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Yep.

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Sign FAIL

Seriously, who is the graphic designer responsible for this one? Or more likely, who is the graphic designer who had no choice but to go with this because some VP said, "I wonder what a red background would look like?"

If you haven't noticed by now (how could you not? helen keller?) Bank of America is changing all its signage to red. In this post I will leave the obvious correlations to the color red, banks, and this economy alone, and jump straight to color theory.

Say I'm your art teacher and I give you this assignment:

Design the exterior signage for Bank of America bank locations using the BOA logo and any other colors you desire. The BOA logo colors are Pantone 293 (blue) and Pantone 485 (red.)

After placing the logo in the center of the sign, what color would you choose for a background? White, perhaps? Maybe a nice neutral grey, say, like this?

Apparently not if you are a graphic designer for Bank of America, because with a blue and red logo, Designer H. Keller went with a RED background!

Do me a favor and scroll up. Compare the two signs. Which can you read more easily?

I'll be honest. If a student came to me with red as a viable option I would kick him out of school. I would seriously just look at his background color choice, say, "Really?", and call the Special Education teacher to help him onto the short bus. And don't you tell me that the white stroke around the logo makes the red background ok. It does NOT. Every graphic designer knows that stroking a logo in white is a COP OUT.

Seriously, even kindergartners know more about color theory than Bank of America. When little kids color grass green, which color do they pick for the sky? I bet I know what little Helen's art looked like:


Ok, I'm done. Stupid ugly unreadable red bank signs.

Law and Prophets

My Sunday School kids crack me up. Don't get me wrong - they grate on my nerves plenty, too - but today they had me rolling. The thing is, they don't understand what kind of wit is needed to joke like they do. They don't realize how genius they are, and I hope with the exception of a few bursts here and there they never do. I want to keep them as unaware as possible for as long as possible to protect them from arrogance. So, yeah... I hope they're not reading this.

Today we breezed through our lesson about Jesus' Transfiguration and had about 10 minutes left to play a game. (Yes, it's Transfiguration Sunday, kiddos. Heads up- Ash Wednesday is in 3 days.) For those of you not familiar, here's the story of the Transfiguration:

The Transfiguration
²After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. ³His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. ⁴And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
⁵Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." ⁶(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
⁷Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"
⁸Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.

Alright, so the kids wanted to play "Hangman." I allowed it as long as the word(s) had something to do with the lesson.

P wrote this on the board:

_ _ _ | _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ _ _

H and I went back and forth guessing a few letters until she got it (before I did, I might add.) H yells out, "Law and Prophet!"

Before I can even congratulate H for her answer, P (her brother, by the way) grabs the marker and adds another _ at the very end. "Nope, sorry, wrong answer."

I don't know why I thought it was so funny, but I was dying. H didn't see the humor in it- she was too busy yelling, "Law and ProphetS! Law and ProphetS!" I couldn't help but laugh and pat P on the back for a job well done.

Wait for it...


And for those of you who are wondering how "Law and Prophets" fits into the lesson, some scholars believe Moses and Elijah represent the Law and Prophets, respectively. Through his Transfiguration God shows Peter, James, and John (and us) that Jesus fulfills the Law and the words of the Prophets... that Jesus is indeed Christ.

I'm telling you, these kids are brilliant.

This Kingdom's Comin'

Recently I was in relationship with an amazing man... but we had to end it. We had to self-impose a separation solely because of our different religious beliefs.

Anger filled my heart. Doubt flooded my soul. Yet somehow I've found the strength to stop - to bless instead of curse. And now I am opening up my heart... I'm finding a way to trust.

When anger fills your heart
When in your pain and hurt
You find the strength to stop
You bless instead of curse

When doubting floods your soul
Though all things feel unjust
You open up your heart
You find a way to trust

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and the daughters
This Kingdom's comin'

When fear engulfs your mind
Says you protect your own
You still extend your hand
You open up your home

When sorrow fills your life
When in your grief and pain
You choose again to rise
You choose to bless the Name

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and the daughters
This Kingdom's comin'

In the mundane tasks of living
In your pouring out and giving
In your waking up and trying
In your layin' down and dying

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and the daughters
This Kingdom's comin'!

I'm noticing a pattern.

And am not complaining in the slightest! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. :)

It's not unusual...

It's time for another assignment post. Eight chapters of required reading for only a 300-500 word response, so that's nice...

Totally recommend both books, by the way.

---

Although I thoroughly enjoyed and was challenged by reading Chapters 1-5 in Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, a number of “Huh!” moments came to me while studying Studio Thinking. This may be due to the fact that I have had limited experience in the art classroom as a teacher (less than two years.) I am finding as I learn more about pedagogy, my mind as a sponge sometimes soaks up information and practices not based in fact or supported by research. And while I believe my instructors and/or fellow teachers were not malicious in their intent to teach me certain theories, some of these same popular theories are argued against in the first three chapters of Hetland, Winner, Veenema, and Sheridan’s Studio Thinking, specifically concerning music.

In Alternative Certification and Teacher Preparation classes, I have been taught this blanket principle (paraphrased): “It is best not to play music in the classroom, as it might be distracting for some students. But, if you choose to play music, always play classical. Classical music helps kids learn.” However, in Studio Thinking Chapter One, “The Failure of Instrumental Arguments”, the authors are quick to debunk this principle by stating:

Listening to classical music improves performance on some spatial tests in adults. However, since the effect is transitory, lasting only 10-15 minutes, this finding has no direct implications for education (Hetland, 2000a).

In Studio Thinking Chapter Three, “Elements of Studio Classrooms”, the topic of background music as an atmospheric element is discussed. As an artist who completed AP Art I-IV in high school and graduated from college with a Studio Art degree, music while creating art is not a new concept for me. However, I was surprised to learn that effective art teachers use music for more than just “white noise.” Chapter three tells us that Jim Woodside, a drawing teacher and the Director of Visual Art at Walnut Hill School, uses music to lift energy in his classroom, while other teachers use it to help manage clean-up. Kathleen Marsh, a sculpture and drawing teacher at the Boston Arts Academy, uses slower, calming music as an “aid for concentration.” These examples seem foreign to me, since as a high school student I felt I was subjected to whichever style of music my art teacher preferred, with little to no regard to how the music would impact my learning. “Tom Jones stresses you out? Too bad!”

With this new information (and because of my love for music), I am excited to use background music as a learning aid in my classroom. I plan on experimenting with different genres and hypothesize that, along with reaction time (mentioned in Multiple Intelligences as a measure for intelligence,) student creativity and productivity may increase if I can find the right “groove.” I’ll just leave the Tom Jones at home…

For more information on integrating music in the classroom, whether into the curriculum or as an atmospheric element, please visit the links below.

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/arts/brewer.htm

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2241162/Music-in-the-Classroom-Paper

http://www.advancedbrain.com/Article_Music_in_Classroom.asp