Well today I headed up northwards and was amazed to see the election posters up already. What struck me was that there was mostly Enda Kennys heads peering down on my car from every pole. There were also a good few Labour posters around Wexford but the closer I got to my destination the more Sinn Fein ones started appearing. I only noticed one in Ennicorthy of Michael Martin, on my way home. I couldn't help but think that maybe the printers refused to print for them. Else they are still asleep, or people are taking them down as fast as they are putting them up.
A locked school gate today threw a spanner in the works. It was raining and we had to carry some of the materials around the back of the school. We heard there were only 15 out of 31 in today, so even though we started a bit late we seemed to get quite a bit done today with less in the class. The kids got a lesson on how to create skin colour and to my amazement, the swatch paint excercises we did in first year came in very handy. I was quite accurate in re-mixing the colours for some of them. They also painted in the features on the face today and the 'faces' took on characters all of their own. The hair was also added and when I packed up today, the place looked like 'Ibiza' with loads of suntanned faces, brightly coloured clothes and the coolest funkiest hair you have ever seen. It made a stark contrast again to the grey skies outside.
We actually took a tea break today and I met some of the other teachers. They were all having a relatively quiet day as there were so many out sick. The school had got some stencil type games painted onto the tarmac outside for the kids to play on during their break, outside the staff tearoom. The question of funding came up again and also some discussion took place about the date of the exhibition that was going to take place in the school. When we got back to the class I was asked if I could help with the exhibition in May and was delighted because I really want to see them all finished. Today many fell behind because they were not in last week and some had not come in for two weeks, so I spent my time helping those to catch up again. I think that the most frustrating thing for the artist who runs the project must be to try and work to the deadline for the exhibition as well as move the group along each week to the next stage. The dates are set at the begining of the project so there is little room for flexibility. This artist is also working in a number of other schools so co-ordinating and time management skills are of utmost importance as far as I can see. The hall they will be exhibiting in in the school is huge and they have fabulously high walls so getting it all in won't be a problem. Our group are making the heads with i-pods or headphones and they will have radio waves linking them all together. They are 3D pieces and are going to be shown on the ground around the hall I think. The other group are going to be dispalying flat work on the walls. We will have have one more week before the mid-term break.
I am finding because I am enjoying this part of the project, I am neglecting all the other subjects and am falling behind. I have started to realise what I want to do, and what I have no interest in doing too, and all this along with the necessity to make some money this year, because I do not qualify for any grant, is starting to take it's toll on my home life. I was asked to do some work in Temple Bar for the Trad Fest last weekend and although I did it, I realised that it took a big chunk of my time and had no time to do the project that was partly due for the Monday. So trying to juggle time, and money, help other people and get my projects done, is starting to exhaust me. I am also finding that things that came quite naturally to me before, I really have to think about now. I know I will do it, but I suppose I will welcome the break more than most this year. I am always amazed at how effortlessly the rest of our group seems to glide through the year, seemingly with no worries about the volume of work to be done. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Bettina,
ReplyDeleteGood reflection, Just a thought about the exercise with paint was there any discussion about what is skin colour? My son calls a kind of yellow pink skin colour because his teachers do but there are africans and asian students with brown skin in the school and this is something of an issue. Brian
Bettina not sure about the sailing through the work....it's hard we'll be great for the circus when we're finished all the balls being juggled! Your project sounds very interesting and you seem to be doing a lot with the children. Creativity for the children and I'm glad art is getting a look in and the children are having some fun! as a group we need to talk about our college work and the difficulties that come with it. It's great getting out into communities because it brings a little bit if reality back to college life!
ReplyDeleteOne kid asked: 'can we do any colour for the skin'? The artist then replied that they were free to do whatever colour they wanted, so there are even purple and blue ones! There also were a few different ones besides the bright orange and pinks.. One girl had a really dark chocolate brown one and I noticed she eventually lightened it up quite a bit before painting it on..I wonder if they thought of them as puppets, like 'tv cartoon characters' or if they were trying to replicate their own skin colour.. I will ask them tomorrow. I am amazed at how people see colour (any colour) as such an issue.. well I am starting to too.. my legs are blue.. not good!! On a more serious note, children aren't born with colour prejudice, they are usually taught it by someone. I think if we could all try and see people for what they are instead of pre-judging them, the world would be a better place.
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