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Step-Ins / Stealing Like An Artist

Step-Ins used for our class purposes were a great introductory activity that had us feeling more comfortable with and learning about each other. After watching the Danish ad using step-ins in a more extreme way, I realize that they can also show similarities across stark differences. Current events have proven that leaders in our society are more willing to point out differences and incite fear than work to bridge sub-communities together. Therefore, Step-Ins like those used in our class could be modified to be more visual like that in the ad, marking sections off to better visualize the characteristics and life experiences people share instead of simply sharing personal information to an individualized audience.

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Austin Kleon’s TED Talk “Steal Like An Artist” showed that nothing is original and in order to create we must do what all of the great artists have done: steal from those who have made great accomplishments before us (because chances are they stole too). From my examples, there I several things I could “steal” to contribute to my own program idea. First, the Graffiti and Gordon Parks High School program was actually similar to one I experience in Barcelona, in which a prominent street artist came into class with his spray cans to teach us how to properly use spray paint. I’d love to steal from this to teach kids how to use art material that are less commonly found in traditional classes and be taught by actual public artists. I also like how the Gordon Parks High School class began and ended the hands-on activities with discussions in order to introduce and reflect/evaluate the experience. Secondly, the Arts&Artists Outdoors program offered by Mural Arts Philadelphia focused on immersion into the surrounding natural environment before discussing art techniques or ideas for the final product. In some way this is reflective of the Design Thinking process in which you focus on empathy and connection within a space before diving into an ideating phase. I’d like to “steal” this idea to generate thoughtful insights before participating in physical creation. Lastly, the Forecast public art program in the Belmont Academy cafeteria placed focus more on the participants rather than the artistic product, since their attendance of the “non-secure placement” school was the major reason for the program’s existence. I’d like to use this planning ideology to seriously consider the group in North Adams I’d like to work with on a public arts-focused educational program, whether it be the participants creating the art, or the audience who will see the content of the final product on a daily basis. This will help ensure that the artistic and educational experience I am hoping to facilitate will have the most effective outcomes in terms of learning experience and arts integration in the community.