Art & Design Fall 2012

This semester was a great one to be a part of the Art & Design LLC. From the very first class the students were engaged and interested in the projects culminating in a collaborative mural which everyone found out is not as easy as it looks! It has been a great experience to watch everyone learn and grow artistically through the various projects this semester. I have enjoyed participating in the critiques and getting to be a part of the process of each student's work. I have learned so much from both attending the classes every week as well as from the pure passion the students have put into their artwork. I have learned both physical techniques such as printmaking which I never had the opportunity to partake in in my 2D class as well as things about myself from working as a mentor this first semester.

The engagement of the students in activities was great. There were a multitude of events planned both for and by the students including various trips to the Milwaukee Art Museum for MAM After Dark, to the Riverwest Artwalk, a Printmaking session in the Studio Arts & Crafts Center, various movie nights, and even a Holiday Decorating Party. For every event students brought a great attitude and were really interested in learning from the experience.

Not only were students great outside of class, at events, but they were able to work together to learn and grow from each other. For The Tragedy of King Lear play performed at UWM, the Art & Design LLC students were able to create full-size posters hung outside the theatre and on banners in the theatre lobby for the entire campus to see. For their final project they were also able to collaborate on a full size mural consisting of 24 individual paintings incorporating knowledge they gained from research about the Milwaukee River. Although creating a cohesive piece of artwork did not come as easy as expected, especially between the two different classes, the students worked very hard in a short amount of time to incorporate elements of surrounding paintings into their own making the mural a success.