Off Book explores cutting edge arts and the artists that make it. Breaking the mold of the definition of art, Off Book explores the avant-garde, the experimental and the underground art forms that are supported by online communities. The bi-weekly, web exclusive series includes episodes on typography, steampunk, internet culture, video game art and more. All of these videos may help support a variety of interests your students could have.
As with other curriculum, technology and media use are changing how teachers share content and skills with their students. "With the technology advancing it is important for every teacher to incorporate media into their classroom," said Virginia Rogers, an art teacher from Hiatt Middle School in Des Moines. "Art has a special connection with technology that other areas do not. It can be created using media and media can be created using art. They share a partnership unlike the other content areas."
So how does a program like Off Book help art teachers?
Off Book can allow teachers to use clips to introduce art topics. "Sometimes it can be difficult to explain how a particular type of art is made," said Virginia. Because they are short, the videos can work as learning objects to help convey or reinforce a key concept or skill teachers want students to learn. "I particularly like the Off Book programs because they are very short in length. It can be difficult to keep a middle schooler’s attention much past five or six minutes."
"Art is important for students to express and explore who they are," continued Virginia. "For students who struggle academically, art can sometimes be the only place that they are successful." Much of these videos can bring students directly into the creative process, foster individual artistic expression, and promote experimentation and exploration.
"I believe that art is important for students to express and explore who they are," said Virginia. "These programs are great ways to quickly inform students about a specific art topic."
LEGO blocks are one of the most beloved toys in the world, playing a role in many a person's childhood. But for some creators, LEGO has evolved from toy to art form. In this episode, we talk to three LEGO artists who have made beautiful mosaics, amazing stop-motion videos, thoughtful sculptures, and have turned these tiny building blocks into a true artistic medium.
The Internet has intensified connections between people across the planet. In this episode of OFF BOOK, we take a look at the impact of the this new interconnectivity on the art world. Traditional funding models are dissolving, new forms of expressing ownership have arisen to accomodate for remix culture, and artists are finding ways to connect physical art experiences and traditions to the Internet. In the digital era, the experience of art from the perspective of the artist and the art audience is shifting rapidly and bringing more people into the creative process.
Books are in a conflicted state. Should they still exist in a digital era? Will they all be replaced by Kindles and Nooks? These questions dominate the discussion of books in our time. A select group of artists, who use books as their medium, engage this discussion from another angle. From pop culture pop-ups, to surreal sculptural stories, to reformations of antique sacred texts, these creators re-envision what the experience of a book can be. At times playful, and other times profound, this episode explores the boundaries of one of the most important human creations.