Written by Mr. Jesse English
On April 28th, 19 high school students took a trip to M50, a place to see art and meet artists near downtown. They also took some time at the Lujiazui elevated walkway, to practice drawing architecture. Most of these students are in the IGCSE Art program, and we want to instill in the students the habit of drawing what they see in life rather than from their mind. This is an element of the IGCSE core concepts.
As an art teacher, I am very interested in helping students learn about new styles and concepts of art. Part of finding what the students are interested in, is showing them many things. A great way to do this is by simply going to a place like M50 to see what the students are drawn to. When I know this, it will help me know what else they would want to see. When I know what a student likes, I can even show them why the artist did what they did, and show them the artists that came before them that influenced the decisions and styles of the artist they found.
I could not be with each student and watch what them to see what they are drawn to, of course. So I had them bring a camera and photograph what they like. I asked them to make notes about why they like it. They have each been asked to give a short presentation with these pictures, to explain to the class what artworks they liked most from M50. We had a nice time and I think the students gained the kind of exposure to styles that I was hoping for. I look forward to future trips with them to museums and outings for further investigation into styles of Art.
