Well, quite a bit to catch up on. A crisis was averted at Casa Vasa. Hubby found a Tofurkey just in time for Thanksgiving. We would have been up a creek if we had none. I spent nearly all Thanksgiving chasing my nephew around my parents' house. I am still sore four days later. I caught up on the lack of kiddie time by seeing them three days in a row this weekend. I made sure all projects were graded and posted before the holiday weekend. (I am a firm believer in taking time off for the holidays. I work enough the rest of the time.)
So I was going to try to help with a vacant store display in my town on Wednesday. My friend was going to help too. But... snow came. Some schools called the day. We did not. Smart move. It would have been a waste of a snow day. Getting home was a cinch. Everyone - surprisingly - drove carefully on my way home. That never happens. Ever.... I have the commute from hell. We were also supposed to go out that night but the weather nixed that. Very bummed about it. But Friday was still on, so that was good. I might also be a bit sore from that too.
I will say, it never ceases to amaze me how much some people can just let go and drink themselves into oblivion. I have never understood the mindset behind drinking to get drunk. I like to remember the good times, not black out. I know for some people, alcoholism is a sickness, and I am not thinking of that. I am thinking of the sloppy, raucous, high school/college mentality. The money they waste. The horrible behavior we sober people have to put up with. And most of what they drink tastes like garbage. Of course, this is coming from a person who grew up learning that a drink was to be savored and appreciated. (Mother is Italian) One glass of wine, and that is it. But jeez... Some people. I have stopped going out with certain people because I just do not want to be around that behavior anymore. I socialized with them for the sake of being nice, but it just is not working. My true friends do not belittle me for not getting drunk, do not get loud and obnoxious in public, do not do cringe inducing dances to bad music, are not judgmental because I like to behave a certain way. I have whittled down my social group considerably and I feel so much better.
I am constantly telling my students how I live my life with regards to drinking. Not to lecture, but to let them know that it is possible to have fun and be sober. I usually start with "I think I am a pretty cool person who is fun to hang out with...." and I get a smirk most of the time. Some kids nod in agreement about staying sober... Most kiss my butt by lying to me. I might start using the money angle... "If beer costs this much, and you spend that every week for parties, multiply it by 52. That's what you have wasted each year." I do that with the kids who smoke. I let them know that with the amount of money they puff away, I buy a round trip ticket to Europe each year. Ha!
Now... on to Christmas. I do not partake in the Black Friday propaganda bs. I support small, mom and pop businesses if I buy gifts. I shop as I see things instead of lining up like a lemming outside some big box store. I have always wanted to make things for people, but never had the time. So I am going to try to make something for the niece and nephew this year. My grandmother used to knit and crochet. When she died, she left behind a lot of supplies. I used to crochet when I was little. I am going to try to make the kiddies scarves this year. I got the needles out and practiced some different stitches earlier today. I was surprised with how well I did and that I was even able to understand the directions. They have always seemed like gibberish to me. But I did okay. It might also help my hands. My doctor told me I have arthritis in my wrists and right pointer finger. (Yeah, it looks like a man's finger) It seems to be creeping into other fingers on both hands. The stiffness is increasing and I have been getting really sharp pains in my right hand. I remember that my grandma was supposed to start crocheting and knitting again to help her arthritis, so I am giving it a go. I also like using her needles, yarn, and books. Knitting is a whole other beast and I am left handed, so it will be crocheting for the time being.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014
Cut
Well, do as I say, not as I do.... I cut myself with the guillotine cutter in the darkroom. Badly. In the last 10 minutes of period 7 on Wednesday. I felt the blade slice through my thumb nail. Then the blood came. Quickly. And I thought quickly, exited the darkroom, grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser, wrapped the thumb while applying pressure. I calmly walked to my desk and sat down. Everyone was working and I called no attention to my silly little drama.
Until....
I had to put my head between my legs to keep from fainting. A student walking through the room asked if that was my coat on my chair then realized that the coat was me doubled over. I rose slowly - fainting in front of students is not on my top ten of things to achieve in this lifetime - and told him I cut myself. Well, then the kids saw what I looked like. My guess is I was a particularly special shade of grey, as usually happens when I lose a lot of blood. Then the concern came. The first student offered me his Powerade to get me back to normal. They offered to get the nurse, a band aid, and other sweet things. I just laid there like a vegetable, but still made sure the class got on....
