ABOUT MURRELL ART STUDIO Hello! I am Madison Dotson, your student’s art teacher at Murrell School - better known as Ms. Madison. I am excited for your student to join our art studio. The art studio at Murrell is a positive environment that builds student’s confidence in their own creative mind. This document is meant to be a quick-reference guide to the art studio for you and your art student. To begin, here is a little info about my approach to teaching art... Objective: I aim to make the art studio an investigative laboratory for all creators. I believe everyone has a creative mind. I view my role as helping students discover their own paths to working through creative problems to realize their unique ideas. Philosophy: I believe in an art studio that includes many approaches to art and problem solving to
support student’s innovative thinking and hands-on learning.
Background: I have a passion for the history of art and design. This will be my first year teaching
art at Murrell. My education as a teacher combined with prior experiences in academic administration, classrooms, and applied design fields have equipped me with meaningful insights into how creative, collaborative, and critical thinking merge with a dynamic curriculum.
Contact
Please feel free to reach out if you have any concerns, suggestions, or art supply donations... I can be reached by email or by phone on M-F from 8:30-9:30 am and 3:30-5:30 pm.
Phone
706.581.4252
msdotson@gmail.com
Follow the Murrell Art Studio on Instagram to keep up with the latest creative work!
murellartstudio
Standards: Curriculum goals align with TENNESSE STATE VISUAL ARTS STANDARDS: CREATE ★ Generate and conceptualize ★ Organize and develop ★ Refine and complete
RESPOND ★ Perceive and analyze ★ Interpret intent and meaning ★ Apply criteria to evaluate
PRESENT ★ Select, analyze, and interpret ★ Develop and refine ★ Convey and express meaning
CONNECT ★ Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences ★ Relate ideas to a societal, cultural, and historical context
8 Studio Habits of Mind The learning strategies used in the studio support development of the 8 Studio Habits of Mind:
Procedures
What do we do in the art studio?
Each day in the studio follows a routine procedure with built-in flexibility to meet student’s learning needs.
Grading Student’s final grades are based on a comprehensive rubric:
How Students Build Portfolios Students develop portfolios of art projects using an Art Project Planning sheet (example below). Students build portfolios throughout the year featuring completed art projects. Completed projects are documented in a digital portfolio using the studio camera, then may be stored in the art studio or taken home. At the end of the course, each student will select 3 of their completed projects to be assessed for originality, composition, and craftsmanship.
About Art Journals: Essential Tool for Artists ● Art Journals will be provided to students in the art studio. ● Art Journals may be kept in the art studio, regular classroom, or worked on at home. ● Art Journals will be discussed and reviewed regularly with students on an individual basis.
Behavior Expectations Students Behavior is expected to reflect that of an artist. At the start of the year, Ms. Madison collaborates with the students to identify the qualities of an artist. This list of artist qualities is kept on view in the studio. Students will use these qualities as a guide for their behavior choices in the art studio.
Some aspects of Murrell School’s positive behavior support are built into the grading rubric. Students of Murrell School are evaluated on these behaviors every hour. The practices of the art classroom align with this school-wide approach to behavior management. In addition to being monitored by their Behavior Coaches and Paraprofessionals, Murrell Students are assessed in the art studio for the following behavior: ● On-Task - Students contribute to Collaborative Project. Students engage with Introduction & Demonstration. Students are expected to work on a project of their choosing during working studio time. ● Respectful - Students will respect the art teacher and the workspace of other students. ● Responsible - Students will use materials and tools responsibly, including returning them to the appropriate place when finished using.
Behavior Management at Murrell School Your student’s behavior coaches attend the art class with your student. If your student needs support, the behavior coaches assigned to their normal classrooms will be available in the art studio.
RESOURCES Online Art Resources to Visit Art History
Art Lessons
www.ArtyFactory.com www.Artcyclopedia.com
www.DrawingCoach.com www.HowToDrawIt.com
Local Art Resources to Explore Nashville Art Strolls by Neighborhood Arts & Music at Wedgewood/Houston - 1st Saturday each month East Side Art Stumble - 2nd Saturday each month Germantown Art Crawl - 3rd Saturday each month Frist Visual Arts Center Visitors 18 and younger visit the Frist for free! Frist website offers how-to videos for activities you can do at home! Centennial Arts Center Centennial Art Center offers popular, affordable, painting and pottery studio classes. Nashville Public Library Nashville’s Public Library holds a wealth of art texts and media for research and discovery. The Main Library has a youth makers lab, featuring a 3-D printer and other creative tools.
Where to Find Art Supplies for Home Art Supply Stores ● Jerry’s Art-O-Rama - located in East Nashville, check website for video art tutorials! ● Walmart, Dollar General, Dollar Tree - most supplies can be found in these stores. ● Recycled Supplies- local recycling organizations providing art supplies and recycled materials for creative reuse: ○ Turnip Green - located in Wedgewood/Houston neighborhood ○ smART - located near OpryMills