Imogene Drummond is my guest blogger with her observations
on the work and play that she is doing with students at San Miguel Academy in Newburgh,
NY. Far from the standardized
curriculum and tests that are being levied on public school students across the
country, in the classroom oasis that Imogene has created, she gives permission
to these special students to express their authentic intuitive selves. The results?
Non-quantifiable and…breathtaking.
Read more about how Imogene’s Divine Sparks program
ignites these students’ creativity and greater self-awareness.
BLUE AND YOU
by
Imogene Drummond
I've
said this before. Because a student
stated that he didn't like his painting, this is how
I began the third Divine Sparks Film
+ Book session with the fifth-graders at San Miguel Academy in Newburgh,
NY. I think it can be helpful to hear
this early and often.
We then watched the second chapter in Divine Sparks film, and I showed the class one of my paintings from
the film. The boys shared what they saw
in it: a crescent moon, a face, water, a
flower--and pointed out those shapes.
They asked intriguing questions, such as how long did it take to paint,
and what did I have in mind when I painted it.
I explained that I had no idea what I was going to paint. Before painting it, I'd
been near the sea, and listening to the sound of the surf. The painting was a visual expression of my
experience. I discovered later that the idea of aural inspiration resonated with some of
them deeply.
We then discussed some ideas in this chapter of the film, "Blue and
You." When asked what they thought
this chapter was about, one boy immediately said, "It's about how blue can express
different ideas
and images."
Exactly! I'm continually
impressed with how well these youngsters grasp the essence of a situation, and
articulate that essence. After
discussing what blue means or symbolizes to them, and what some of their
favorite blue things are, we then discussed how the color blue makes them feel. "Calm," "alone,"
"alive" were some of the comments.
One student said 'light blue makes him feel happy and dark blue makes
him feel sad.' That opened up a
discussion about the effects of various hues and shades of color.
It was then time to create individual art works about what the color blue means to
them. In order
to help them personally connect with this
abstract idea, we did a short meditation exercise. The class quieted down as
the boys closed their eyes, and I asked them to think about what the color blue
means to them. Then, I invited them to
open their eyes and make a painting or image using whatever materials they
chose. One boy asked, "Can I make a
sad painting?" "Yes." "Can I make a river of tears?" "Yes." What does it say about our culture that a
ten-year old needs permission to express his authentic self because he fears
his sadness may be received negatively?
"George" created a structural piece with an architectural-like
composition with various blues in rectangular
fields juxtaposed with circles--created by cleverly painting around the
diameter of upside-down plastic cups. "Esteban" constructed a 3-D painting with three ridged rows of ocean
waves--made by cutting small pieces of blue paper and taping them together to
make longer pieces, which he then sculpted into rows of waves--which he said he
made because he likes the sounds that waves make. "Henry" described his
painting as telling a story: Sailing on
a blue sea, with white clouds and the sun shining in a blue sky, splatters of
red paint in the sea indicated "new beginnings."
"Rodrigo" covered his
paper "canvas" with blue paint, constructed waves with crumpled
turquoise tissue paper, then made a 3-D boat by folding white paper, glued it
on the waves, and added a vibrant upright red 3-D fish on the water!
"Kenny" painted a bold blue sea with a scalloped horizon line
and an orange sky at sunrise/set, and starfish in the sea. "Guy" painted two large
fields of green dissected by a blue river with fish in it. This provided an opportunity to talk about
the importance of "negative shapes" in art. "Emmanuel" divided his piece
into two sections divided by a black line--on the right side, he painted
several archetypal spiral shapes, and on the left side, he painted a field of
dark blue. Several boys put their names
in the work--some overtly, and some subtly.
Another
student painted a poignant (self-portrait?) image of a child with a big orange
face streaming large tears into a river below.
I especially admire and respect this child's self-expression because it
took insight and courage to paint this, and to share it with the rest of the
class. This is what I'm aiming for! If this youngster can find a suitable creative
outlet to express his pain, he has a greater chance to circumvent expressing
his feelings in destructive ways, and the possibility to create a more
satisfying, meaningful life.
I am deeply fascinated and amazed by how
a multi-component process of inspiration, discussion, affirmation, and
availability of art supplies in a safe and conducive environment results in
individually expressive, self-empowering work!
****************
Imogene Drummond is an award-wining filmmaker, painter,
futurist, author of articles on cultural transformation, world traveler, and
former psychotherapist. Her experience, talent, and vision converge in Divine
Sparks. She has an M.F.A. from MICA (the Maryland Institute College of Art)—one
of the country’s premier art schools, and an M.S.W. from The Catholic
University of America. Due to her many painting expeditions around the world,
she was invited to join The Society of Woman Geographers.
Follow Imogene on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/divinesparksbookfilm
Visit her Divine Sparks Website:
divinesparks.com.
View her Divine Sparks Trailer:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VCDr0Ej1_I
*************************************
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