ATX

I am here in Austin!

Lonely, but lovely.

It really has been hard not being productive, being surrounded by boxes, and hardly knowing anyone. I miss the comfort that I had in Dallas/Denton. I have been such a hermit, :( and...like all artists I need some inspiration to get me out of my funk. CANNOT wait to start school.

As I Embark...

The day approaches that I will have to say goodbye to DFW and my University surroundings and ebrace somewhere new and exciting (Austin, TX and UT!). I have been reflecting on my journey up to this point and truly believe life is and will be what you make of it. The University of North Texas has been a place that has helped shape who I am and who I want to become. The faculty and the friends that I have made have been a strong support system and family to me. My stomach is in knots...but somewhere new will be just as amazing and wonderful. Too emotional to write more lol.

Graduation

What a great feeling to now consider myself an alum of The University of North Texas! It's a wonderful time in my life and I am looking forward to my future as a graduate student at The University of Texas in Austin. I will post pictures soon. :) To my Townview students, I really do miss working with you. You are truly a great group. Sorry for the short blog, more to come.

My whirlwind of a day...

Late last night I received an email from the former NAEA Student Chapter President (national level). The email really rocked my world. Things are happening in my life that are so great but so scary.

ex: getting into graduate schools, making the decision to move to Austin and go to UT, and now this...

I am really thrilled that I am going to have this amazing opportunity. I hope I don't let anyone down. However, Christine Miller is right today is the day to just breathe and be excited. Here is the announcement that The University of North Texas posted today that will explain everything:

"Amanda Batson, past president of CVAD's award-winning National Art Education Association (NAEA) Student Chapter, will become the new NAEA Student Outreach Coordinator for the Western Region. As an Outreach Coordinator she will assist in keeping communication with student chapters and faculty at such institutions as The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Northern Illinois University, University of Illinois, Indiana University, and University of Minnesota. She will be advocating for art education throughout the region in her attempt to establish new student chapters while providing support, enthusiasm, and creative fundraising ideas."

Then at the student teacher reception I was presented Student Teacher of the Year by the department. Oh man what a day!

Artist Statement Requirements Art I/Speech

Francis Bacon, Self Portrait

You will need to write a one page double-spaced statement about the work we have been doing in class. Your statement should include but is not limited to the following:

Think about what you did.

How did you get into this work?

What are your favorite things about your work?
1. What is your favorite tool? Why?
2. What is your favorite material? Why?
3. What do you like best about what you do?
4. What patterns emerge in your work? Is there a pattern in the way you select materials? In the way you use color, texture...?
6. What do you do differently from the way you were taught? Why?

What does the work mean to you as a whole or by an individual entry?

This will be due on Tuesday when we will be doing a class critique. Thanks for all your hard work this semester I will miss you all.

Minneapolis 2009

My dear friend Becca inspired me to write a post about our trip to Minneapolis...

A group of art educators from The University of North Texas traveled to Minnesota a few weeks ago to attend the National Art Education Association's National Convention. The convention was amazing, and full of fun workshops to attend. These workshops provided us the opportunity to gain more knowledge in our field and learn new ways to approach teaching. There were also plenty of hands on activities teaching us new skills or providing us the opportunity to use new materials. FUN! Attending these trips really is a breath of fresh air and and a growing time in our lives. You are just surrounded by tons of people from all over the nation that share your passion.

We were BLESSED to be able to spend the day at The Walker Arts Center and Sculpture Garden. I had been dreaming of the day when I could visit The Walker. I was extremely ecstatic when we stumbled into a room full of artist books (Rebecca and I are teaching about altered books in our classes!) by Salvador Dali, Kiki Smith, Kara Walker, Andy Warhol to just name a few. I was overwhelmed. I was also thrilled to see so many amazing pieces of work there, I literally stood in front of a Rothko for fifteen minutes in awe.

We had many oppertunities to bond with our faculty and department. I would love to thank Dr. Donahue-Wallace for presenting us with a new Fall 2008 NAEA Student Chapter award (the old one was broken) for Service Organization of the Year. Go Team! I was a little emotional thinking those times with my art family are soon going to be few and far between. They have been my constant strength and guiding light. But I am excited about joining new families in the fall at The University of Texas in Austin.

Rebecca, Dr. Kalin, Dr. Bain and myself had the fabulous opportunity to present a workshop at the convention: Traveling to Uganda: Global Art Workshops for Families. We were able to share with other art educators our experience creating workshops in our community with a theme and global cause by working with artist FRED MUTEBI and our university.

We had the most amazing trip and cannot wait for TAEA in Dallas and NAEA 2010 in Baltimore!

For those of you still interested in viewing the Dan Eldon video Click HERE