Summative

Artist Statement:

The quest for perfection is exhausting and unrelenting, although many strive to attain it.  Just like the frost flowers that are fragile and have no perfection, these thread sculpture are made in the light of a process that over time can become something amazing to the viewer. The more we look at them the more they reveal to us.

“Night Bloom” represents the growth in each of my students through the use of VTS. The black thread represents the unknown moving into the white thread of clarity of understanding. The use of thread helps represent that each of us is fragile just like the frost flowers, but we can grow into something beautiful.

Summative Reflection Project Artist Statement

            Frost flowers extrude ice through slits from a stem of white or yellow wingstem plants. This formation requires a freezing air temperature and that the soil is moist. These flowers expand as they freeze and then split the stem vertically on contact with the freezing air. As more water is drawn from the ground, it extrudes a paper-thin ice layer. The length of each split determines if the frost flower has a narrow or wide ribbon of ice, they can also curl unpredictably as they are extruded. These ice flowers are fragile and each form will not be alike. I see using VTS like frost flower, each student and each lesson can start out fragile, but as we draw on what we see it grows into something unexpected.

            I wanted to highlight the notion of imperfection of the frost flowers and VTS through using thread within the shape of a bowl or flower look form. This form is made out layers of thread in a sculpture form. To highlight the illusion of perfection, we place upon ourselves in this imperfect world, through the use of VTS I’m trying to show what is reality by having students find their way of looking at art through new eyes.  Just like the way we can see the frost flower developing over a short time. Using VTS, I feel I’m giving a gift to each of my students that they can have a voice in what they might find in each new image that I have shown them in class.

            Using the gift of imperfection we can change what draws the attention out of each viewer by using VST and draws attention to what more can we see in each artwork? This artwork of a thread bowl is made out of black thread with a smaller white bowl inside of the larger bowl with then a small white and black bowl inside of them. This represents the path from the old way of seeing art through this new form of using a VTS lesson and helps open the mind of young views. Over the course of this semester I have learned that I value each and every student, just like I value the way frost flowers show us that no matter what we can grow.  They grow just like my students have grown over the semester. I also value the success of each of my student’s, I feel that I have become aware of myself as a teacher/educator and now have the resources to help all of my students.

            Through using the VTS this last semester I have seen my art and non-majors become comfortable within the context of viewing art. They are just like the frost flower that forms into something beautiful and amazing over time. That is why I chose to make “Night Bloom” as a representation of the way my students have grown this semester. The black thread shows the “unknown” in artwork, and then moving to the white thread represents the clarity we find after working through a VTS lesson.  Have the black to white thread moving back and forth inside the flower show that we may not know everything, but are in a state of growth within the VTS lesson.

Pre & Post-VTS Assessment

What does that suggest about your students’ progress and your VTS teaching? According to this program, the data is not statistically significant evident to show that my students have learned more since the beginning of the semester. The two groups equal score is 1.58 that make a 95% over all.  The difference in these groups is 123.28 to 128.44 and this does not show enough evidence for the quick calc to have the results showing significant change in the data.

More importantly, do you agree with this verdict, based on your observations of your students?  Explain. All of my students used the behaviors (simple observations, assertions, detailed observations, interpretations interpretations inferences, interpretations, revisions of thought, conditional language, and multiple possibilities) to different degrees. Pre-VTS their word count was 85 to 194 and Post VTS it was 61 to 203. These preliminary findings show that my students have grown through this process and are proficient in their ability to discuss and write about art or what is going on in the artwork. I can agree with the verdict because my students would not have that much improvement over just one semester, but there is significant evidence to show that they have learned to a satisfactory level. Overall, I have seen that each of my students has learned over this last semester and that with or without the data there is no question to this evidence.

BLOG TOPIC 15: Preliminary VTS Findings

How have individual students grown/changed over the course of their short VTS experience? Overall, my students have grown over the course of each VTS lesson. At the beginning they were withdrawn and not sure of themselves.  Now, they are all into it and want to talk over each other and find evidence that helps support their fellow classmates. My students did not show major growth over the semester, but they did show a large improvement from the beginning of the semester.

How has your focus class grown/changed over the course of their short VTS experience? They are ready to get right into the lesson the minute that I say we are going to have a VTS lesson. I do think they could do this all by themselves, but they are an older group that knows how to get things done. The students that were not engaged in the first lesson on are some of my best VTSers. They find evidence right out of the gate and kept it up throughout the lesson. I could not be prouder. The level of satisfaction that they have given me is beyond words.

How have you as a teacher and your teaching practice grown/changed over the course of the semester? I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to see each of my students grow over this semester. Over this last semester, as a teacher, I have also grown; I now want to engage each new student with seeing art in new ways. Have them finding themselves in the art or finding ways to understand what art can be without someone telling them what they think it is. I have had the opportunity to teach college level students and watch them each develop from stage 1 to 3. They made me want to be more than just that person in front of the classroom. The one that helps them find a voice in the crowd, the one that sees them change over time. I plan on adding VTS to my entire curriculum. I want to share and help my students grow through VTS and helping them find a voice in viewing art.