SPECTRUM ARTWORKS - JES REYES - 4.5 HOURS
The weeks at Spectrum are going by incredibly fast as my date to teach gets closer. I’ve been slowly collecting materials and getting further along with prepping other mediums and furthering my own exploration of what I want from this lesson, and what the artists are wanting from this time next Monday. I also ended up making a visit along with Jes to one of the Collective member’s studios, which I was really excited to get to be a part of. While I have been observing and interacting with these artists, I find that seeing an artists’ workspace or studio can give greater understanding about their work. Once again I’m always blown away with the level of talent and motivation, but also with the level of acceptance that takes place at Spectrum.
MIA - CHRIS BOWMAN - 4 HOURS
After some small corrections over the week, I went to observe and assist a 3-week lesson being taught by Emily LaCrone. The kids in this class are a larger range of ages (4-8) so engaging all of the kids in ways that would be challenging for them was something that Emily did incredibly successfully. Observing and assisting her gave me a greater sense of how to both teach children, and keep things interesting and engaging. While she keeps things fun for the kids, she also develops ways to make sure they listen and pay attention when she is instructing. She will say that if you put your hands on your head you are listening, or that a child can only continue on to the next step in a project if they are sitting at their seat calmly and quietly. I think working with younger children, it’s important to be clear when the time to be energized is, and when it’s time to calm down and listen.