I had the kids clean up and waited for period 8. As I am near reclining in my chair to get the blood back and the nausea away, one kids comes in and comment on how "chill" I look relaxing there. Then another student comments that I don't look chill, I look... "Grey?" I asked. "Yes", she said. I told them what happened. Well, they got right to work. One of the kids who would send lesser teachers running scared took it upon himself to get one girl caught up (she has missed a great deal of days) without any prompting. Another girl offered me her special sparkly mylar band aid. The kids who were done came over to my computer to gather around while I showed them examples regarding the next assignment. One kid asked if I had to cook dinner or if Mr. Vasa could cook it since I clearly couldn't.
Anyone who thinks teenagers are problems doesn't work with them. The way they handled my stupidity was just so endearing. I love my kids so much. As it turns out, no skin was cut, so no stitches. Hubby took me to the local urgent care and since the blade only sliced through the nail, the doc could only crazy glue the nail. Unfortunately, it sliced diagonally and not quite all the way from one end to the other, so, that will be a hanging problem when the nail comes off. It hurts like hell. It is on my left hand, so functioning normally as a lefty is tough. I feel for Millie and all the cats out there without opposable thumbs...
But here's a funny to show how sharp my kids are. At the doctor's office, hubby kept asking me why I had to cut the paper in the dark. "Why not cut it outside?" Of course, he thinks I was being stubborn at work. "Dave, they don't sell the paper cut to order." "But why cut it in the dark?" It took a bit for him to get that the paper is ruined if I cut it in the light. The kids chuckled when I told them about that bit. "Is he a little less than sharp?" one kid asked. Well, he's not as smart as you photo kids, that's for sure, my darlings....
Until....
I had to put my head between my legs to keep from fainting. A student walking through the room asked if that was my coat on my chair then realized that the coat was me doubled over. I rose slowly - fainting in front of students is not on my top ten of things to achieve in this lifetime - and told him I cut myself. Well, then the kids saw what I looked like. My guess is I was a particularly special shade of grey, as usually happens when I lose a lot of blood. Then the concern came. The first student offered me his Powerade to get me back to normal. They offered to get the nurse, a band aid, and other sweet things. I just laid there like a vegetable, but still made sure the class got on....
I had the kids clean up and waited for period 8. As I am near reclining in my chair to get the blood back and the nausea away, one kids comes in and comment on how "chill" I look relaxing there. Then another student comments that I don't look chill, I look... "Grey?" I asked. "Yes", she said. I told them what happened. Well, they got right to work. One of the kids who would send lesser teachers running scared took it upon himself to get one girl caught up (she has missed a great deal of days) without any prompting. Another girl offered me her special sparkly mylar band aid. The kids who were done came over to my computer to gather around while I showed them examples regarding the next assignment. One kid asked if I had to cook dinner or if Mr. Vasa could cook it since I clearly couldn't.
Anyone who thinks teenagers are problems doesn't work with them. The way they handled my stupidity was just so endearing. I love my kids so much. As it turns out, no skin was cut, so no stitches. Hubby took me to the local urgent care and since the blade only sliced through the nail, the doc could only crazy glue the nail. Unfortunately, it sliced diagonally and not quite all the way from one end to the other, so, that will be a hanging problem when the nail comes off. It hurts like hell. It is on my left hand, so functioning normally as a lefty is tough. I feel for Millie and all the cats out there without opposable thumbs...
But here's a funny to show how sharp my kids are. At the doctor's office, hubby kept asking me why I had to cut the paper in the dark. "Why not cut it outside?" Of course, he thinks I was being stubborn at work. "Dave, they don't sell the paper cut to order." "But why cut it in the dark?" It took a bit for him to get that the paper is ruined if I cut it in the light. The kids chuckled when I told them about that bit. "Is he a little less than sharp?" one kid asked. Well, he's not as smart as you photo kids, that's for sure, my darlings....
Monday, November 17, 2014
So some school thoughts first...
I started having my P2 students use Pinterest in earnest for the second marking period. I pin a picture with a question, they respond with a pic that answers the question with an answer. So I want them to pin by midnight Fridays. I waited until this morning because I know my kids. They forget. And they did. Period 7, a disappointment. I think three kids pinned. But period 5.... I was sitting here just saying Whoa, whoa all the time. The images they found were phenomenal. I so like Pinterest as an image resource better than anything else I have used up to now. Thank you so much to my artists and teacher friends and family who turned me on to this. Even the kids were remarking about the wealth of images....
