bank account we talked about at the beginning of the year.  Look how Christian Robinson surrounds himself with inspiration.

Do you keep an inspiration board in your current studio space? 

Yes!

What’s the best name for a color that you’ve ever heard?

Pleased as Punch; it’s a very happy red.

Artists have many reasons for creating art.  Listen for some of the reasons Christian creates?  Listen for how he get started with his drawings?  

Does his start remind you of our skill-builder thumbnails.

As you think about yourself as an ARTIST....
How might you tell a story with your pictures?
Is collage a way for you to express an idea? 


PASTE PAPER DEMONSTRATION - 2ND -5TH GRADE

Resources: 
https://www.readbrightly.com/meet-illustrator-christian-robinson/
https://www.artofthepicturebook.com/-check-in-with/2015/10/31/an-interview-with-christian-robinson
http://lorrieabdo.blogspot.com/2010/10/life-of-sheet-of-paste-painted-paper.html
http://www.paintedpaperart.com/

Art is THE COMMON LANGUAGE--(SHOM Develop Craft)

Susan Janow

“Creative Growth is about artistic expression as a form of self-empowerment, as a form of aesthetic development. As a form of saying, this is who I am in the world.”

Tom di Maria, Director of Creative Growth Art Center

Barry Regan, Untitled, 2013, ink and watercolor on paper

A Meramec 3rd grader shared this amazing video he discovered on the Wonder website.   We both were so inspired by the artists in the video that I wanted to come up with a mini-lesson to share with all Meramec students. 

Susan Wise. Baskets, 2015; mixed media; variable dimensions.

Today we are going to look at an art center in Oakland, California.  It's been open since the 1960's as an creative educational space for adult artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities.  

Creative Growth Art Center provides a professional studio environment for artistic development, gallery exhibition, and representation.

Some people are born with special needs, and other disabilities happen as the result of an accident or illness. The disability itself, though, is not a sickness or something bad. Their bodies just work in another way than a typical person. For example, the muscles of a person with Cerebral Palsy might work a little differently than yours or mine.  What other kinds of disabilities do you know about?

Merritt Wallace

Let's take a look a look at these creative individuals and into the amazing art space of Creative Growth.

“Art is a great equalizer that transcends language, that transcends culture, that transcends disability.”

Tom di Maria, director, Creative Growth Art Center

Donald Mitchell
I want to encourage you to experiment, make mistakes, work through a challenge or try something that's new for you.  The  talents of the artists at Creative Growth would not have been discovered if this space didn't exist.  Many people saw the potential and opportunity for these artists with disabilities. You may discover a way to make art that you never thought possible.

As you think about the artists we just watched and yourself as an artist:

Are you willing to work through a challenge to find your talents?
How will you help another artist find their gifts?
How does art help you communicate?



Resources: 
https://www.dailyserving.com/2016/05/celebrating-a-vision-art-and-disability-at-sfo/
http://blogs.nordstrom.com/fashion/pop-in-nordstrom-tmrw-tgthr-creative-growth-art-center/
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/magazine/a-training-ground-for-untrained-artists.html
https://honestlywtf.com/art/method-x-creative-growth/
https://honestlywtf.com/art/method-x-creative-growth-encore-collection/

Heather Hansen --Drawing and Dancing (Studio Habit of Mind- Express)

Heather Hansen--Art+Dance
"Part dance and part performance art, the kinetic drawings are a way for Hansen to merge her love for visual art and dance into a unified art form."

Heather Hansen is a fine artist working in New Orleans, and Paris. Her kinetic drawings are part dance, part performance art using her body as a drawing tool and ending up as large scale pieces in charcoal or pastels. ki·net·ic  -relating to or resulting from motion. movement.

Charcoal and chalk pastels are drawing materials that are easily blended.  Charcoal is the carbon that is remaining after something like wood is burned (think of the black bits and pieces leftover after a fire pit, bonfire...it's formed into sticks for an artist to use.  Pastels are color mineral powders pressed into a stick.  These are available in out drawing studio.

