primalmommy@IVILLAGE.COM on tue 19 dec 00
I have enjoyed the different points of view on list and off about my "art and learning, vince and mel" post. I'd like to elaborate/respond.
I agree that children learn by imitation; my husband and I make a point of reading instead of watching TV while the kids are awake, and painting/potting/creating in a way that allows them to be involved. They have never watched commercial TV because children are so easily impressed by adult messages.
But to me, the rays children draw on their suns are the answer to Vince's lament about our kids not having a grasp of the abstract; they are rushed through early, haptic, emotional stages of art and into representational art by the ever present grown up question, "what is it?"
We teach them the symbol for tree (stick with a cloud, or triangular evergreen) and the house, mountain, sun with rays, stick man, sailboat, etc., all the simple universals that allow them to say "I now know the one right way to draw a tree". Too many never make any further attempt; ask any grownup to draw a tree.
It is not easy to reclaim a feel for color and space, motion and feeling once we have skipped ahead to representational art. Kids are convinced it has to BE something, and then they start to compare whether their dinosaur is better or worse than the next kid's, and by extension whether they are "good" or "bad" at art.
IMO this is exascerbated by adult attempts to encourage by saying, "You're a good artist." (Or frankly, "you are" anything, including "good boy" and "naughty"; children don't need to be defined externally, labeled, etc.) We can certainly talk about good or bad behavior, or effort, or results.
My seven year old is gifted, and we are constantly making the link between hard work/practice and success, rather than innate ability. When people exclaim about his abilities, we gently point out - for the benefit of tyler and his siblings - that he loves (reading, geography, drawing, whatever) and has spent a lot of time getting good at it. This makes him proud of having a hand in his accomplishments, and encourages younger siblings and peers to apply effort if they wish to master a skill, instead of waiting to see if the universe has made them "good" or "bad" at it. (I was pleased when my five year old, watching a runner in the olympics, said, "She must have worked very hard to be that fast." ) Even my college students were quick to label themselves unable to write. It's like saying "I am just unable to play the harp" when you've never taken a lesson-- no mystery!
Here are some positive comments I find useful, that don't presume to tell a child what he/she is, or direct/shortcut their evolution in art. "Wow, you must have worked very hard on that!" "I've never seen you do that before!" "Did you have a good time making that?" Better yet, ask the ARTIST what is best about the art they've produced. Do you like it? What was the hardest part? What came out best? What's your favorite? The ability to verbalize those self-assesments come in handy later.
But mostly I believe in hands-off, in art and other kinds of learning. Clearly art is important, because we (parents) value it, spend time doing it,go to museums to see it, provide the space/materials/opportunity for our kids to do it. The rest is best left up to them; I don't presume to know what stage of development they are tackling.
I have to admit that my ideal is just an ideal, and that I can postpone the peer/authority influence mainly because my kids are not in school. When kids have already had all those adult agendas superimposed onto their view of art, then teachers have to use the coin of the realm (praise, etc.) to get results. Once kids have the idea that art is something we do to please adults/peers, it is hard to shake, so as teachers we work with what we've been handed.
As for throwing away art: with 3 artists under 7 and an unlimited access to materials, I practically have to use a garden rake under the art table twice a day to gather drawings, fabric, glitter, yarn, posterboard dioramas, hunks of dough. I have a box and folder for each child, one per year, to save THEIR favorite works (and a few they overlook that I find interesting.) We save them for our year end homeschool assessments and then they go into the attic. (When I married at 29 my mother gave me two large crates from her attic of every art project I ever made in school.)
Mostly, they lose interest in their drawings after a few days, but I leave it up to THEM which to save and pitch, but give them limited storage space (a bin) which that have to sort through sometimes to make room. (I wouldn't want my husband deciding which of my pots get the hammer.) I found giving them access to a paper shredder (lots of fun) makes them more willing to let go of old 2d works, and I ship my pots packed in bright shredded kid art.
Those of you who have asked for my essay, I will send it in a few days - or right after christmas if I can't get to it sooner.
p.s. I have a friend who tested gifted in childhood and hated her life. She says, "Anything I succeeded at meant nothing, because I was gifted so of course I could do it. Anything I failed at was doubly humiliating - "you're supposed to be gifted, and you did something that stupid?" I think of her when I hear adults telling kids how smart/talented they are, like it's just dumb luck.
Enjoying this discussion! Kelly in Ohio
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