Hello! My name is Dani Alvarez. I am in my second year/last semester of the Art Ed grad program. I am a visual artist, and have recently been interested in creating wearable art.
I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was a quiet kid who loved to draw (not much has changed). In high school, when given the option between music and visual art, I chose a visual arts elective track. Each year in the art room was taught by a distinctly different teacher, with a unique background and approach. (One teacher actually taught me how to play the drums.) Despite the notable differences, the ultimate goal each year remained the same: to have my artwork hung in the hallways of the main building. Space was limited, and only the “best” (re: complete or aesthetically pleasing to the teacher) two-dimensional works were placed behind a scratched plexiglass case on the wall next to the senior lockers. Every piece I made was made with the intent of making it into that plexiglass case.
Unfortunately, my misplaced motives meant that every piece that did not make it the case was, therefore, a failure. Because of this singular experience of displaying art, I had no awareness of the ways that visual art could function outside of, or off the walls of, my school. My limited vision affected my understanding of what art is, what art can be, and who gets to be an artist.
My curiosity drove me to further investigate the relationship art teachers (and therefore their students) have with hallway and end-of-year artwork displays, administrative obligations, and their ideal sharing scenarios. Through interviews with art educators, I sought to discover how teachers think about sharing student artwork, and if there is a need for a reconstruction of art sharings in public school settings. I also hope to prompt teachers to think about how students can be involved in the process of sharing their own work.
Using their responses, I will analyze the possible connections between the way teachers talk about student artwork, how it is shared, and how students understand art as it relates to their lives, their communities, and their futures.
At the end of this project, I am hoping that I may find alternative ways of presenting and sharing artwork, so that I can compile resources and ideas for sharing scenarios that can happen off of the hallway walls, and outside of the classroom for public interaction.