So we have come out of the dark ages and had our first Pep Rally in years here at work. The old super got rid of them. Now, pep rallies are not my thing. I am an art/music kid, not school spirit kid. I was the one hunkered down in the bleachers wishing I was in the art room, not the gym. But..... For a school that seemed to put a premium on the green blood and community and family, the loss of the pep rally in the first week of school sent only one message: you kids can't handle this and don't deserve this. I watched the crowds on Friday. Kids were excited. Kids who were not rah-rah sports. Kids looked like they belonged. It broke up the monotony of the school week. And the best part? A girls sports team got massive recognition. Hell yeah.
Now onto Friday night. I like to do my own thing to preserve some semblance of the person I am. I go out on Friday nights with a friend. We have met a few people, made new friends. The place we go seems to have a real family atmosphere. People greet you when you walk in, say bye when you leave, joke with you.... The "Cheers" of the freak world. There is a girl (H) we met through a guy that started talking to us. We couldn't tell if she was standoffish or not. But she was there alone Friday night. Guy friend was not there yet.
In the social circles I have always been a part of and the places I go, it is perfectly safe for a female to go out alone. No threatening atmosphere at all. There is rarely that threatening macho male vibe. Equality is the rule, not the exception. So I guess this is why what happened has jarred me so much. I noticed a large guy standing near H. She is small. She would go to dance, he followed. He would be right there behind her. Right... There... As my friend and I watched, we figured H did not know this guy. He would say stuff to her, she did not respond. She kept turning away from him. Then the look on his face got angry. We watched her walk over to the bar. She ordered a bottle of water. He followed with her. I saw him slam his fist on the bar. He was getting angry with her. This was really bad. She goes to dance, he follows. He is putting his body right up against her. She keeps turning away. My friend and I get up to dance. I was getting so angry and scared. So I inch over to H and touch her on the arm. I never talked to her other than introductions. I said "H, is he bothering you?" She couldn't even say anything. Just nodded. I told her to stay with us. He continued to hover and then watch from afar. I crossed my arms and watched him. Eventually he left. We felt good that another lady watch seeing this unfold told H she was watching....
I can't get this off my mind. I constantly have students bitch to me about the dress code. But the problem is, we still have men who think that the way a girl dresses can justify his doing things to her. That guy thought H was fair game. She was alone. She was ... fill in the blank with whatever a girl should not do to make herself prey. But what about the social atmosphere that makes the guy think he can do this? Why does he have a right to make a girl uncomfortable and threatened? I never saw a look like that in a man's eyes before. My friend agreed with me that we think rape was on that man's agenda. My students just do not get it. I will never forget years ago when a boy told a girl in my Sculpture class "Come here, baby" and she went right over. I stopped that moment and picked apart everything that was wrong with that situation. Then there was the senior from two years ago who explained to me that if a girl is asked to prom, she knows she has to give a little something afterwards. Really? All the talking I did would not change his mind. I have had a couple of students who had been raped. One was date rape, the other when she was drunk. The prevalent attitude is that the girl was partially or all to blame. She was dating him... She was drunk... H wasn't dating that creep. She wasn't drunk or even drinking. What's the excuse?
I just can't get his off my mind... It is just going to keep happening.
I started having my P2 students use Pinterest in earnest for the second marking period. I pin a picture with a question, they respond with a pic that answers the question with an answer. So I want them to pin by midnight Fridays. I waited until this morning because I know my kids. They forget. And they did. Period 7, a disappointment. I think three kids pinned. But period 5.... I was sitting here just saying Whoa, whoa all the time. The images they found were phenomenal. I so like Pinterest as an image resource better than anything else I have used up to now. Thank you so much to my artists and teacher friends and family who turned me on to this. Even the kids were remarking about the wealth of images....
So we have come out of the dark ages and had our first Pep Rally in years here at work. The old super got rid of them. Now, pep rallies are not my thing. I am an art/music kid, not school spirit kid. I was the one hunkered down in the bleachers wishing I was in the art room, not the gym. But..... For a school that seemed to put a premium on the green blood and community and family, the loss of the pep rally in the first week of school sent only one message: you kids can't handle this and don't deserve this. I watched the crowds on Friday. Kids were excited. Kids who were not rah-rah sports. Kids looked like they belonged. It broke up the monotony of the school week. And the best part? A girls sports team got massive recognition. Hell yeah.
