Over 90 teachers gathered at the Getty Center on Saturday, August 13, to play games in the galleries and discover playful art-making activities. The 12th Annual Art & Language Arts Alumni Event, which focused on the theme of “Play & Pastimes,” brought out the playful spirit in teachers and Getty staff alike.
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Educator and author Laurel Schmidt listed words that teachers think of when they hear the word “play.” The circled words relate to what our brains do when we engage in playful, new activities.
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Laurel Schmidt shared so many playful and meaningful strategies, such as letting students use sidewalk chalk in the playground to practice writing.
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Teachers had a blast participating in an improv game inspired by Ellsworth Kelly’s sculpture Untitled, which was led by museum educator Jennifer Li.
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Jennifer Li discussed Rembrandt’s Abduction of Europa and then led teachers in a lively improv game.
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Museum educator Kelly WIlliams demonstrated how to use a toy squirt gun to create wacky watercolors.
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Teachers created a “mystery painting” with white crayon on white paper and then switched their drawings with a partner. Partners completed the works of art using watercolors.
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What a colorful array of watercolors! Participants used experimental techniques such as adding salt and using squirt guns.
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Museum educator Flora Ito led a tour of “crazy” containers such as decorative potpourri vessels created to look like ships.
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The newly installed Boy with Frog by Charles Ray was the focus of an activity developed by Burbank Arts Coordinator Peggy Flynn.
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Peggy Flynn’s session, “A Playful Process for Imaginative Molds,” was packed with enthusiastic teachers.
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Teacher Moira Hanson was very focused on the task of creating an imaginative mold.
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After viewing a fanciful clock in the Getty’s collection, teachers created imaginative clocks of their own.
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Hickery-dickery-dock, colorful vines run up this clock.
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Teacher Nora Felix was all smiles during museum educator Sandy Rodriguez’s clock-decorating workshop.
During the third day of the Art & Language Arts seminar, teachers and Getty staff drew inspiration from drawings, decorative arts, and nature. And the results took the form of…animal sketches, decorative wall paper, dream beds, drawings of nature, poetry, imaginative narratives, descriptive writing, lively discussions, and more!
No matter what we did, we tried to tap into our playful, creative spirits. To learn how some classrooms are putting art and exploration at the center of learning, read
“The Garlanded Classroom” from The New York Times.
So the question still remains…if you want to provide more artistic opportunities for students, how do you carve out time for this in your busy school year? If you participated in today’s program, leave a comment with a time-saving tip or trick that will allow more time for meaningful art experiences.
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The best fuel for the busiest day of the week: breakfast burritos!
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Drawing was the focus of today’s media exploration. Teachers experimented with the different marks they could make with charcoal and drawing pencils.
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Curator Julian Brooks gave a tour of the exhibition Luminous Paper: British Watercolors and Drawings.
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Teachers were captivated by the curator’s knowledge (as well as his British accent).
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Educator Theresa Sotto invites teachers to share ideas for improving an arts-integrated lesson.
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Educator Veronica Alvarez tells a story about Midas, which inspired an artist to create his Self-Portrait as Midas.
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What has captured the interest of all of these teachers?
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A painting of Louis XIV!
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Educator Kelly Williams leads a writing activity inspired by an 18th century bed.
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Teachers looked for patterns and shapes in the bed’s design.
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Teachers shared their observations about the bed with their colleagues.
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Educator William Zaluski led a drawing activity inspired by the many animals that trot, crawl, and rear across the Getty’s collection.
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Teachers were fully immersed in the activity of drawing an animal by combining basic shapes.
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Who knew that an elephant could take shape by simple shapes?
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Educator Alice Jackel led a decorative arts activity called “If These Walls Could Growl.”
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After viewing decorative walls from the 18th century, teachers cut out shapes from sponges to create patterns for their own wallpaper.
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One teacher began the activity with hesitation but left with a beautiful work of art.
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Educator Flora Ito leads an activity on drawing…well, flora.
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Teachers use their viewfinders to isolate details and then create contour drawings.
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It’s easy to find beautiful details from nature in the spectacular Getty grounds.
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Teachers select their favorite materials to create their “dream” beds in an activity led by educator Kelly Williams.
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Teachers added their own feathers, colored paper, and decorative designs to turn a cardboard box into a lavish bed.
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This teacher created rubbings and cut them out into leaves and flowers.
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These teachers proved that all you need is a pile of colorful paper to let your creativity shine!
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