Some workshop ideas

Here is a proposal:

Four workshops for the entire school to participate in. The goal is to connect the visual, the musical, and the subjective, immediate experience of creating. Students will be in small groups and hopefully a few graduates and former students can help facilitate them.

These workshops are just ideas, starting points, drawn from a discussion I had with Buffy:


wrkshop #1: one hour, September. Students, armed with japanese ink and brush will be asked to practice evoking a particular sensation, for instance a rain storm, and then painting (quickly) how it feels. After a few iterations of this, each student will be asked to sit facing another student, and will paint that person’s portrait, without looking at the paper.

wrkshop #2: one hour, October. Students will be asked to revisit workshop #1 briefly. They would then be asked to represent a melody they hear in terms of line on large sheets of paper. We might add color and texture as well.

wrkshop #3: longer, maybe 1.5 hours, November. This is an exercise from the Creative Audience concept, developed by John Daido Loori. Students would draw something quickly with charcoal. The student’s partner glances at it quickly, and closes her eyes. She then reflects upon it, and relates back how she felt while reflecting upon it. The artist then relates his experience of creating the piece.

This all would be leading to the dulcimer building workshop in February that Vic and I conduct. A fourth workshop would be a little more music oriented, and would happen in January.

Please keep in mind that these are VERY sketchy. I haven't gone back and reread Daido Loori's book nor have I looked too hard for other exercises. Please suggest some if you know of some.