This is Impossible!

I heard a kid say that to his mom last night at the DIA drop-in workshop for watercolor postcards.

Every Friday, the DIA is open until 10pm.  During this time, there are live music performances (last night was ZoZo Afrobeat, which I heard was awesome), drop-in art-making workshops, cash bars throughout the museum (I'd be lying if I said this didn't make me a little nervous), lectures, and other small events inside the galleries.

My dad and I used to go almost every Friday when I was younger.  I saw (and met!) Richie Havens there when I was in high school.  It was groovy.

So last night, I stayed late at the museum (My advisor told me that I should spend the night at the museum to ensure that I acheive my 320 hour minimum...) to observe a Friday Night Live from the perspective of a program evaluator, rather than a visitor.

There were lots of people, and ZoZo Afrobeat seemed to be filling the Detroit Film Theatre Auditorium to the rafters.  It was a great night.

Then I decided to check out the drop-in workshop to see what their turnout was like, and what kind of projects everyone was making.  I was pleased to see a diverse group of families, young adults, and seniors all painting postcards.  I walked around and asked a few kids what they were painting.  Most gave me an answer; stars, mountains, etc.

But when I asked one third grade boy what he was painting he said, "I don't know..."  To which I replied, "That's ok, you don't have to know."  And I was surprised by his next outburst of "This is impossible!!"

That's when his mother pulled me aside and told me the poor kid had just had a "meltdown" a few minutes prior to my arrival.  He was so intimidated and frustrated by the lack of instruction for this (seemingly simple) project that he simply shut down.

His mom then told me that in his art classes in school, he is usually given very specific instructions.  The kids are told what to paint and how to paint it, without much room for creative variances.  I found this surprising and asked what school district he is in.  Quite frankly, I was expecting her to tell me he was in a Detroit Public School (DPS is not known for their fantastic art programs).  But no, he attends a Grosse Pointe school-- one of the best around, for that matter.

I was stunned.

Earlier that afternoon, I had visited the DIA gift shop, searching for childrens' books for a girlfriend's upcoming baby shower.  While there, I found this book for myself:

One of my big, final projects last semester was about how to talk about art with kids in a museum setting.  It was a historical project that looked at methods of teaching art criticism from the Picture Study Movement of the late 1800's, through The Feldman Model and finally the contemporary Visual Thinking Strategies.

So naturally, I was interested in this book and thought it was worth my 17 bucks.

I don't know much about teaching art to children-- I have but one semester's worth of knowledge and zero experience.  But I knew that this poor kid was struggling and that whatever method was being used in his school is not doing him any good.  Frankly, it sounds like he's in an art class from the turn of the century.  His mother even disclosed that while he enjoys art, he will often open up an art book and copy the pictured works, almost exactly.

I told her that while I don't think there is any real danger in allowing him to copy works in an effort to hone his technical skills, I do find it somewhat concerning that he found the presentation of a blank postcard and a palette of paint to be so upsetting. 

I then asked if this was their first time in an art class or drop-in workshop at the DIA.  She said yes and I suggested that this should not be the last.  From the research I've been doing for these program synopsis sheets, I learned a lot about the techniques used in the studio classes for kids.  They actually use a VTS method, which I found interesting as I could picture no way to use VTS in a studio setting-- until I read their descriptions. 

The classes are structured enough to prevent frustration fueled meltdowns, but are open enough to allow for a certain amount of creative expression.  I told this mom that if her kid has an interest in art, but is afraid of working without specific instruction, that the DIA Art Exploration Camps would be a good place to start.

While I felt badly that this poor kid was having such a rough time, it felt really good that I could be somewhat knowledgeable about his problem and helpful in suggesting a possible solution.