Inspiring the Teacher

It's been awhile since my last entry. I apologize to all the fans of the site. Over the Christmas break I had some enriching experiences. I went and saw an art show at the DIA that was from the Cleveland Museum's collection. Works included in the exhibit were from Mondrian, Dali, Magritte, Picasso, Renoir, Rodan, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, and others. There were many beautiful works, but a few are branded on my soul. What I find to be art's most masterful technical achievement is its ability to stir my heart. Many of the works made me wistful while sparking my imagination. The Dali had a painful quality to it, but the colors were so electric that I felt like I was looking at work that was created in the 70's rather than the 1920's.
I went to the Detroit Science Center to see the da Vinci exhibit and I visited the Heidelberg Project. (The car hoods are more charming in person.) All of these events help me to see the world in ways daily life cannot. Picture images and imagining cannot replace seeing objects person.

Harvest

I call myself "Art Gardener," because I am busy sowing the seeds of inspiration. This time of year I am harvesting what has grown out of my "art sprouts."
The weekend of April 18th was the all school art show. We had a wonderful show! Afterwards much of the work went right to the Stair Library for the Community Art Show, which was established to welcome internationally recognixed artist Tyree Guyton. Guyton is the artist responsible for the Heidelberg Project in Detroit. The project is a neighborhood embraced in symbolism and art. Intended to draw attention to the problem of urban blight, the neighborhood is thoughtfully clothed in discarded objects and paint.

For Guyton's visit I conceptualized a sculpture and with the help of many students, in middle school and elementary, constructed it out of cardboard, paint, brads, photos, markers, colored pencils, rubber cement, hot glue, and plastic caps. A photo of each student and staff member was taken and colored with markers, cut, and placed in a milk cap.

It was an honor to have the sculpture placed by Tyree while he spoke at the library about his art.

Guyton is an eloquent speaker with a big soul. It is heartwarming to know there are people aggressively working to make out world a better place through their art. We need more people to follow in Guyton's example.