I believe students today need skills such as creative problem solving, critical thinking, ways of integrating heart and mind, ways of bridging many subjects, and appreciating beauty. The arts are an ideal way to provide children with the opportunity to develop these skills. Since most children love doing art, they learn eagerly and enjoy themselves too.
A recent AITS residency was Hoʻomau: Pacific Patterns, Change and Continuity. This was the fruit of many years of work in collaboration with other teachers, and honed the over time with many students and teachers in their classrooms. My larger goal with this project is to help children develop metacognition; including the skill of finding patterns, and discerning what to keep and what needs to be changed, skills which can be applied both in the bigger world outside the classroom, and also in personal life.
Our process included looking at Hawaiian kapa and other authentic art objects, researching, printing with traditional methods and techniques and motifs, discussing, and then creating new printed patterns with modern techniques. By starting with looking at patterns in Pacific art (and patterns around us), and seeing what is still meaningful for today and seeing what can be changed, the students gain skills in the safety of the art world. Art can be powerful like that – an artist can learn from tradition and make changes. And what is learned from art can be applied both personally and in the world outside the classroom.
I have also developed other projects working closely with classroom teachers to support and serve their varied populations, grade levels, and education goals. I look forward to working with you and your students too!
Local artist and educator Alyce Dodge was raised in a family of artists, teachers, doctors and community and environmental activists. She is interested in the intersection of these fields – exploring health and art and community, for example. She finds ways to integrate these and other subjects when teaching art and developing curriculum. Literally thousands of students in Hawaiʻi have enjoyed learning and creating art in her classes.
Alyce has a BFA in Drawing and Painting, and has also studied ceramics, sumi-e, Art History, papermaking and printmaking. She is pursuing a Master’s degree, with top grades in Art Education, Museums and Communities, and Hawaiian Studies graduate level courses.
The Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster is an adjudicated directory of Hawai‘i professional teaching artists qualified to conduct in-depth residencies in educational settings. Each artist or arts organization has a page in the directory with contact information, a short bio, and an artist statement. The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts draws from this roster for arts education programs including Art Bento at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum and Artists in the Schools.
