Community Arts Project

Speak Against Racism... In today's society, we are faced with many issues related to diversity and social justice. For my project, my group decided to focus on discrimination around the Ryerson University campus. I believe that discrimination exists in every society, although we cannot eliminate it, we can do our best to reduce the amount of discrimination possible. Living in a multicultural society like Toronto, an issue like discrimination should be reduced. Reducing the amount of racism on campus starts off by a small idea. My group concluded that we cannot eliminate discrimination, so we're taking action to reduce it. To reduce such thing, we need to let people know what is happening around campus and in our society. Our idea is for people to speak out against racism by telling personal stories that relates to racism.  The groups that are involved are the Ryerson Student Union, where they have a Students Against Racism group. Aside from our campus, we would potentially hope to expand to other universities like University of Toronto and other schools. The 'big idea' for my group was creating stickers that consists of famous thinkers speaking out against or about racism. Our sticker has a site where people can go on and the website and post experiences. These stickers will be posted around campus:

References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and Creative Development for Young Children (6^th Ed.).  Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Guerilla Art

Beauty is Skin Deep...
Inspirational messages are everywhere around us, but do we really stop to think about what the quote's message is? I chose the saying "beauty is skin deep" because it sums up different emotions and feelings towards what we see in society. Today, there are beauty ads and public figures that influence us of how we should look like. I myself, unfortunately sometimes are influenced by what I see on television and the message of what girls and women should be like and dress. An inspirational message like "beauty is skin deep" really says a lot, and I believe that if people read it, they will stop to think about how we really see ourselves. Yes, looks may be "everything" but that is on the outside. What truly lies under our skin is our beauty, and my parents always told me "you do not need any makeup" and "natural is beauty" and because we are easily influenced by the media, a message like that really hits home. This message can be put up in any areas and the most effective is on the mirror because that is where we see ourselves and our reflection. The art word of the week is colour, with this message, beauty is on the inside and choosing neutral colours really sends the message. The beauty of black and white really makes you focus on the message rather than the look, which is what this message is about.
I had posted this message on my friend's mirror, and as she approached it, she really took the time to read it and take in the message. She had said that the message is as simple as they come. In a black and white message, it summarizes the quote regarding beauty is within the message, and beauty is on the inside. 
This assignment made me feel liberating because I sent a message that connects to girls and even boys and how they see themselves. Your friends and families will love you for who you are, not what you look like. True beauty is on the inside and I believe that girls and boys need to know that. There are many ads in the media that depicts what society sees as "beautiful", but with an inspirational message, we really come back to the message that lies within. 

Pretend Play & Magical Thinking

Bringing it to life... Dating back to 1955, a beauty in the name of Marilyn Hepburn became an international figure and inspiration for many children. As a sassy singer, she speaks many different languages including Spanish, French and English. She resides in London, England as a fashionista who loves to take long walks around the Eiffel Tower.  Being in the public eye, Marilyn maintains a "good girl" by being an inspiration to young girls. She volunteered and spoke to girls around the world about being themselves and finding their inner beauty. Art word of the week is balance, as a public figure, she maintains a balance of her home life and her public life. To herself, she would describe her life like a ying-yang where she lives a double life but enjoys every minute of it. As a hopeless romantic, she met a young gentleman and fell in love. At the age of thirty, she decided to settle down and start a family. By the time she was fourty, she pursued the life of a stay at home mother with five children. Til today, Marilyn has become an inspirational figure for many.
Everyone wanted to know her, and everyone wanted to be like her.


To me, magical thinking is finding inspiration from anywhere and bringing it to life. Our imagination has endless possibilities, and when we begin to think deeply, we create things out of the ordinary. Our imagination can bring us anywhere and there is no wrong way to go. Teaching young children to use their imagination and find inspiration will allow them to bring our their creativity. There is no right or wrong way of thinking and our imagination can take us anywhere...

How Do You See Your Food?

Grocery shopping is always fun. Going to a supermarket, I see a variety of food and snacks. It is always fun to browse around to see what there is. When I walk pass the aisles, there are many different shapes, designs, and colours. The art word of the week is mass or volume, it is described as "the appropriate criteria for critiquing three-dimensional art, which has height, length and width" (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142), it can be portrayed as:

• heavy, bulky, massive; or light, delicate
• geometric or organic
• static or dynamic
• angular or curved
• hard or soft
• large or little, big or small

(Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009)

The food item that I have chosen is Chocolate... is my favourite type of food. it is a go-to comfort food for myself and a lot of people. I decided to make a list of different types of food that chocolate can make and I limited it to my favourites.

cake                                      milkshake                                  donut

fondue                                   hot chocolate                             croissant 

ice cream                               muffin                                        cookie

chocolate bar                       cupcake                                      pie

pretzel                                   sauce                                         muffin

All these types of food and snacks can be formed into a variety of shapes and sizes. Chocolate can be mass produced into a chocolate bar or can be self-made into a cake or cookie. Chocolate can be incorporated into many recipes and beverages and it comes in many different shapes, colours and sizes. 

