artist of the week :: jane maxwell

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we are all products of our consumer culture.





we talked in drawing 2 last week about this a good amount during our contemporary artist presentation. i thought this artist further represented the ideas we talked about regarding body image and consumer culture.

this is jane maxwell's artist statement, taken from her website:

Feminine silhouettes are central icons in this work examining contemporary women and body image.

From movies and television, to magazines and billboards, we are inundated with representations of the perfect figure. This art deconstructs the ideal, by depicting women who have been stripped of fashion and airbrushing--and are shaped instead from a layering of vintage produce crate labels, Hollywood posters, and related ephemera.

This work often depicts women in conversation, comparison or repetition, underscoring the role female camaraderie and competition play in the ideal body quest, and making a statement about our culture's insistence on uniformity.

Each canvas is the result of many hours of labor--layering, sanding, building up and scraping back. Layers are created using a special technique with hot melted beeswax. The most recent work is finished with layers of high-gloss resin.

summer art programs in the ROC

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bored over the summer?
looking to get away from call of duty for a week or two?
if so, there are a number of great local art programs over the summer to get involved in...

RIT PRE-COLLEGE PROGRAM
taught by WSHS AP art teacher bill stephens, and MCC professor karen sardisco
july 6-10, 12-16 :: 9am-5pm
$900 (scholarships are available on a needs-basis)
this program is for incoming high school seniors who are planning on attending an art school/program post-high school.
it is centered around the process of preparing a college entry art portfolio with emphasis on in-depth investigation of media, concept development, and critical analysis. you will draw from life (still life and figure), participate in critiques, and conduct visual resarch.
contact zerbe sodervick :: zjsfaa@rit.edu for an application/more information.

RIT KIDS ON CAMPUS
this program sounds like a really fun investigation of the place where art, science, math, and technology overlap.
there are 2 two-week sessions in july, which cost around $700
you can find out more information here.

NAZARETH COLLEGE SUMMER ART FOR TEENS PROGRAM
taught by nazareth art faculty mitch messina (ceramics/sculpture) and ron netsky (drawing/painting)
july 6-23 :: 9am-2:30pm
$675
for students ages 13-18 who are interested and talented in the visual arts. you will work on a variety of mediums in a fun and productive environment.
june 1 registration deadline
you can find out more information here.

community arts day 2010.

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last saturday, webster hosted the 33rd annual community arts day at webster schroeder high school.
...thats right, community arts day will always be older than me.

as always, the artwork on display 1st-12th grade was amazing. it is great to see the progression that our webster students follow during their years with us. i am proud of my students, and look forward to my son's progression during these years as well...

so, here's some pictures of my students' work from saturday. enjoy!





thoughts on teaching...

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so my student teacher carrie bell's last day was today... we will all really miss her.

talking to carrie extensively in the past 6 weeks has made me really reflect on what i do and how i do it.
i feel so blessed to be able to work with young people who care so deeply about not only making great art, but being really good people... and who are dedicated to growth and to each other.
i feel lucky every day.

if you are reading this, chances are you are part of the reason i feel this way.
so, thanks.

**********
we got to draw outside today in ap art, and before the end of class, took some great group pics of everyone together, holding up their big pastel self-portraits.


up-and-coming artist :: jordan tiberio

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many times, students come to the high school with natural abilities as artists and designers. their 8 years of art training by our awesome art staff gives them all the tools to see the world in their own unique way. its then our job to take those raw materials and help form and guide them into artists' whose voices are unique and personal (lots of times we're just along for the ride).

jordan tiberio is one of many students who display this personal vision.
jordan is currently a junior who spends many many hours outside of school working on developing her eye as a photographer (she also spends many hours during school here honing her drawing skills).

she has recently won 4 regional gold keys (3 photo, 1 drawing) from the scholastic art & writing awards, along with 1 national gold key (photo)!
i am amazed by her vision as an artist already, and am excited to see where all this work and thought takes her from here!

if you want to see more of her work, visit her flikr.

doodle for google 2010!

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google is having a contest again this year to design a 'google' logo for their homepage. it is constantly changing to recognize different holidays and events, and you have your chance to design one of them!
this year's theme is 'IF I COULD DO ANYTHING, I WOULD...'
you have access to a drawing tablet to draw in photoshop whenever you want - all of our computers have them installed, along with the laptop cart that is in my room.
this is an AMAZING opportunity - and the deadline is march 31!
let me know if you want to enter.

find out more information here
check out info on dennis hwang, the original google doodler here
download the google template here


What prizes are awarded to Doodle 4 Google winners and finalists this year?

:: The National Winner will win a $15,000 college scholarship to be used at the school of their choice, a trip to New York City for an event on May 26, 2010, a laptop computer, a Wacom digital design tablet, and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it. Google will also award the winner's school a $25,000 grant towards the establishment/improvement of a computer lab. The winning doodle will be featured on the Google.com homepage on May 27, 2010.
:: Each of the other 3 National Finalists will win a trip to New York City for an event on May 26, 2010, a laptop computer, a Wacom digital design tablet and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it.
:: Each of the 40 Regional Finalists will win a trip to New York City for an event on May 26, 2010 and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it.
:: Each of the 400 State Finalists will receive a "Doodle 4 Google" certificate and be featured on the Doodle 4 Google web site.

barnstormers video.

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the barnstormers are a crew of artists mainly from nyc and japan, who, in 1999, joined together to paint old tobacco barns in rural cameron, north carolina. subsequently they have become an energetic creative force that continues to contribute to contemporary art worldwide.
this video is a time lapse image of them painting and repainting a barn in the southeastern center for contemporary art in winston-salem north carolina, in ocbtober 2004.
you can see more here.

The Barnstormers - 360 from David Ellis on Vimeo.