Compare and contrast your experiences with the kids at Inner-City Arts with your own elementary arts education? How is the environment and teaching philosophy at Inner-City Arts similar to or different from your elementary school art class? Did you have an art class? What do you remember from your elementary school arts experiences? How do you think you would have responded to a class like this when you were the same age as our students?
My elementary arts education was less dynamic--no animation, computers. Just paint and drawing... some arts and crafts. I remember very little about it because my arts background came from after-school programs and camp. I took Cartooning, Painting and Drawing, Arts Eclectic, Animation, and Flash, Fireworks, HTML classes. I think back and I understand why I do what I do!
I think Inner City Arts is the best environment I've been in terms of arts for kids! I've certainly never had anything like it. I usually had old run-down but gentrified houses. ICA is so clean, beautiful with art EVERYWHERE and every variety of plant. A heavenly place indeed.
I remember my Cartooning Class was my safehaven. After a long week of school and being a shy nerd at a bratty all-girl school, Cartooning Class was AWESOME. I loved my teacher - he has served as a role model, almost like a second father, in my entire life thus far. He's a creative genius while still friendly, hilarious, caring and easygoing. He had this emotional maturity yet could relate to children extremely well - probably because he had a degree in Child Psychology. I learned from him to never erase my drawings... always work with your mistakes and make it into something else. Every start of each season when a new series of classes would begin with him, we'd start with an exquisite corpse. He also taught me to use stick-and-ball figures to block out my comics. Every season we'd also do flipbooks - some were really epic! The way he managed the materials he provided us was great. While we worked, he never hovered but he'd be available at the front to consult if we had a problem with not knowing what to do or take something. He'd also be working on his own professional strips so we could see them and get inspired. At the beginning of each class, he'd do a demo where the kids would crowd around at the front and he'd start a comic strip from scratch. He'd ask us what should happen and what the characters should say. I could tell his amusement while we gave him weird ideas but he wouldn't censor anything. I think back and I wonder how he handled all of us! We constantly had self-esteem issues with our drawings cause we were going through the awkward years. But anyway, I digress. He was a brilliant man and from him I learned how much of an impact teachers make.
When I was in grade 5, I would have loved a class like this at ICA. Animation includes all aspects of art and life with the resources and strong staff support at ICA, it's an amazing treat.
Character Design was a solid class. I loved the template Michelle provided the students. She showed great videos. Mask Making was a BLAST. The kids had so much fun and I did as well, making my weird beard man.
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