It has begun.

I've officially been back at work for a week now- or do you say school? I normally say school but I look so young I feel like I tell people that and they actually assume I mean I'm IN school, not teaching it.

I am TRULY loving my new position as a middle school art teacher. I do miss my young kiddos from the elementary level but I still run into them from time to time around the community. I've started the same project with both 7th and 8th grade classes. I figured this would be easier for me and it would help me gauge my students' knowledge of the arts as well as their abilities.

To kick off the year, we learned about one of my own personal favorites - Jean-Michel Basquiat. I absolutely love JMB. I am so drawn to his work and to the tragedy that was his short life. We go through a short Power Point that covers a basic biography.

Basics about JMB

• Parents were Haitian and Puerto Rican
• High school drop out, drug use - you already know this starts a deep discussion
• Began his career tagging buildings around NYC - cue sidebar about Graffiti art
• Known for his eccentric hair style and paint covered designer suits
• Close friends with Andy Warhol. Some could say he had Warhol to thank for his fame. - I say "Pretend I have a rap album. Its different. People aren't into it. My dear friend Lil'Wayne/2Chainz/etc tells everyone to check out Miss L's album... what happens? People change their mind. They're willing to like it now)
• Inspired by the medical text Gray's Anatomy
• Died of a drug overdose at the age of 27 in 1988 
• Between 2002-2008, JMB's work sold at auction in the $10-$14 million range - We discuss WHY his work has become so valuable... his death means no more work... thus its higher price as there will be no more paintings... we relate it to the death of Michael Jackson and how it inspired people take a second look at his music and run out to buy albums all over again.

Once we've covered JMB, we have a short discussion on graffiti and what makes or doesn't make it art. We discuss vandalism and local graffiti. We also very briefly look at Banksy.

For the art project, my students create a block letter alphabet (for practice, purely participation points). Once they've finished this, they begin their name in block lettering. I keep the guidelines very loose since this is our first lesson and I'm still getting to know what they can do and how they learn in my room.

 So far, so good. I'll have to share some images of their work- I love seeing the variety of styles.