Now onto Friday night. I like to do my own thing to preserve some semblance of the person I am. I go out on Friday nights with a friend. We have met a few people, made new friends. The place we go seems to have a real family atmosphere. People greet you when you walk in, say bye when you leave, joke with you.... The "Cheers" of the freak world. There is a girl (H) we met through a guy that started talking to us. We couldn't tell if she was standoffish or not. But she was there alone Friday night. Guy friend was not there yet.
In the social circles I have always been a part of and the places I go, it is perfectly safe for a female to go out alone. No threatening atmosphere at all. There is rarely that threatening macho male vibe. Equality is the rule, not the exception. So I guess this is why what happened has jarred me so much. I noticed a large guy standing near H. She is small. She would go to dance, he followed. He would be right there behind her. Right... There... As my friend and I watched, we figured H did not know this guy. He would say stuff to her, she did not respond. She kept turning away from him. Then the look on his face got angry. We watched her walk over to the bar. She ordered a bottle of water. He followed with her. I saw him slam his fist on the bar. He was getting angry with her. This was really bad. She goes to dance, he follows. He is putting his body right up against her. She keeps turning away. My friend and I get up to dance. I was getting so angry and scared. So I inch over to H and touch her on the arm. I never talked to her other than introductions. I said "H, is he bothering you?" She couldn't even say anything. Just nodded. I told her to stay with us. He continued to hover and then watch from afar. I crossed my arms and watched him. Eventually he left. We felt good that another lady watch seeing this unfold told H she was watching....
I can't get this off my mind. I constantly have students bitch to me about the dress code. But the problem is, we still have men who think that the way a girl dresses can justify his doing things to her. That guy thought H was fair game. She was alone. She was ... fill in the blank with whatever a girl should not do to make herself prey. But what about the social atmosphere that makes the guy think he can do this? Why does he have a right to make a girl uncomfortable and threatened? I never saw a look like that in a man's eyes before. My friend agreed with me that we think rape was on that man's agenda. My students just do not get it. I will never forget years ago when a boy told a girl in my Sculpture class "Come here, baby" and she went right over. I stopped that moment and picked apart everything that was wrong with that situation. Then there was the senior from two years ago who explained to me that if a girl is asked to prom, she knows she has to give a little something afterwards. Really? All the talking I did would not change his mind. I have had a couple of students who had been raped. One was date rape, the other when she was drunk. The prevalent attitude is that the girl was partially or all to blame. She was dating him... She was drunk... H wasn't dating that creep. She wasn't drunk or even drinking. What's the excuse?
I just can't get his off my mind... It is just going to keep happening.
Friday, November 14, 2014
ESP
Al Capone's room.
We were able to see some of the site specific art installations. I shot with my DSLR on aperture priority, some in sepia, with a 400 ISO.
Phone Phobias and such...
So last Wednesday night I get an urgent message on facebook. A recent graduate needs help putting together a portfolio. That night. She wants to take a Photo class and the instructor gave her less than 24 hours to prep for a review. Could I please call her? On the phone.....
Gulp....
I don't do well dialing phone numbers. I hate calling people. I feel like I am pestering them, even if they wanted me to call them. So... I futzed around in the kitchen... Cuddled with Millie.... Then bit the bullet. I did ok. But let me tell you.... Talking on the phone with a former student is weird. It's like I broke through that teacher student wall in a really strange way. It was really nice hearing her voice and hearing someone who was happy to hear from me... So we got the specifics out of the way and she asked how Millie was doing. Ah.... they care so much!
Then I got to work on finding her images on the network and e-mailing them to her. I have been meaning to delete all my saved scans and files of student work and burn them onto cd. It is a good thing I didn't because she and I would have been SOL if I had done that.... We made plans to get together for coffee when she comes back to NJ to visit... Hooray!
And then... I took some kids to jail.
Love putting it that way....
