For my free inquiry project, I was having a hard time deciding on a single focus, but I knew I wanted to do something that would give me a productive artsy outlet that I have been missing since my sculpture art education course ended last semester. So, I have decided to do a mix of multiple mini-projects that are fun, low-stress, and unique to prod at the age-old question of “What actually is art?”.
I love getting to learn and play with new topics of art, whether that be the variations of sculpture, digital design, simple drawing and painting, or the art of cake decorating. I am also excited to evaluate my mini projects throughout this term for their use or adaptation to use in a classroom setting.
My rough plan for this inquiry is to try and do one new mini-project every week (or occasionally 2 weeks) and present the latest mini-project along with a write-up that will include things such as why I chose the project, what technologies I used or tried to use, what materials I used, how the project went (what was hard, easy, had to be changed), if the project can be used as a classroom lesson (can it be adapted, how long did it take, are the materials cheap and accessible, can it be connected to a lesson of a different subject), and whatever questions pop up throughout the process. I plan to do an array of mini-projects that utilize a variety of different types of technology, such as screencasting, photos, guided online drawing tutorials, project-specific tools that can be classified as technology, the use of a ‘tech free’ approach and more.
A few of my ideas for potential mini projects include card/postcard making with either scrapbooking or watercolour, nature art using paint/leaves/crayons, drawing (art for kids hub), origami, sculpture, cake decorating, Canva design and whatever else sparks my creativity. I anticipate that some of the mini projects will take more time than others, like sculpture, so I will adapt as I go when it comes to timing.
As a send-off, I wanted to include a few pictures of one of the sculptures I made in my sculpture class last year. It is undoubtedly one of the best things I have ever created, and I am super proud of it! It is called “The Ideal Bouquet,” and although kind of odd, it does have a story and symbolism that goes along with it that I would be happy to share and answer questions if there is interest.
Ta Ta for now,
-Kristen