Christina Reeves

reeves.christina@gmail.com

ECE – 5th grade Art Educator

Denver Public Schools

How I TAB: My Tips for Transitioning to a Choice-Based Arts Studio

What is Choice Based Art Studio?

A studio where artists make choices to

communicate their ideas, identity, and

interests!

The studio empowers young artists to find

their voice and confidence through

meaningful decision making while feeling

safe to take risks.

This happens by creating structures to

support student choice in materials, media,

and subject matter.

Use what works for your program!

Take What You Need, Make It Work For You… Get your hands on the AMAZING resources out there!

teachingforartisticbehavior.org

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/TAB-ChoiceArtEd/info

How will I

MAINTAIN ORDER

with 800 students

and a transient

population?

You CAN maintain order with

many students and lots of classes!

Keep it simple!

Keep it consistent!

Consistent structure empowers students

to make meaningful choices and

enables students feel safe to take risks!

Maintain Order:

Start with Simple Studios

Maintain Order:

Label and Provide Instruction in Each Studio

Expectations for Material Use

and Artist Behavior

Description of Available

Materials

Clearly Labeled Materials

(words and images)

Maintain Order:

Master One Studio At a Time

• “Grand Opening” tour

• Model expectations

• Opportunity for exploration

Maintain Order:

Expected, Purposeful Routines

Art Start

Whole Group

Discussion/

Goal

Artmaking

Portfolio/

Check In

Maintain Order:

Provide a Goal that Promotes Choice

Sta

rt o

f Year

Mid

year

Maintain Order:

Store Art Work Efficiently

• Set size limits

• Assign a storage

place for every

student, every

class, every media

• Use codes for clay

• Keep your storage

consistent

2D Portfolio Boxes 3D Storage

Clay Storage 2D Cabinet

Maintain Order:

Consistent and Explicit Clean Up Expectations

• Countdown

• Visual Timer

• Music

• Labels/signs

What if my students

don’t have ideas

because of their

limited world

exposure and rare

opportunities for

choice within

school?

Your students do have ideas -

you can help them communicate these!

Bring the world to them!

Provide inspiration!

Through meaningful experiences and exposure

students will develop and communicate rich ideas!

Inspire Creativity:

Provide Authentic, Meaningful Resources

Inspire Creativity:

Provide Exposure to the World through Images

Inspire Creativity:

Provide Exposure to the World through Realia

Inspire Artists:

Provide Exposure to Diverse, Rich Art

Inspire Artists:

Provide Supports to Develop Ideas

Ask Guiding

Questions

Main Idea

Detail 1

Detail 2

Detail 3

Setting

What if my students

don’t produce

“hallway material”

or display ready

work?

Students WILL create

beautiful, meaningful works of art

to fill your hallways and art shows!

Balance play and

complete, display ready

work!

Artists create different types of work at different times, but

all work is equally as necessary and important.

Creating Meaningful Art:

Experiment/Challenges

Challenge

completion

earns studio

privileges

Encourages

deeper

exploration

Creating Meaningful Art:

Work In Progress & Take Home

Works in Progress

Take Home

• Take home

gifts, cards

• Store works in

progress in

portfolio

• Conference

with student

who wants to

“start over” to

learn from

mistakes

Creating Meaningful Art:

WOW Pieces

Wonderful

Original

Works

of art

Christina Reeves

reeves.christina@gmail.com

http://www.slideshare.net/

christinareeves/tab-32943221