Studio Explorations

Bard Rock, a riverfront section of the Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park New York, is the place I have chosen to do my Studio Explorations Project. A beautiful, peaceful place with a connection the the rich history of the town. A more in depth description can be seen in my posting "Place Project Idea." Aside from my personal experience with this place, I know it has gone through many changes throughout the years. I was able to find some information about the history of Bard Rock on the internet, however, I could to go to the Vanderbilt information center and speak directly to the guides available there. They have a small museum and knowledgeable staff to answer any questions I may have. I read that Bard Rock used to be one of 4 Hyde Park landings, serving as a port for business and leisure complete with a ferry service. It seems that was bought out by the railroad, which to this day, still runs through that space. I'm curious how connected to the Vanderbilt Mansion this place actually is, and possible other uses before it was made into an historical site.

In thinking about artists to use as inspiration for this project, I came up with three different options. There is the Earth Art movement with their natural installations, the Hudson River School of Painters who have romantically depicted areas like Bard Rock, and Joseph Cornell with his assemblage art. I could draw upon aspects of each type of work for my project. I thought about making some sort of temporary installation on site with photo documentation. However, I am much more attracted to the idea of making assemblage or shadow boxes with collected material. As a project, children could gather objects they find interesting, bring them back to the classroom and create their own impression of the experience by arranging the items in a 3D collage format inside provided boxes. Each one would have a glass front, and would be exhibited for other students to learn about their findings. This would reflect each child's unique interests, and different ways of experiencing a place. Learning more about the history of Bard Rock may help me to bring in some social, political or historical issues to the project.

Trimis and Savva, Questions??

I found this article to be enlightening, and it gave me some more ideas for our Space -Place Project. As far as questions, one of the things I'm curious about is safety. I suppose this could come up during any field trip and that's why we have chaperones, but in these specific situations I'm picturing one teacher with 20 students running around in the forest or on the beach. Making sure all the children stay close to the group is important, but also as they're collecting materials, I'm wondering how the teacher can avoid children picking up things which could be dangerous. These are 4 and 6 year olds, so I'm sure they wouldn't recognize that they shouldn't touch a hypodermic needle, or a jellyfish on the shore.
Another thing I noticed about this article was the fact that all of the schools used in the study were near some sort of natural land, be it forest, sea, or even a large school yard. In situations where the school is in the center of a busy city with no access to outdoor materials we would have to come up with some very different ideas as far as collection and interaction with objects. The positive aspect of that is there are usually museums and other places of cultural richness to explore nearby. I think it was important that the students from Greece had actual material to bring back to the classroom, to further the enrichment, but also to stay interested. If we simply take the children back inside with no reference to the amazing experience they had outside, they would become restless and the project would not have the desired impact. With schools in the urban areas, what kind of things could we collect and bring back with us? Maybe sketches, photos, brochures, I don't know... something to think about.

Place Project Idea

I have a specific site in mind for the place based education project. Bard Rock, a riverfront area down below the Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park, NY. When sacred place was mentioned, I thought of it right away. I grew up in Hyde Park, moved away a few times, but now I'm back. Bard Rock is an historical landmark, with a strong connection to local history and community. I also feel a personal connection to the site, and I've gone there ever since I was a little girl. When I drive down the long steep hill, and see the river, I instantly feel removed from the chaos of the outside world. It is a peaceful place, abundant with trees, wildlife, and small cliffs. I go to have a picnic, read a book, or simply as an escape when I'm having a hard time. It is a place of refuge.

Although it feels like a private sanctuary, it is quite a public place as well. The train runs under a bridge just before Bard Rock. Looking out on the water, there are boats, big and small. People are always coming in and out , families, couples, people walking their dogs, or many for some peaceful time alone. It is a place to reflect on one's own experience, and that of the area, the river, the town, the history. Every time i go there, I feel so thankful to live where I do.

As I think of these things, and maybe go there and do some more research, I will come up with a more concrete idea for the project.

Group Work

Last Thursday, we got into groups to reflect on the articles we read. We had a big sheet of paper which we divided it into 5 categories, environment, student development, student actions, teacher actions, and change. Although each one of us read a different articles, all by different authors, profound connections were made with all of them. Ideas about broadening students' horizons seemed to be a common theme, whether it was through use of technology, or bringing children outside of the traditional classroom setting. One article talked about working other subjects into the art education curriculum, while another brought up issues of race and cultural awareness. Overall, each article was somehow reacting to change, and putting forth the idea that it is inevitable. Cultural and physical environments are constantly growing and changing, and each author had their own ideas of how those in the field of art education could work with these ongoing challenges. As we tried to separate these points into distinct categories, it became difficult, as they were all intertwined. Each section affects the other, so one can therefore understand the importance of each element to the whole.