Sara E. Thomas
I teach visual art at a small magnet high school in New Haven. Two-thirds of our student population is from different neighborhoods all over New Haven, and one-third of our student population is from the surrounding suburbs. Due to this demographic students are from a variety of neighborhoods and often take much pride in the area in which they live. I appreciate this pride in their own neighborhood, but it is often represented in our building as graffiti, or as one neighborhood pitted against another. I would like to have students look at their neighborhoods in a more positive and open-minded manner. I want them to learn the history of their neighborhood but also recognize the shifting notions of neighborhoods, the changing populations, and the numerous similarities between them. When students claim they are “reppin” their neighborhood, I would like them to have a better understanding of the history behind their neighborhood. I think students will be invested in learning more about where they live because they already have a direct connection with it.
I will be teaching this lesson in my Advanced Art class, which is a select group of students who have entered the class with teacher permission. These students have a personal, vested interest in art. This class is also a prerequisite for Advanced Placement Art. Advanced Placement Art focuses on the elements and principles of design, and I would like to use architectural photography to introduce those concepts to my students while giving them the opportunity to be published. Students will learn to use a digital camera, hopefully a manual camera and Google Earth/My Maps as a tool to help create digital artwork.