Artist PLC: A Program Proposal
Below is a narrated presentation introducing an outstanding idea for a collaborative art and artist program that will encourage art making and help unify a diverse community of artists. Next to the presentation is a report clarifying the purpose, mission, structure, and benefits of supporting and participating in the Artist PLC program.
Program Proposal reportby Tammy Hoppe Rock Rapids is a small rural town comfortably located in the northwest corner of Iowa. This town, and its surrounding area, is home to many talented and notable artists; however, there are limited local resources and outlets for these gifted people to grow their artistic endeavors. Were this gift of local creative talent to be more thoroughly accommodated, the area artists could increase their awareness of and access to quality resources for professional growth and outlets for showing their art and improving financial gains. Collectively, this targeted group of people could benefit each other by compiling their knowledge and skills. In helping each other grow individually, the group itself can also grow stronger (Arnold, 1994; DuFour, 2014; Foord & Haar, 2008, McDonald, 2009; Stankiewicz, 1998). |
Project-Presentation-HoppeMore presentations from Taho Artist PLC proposal: narrated presentation, 2014, Taho
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Purpose
The purpose of this proposal is to provide a reliable, organized method for bringing together a number of interested creative and artistic people for the mission of growing personally and professionally. Local creatives will grow both as independent artists and as a collective group of artists. An Artist Professional Learning Community (PLC) would provide the setting and structure for communal, collaborative, reciprocal growth. The element of growth would be accomplished through shared skills, interests, feedback, and knowledge; individual and collective studio experience; and ongoing learning for continual personal and professional improvement (DuFour, 2014; Foord & Haar, 2008; Hetland, Winner, Veenema, & Sheridan, 2013). Individuals would give to as well as take from the PLC any content that is relevant to them, and, through the process of reciprocal sharing, the strength and knowledge of the collective group would also grow (DuFour, 2014; Foord & Haar, 2008; Gillies, 2007). |
Mission
The mission for this program would be to encourage artmaking and the benefits of a collective art community. I believe that the population of local artists would benefit from a collective art community for two main reasons. First, the diversity of artmaking skills, talents, media, and techniques that might come together in this proposed Artist PLC could provide various resources and other valuable information, all of which would be of some influence to each member of the group in numerous positive ways. Second, our small town area has so few people who more vigorously explore artmaking and a few others who only dabble in various art forms; learning a little more about each other and creating some work side-by-side could expand both groups’ skills, confidences, and creative potential (DuFour, 2014; Foord & Haar, 2008; Hetland et al., 2013; McDonald, 2009). Organized and structured artmaking experience is the other key element of the mission for the proposed Artist PLC. Artmaking is a very important part of any person’s creative life. Studio artwork is “a central tool for learning and reflection” in artmaking (Hetland et al., 2013, p 18). This Artist PLC would make sure that creative people spend at least half of their structured professional development time in studio experiences with the support and encouragement of experienced and caring peers. This idea is similar to the structure of the extremely effective University of Florida’s summer studio sessions, which I attended during the summer of 2014. |
Structure
The structure of this group would be more like a cooperative than a media-specific group of artists working together. Artists of any media would be welcome members of the group, and the routine group discussions would include the language of the elements and principals as one way of unifying the artistically diverse group (Foord & Haar, 2008; McDonald, 2009).
The proposed Artist PLC would function as a traditional PLC by initially agreeing to a unifying group mission. This mission will guide the group’s functions, actions, and structures (Foord & Haar, 2008). The sustainability of this Artist PLC will depend in a large part on its effective inquiry and assessment practices, so the mission will also have to guide the group’s assessment of its growth and effectiveness. (Haar & Foord, 2012).
The Artist PLC would meet twice per month. One of the monthly meetings would be focused on content and resource sharing, media and technique demonstrations, and group reflections and assessment. The other monthly meeting would emphasize studio time that is comprised of group critiques, peer feedback, and hands-on artmaking. The initial meeting would be in the elementary art classroom, where all future meetings could also be held were the group to agree to such arrangements. Additional initial group decisions would include other potential meeting locations, which day or days of the week to hold the semimonthly meetings, acceptable group conduct procedures, potential intellectual content, and short- and long-term goals (Foord & Haar, 2008).
