Note: To protect the privacy of our members, e-mail addresses have been removed from the archived messages. As a result, some links may be broken.
mistakes and portfolios
Mon, 2 Mar 1998 17:24:47 EST
- Next message: Nancy Walkup: "RE: More Comments from John Biggers"
- Previous message: Fields, Linda: "RE: More Comments from John Biggers"
I have been reading these posts with growing interest. I have a problem with
telling students that there is no such thing as mistakes in art or not in art.
That isn't realistic. We all make mistakes. We never know so much or get to be
so perfect that we do not make mistakes. To tell students that in art there is
no such thing leads them to believe that it doesn't matter what you do in art,
it will be right. Ergo there is no need to learn how to make good art. Of
course there are those that preach that there is no such thing as bad art. I
obviously do not believe that either.
I think what we teach students to do about and with their mistakes is what
makes the difference.
1. accept the mistake - no big deal - mistakes happen
2. What can be done to rectify the mistake -- nothing? Fine, then we will
start over. It is no big deal. We learn from our mistakes as well as our
successes.
Keeping work:
My students have portfolios in which they place everything that they do.
Mistakes and successes. They know that at the end of the semester we will go
through and decide what is to remain in the portfolio. This includes mistakes
as well as successes. They are encouraged to take home as much as possible.
But I am looking for a few really good pieces and a few of the mistakes to
stay. I will keep this portfolio until they graduate. They will either
continue to take art and continue to add to it or it will just be stored in
the art department until they graduate. From this on-going portfolio we will
develop presentation portfolios for other purposes.
They know that I keep two portfolios myself. One is my presentation portfolio
and the other is my working portfolio. I keep anything that I want to remember
in my working portfolio. Some of the things in that portfolio are pretty
strange. But they serve as reminders to me.
I think that the fact that I keep their work for all that time makes an
impression on them. I don't have the problem of crumpled up mini-mistakes so
much anymore.
But I do have a growing number of risk takers. And I like that.
Reatha
- Next message: Nancy Walkup: "RE: More Comments from John Biggers"
- Previous message: Fields, Linda: "RE: More Comments from John Biggers"