Using her body movements, Heather creates breathtaking, large scale charcoal paintings. In 2012 she began experimenting with kinetic drawing and has been searching for ways to combine her passion for visual art and dance.  

1. 
   
2. Often we think of kinetic art as 3D. Heather Hansen is creating Kinetic 2D art.  Her movement creating lines is actually part of the art.

Heather plans and puts thought into her movements and the order or what we would call the choreography(sequence) of moves result in her mark making.  Every move will create a mark and depending how she moves, she will make short, long, curved or straight lines.

Heather's art is what we would call Linear  = Linear: consisting of, or using lines.  
Think of how you use lines in your own art.
Her work is also symmetrical.  You may have heard this word in math.  Think of an imaginary line down the middle of her art.

sym·me·try -- the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis.

Look for lines and symmetry in Heather's art.  
Do the lines repeat? 
Are the lines curved or straight?

Yes, Heather's art is messy.  Many students noticed this.  All of our art studios have the potential to be messy.

What are you passionate about?
How can you express your passions and interests in your art?
Is creating performance art or kinetic art the best way to express your idea?


Heather Hansen live performance from Heather Hansen on Vimeo.

Resources:
https://www.boredpanda.com/charcoal-dance-drawings-performance-art-emptied-gestures-heather-hansen/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/01/emptied-gestures-heather-hansen/

Shannah Burton New City School

Drawing Skill Builder: Observational and Thumbnails

 Drawing Skill-builder
 Studio Habit of Mind: Observe, Develop Craft






We have become familiar with several types of drawings:








Portrait

Landscape

Still-life-is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate (not alive) subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (drinking glasses, books, vases, jewelry, coins, etc.).

Cityscape

Abstract-art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures.

Realistic-representing familiar things in a way that is accurate or true to life

*********************************************************************************
Today we will be doing a skill-builder.  A skill-builder is a type of mini-lesson everyone tries. You will complete this work in your art book.

Keystage 1&2 
Observational Drawing:

Compare these two images.  Which was done by observation and which was done from memory?

Observational art is to draw or paint a subject as accurately as possible.

The subject may be a still life, figure model, portrait or landscape and the image must be created from real life rather than a photograph or the artist's imagination. 
The artist studies the subject on its own terms.





Draw what you see, not what you think.

Keystage 2

Thumbnails
Thumbnail sketches are quick, abbreviated drawings, usually done very rapidly and with no corrections. You can use any medium, though pen or pencil is the most common. Thumbnail sketches usually are very small, often only an inch or two high

Thumbnails are a great way to plan your work.  You might ask yourself these questions as you create Thumbnail sketches

• What is the size and placement of each element?
• What is overall dimensions and shape? … Portrait, landscape, or square?
• How about the negative and positive shapes?
• Are things going to cropped?
• Where is your light source coming from?
• How are your cast shadows adding to the composition?

Part two - Keystage 2 
Drawing Skill Builder--One point perspective 

A drawing has one-point perspective when it contains only one vanishing point on the horizon line. This type of perspective is typically used for images of roads, railway tracks, hallways, or buildings viewed so that the front is directly facing the viewer. ... These parallel lines converge at the vanishing point.

When creating One Point Perspective, there is a vanishing point.

Vanishing Point: 

1. 1.

   the point at which receding parallel lines viewed in perspective appear to converge.
2. 2.

   the point at which something that has been growing smaller or increasingly faint disappears altogether.

Today we are doing another Skill-Builder.  In your book, you will try One Point Perspective. 

You will need a sharpened pencil and ruler. 

Once you have drawn basic One Point Perspective try to expand this learning with color and details.

https://bsd405.org/art/category/elementary-school/page/2/
https://monicaaissamartinez.wordpress.com/tag/contour-line/
https://craftprojectideas.com/fall-still-life-exercise/
http://useyourcolouredpencils.blogspot.com/2010/09/still-life-vases.html
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5d/1f/94/5d1f94af3c1960958276dcac81b31018.jpg