The PLC structure of this proposed artist group is influenced by three other programs. First, Raku Madness is an annual artist retreat in which local artists learn skills, techniques, and media specific to the raku technique. The program organizer, Jerry Deuschle, invites one or more professional potters who spend an entire weekend teaching something about raku. The format entails potluck snacks from the attendees, a small gallery show and reception with the professional artists and their works, two days of artmaking and exploring raku media and techniques, and professional feedback and guidance. The proposed Artist PLC will strive for the character of this program. Second, Prairie Moon Art Studio, owned by Sandra Dowey, hosted monthly meetings at which participants shared feedback, demonstrated new information, and did some studio work together. A free venue hosted this group’s end-of-the-year art show during one of the community’s artist studio open house tours. The proposed Artist PLC will strive for the comradery of this program. Third, Judy Sweetman, a prominent arts advocate and my friend, organized a two-year professional development PLC that was modeled after DuFour’s PLC structure (2014). The proposed Artist PLC will strive to follow the format of this professional group.
The structure of this group would be more like a cooperative than a media-specific group of artists working together. Artists of any media would be welcome members of the group, and the routine group discussions would include the language of the elements and principals as one way of unifying the artistically diverse group (Foord & Haar, 2008; McDonald, 2009).
The proposed Artist PLC would function as a traditional PLC by initially agreeing to a unifying group mission. This mission will guide the group’s functions, actions, and structures (Foord & Haar, 2008). The sustainability of this Artist PLC will depend in a large part on its effective inquiry and assessment practices, so the mission will also have to guide the group’s assessment of its growth and effectiveness. (Haar & Foord, 2012).
The Artist PLC would meet twice per month. One of the monthly meetings would be focused on content and resource sharing, media and technique demonstrations, and group reflections and assessment. The other monthly meeting would emphasize studio time that is comprised of group critiques, peer feedback, and hands-on artmaking. The initial meeting would be in the elementary art classroom, where all future meetings could also be held were the group to agree to such arrangements. Additional initial group decisions would include other potential meeting locations, which day or days of the week to hold the semimonthly meetings, acceptable group conduct procedures, potential intellectual content, and short- and long-term goals (Foord & Haar, 2008).
The PLC structure of this proposed artist group is influenced by three other programs. First, Raku Madness is an annual artist retreat in which local artists learn skills, techniques, and media specific to the raku technique. The program organizer, Jerry Deuschle, invites one or more professional potters who spend an entire weekend teaching something about raku. The format entails potluck snacks from the attendees, a small gallery show and reception with the professional artists and their works, two days of artmaking and exploring raku media and techniques, and professional feedback and guidance. The proposed Artist PLC will strive for the character of this program. Second, Prairie Moon Art Studio, owned by Sandra Dowey, hosted monthly meetings at which participants shared feedback, demonstrated new information, and did some studio work together. A free venue hosted this group’s end-of-the-year art show during one of the community’s artist studio open house tours. The proposed Artist PLC will strive for the comradery of this program. Third, Judy Sweetman, a prominent arts advocate and my friend, organized a two-year professional development PLC that was modeled after DuFour’s PLC structure (2014). The proposed Artist PLC will strive to follow the format of this professional group.