References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and Creative Development for Young Children (6^th Ed.).  Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Painting with Scissors

Collaging with Scissors... Throughout the years, we collect pieces of artwork and pictures that consists of valuable memories. We can create an artwork that consists the variety of pieces of work that we have collected over the years into a collage. Creating a collage is an effective way to communicate personal identity and understanding of the world. A collage is "a picture composed of different shapes or elements" (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 206). The art word of the week is space. Creating a collage, we can use space effectively, and there is no right or wrong way in using space, it is all in the imagination and creativity. Using space, we can create an interesting collage, and here are some tips on using space:

• positive or negative
• unoccupied, empty, sparse; or occupied, filled, dense
• vertical, horizontal, or diagonal
• symmetrical or asymmetrical
• ordered or random
• balanced or unbalanced

(Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 143)

To create a personal collage we can follow these steps:

1.     Collect pictures that are meaningful and significant in your life

2.     Pick a base to paste these images on

3.     Using your imagination, use scissors to cut and create different shapes and sizes of your images

4.     With glue or tape, paste images on the base, be messy and creative!

5.     You can take a pen/marker/paint to add any drawings or words that you like

6.     Enjoy your collage! Post it up or give them to someone that will appreciate it. 

A collage is a simple concept that anyone can use to create a piece of work. Collaging with scissors is an effective way of creating an artwork that is unique and it communicates personal identity! 

References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and Creative Development for Young Children (6^th Ed.).  Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Watch an 'Art Film' and Chat About It

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind... is the 'art film' that I chose to watch. The art word of the week is composition. The composition can be described as the “overall mark of success, the standard of achievement, and the frosting on the cake” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142). The creativity of this film can be seen in the overall piece of work, with the impeccable direction to editing. Through this film, scenes go back and forth, into the future and the past. There is a distinct beginning, middle and end of this movie but the idea of flashback and forwards really made the film. It gets the audience thinking and really wondering where this will go.

What intrigued me about this movie is the art of the imagination. The film revolves around a couple who decided to get their memory of each other erased. Through their difficulties, and everything that they have been through, they each decided that they no longer want any memories of each other. Through the process, they begin to realize what they had in the beginning. I have always been a fan of a happy ending and in the end; the two meet again to work through everything they have been through.

Through the discussion with my friends, we had both discussed what the movie has to say about fate. This discussion led to the idea of erasing memories and what our imaginations can lead us. Though this film didn’t really have a visually distinct artistic value, but what we concluded is that the creativity of the mind can come up with ideas that have never been heard before. We all really enjoyed the composition of this movie as it got us all thinking and really paying attention. We discussed the concept of memory and we realized that none of us would really want to erase our memories. Through thick and thin, we believe that our past is what shapes us today and we need to go through these things in our daily lives to learn and grow.   

After watching this film, the idea of the imagination can come up with so many different ideas. Allowing our imagination to lead us into a different place can be as creative as any piece of work. Memories are significant in our lives, and without them, we would never know what exists and has existed in our lives. 

References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and Creative Development for Young Children (6^th Ed.).  Belmont, CA: Delmar.

Looking for Patterns in Urban Settings & Nature

Lines... In and around Toronto, we see patterns everywhere. The art word of the week is lines. We see lines everywhere, and a simple concept like lines can form various abstract patterns. Lines are described as “a visible mark made by an artistic tool” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 135).

            My inspiration came from my everyday life and hobbies. Lines can be seen in our daily lives, and as I walk through various neighbourhoods, I can see forms of lines found in objects. The first picture I had taken is of a bench outside my friend’s house. A simple crisscross pattern forms the back of the bench and it forms the shape of a diamond. The second picture is of a driveway and I chose to take this picture because of the simple patterns that the lines form. Brick by brick, they form a pattern and sizes. The last two are pictures that have been taken a while back, going through my old pictures; I began to look at these abstractly and realized that lines and patterns are everywhere. A Ferris wheel consists of many lines in different directions. In the night time, we can see what the lines form and it becomes an abstract form of art. The last picture taken was from a tennis court in the Rexall Centre at York University. In places like these, I never had analyzed all the patterns that a court holds. Here, we can see shapes and lines from the court, and in the seating, aisles and windows.

            As a future early childhood educator, looking for inspiration through nature and in the urban setting can be helpful in planning activities. We can teach children to look abstractly in our nature and find shapes and patterns outside of our classroom. Patterns are everywhere, and we can easily find inspiration for activities and take it to the next level of teaching. 

      

References

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and Creative Development for Young Children (6^th Ed.).  Belmont, CA: Delmar.