I did another trip to Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. This time I went with the Sculpture teacher and her level II kids. It's really different doing a field trip with someone who does 50% of the work. It's not as tiring and I can enjoy seeing my kids enjoy themselves. I am actually stunned when I tell people I bring students here and they have never heard of it. Are their heads in the sand? Oh, no.... Just busy keeping up with the latest b.s. reality show star or something. My sister used to bring her students here. Gosh, it's been used as a site for movies and even a Dead Milkmen video! http://www.easternstate.org/learn/filmed-esp Where have these people been? It is so popular with photographers, they have a program for usage by photographers.
Well, the kids had a great time. They napped on the way there and were ready to go once we arrived. The guides I get there are always soooo nice. Strange since there really is no brotherly love in Philly.... The site is different each time I go. More stuff has been restored. It seems like I can find new things. I was tailing some girls I knew might need watching. Lucky for me because they found the restored synagogue. They charged their phones there. (I didn't want to risk the students losing our digital cameras so I let them shoot with their phones. Of course all the phones were dead by the end of the trip.) It was interesting tailing the girls.... These kids that people stereotype "bad" might be in some ways. But in so many other ways, they are just kids. They are silly, slightly immature, rash, and just stumbling along to find an identity. I decided to let them alone for the last 15 minutes and retrieved their phones for them.... Let them enjoy themselves.
So I told all the students to e-mail the images to themselves that night and to download form e-mail in class the next day. I was very happy with the results! My Photo II kids shot film and digital, for the most part and Photo III shot infrared - dark filter, hand held light meter, and all. Oof. The kids did well. Many of them want to return to the site to spend more time there. Others who could not go on the trip want to go because of what they heard. Woo hoo....
Now, to just make it through today...
Gulp....
I don't do well dialing phone numbers. I hate calling people. I feel like I am pestering them, even if they wanted me to call them. So... I futzed around in the kitchen... Cuddled with Millie.... Then bit the bullet. I did ok. But let me tell you.... Talking on the phone with a former student is weird. It's like I broke through that teacher student wall in a really strange way. It was really nice hearing her voice and hearing someone who was happy to hear from me... So we got the specifics out of the way and she asked how Millie was doing. Ah.... they care so much!
Then I got to work on finding her images on the network and e-mailing them to her. I have been meaning to delete all my saved scans and files of student work and burn them onto cd. It is a good thing I didn't because she and I would have been SOL if I had done that.... We made plans to get together for coffee when she comes back to NJ to visit... Hooray!
And then... I took some kids to jail.
Love putting it that way....
I did another trip to Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. This time I went with the Sculpture teacher and her level II kids. It's really different doing a field trip with someone who does 50% of the work. It's not as tiring and I can enjoy seeing my kids enjoy themselves. I am actually stunned when I tell people I bring students here and they have never heard of it. Are their heads in the sand? Oh, no.... Just busy keeping up with the latest b.s. reality show star or something. My sister used to bring her students here. Gosh, it's been used as a site for movies and even a Dead Milkmen video! http://www.easternstate.org/learn/filmed-esp Where have these people been? It is so popular with photographers, they have a program for usage by photographers.
Well, the kids had a great time. They napped on the way there and were ready to go once we arrived. The guides I get there are always soooo nice. Strange since there really is no brotherly love in Philly.... The site is different each time I go. More stuff has been restored. It seems like I can find new things. I was tailing some girls I knew might need watching. Lucky for me because they found the restored synagogue. They charged their phones there. (I didn't want to risk the students losing our digital cameras so I let them shoot with their phones. Of course all the phones were dead by the end of the trip.) It was interesting tailing the girls.... These kids that people stereotype "bad" might be in some ways. But in so many other ways, they are just kids. They are silly, slightly immature, rash, and just stumbling along to find an identity. I decided to let them alone for the last 15 minutes and retrieved their phones for them.... Let them enjoy themselves.
So I told all the students to e-mail the images to themselves that night and to download form e-mail in class the next day. I was very happy with the results! My Photo II kids shot film and digital, for the most part and Photo III shot infrared - dark filter, hand held light meter, and all. Oof. The kids did well. Many of them want to return to the site to spend more time there. Others who could not go on the trip want to go because of what they heard. Woo hoo....
Now, to just make it through today...
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Crashing...
So two little girls in plaid coats crashed a couple of chichi gallery openings on Thursday.
But first...
