Grand Rapids, Michigan hosts thousands of artists from all over the country and some from very far parts of the world every Fall. This annual event has revitalized the city and in many ways has shaped its National Identity. Grand Rapidians love visiting the more than 1000 venues featuring artist's work and voting on their favorite pieces. Entries are judged by the public and winners are awarded cash prizes. While I have been reluctant to attend ArtPrize the past few years, as a future educator, I cannot ignore the obviously rich resource that it is for students. Their are just too many opportunities for creating relevant and authentic discussions around art that should not be taken for granted. And then, just to make things even sweeter for educators, ArtPrize opens up a number of avenues for technology integration. I will discuss some of the potential avenues that I see as a future art educator, but really, just because it's "Art"Prize doesn't mean there isn't the potential for bringing other subject areas outside the classroom. For example, imagine a unit on maps in geography being put into practice during ArtPrize as students were tasked with creating a functional map of only their favorite ArtPrize venues. Without further ado, here are my ideas for future ArtPrize/technology lessons!
1. Very simply, in a classroom where field trips to the event aren't feasible, I can take my students to ArtPrize using the tools on the official website, or, use one of the cool edu-tech apps to make a presentation about specific venues using images I snapped during ArtPrize and voice recording commentary over top of the images. There are several to choose from, but because I'm not an Apple user (yes, shocking, I know!), I would probably use Screencast-O-Matic, or Screenr.
2. Practically any individual is able to participate in ArtPrize simply by signing up for a Venue through the organization's website. Why not have students collaborate in putting together their own exhibit for ArtPrize? Students could incorporate technology by inviting viewers to their exhibit through the use of blogs, videos, etc. They could collaborate to manage a blog specifically designed to update parents, teachers, friends, community members about their progress and experience curating a show.
3. Should I be lucky enough to be able to plan a field trip to ArtPrize in the future, it would be great to incorporate a technology scavenger hunt to help students find their way among the many exhibits. This would be a great way to zero in on artwork that has relevance to content that we are covering in class.The scavenger hunt could be accomplished using QR tags and QR scanner apps which are available for android and iPhone devices. Grouping students together would ensure that no one is left out because of lack of access to smart devices. So these are just some of the ideas that came to mind as I was contemplating a new year of ArtPrize excitement. I know that this is just the tip of a large iceberg, and so if you think of other technology applications that would apply to ArtPrize (or even just to the art classroom!) leave me a comment below. Until next time, wishing you happy fall days full of art adventures.
I'm off to ArtPrize!
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