Speaking of getting back into the groove, I wanted to share with you my first day lesson for graphic design. Instead of giving my course expectations or rules on the first day, I like to do an art exercise to get the creative juices flowing. Students were tasked with emulating a story or fairytale in the simplest manner possible, using only cut paper. This exercise took only one class period, and here are a few really stellar examples. 

It's here! It is finally done! Ms. Djordjevic and I have been waiting for this moment for a long time! The brand new darkroom located in room 241 of Burlington High School. Wait, this isn't 1976? No, can you believe it...a brand new darkroom built in the year 2014. Why, you may ask, waste time, money, and energy on a new darkroom in this digital age? The fundamentals -- that is why. I am reminded of my childhood and how, when using a film camera, I had to think about each and every photograph before the click of the shutter for fear of wasting an exposure. Nowadays in my photography 1 classes, the number of student hands raised when asked who has ever used film has dwindled. This year is the first in which I have had students without a single hand raised! Our students will get back to basics by learning how to carefully compose a photograph and take it through the painstaking steps to bring it to fruition. Planning, composing, and attention to detail are some words that come to mind when working in the darkroom. Not to mention working with our hands -- we spend so much time on our devices in 2014 that diving into the darkroom is a much needed distraction for many photographers. When I remind students that devices cannot be allowed in the darkroom because the light will ruin their images, their stunned faces make me smile, for I know that the memories they make in our darkroom far outweigh the texts or emails they will receive in that time. 

Thank you to everyone involved in the planning, construction, and finances of the darkroom. We all learned a lot about building a darkroom and with its completion we can all enjoy this beauty of a room. Lexi and I did not know a thing about ordering sinks for the darkroom, but we did our research, consulted other schools, and pulled through. Thank goodness BHS has a close-knit art department; without the support from our other art teachers, I think Lexi and I would have been committed! 

Thank you especially to the following people:

• Our administrators: Dr. Eric Conti, Mr. Mark Sullivan, and Mr. Patrick Larkin
  
• Craig Robinson and Marianne Frazier in Finance
  
• Mr. Steve Zarba and his staff for building the room! Their patience and coordination truly helped this room to blossom into the beauty it is today.
  
• The BHS Art Department: Mr. Ratkevich, Ms. Chang, Ms. Djordjevic, and Mrs. Vigneau 

Brave the smell of those lovely chemicals and come join us for a tour! Drop by anytime to come see the room.

On Friday, April 26th, fifty of our art students and five teachers traveled to New York City in order to gain more experience in art. We visited MOMA (the Museum of Modern Art) where students witnessed artwork by renowned artists like Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh. Seeing artwork in person is an experience that students will never forget. Digital reproductions cannot mimic the brushstrokes or the way the light hits the piece. We also visited the galleries in SOHO, a rich artistic neighborhood with a history of famous artists gracing the neighborhood. With its cobblestone streets and New York style boutiques, student really enjoyed the experience of being in the city and seeing so much artwork. One thing was for sure: they were all exhausted when we were done! 

After MOMA, students visited the MLB fan cave, which is an interactive experience created by Major League Baseball. Although many students may not be interested in baseball, this fan cave really catered to all different types of interests. Jason Yeadon, an alumni of BHS and the art program, now works at MLB and invited us to the fan cave. I'd like to  give a special thanks to Ms. Chang for setting this up. Although Jason wasn't my student, this is a proud moment for all art teachers; seeing a former student excel in art really makes us feel so wonderful. We in the BHS art department are so proud of Jason and his accomplishments in graphic design (and life!). Thank you Jason for inviting us! 

About the MLB Fan Cave and BHS alum Jason Yeadon:
Now into its third season, the MLB Fan Cave is a powerful marketing platform that engages fans digitally, experientially, and socially. Through MLB player and celebrity visits, concerts, an art gallery and more, the MLB Fan Cave serves as the intersection of Baseball and pop culture. The MLB Fan Cave is both a local destination in the heart of Greenwich Village and a national content platform (MLBFANCAVE.com) directly connecting with fans like never before. 

There are 9 "super-fans" also know as "cave dwellers" that watch all 2,430 games of the MLB season... yes that means they do not get a day off and are in the cave all baseball season. They regularly interview players and act in skits and funny short videos with these celebrities. The videos are posted to MLBFanCave.com and shared through social media. 

As a designer for Major League Baseball Jason is responsible for the overall look of the Fan Cave, prop and set design, social media graphics and activation for MLB sponsors. He is also responsible for design involving the All-Star game and Postseason when it relates to the MLB Fan Cave and social media. 

Jason graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA in communication design. He took many art classes at BHS and also played football, track and hockey. According to Jason, "My art and sports background is what attracted me to MLB. BHS really prepared me for a career in design and without the amazing teachers I had or the variety of art classes I was offered to take I would not be where I am today."

View the pictures from the MLB fan cave below:

Welcome back everyone! I hope everyone had a great summer! I definitely enjoyed my time off, although I feel as if I always have to be doing something. I traveled a lot and visited friends and family. I also went to Chicago for a Teacher Institute in Contemporary Art and I learned a ton regarding contemporary artistic techniques regarding technology. Some of it was really intense! I wanted to share an image I created through a program called Processing. It allows artists to code to create art. There is so much that can be done with it, but this code takes images, averages the pixels together, and finds each average pixel to create a composite. We are totally doing this in Photography this year!

This page (HOME) is the page that you should bookmark. Here is my blog that I will post info that relates to ALL of my classes, the Art Department, or Burlington High itself. 

From here, you should click on the link (above) to your class to find homework, projects, and anything else relating only to your class. If you ever need to find me, make sure to click on the CONTACT link above to figure out where I might be. 

You should check your class site EVERY DAY at the start of class so you are kept up to date. If you miss a day in school, a good practice would be to check this site to see what you have missed.