The first VTS session I did at Ridgeway was with Thomas Hart
Benton’s Portrait of a Musician, one of our paintings from the Museum of Art
and Archaeology, which of course made this just a little more challenging for
me. These students had already done VTS
with Mary before, and their hands were in the air before I had even begun my
introduction. Almost every student had
something to say about this painting.
There was some discussion about what instrument the man is playing. One student first suggested it was a guitar,
then a violin, and then another student said he knew it was a bass. He also told us that the musician was holding
his bow incorrectly which he knew because he takes violin lessons. Other students noticed the gradation of color
in the background and on the instrument, and another suggested he was dressed
for a performance because of his suit and tie.
They all seemed on point and focused on the painting.
This discussion went very smoothly. I felt very comfortable with the work and at
ease with the VTS questions. This was my
first time doing VTS in a classroom rather than in the Museum galleries so that
was a new experience for me. It is hard
to explain how it is different, but in some ways I think the students are more
focused in the classroom, perhaps because they are in a familiar place and
there aren’t a lot of other artworks around to distract them. I also had never done VTS with that many
students before, and as much as I wanted to call on each of them, it was hard
for me to keep track of who had already spoken and who hadn’t. When our time was up, there were still a lot of hands in the air, and I really
hated not being able to hear what the other students had to say. I would like to work on remembering who has
talked already and make sure everyone has a chance to share their ideas.
I do like the focus that goes along with classroom VTSing and I think you are right about the advantage of no other artworks to coax their attention away. There's also the distraction of other museum visitors, but if forced to choose, I'd vote for the museum venue any day. Just can't beat standing before real art! Of course the image choice was a perfect fit for this group as well. You did an excellent job concealing your "insider knowledge" of the work. I know students came away from the discussion feeling validated and successful.
ReplyDeleteIt's always frustrating to have to cut off the discussion before everyone has contributed. We might try small-group sharing afterwards and perhaps have them create a mind map or graffiti board afterwards. I wonder if offering them this opportunity while they are working on their studio projects would encourage table talk to be focused on the art image just discussed? We should test that theory!