The Art of Discovery

“We all look like scientists…” was the running joke this week as my students donned the new lab coats that I ordered to protect their clothing.  It’s true.  Pre paint splatters, my art students did resemble med students, but all kidding aside, art and science have always been connected.  The earliest scientist, were very often artists as well.  Before photography, scientists had to record their discoveries with detailed drawings.  It also takes a highly creative mind to make the many leaps a major discovery requires.

In the art room, we do many creative exercises to enhance our imagination.  Often the assignments that I give have very few instructions and are open to many interpretations, all of which enforce the lesson that I am trying to teach.  Out first assignment of the year is always to decorate our Eye Journals.  These journals are used for recording information and trying out new ideas before starting a project, and then reflecting on those ideas after the project is completed.  All the journals come with the same plain green cover and so they need to personalized.  Using a variety of supplies the students’ each came up with different ideas about how their journal should look.  A lot of creative energy was flowing around the room as we worked and we all had fun...

Here is a link to a short youtube video from these first two weeks of school.  Enjoy the show!

http://youtu.be/0sSMr5EcQqM