Once a week I teach an art/art history workshop for high school. I have no idea how I ended up doing it. I am neither an art teacher or a proper artist, so it makes for a bit of an adventure.
At the beginning of each class I give a little introduction to an artist from the period we are studying. After doing that a few weeks ago I played a Bob Ross episode. My high schoolers are having a hard time remembering to do their background before their foreground. I was hoping that I could use Bob Ross to help remind them. So after watching a bit of it I muted it and let it play in the background.
This most recent class my helper couldn’t make it so I was all alone with the high schoolers. I had to run out of the room for a moment so I played the history clip I chose for them before leaving. (Why should I talk when I can have a guy with a fancy accent, running around France do it for me).
When I came back into the room I asked them a few questions about it. No one had really paid any attention (not that I was surprised, it’s high school). Instead they were asking me to play Bob Ross again. So I reiterated the top points quickly (the workshop is only an hour long after all), and popped in the Bob Ross DVD.
I sat on a windowsill and sipped my ice tea and watched them watch Bob Ross between brush strokes. Their expressions and commentary on Bob Ross was the best thing. A lot of them really seem to enjoy him. This time I didn’t mute him and one of the girls told me that his voice is really soothing and helps her to relax.
That day, my kids were actually excited to paint. Most of the kids in the workshop have never had a real art class before. My workshop is just a little footnote added into this academic based set of classes. Most of these kids are basically ingrained left brainers. They are very type A and very black and white. They feel they don’t do well at art, so it freaks them out. I have been trying to drill into them that art is a learned skill and just like learning anything else new, they aren’t going to start off perfect. This class is such a chore for a lot of them. Yet this time they were actually itching to paint. It was fantastic.
I think some progress towards not fearing art has been made. I partially blame Bob Ross for being an exceptionally welcomed distraction and for showing us that you can be relaxed while painting.
(I also let two of my kids finger paint near the end of class. Finger painting isn’t scary at all)