My friend and I went to see the screening of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" at the Film Forum. It was the last day and we went to the 3.00 pm showing. We were chatting at a Dunkin' Donuts around the block, checked the time and - yikes! - it was 2.52. We ran to the theatre and made it. We were perhaps the youngest there, but wow! I really didn't see much of a difference between this new restored version and the one I have from Kino on DVD. I have shown the movie to my Photo II classes, discussing the link to German Expressionism and the elaborate sets. However, seeing it on a big screen was fabulous, scary, gave me new ideas for the kids....
Then we worked our way up to Chelsea for some gallery hopping. We stopped in at Chelsea Market - my friend had not been there - and then found places to see art. It was opening night for lots of shows, so we were not in a rush. The first one we stopped in at was nice, mid century paintings and drawings.... Classical type stuff, but nicely done.
Then we walked up to W. 24th and 25th streets. We wandered into Pace Gallery. Oh, it was a David Hockney opening. And he was there. They were recent paintings and photographic collages - those were presented on flat screen monitors. Perfect, since I talk about Hockney and his photographic and art history work with my Photo I students. Mr. Hockney looked quite old, but so happy. I was just happy to be there...
Then we walked a bit more. And oh, is that a Francesco Clemente opening? OK, let's go. There were two tents and then a room with works on paper... I got a kick out of the comments my art therapist friend made about his work. Tee hee.... Snakes, submissive figures.... The artist was there too. I am not so into his tents, but I did like the paper work.
Then.... The Picasso and Jacqueline at the other Pace location. Sigh.... I am so not a fan of Picasso - not his work, not his life, not anything. I like Georges Braque more, if we are going to look at Cubism. And there are many other things to say.... but I won't. This was a meh kind of show. I don't know, the work just did not move me anywhere but out the door. Is it Picasso overload? Maybe. Even knowing some of the love story, it did nothing for me. But then, I am not a sentimental person....
We did see other shows.... but sort of so-so. I was hoping to catch more photographic work. I did like something I saw at Agora Gallery. I was surprised at that since I really am not a fan of their shows. This woman - Tamar Avni - had large scale photographic images of women from the Middle East. They are women who work on waging peace. The images were striking, but not overtly so. Reading the goals of the artist and then looking at the work and taking it in was eye-opening and I thought her work should have been in the front room...
So, my commentary. I like Hockney more now. I liked his demeanor and his paintings made me laugh. He doesn't seem to be slowing down and I respect that. When I went to a Joseph Kossuth opening while writing my thesis, I could not tolerate his "Don't worry everyone, I am here!" schtick. And he sashayed around the place like everyone was there to give him nothing but accolades. Ho humility. I liked that Hockney and the other artists were going to see other works at other openings. They gave off a vibe of happiness at being there.
The crowd? Well, we certainly crashed some high class parties, that's for sure. When Fran Lebowitz is holding court in the front of the gallery, you know you don't belong. But then again, we were there to see the art, not to be seen. The majority of the crowds were there to be seen or be seen with the artists. I am just not into that kind of art scene. I need to make sure I pick the right outfit next time... (sarcasm)
Oh, and the free wine and hors d'oeuvres seem to be a thing of the past.... Budget cuts? Perhaps, but no more free dinner and no more gallery cruisers getting in the way of the art. We ate in Jersey City, and we were ok with that.
But first...
My friend and I went to see the screening of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" at the Film Forum. It was the last day and we went to the 3.00 pm showing. We were chatting at a Dunkin' Donuts around the block, checked the time and - yikes! - it was 2.52. We ran to the theatre and made it. We were perhaps the youngest there, but wow! I really didn't see much of a difference between this new restored version and the one I have from Kino on DVD. I have shown the movie to my Photo II classes, discussing the link to German Expressionism and the elaborate sets. However, seeing it on a big screen was fabulous, scary, gave me new ideas for the kids....
Then we worked our way up to Chelsea for some gallery hopping. We stopped in at Chelsea Market - my friend had not been there - and then found places to see art. It was opening night for lots of shows, so we were not in a rush. The first one we stopped in at was nice, mid century paintings and drawings.... Classical type stuff, but nicely done.
Then we walked up to W. 24th and 25th streets. We wandered into Pace Gallery. Oh, it was a David Hockney opening. And he was there. They were recent paintings and photographic collages - those were presented on flat screen monitors. Perfect, since I talk about Hockney and his photographic and art history work with my Photo I students. Mr. Hockney looked quite old, but so happy. I was just happy to be there...
