Every year I have my advanced classes, Art 3 and 4 create a legacy project. This usually takes the form of a mural for our school. As we explored our building, we noted that the hallway for our history rooms was bare and boring so we decided to take that are on this year. 

Every location has challenges, and in this one, it is narrow but has heavy traffic. A mural would get scratched up, but individually framed artworks might work, and we envisioned this as a gallery of sorts. What better subject than historical figures?  Rather than focus on "dead white guys," I wanted students to reflect on heroes tied to their own cultural backgrounds and genders so that the "heroes" would reflect our own diverse urban school population. Whenever possible, I wanted them to first select individuals deserving of recognition right in our home state of North Carolina, but if that proved too challenging, they could expand beyond that.

I created this worksheet to research ideas before we began sketching.

This lesson was actually inspired y the work of Loui Jover and their deconstructed series. I created a slide show of the artist's work and we explored what the artist was doing visually to unify their work, and identify techniques they were using. I printed a hand-out with samples we would reference as we worked to stay true to the artist's style yet still have the freedom to not be trapped by the style.

Students created a Google Document and began to fill it with images they found from the internet on their subject, symbols, portraits, etc that would be shared with me to print in black and white. (They can be printed in color thought too.) Some students used images from Magazines as well. I printed them on standard paper and then enlarged them on a copier to 11 x 17 images (tabloid paper) We used Mod Podge and acrylic medium to transfer images to our 18 x 24 inch canvases. Their are many tutorials on YouTube for this technique. 

We did not glue anything down before doing a group critique and partner pair & share comparing the images to Loui Jover's work and asking how the artist might organize and embellish the images.

Our process:
Acrylic wash on the background
Placement of images around the canvas
Partner and Group feedback before gluing
We photographed completed collages before embellishing
We practice embellishing on color print-outs
Peer and group critiqued these
Used paint pens to embellish
​Stenciled names of our subjects
Added a QR Code to an academic resource (not Wikipedia)
Glazed the whole work with an acrylic coating to protect it.

These will be framed by administration and hung with bolts to the walls above where backpacks might scratch them. We also wrote about our process and subject and these were glued to the back of the works as a kind of time capsule.

I told my students that if they needed a point on their final grade to go from 79 to an 80, or an 89 to 90 I could use this as an assessment if they include crosshatching or stippling. (Techniques we have focused on this last semester.) I used a bamboo brush and leftover paint on watercolor paper to make 50 of these in about 20 minutes. Though I made these samples, certainly students could make them one day and then illustrate with them the next. 

I could see this working as well if you needed a quick demo lesson for a job interview. You could come with 4 swatches of color on cards, hand them out to students, and let them reveal what they see using pens to tease out the images.

Here are some helpful examples you can show to get your students primed for this short visual exercise. I encourage students to turn their paper in many directions and stare at the color blotches. Images will eventually emerge. If they get stuck, tell them to work with a peer partner to reveal images. Looking at the negative spaces can help as well.

Why I don't participate in art competitions seeking free student work.

Many art contests are exploitive opportunities to get free art by organizations that could be paying an artist a living wage, but instead get free submissions from children. Once in a long while I get “voluntold” to participate in an art contest by administration, but for the most part, I ignore contest emails especially when the prize is laughably small or nonexistent.
 
For example, I got an email from our local Red Cross for a mural competition. Within the email it said, “The selected mural will serve as a visual representation of our commitment to humanity, compassion, and community service. We believe that art has the power to inspire, unite, and uplift, and what better way to harness this power than by inviting budding artists to create a masterpiece that embodies the spirit of the American Red Cross?”
 
All well and good but the prize, “The winning artist will have the opportunity to paint their mural at the American Red Cross (building) during the summer months. The mural will be showcased during a community open-house event at the completion of the project. In addition, the art teacher of the winning student will serve as the advisor throughout the painting process, providing guidance and support.”
 
Translation, free child labor and the teacher must supervise the free labor with unpaid time to paint a 16 ft by 9 ft. mural, but thankfully “paint will be provided.” Golly gee, doesn’t that sound great?
 
