I’ve been using Artist of the Day videos as an opening activity in my high school art classes for several years now. I have noticed changes in the quality of the videos as well as trends, such as artists using more technology in developing their artwork. Everything about our lives change constantly and rapidly, so I felt a need to check in with my students to see what they think about the Artist of the Day videos I show them. I asked 120 students four questions and will list some of their short answer responses here.
The thing I like most about Artist of the Day is:
- You get to see different types of art and new creations (47 students wrote answers that were very similar to this. This is definitely one of the goals I have with the videos.) The rest of the responses have varying numbers of responses.
- It’s unique
- I like the people and their personality
- Expands your imagination and brings out new ideas
- It’s a good way to escape
- Getting inspired before every class
- It inspires me
- I get to relax at the beginning of the class
- You don’t know what you are going to see next (As the instructor, I select the videos I show, but I do show videos the students find as well.)
- I notice more artsy stuff!
Artist of the Day helps me:
- Get ideas and inspire me
- With creativity
- Learn
- Understand artists’ point of view about their work
- Discover new artists and types of art
- Think outside the box
- Relax and let my brain move away from all of the academics
- Forget about bad things throughout my day (that’s a nice side benefit!)
- Get into the mood of art
- Get through the hump of my day and get the creative part of my brain going
- See things differently
Artist of the Day is Fun because:
- I get to see different forms of art
- It shows imagination and ideas I never thought of
- The videos we watch are really cool
- It’s cool and interesting
- It’s different from the things I do in my other classes
- It isn’t focused on educating us/more about exploring a new world of art
- It makes you feel happy for some apparent reason ( 🙂 I love this – it makes me happy! I get to see the video 6 times a day!!!)
- You see real life, current applications of art
- It shows that people enjoy art
- I get to see things I wouldn’t normally see
- We get a break before we start learning
- It’s something I look forward to
I wish Artist of the Day was:
- It’s fine as it is (a lot of students responded this way. The videos are usually between 2-5 minutes long.)
- Longer (as many said they wished it was longer! A few wished it was shorter, but I think they are about the right length so they don’t cut into too much studio time.)
- ME!
- More about music and dance
- More about technology
- More about the artist and how they work
- Something teens would like more (need to drill down to get specific information about this.)
- On the school website so we could see them whenever. (This is something I need to work on – putting them up on my class pages.)
- All class long because they have cool information
- Something to try to gain new experiences (Also something to get more information about.)
I have an article that is going to be published in an art education journal next month about how to use these videos. If the reader wants to get more in depth information about the Artist of the Day Videos, email me and I’ll send the article to you when it comes out. In the meantime, I asked my student teacher, Melissa Backus from Texas Woman’s University what she thought about the Artist of the Day Videos. Here’s what she said…
AoD Videos are kind of magical – at a basic level, they get students to focus and get settled into class. On another level, they expose students to a variety of formal and self-taught contemporary artists, and a variety of mediums and styles of art. These videos also help create dialogue in the classroom, separate from the main project or topic, about contemporary art and artists. Ultimately, the videos give students the chance to see art they probably won’t see anywhere else (unless they actively searched for it!).
Playing with the videos to help connect my students to making and appreciating art brings me a great deal of pleasure. Though a small fraction had some complaint about the videos, the vast majority wrote positive things about our daily art exploration. We all discover the wonders of the art world in our classroom and are transported by their beauty and genius – every day!
Yay- I feel honored that you quoted me in your post about the Artist of the Day videos!! I meant what I said, I really love AoD videos. Even when the kids don’t act as thought they liked the videos or show little interest in talking about them afterwards I know that they do. Every time I scan the room while the videos are playing I see them engaged and it makes me smile 🙂
I love your use of Artist of the Day for our own classroom. I think its a great way for kids to see all the different ways that art is used and the many opportunities open for them in an artistic career. Many students aren’t able to get a wide variety of exposure to other artistic careers beyond what they have seen on TV or been taught in school. I love your Artist of the Day concept, its a great way to utilize technology in the classroom and to grasp students attention!
Sara – Thank you so much for posting a comment about the Artist of the Day! I love it so much – I get to watch it 6 times each day! I hope when you get a classroom of your own, you’ll remember about the AoD Videos! There are so many ways to use these videos in the classroom…
Violeta Bedolla – Lara – The Artist of the Day is a wonderful way to quickly capture a student. I can say that out of my own experience because of the artist video we watched in class. As soon as the video started I was overwhelmed at the different routes the art piece was making as well as noticing how the video itself was a work of art. I am currently observing in a art classroom on Fridays. I will ask the art teacher if she gives me permission to make a presentation of an Artist of the Day video for the students to watch. This will be a great experience to watch in person!
That is such an exciting possibility! Which video would you watch, the “Box” video from Vimeo I showed in class, or will you find your own to show? I’m so happy that you took time to make a post and let me know your opinion about one of MY favorite teaching tools, Artist of the Day videos!
I love your artist of the day section! Their full of inspiration for any artist. I think its wonderful exposure to the students about the possibilities of what art can be. Thank you for taking your time last week and talking to our class. You have inspired us to think about the potential in our own future class!
It was my pleasure to be able to meet you and let you know a little bit about my own teaching career! There is nothing more challenging and more rewarding! Please feel free to contact me any time as you continue your journey in becoming a Future Art Teacher of America!!
I think Artist of the Day is an absolutely wonderful idea. The videos allow the students to see many types of media in fascinating ways. There is so much art out in the world waiting to be seen. The Artist of the day opens the door to new and exciting things. The videos are captivating and grab your full focus. This is a great tool to get students motivated in learning about new artist and their artwork.
One of my most favorite parts about Artist of the Day videos is finding them! I have learned to “think” like my students, so I work really hard at selecting videos I think will capture their attention and imagination, and not be “boring”. They can be a really critical audience! What kinds of videos do you imagine showing your future art classes?
I think Artist of the Day is a wonderful idea. The videos show art in a new and captivating way. Presenting an artist everyday gives the students the opportunity to see new types of media they haven’t seen before. These videos can also lead the students to search for other artists who make art in a similar way. The “Box” video for example was very interesting, I wanted to see more videos like it. Artist of the Day is a great tool to get students excited about art. As a future teacher I believe this teaching tool should be used by all art teachers.
I love it when my students bring me an idea for an Artist of the Day video to show! I really want to encourage them to seek out their own interests and share them with their fellow classmates! Video is where it’s at in the 21st century, and the kids really love seeing what the video of the day is going to be all about. Thanks for taking time to post a comment on my blog! I hope to hear from you again sometime soon!!
I thought that the videos that you showed us were wonderful and engaging. I think it is a great idea to get students excited about art and art making. I want to do a area in my classroom where they can watch a video and create an art work based on that. I also loved your monsters.
Creating an area in the classroom for video exploration is a wonderful idea! On our campus, YouTube is not blocked for instructors, but is still blocked for the students. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of issues of protection of our kiddos that create technology blocks. It’s an ever changing landscape – who knows what it will be like when you have your own classroom. I know that exploring the possibilities for teacher and student is what makes the class engaging and vibrant!
Thank you for coming to speak to us. I really liked your artist of the day videos. I loved your monsters they are awesome.
Thanks so much for taking time to comment on my blog! I love my monsters so much! I am mad that I forgot to bring one of my monsters so you could see them up close and personal! Go out there and find some of your own Artist of the Day videos – if you find a really cool one, let me know!!