Then we walked a bit more. And oh, is that a Francesco Clemente opening? OK, let's go. There were two tents and then a room with works on paper... I got a kick out of the comments my art therapist friend made about his work. Tee hee.... Snakes, submissive figures.... The artist was there too. I am not so into his tents, but I did like the paper work.
Then.... The Picasso and Jacqueline at the other Pace location. Sigh.... I am so not a fan of Picasso - not his work, not his life, not anything. I like Georges Braque more, if we are going to look at Cubism. And there are many other things to say.... but I won't. This was a meh kind of show. I don't know, the work just did not move me anywhere but out the door. Is it Picasso overload? Maybe. Even knowing some of the love story, it did nothing for me. But then, I am not a sentimental person....
We did see other shows.... but sort of so-so. I was hoping to catch more photographic work. I did like something I saw at Agora Gallery. I was surprised at that since I really am not a fan of their shows. This woman - Tamar Avni - had large scale photographic images of women from the Middle East. They are women who work on waging peace. The images were striking, but not overtly so. Reading the goals of the artist and then looking at the work and taking it in was eye-opening and I thought her work should have been in the front room...
So, my commentary. I like Hockney more now. I liked his demeanor and his paintings made me laugh. He doesn't seem to be slowing down and I respect that. When I went to a Joseph Kossuth opening while writing my thesis, I could not tolerate his "Don't worry everyone, I am here!" schtick. And he sashayed around the place like everyone was there to give him nothing but accolades. Ho humility. I liked that Hockney and the other artists were going to see other works at other openings. They gave off a vibe of happiness at being there.
The crowd? Well, we certainly crashed some high class parties, that's for sure. When Fran Lebowitz is holding court in the front of the gallery, you know you don't belong. But then again, we were there to see the art, not to be seen. The majority of the crowds were there to be seen or be seen with the artists. I am just not into that kind of art scene. I need to make sure I pick the right outfit next time... (sarcasm)
Oh, and the free wine and hors d'oeuvres seem to be a thing of the past.... Budget cuts? Perhaps, but no more free dinner and no more gallery cruisers getting in the way of the art. We ate in Jersey City, and we were ok with that.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Screw the Tests...
So last week was testing mayhem, I mean Quarterly Based Assessments. Yes, because teachers need the governor to tell us how to assess and grade our students. We were just hanging around, shooting the breeze for 185 days a year before he enlightened us...
But read this first...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alfie-kohn/why-the-best-teachers-don_b_6077466.html
So I did not give written tests. I had my students do a project. I make sure I always explain why I am doing something when it is not traditional. I told my students that I believe many of them know the mechanics of what I have taught the year so far and having them apply it in the classroom will show me more than having them regurgitate memorized factoids that they will soon forget. The relief on their faces - as well as the nods of agreement - told me it was the right way.
So they did not blow this off like some in Trenton might think. They worked diligently. They worried about being able to get it done. They tried to get me to help them. However, I used guided questioning to get them to problem solve on their own. And it worked. Very well. Kids were showing their peers their "bangin'" prints. They were proud of the work they produced. And I know that the next time they get a horrible print, I can say "Come on... I know you know how to do this. Slow down, take a breath, and think about the process."
As a co-worker demonstrated this week with her costume, life is giving teachers lemons, and we are making lemonade...
But read this first...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alfie-kohn/why-the-best-teachers-don_b_6077466.html
So I did not give written tests. I had my students do a project. I make sure I always explain why I am doing something when it is not traditional. I told my students that I believe many of them know the mechanics of what I have taught the year so far and having them apply it in the classroom will show me more than having them regurgitate memorized factoids that they will soon forget. The relief on their faces - as well as the nods of agreement - told me it was the right way.
So they did not blow this off like some in Trenton might think. They worked diligently. They worried about being able to get it done. They tried to get me to help them. However, I used guided questioning to get them to problem solve on their own. And it worked. Very well. Kids were showing their peers their "bangin'" prints. They were proud of the work they produced. And I know that the next time they get a horrible print, I can say "Come on... I know you know how to do this. Slow down, take a breath, and think about the process."
As a co-worker demonstrated this week with her costume, life is giving teachers lemons, and we are making lemonade...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)