Ballou High School ​Visual Arts Department
2017-2018
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Art:  Line Showing Through Your Paint Life: Embracing Our Past

5/21/2017

 
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What a wonderful day I had here in NYC! I had an exquisite lunch with a brilliant Art Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art today! I am preparing a lesson for all of you on Edvard Munch and Expressionism so I was able to glean so much information from him that I will bring back and share with you next week.

After lunch, I went to one of the galleries in the Met to view some of Winslow Homers' watercolor paintings.  I stood in front of a magnificent painting of Homer's, just quietly viewing and enjoying the artistry of his work, when I noticed  a couple standing next to me discussing the same painting.  I was curious to hear what they had to say about the piece so I took my earphones out of my ears to ease drop on their conversation…hmm, interesting.

The woman was pointing out how she could see pencil lines showing through the watercolor paint and she felt that Homer should have, “cleaned up his work before he finished it". I walked away thinking about her comment.

Should an artist leave pencil lines show through the paint or should they clean up their work before they finish? Well, it is my opinion that the artwork is more interesting when the pencil lines show through the paint. I feel that the lines gives me a hidden insight to the process the artist was taking to create the work, or shall I say, “The steps the artist took to get there.” The pencil lines allow me to see the artists' original intentions.

Then I started thinking about art and life. If my life was a painting, would I allow people to ‘see my lines’ through my paint, or would I clean it all up and make everything in my life appear perfect?

Would I want people to see all the steps I took to get to the place I am right now? YES, yes, yes! We learn from each other. I teach you guys more than just art, right? 

Art comes from within us. It is a means of self-expression. That is why I strongly believe that if I am to properly teach you how to be good artists then I must not just teach you how to 'make art' but I must teach you how to 'think about art'. 

All the things that happened in our life 'show through' just like the under-drawing of a watercolor. Songwriters, singers, and rappers express their life experiences with words, we as visual artist express life experiences, visually. If this is true, then why would you want to conceal or hide anything? Rappers certainly don't, they put it all out there!

 Allow the world to see who you are and all the things in your life that brought you to the place where you stand today. The good, the bad and the ugly…embrace you. Embrace your heritage, your social economic background, your community, your school….accept and be happy with who you really are. Don’t hide anything! It is very freeing, trust me! Express you and you will fulfill your purpose as an artist. 


Art:  The Brooklyn Potter                             Life: Life, Art & Time

5/20/2017

 
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Today I left Manhattan and venture out to Brooklyn. I've never actually been there and I hear that there is a really cool artist community there. So I hopped on the subway train and off I went. WOW, super cool place!

I came across an art studio where there was a potter working with a lump of clay. All around him was amazing pieces that he created. I was enamored at what I saw. I am not a particular fan of pottery, I appreciate paintings and drawings more, but this man was great. So I decided to stand with the rest of the crowd and watch him work.

Well, I watched and I watched and I watched….nothing. He just kept playing with the clay. He didn't talk, he just held the clay in his hands moving it around into different forms but he never actually made anything. I said to myself, “If he isn't going to make something, I’m moving on.” I didn't want to waste any more time in my day just watching him play with clay. So I walked away.

Hmmm, I thought about it. Time, Art and life. If what I am always telling you is true and that is, the secret to life is to be happy, then we need to individually discover what makes us happy and live that life, right?

If an artist puts a paint brush to a canvas and the painting is ‘instantly complete’ then off he goes to the next one….is that good? Would that process make the artist happy? Or, should we be more like that potter? Take our time, just play with the clay and push it around knowing that it will be beautiful when it is done; no need to rush it, just play and enjoy the process? To slow down and enjoy the life we have in our hands at this moment...just enjoy...hmmm? 

I taught you last week that Leonardo Da Vinci worked three years on the Mona Lisa. Some of you gasped and said, “What?” But let’s think about it. He gave himself three years to enjoy the process. Maybe that is why he never gave the painting away. Maybe that is why he loved it so much that he kept it to himself; he became attached to it intimately. Maybe history has it all wrong. I taught you that the books say that he was never satisfied with it so he never gave it to his client.         

Maybe, just maybe it wasn’t that he was not satisfied with it, but instead he fell in love with it because he spent three years interacting with the making of the painting and the painting had a piece of his soul. They were attached.

So, as I sit here drinking my skinny vanilla latte at Starbucks…thinking back to the potter that I just walked away from… maybe there is no hurry to create art, or life or relationships or careers. Maybe we should just be happy “playing with the clay, so to speak.” Why hurry, just to finish and get another lump of clay to start another piece? Why not just enjoy what is in your hands (life) now? Think about it! Love, Ms. B


Yale University:Yale National Initiative Fellow

5/10/2017

 

Writing Curriculum for Yale National Initiative

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Look at the beautiful space where I work on my curriculum unit at Yale! I am currently writing a curriculum unit plan that will explore modern and ancient symbolism by making historical, cultural and artistic connections between ancient Celtic art forms such symbols, pictures, and fonts with contemporary urban art. You will be able to access my writings in October through the Yale University website under the Yale National Initiative page. I will let all of you know more when that time arrives. Here are some photos to show all of you how beautiful the campus is. I hope that many of you will have the opportunity to study at Yale in the future. Love, Ms. B.
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The beautiful rotunda on my way to a dinner party at Yale University!
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One of the libraries!
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    Donna Bonavia

    I am an art educator and  a professional artist. I write this blog to guide my students in  (SEL) social, emotional, and academic development. S.E.L. is the District of Columbia Public School's priority because we believe that we must educate the whole child.


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    Yale National Initiative
    Fellowship 2017


    2017-DCPS Standing Ovation recognition Highly Effective Teaching

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    ​2015-Present

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    2015 Teacher of The Year Blanche Ely High School

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