BLOG TOPIC #7 - MUSEUM VISIT

Alvan Fisher

1792-1863
The White Pony
1838

I was able to do my museum visit at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee http://www.huntermuseum.org/.
The weather was terrible that day so I only had three people able to meet me but it still worked out great. My sister and my two nieces had a great VTS discussion of Fisher's The White Pony.

• How did your museum experience differ from your experiences with digital images and/or prints?

There were several differences being in the museum with the artwork rather than in the classroom with a projection of an image. First of all, being in a museum sets a tone for both myself and for the participants. It automatically puts me in a happy place and in an observational mode and I think that it did the same for my participants. There is no substitute  for being able to stand in front of the actual artwork and know that you are seeing exactly what the artist intended. Knowing that the colors are correct and the seeing the actual texture on the canvas provides for a deeper, richer opportunity for discussion in my opinion. That is not to say that a great discussion can't take place in the classroom with a projection of an image but again there is no substitute for seeing the actual artwork in person. I noticed that at the museum the participants spent more time studying the artwork than my students do in the classroom. 

• What benefits would a museum VTS experience have for your students?

As I said above there is no substitute for seeing artwork in person and I think that my students would benefit from a museum VTS experience for a couple of reasons. I certainly think that if I could take my students in small groups that a museum VTS discussion would really further our progress with VTS. Just as my participants at the museum did I think that my students would study the artwork more and be more observant at a museum therefore the discussion would be deeper. And for many of my students who have probably never been to an art museum it would be very beneficial for their first visit to involve a VTS discussion. I can't image the impact a VTS discussion would have had on my first art museum visit.

• What obstacles would need to be overcome to make a museum VTS experience possible for your students?

There are a few obstacles that I would have to work out to make a museum VTS experience possible. The main issue is the number of students that I have. In order to have a discussion we would have to break up into many small groups and I would need several teacher and parent chaperones for supervision. I would have to get permission from both our school and from the museum. Our school has asked us not to do field trips during the school day this year so I would have to work out a time when the museum is open that the students could go. It would take a lot of juggling to make it work.

• Students always respond to art based upon their own experiences and based on what is important to them. What have you learned about individual students in your class to date?

I have learned that I have some really smart, interesting individuals in my classroom. I also have some very very shy students and some characters too. I've been surprised by a couple of my students vocabularies during the discussions. Some of them make it difficult for me to rephrase their statements. 

• VTS is conducted within the context of a group. What have you learned about your class thus far?

My class is a mixed bag of students from 10th-12th and it has become obvious that they don't really know one another very well and therefore are not comfortable with one another. I think that this was part of the problem with the discussions in the beginning because no one wanted to speak out loud. They were very insecure and uncomfortable with one another to begin with. As the semester has progressed they have settled in and are more comfortable. They are a smart group but certainly not a very vocal one but they are getting much better at discussing with one another. 

• VTS facilitation is a multifaceted instructional method; one important facet is that it requires that you reflect metacognitively upon your practice. What have you learned about yourself through the VTS process?

I have learned that I am more reflective than I thought I was. I have never been the type to keep a journal or blog. I have never been organized and consistent enough to do so. This process has been good for me as a teacher. I will say that I wasn't a fan when I first began but as I have continued and practiced and been successful with my class I absolutely see the benefits of VTS. Through VTS I've learned that I need to talk less and listen more. I've learned to let there be more no right or wrong answers. I've also learned that a discussion doesn't have to be a critique.