On
our first graduate studio visit with the students from Innovations High School,
we explored the working environment of SAIC fashion designer, Kristina Sparks. Kristina
was completely open in describing her unique style, technique, and motivations to
the high school students. She even allowed them to model the elaborate,
somewhat abstract jacket designs she had on display. This invitation prompted a
wealth of interaction between the artist, her work, and the audience of
teenagers. They modeled the attire with excitement and enthusiasm, posing for
pictures and entertaining their peers. By actually putting on something the
artist had designed, the students could ask questions about the physical nature
of the clothing—the weight, the texture, and, most importantly, the effect it
had on them as they wore it. This could not have happened without Kristina’s
welcoming nature. She did not display even a hint of apprehension when the
students adjusted the sleeves of her designs for a better fit or fumbled with
the overall orientation of the jacket. She simply allowed the students to be part
of something she had created.
Aside
from the participatory exercises of the preceding gallery exhibit, this was the
most involved the IHS students would be all afternoon. They demonstrated that
art could impact the adolescent viewer on a far greater level if it possesses
an interactive element that invites participation. Even with limited exposure
to art museums, these students have experienced the watchful, often
overbearing, gaze of museum staff as they walk through an exhibit. But, in
Kristina Spark’s studio, they were given free reign to experience artwork on
multiple sensory levels. For an artist, the studio space can become like a
second home—this is where they invent, explore, and gain a greater
understanding of themselves. When they invite other people into this sacred
space, they are inviting them to take part in these important events. Kristina
Sparks even allowed her visitors to try on her clothes. This is something
teenagers cannot get from a piece of artwork mounted on a wall, behind a roped
off space, with a title card next to it.
If
I could go back to the short session of art making that followed this studio visit,
I would focus on the student response to the impromptu fashion show. We could
discuss the colors and imagery that this visit in particular inspired. In
realistic or abstract terms, we could brainstorm how this experience could be
represented through the visual arts. There seemed to be a disconnect between
the observational elements of our time with the IHS students (gallery and
studio visits) and the time we had to work on a project. Perhaps it would have
been beneficial to have the instructors simply introduce the ideas for art
making, recounting the events over the last two days with images taken from the
Institute and, if possible, images taken from the studio visits. This could
prep students for a third day devoted solely to creating personal works of art.
