Visual Journal, Free Choice Mixed Media
In these visual journal entries, students choose an open-ended theme or prompt, then use the materials in the studio to explore that idea. Students can generate their own prompts to use as a conceptual starting point, or they can choose from a collection of teacher- and student-generated prompts to help them begin.
Prompts include: Life Meets Science Fiction, Something Left Unsaid, Dreamscape, Turning Point or Stigma. The open-ended themes invite students to work from their own experiences to create meaningful visual narratives. The artwork is often deeply personal and allows the class to connect by sharing their stories. Student’s have used these journal entries to explore identity, family, ethnic and racial heritage and life-changing events. Other students use these journal entries as an opportunity to play, experiment and make a mess.
Each week we explore new mixed-media techniques that help students develop these richly-layered works. We apply new vocabulary to discuss the pictorial strategies; juxtaposition, appropriation, layering, deconstruction. Students develop a feel for the materials by improvising with whatever is on hand; acrylic, stencils, marker, collage, stamps, ink washes, found text, cardboard, bubblewrap. Students are praised for mistakes, revisions, and moments where play yielded a beautiful or surprising result.