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Benefits
The benefit of proposing an artist collective is to strengthen the community of artists and their creative process (McDonald, 2009; Stankiewicz, 1998). Growing the collective energy of the artist community is beneficial because it allows for an emotional and intellectual understanding of the collective creative process, making sustainability of productive measures more attainable (McDonald, 2009). The benefits of structuring this creative group like a PLC include the power and potential of collective information, cooperative learning, interdisciplinary arts, and unified mission (Arnold, 1994; ArtPlace America, 2014; DuFour, 2014; Foord & Haar, 2008; Gillies, 2007; Johnson, 1988; McDonald, 2009). PLC participants will be working individually and collectively for the betterment of both self and group; the individuals will recognize and accommodate the group’s needs and, in giving to the purpose of the group, will grow as individuals (Arnold, 1994; DuFour, 2014; Foord & Haar, 2008; Gillies, 2007; McDonald, 2009; Stankiewicz, 1998). There will be no need for membership dues: the proposed venue is free; the expertise comes from within the group; and art materials and field trips will be the individual participant’s responsibility. Hiring a model or guest speaker could entail an occasional expense, but if that need were to come up, the group will decide a fair way to divide that expense. Also, there could be an expense for venues for art shows; but, once again, that amount will be fairly divided among the participants. |
Credentials
Being a leader in the local education community, I am fully aware of the need for ongoing learning, professional development, and personal growth. Being an artist in this same small community, I am also aware that ongoing learning is often left to each individual artist through independent studies or by finding his or her own media-specific educational programs to attend. Professional development opportunities for artists in our small community very seldom arise, so the opportunity for artistic growth has been left up to each artist’s independent discretion. By combining my educational leadership skills and my artistic development goals, I have designed a professional development program for local artists of any media specialty. I have structured this program plan according to my training in establishing and maintaining effective PLCs. The final vision for this proposal has become a professional development program for diverse local artists in an Artist PLC. I have over twenty-one years of experience in education, with eighteen of those years being specifically in arts education. I have a graduate certificate in Professional Learning Communities: Educational Leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato (2011). Plus, a number of my own artistic professional development experiences have been highly effective and are outstanding models of quality adult learning structures. All of my experiences in these areas are necessary qualities for developing the proposed Artist PLC. Soon after this proposed Artist PLC begins, many or all of the program members will be able to comfortably share leadership. With the shared leadership, the group will work collectively to further define the Artist PLC’s mission and goals. Artist PLC peers will fairly and equally have input regarding individual as well as group learning needs and skills sharing. Ultimately, the local artist community will grow stronger. |
References
Arnold, A. (1994). Building community through arts experiences. Art Education, 47(3), 47-51.
ArtPlace America. (2014). ArtPlace: Principles of creative placemaking. Retrieved from http://www.artplaceamerica.org/articles/principles-of-creative-placemaking/
DuFour, R. (2014). Harnessing THE POWER of PLCS. Educational Leadership, 71(8), 30-35.
Foord, K. A. & Haar, J. M. (2008). Professional learning communities: An implementation guide and toolkit. Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education, Inc.
Gillies, R. M. (2007). Cooperative learning: Integrating theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Haar, J. M., & Foord, K. A. (2012, January). Gauging effectiveness: How to know whether your district's PLCs are contributing to better student outcomes. School Administrator, 69(1), 33.
Hetland, L., Winner, E., Veenema, S., & Sheridan, K. M. (2013). Studio thinking 2: The real benefits of visual arts education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Johnson, S. (1988, November 11). Creative energy: Art Institute school builds up its image. Chicago Tribune. pp. C1, C2.
McDonald, M. T. (2009). Notes on the creative process of artist collectives. [Paper presented at the seventh ACM conference on creativity and cognition]. 397-398.
Stankiewicz, M. (1998). Community, art, & culture. Art Education, 51(3), 4-5.
ArtPlace America. (2014). ArtPlace: Principles of creative placemaking. Retrieved from http://www.artplaceamerica.org/articles/principles-of-creative-placemaking/
DuFour, R. (2014). Harnessing THE POWER of PLCS. Educational Leadership, 71(8), 30-35.
Foord, K. A. & Haar, J. M. (2008). Professional learning communities: An implementation guide and toolkit. Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education, Inc.
Gillies, R. M. (2007). Cooperative learning: Integrating theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Haar, J. M., & Foord, K. A. (2012, January). Gauging effectiveness: How to know whether your district's PLCs are contributing to better student outcomes. School Administrator, 69(1), 33.
Hetland, L., Winner, E., Veenema, S., & Sheridan, K. M. (2013). Studio thinking 2: The real benefits of visual arts education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Johnson, S. (1988, November 11). Creative energy: Art Institute school builds up its image. Chicago Tribune. pp. C1, C2.
McDonald, M. T. (2009). Notes on the creative process of artist collectives. [Paper presented at the seventh ACM conference on creativity and cognition]. 397-398.
Stankiewicz, M. (1998). Community, art, & culture. Art Education, 51(3), 4-5.
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Artist PLC written proposal plan with research support, 2014, Taho
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