Exposure is not a prize it's exploitation. Students need scholarships, and teachers need pay for their time. Here are some articles in support of this idea.
 
https://messyeverafter.com/self-employed-journey/dont-work-for-the-promise-of-exposure/
 
https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2017/04/26/the-exposure-myth/
 
https://fineartviews.com/blog/30582/exposure-the-ugly-myth
 
https://wthspatriot.com/5210/opinion/paying-artists-in-exposure-is-not-okay/
 
There are several reasons why artists may choose to decline offers that promise exposure in exchange for their work:
 
1. Exploitation: Some individuals or organizations may try to take advantage of artists by offering exposure instead of fair compensation for their work. This can devalue the artist's labor and talent, making it difficult for them to sustain themselves financially.
 
2. Sustainability: Exposure alone does not pay the bills. Artists need to earn a living from their work to support themselves and continue creating. While exposure can help artists gain visibility, it may not always translate into tangible benefits such as sales, commissions, or future opportunities.
 
3. Professionalism: Accepting offers based solely on exposure can undermine an artist's professionalism and the value of their work. It's essential for artists to establish themselves as professionals who deserve to be compensated for their skills and creativity.
 
4. Quality of Exposure: Not all exposure is equal. Artists should carefully evaluate the reach, target audience, and reputation of the platform offering exposure to determine if it aligns with their goals and values. Exposure that does not reach the right audience or is not presented in a professional manner may not yield significant benefits.
 
5. Opportunity Cost: Accepting exposure offers may prevent artists from pursuing paid opportunities that could provide more substantial benefits. Artists must weigh the potential gains from exposure against the time and resources they invest in a project.
 
My email reply to the “recruitment specialist” was this...
 
We never participate in nor promote exploitive "opportunities." Please remove me from your list.

Some teachers like to dive into painting or clay at the beginning of the year as a way to create excitement for their class. If you are a new teacher this would be a horrible mistake. I have been teaching for more than 30 years and I’d rather stick forks in my eyes that do a painting lesson with a group of high school students I do not know, who do not know me, nor my expectations. You may also be building in unrealistic expectations and rewarding fun over the educational processes. I did a POST going over scaffolding projects, but here I want to cover scaffolding media.
 
When students ask me in the beginning days of my class “what are we gonna do?” I ask them, “What are you gonna show me that you can handle?” Every year begins with a drawing project. I tell my students, if you can handle drawing media, and clean up well, then you are showing me you can handle more complex stuff like painting. If you show me that you can handle painting well, then I feel confident you have the maturity to move onto sculpture with clay or plaster.
 
Each media has its techniques, challenges, and handling expectations. In a TAB setting with more choice, the choices expand as students demonstrate the maturity to handle those materials.
 
A progression generally goes from most easy to clean up with little danger to more difficult to manage explorations that may use tools like razors or hot glue. Messy watercolors do not cause permanent damage to brushes, while unwashed acrylic brushes may need to be tossed. A general progression of media may look something like this:
 
1. Pencil drawing (survey & assessment sketch)
2. Drawing with colored pencils
3. Pastels/Charcoal
4. Knitting/weaving/fibers
5. Watercolor pencils and water
6. Watercolors
7. Tempera paint
8. Printing
9. Acrylic Paints
10. Cardboard or paper sculpture (Hot glue & razors)
11. Wire/metal sculpture
12. Plaster/Paper Mache
13. Modeling Clay
14. Ceramic Clay
15. Oil Paints
 
If we get to charcoal, and the room looks like a coal mine exploded, I know not to progress beyond that until my students show me they can master cleaning the room and storing projects well. I know I can teach all of the art elements and principles with copy paper, crayons, and glue sticks. We can make paper sculptures with copy paper, and even color wheels with crayons. If that’s all my students can handle, so be it. I also let them know this. “You will show me what you can handle.” Supplies are too expensive to waste and our budgets are too small as it is.
 
If however, you are losing control because your students are board, or you have chosen to only do “cookie cutter” projects, then the problem is not “them” but you. Always reflect on your lessons and see if you are creating experiences that allow for personal expression or have you created a glorified sweat shop? More on that HERE and HERE, and HERE.
​
If you are a teacher seeking some pedagogy advice, you can read the Kindle version of my book for free HERE with your Amazon Account. If you are looking for scaffolded lessons for grades K through 12, organized by elements and principles, I have THIS book with over 50 lessons, and THIS second expanded edition with 52 more.   THIS video will give you a peek inside the first book.