Ideas+For+Concentrations

=What Is Your Concentration? = // "My interpretation of the concentration is that it explores a concept/theme and evolves and grows. I think the value is, that sometime during foundation year in college, the student needs to make some decisions about a path. Our job (as AP Art Teachers) is to start that process even if it results in an entirely different turn later on. The focus will change, but starting the focus is good for the rigor. //" Patti Knott AP Art Teacher

2- D and Drawing Concentrations that have been successful
**From: Melissa Walker**  
 *  Self-portraits with grid overlays/ variations within each grid.
 *  Hands in various positions and media
 *  Old barns in pastel
 *  Reflections on a variety of surfaces
 *  Digital collages combining old letters, polaroids and “dark” images
 *  Insects with a colorful and humorous viewpoint
 *  Expressive landscapes painted using specific color schemes
 *  Eyes, a window to your soul
 *  Flowers, from realistic evolving to abstract multi-media
 * From: Emily Faxon**
 *  Photos about human gesture and the expression of emotion
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Anime-style self-portrait drawings
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Street photography emphasizing composition with geometric forms
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Photomontage to portray events of short duration
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Painted abstractions derived from microscopic cellular structures
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Photos inspired by a story about the first flower blooming on the site of the Cambodian "killing fields".
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Oil pastel drawings of plant material juxtaposed with manmade objects.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Abstractions derived from still lifes (lives?) of household objects.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Ink drawings based on photographic portraits

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 * From: Patti Knott **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The body as landscape
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Ugly (wasn’t so ugly at all – lots of mixed media and inspiration from Banksy)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Hands and feet
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The skeleton/bones put into before/after situations
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Social/political issues
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Unusual environments
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Masks (interpreted – how do we hide?)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> War (inspired by a Viet Nam Vet, but grew to all conflicts)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Large close-ups of insects that evolved into very graphic interpretations
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Light ---what is light?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Wings – how do we fly?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Music -- interpreted patterns and rhythms to graphic images
 * “Homeless” This student really went beyond in interpretation – not just how we usually think about homeless but, - an empty shell, an empty box, parts removed from a “whole” and what do we cherish or miss about calling something “home.”
 * From: Jill Webber **

//Coffee, simply based off the fact that her (student) whole life revolves around coffee. I was leery at first thinking it would become boring and told her so but also told her it could be a fun challenge if she could think outside the box. It began with the expected and simple compositions but evolved into very different and beautiful drawings/paintings in which she found herself drinking coffee. I definitely think she could sell most of them to coffee houses!//

//Another student, who is going into animation, chose to do playground equipment. She sometimes took parts of or whole segments of playground equipment and animated them. They each took on a life of their own! They were incredibly interesting and really drew the class into her world of imagination! I will never look at playground equipment the same!//

Student did a series of work based on places she visited that her deceased father had visited. Sometimes she photoshopped herself in sometimes her father. She used mixed media...photography, collage,painting for a drawing portfolio.
 * A few concentrations by my students that stand out to me. From: Monica Bryant**

Water theme. Water as metaphor.

Documentary style photography of local veterans who fought in Afghanistan--2D Design.

Tattoo drawings

Animal shelter drawings


 * Here are a few that I have to add that can work out well...Shari Williams**, **Benton High School**


 * Light and Shadow in Cityscapes** - This one worked well because the student started with photos that he took on a trip to NYC. In his concentration, he used actual photos; he altered photos (transfers, layered with paint); he did a watercolour and a pastel of a couple of photos; he did a couple of works where he played with abstraction and arbitrary color...I just felt this concentration really allowed him to explore the used of value and color as well as composition and he had many pieces to chose from to send in.


 * Altered Art -** In this one, the student took apart her own works of art and combined pieces to make new pieces incorporating various types of paper as well as media. She grew so much as an artist through this concentration because she started to see possibilities and work outside her comfort zone. She also ended up with more than enough work to be selective on what she sent in.


 * Expression and Gesture** - I was not really happy with this student's effort, but thought it was a great idea. It started out well, but she blew it at the end by waiting to the last minute and trying to force work created outside the concentration into the concentration and by rushing other work. She wanted to study how artists convey personal feeling through color and gesture.....kind of answering the question ,what visual clues does a viewer pick up on to get the feeling or emotion the artist wants to elicit?

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 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Crushed objects that have been altered by the effect of gravity orhuman intervention.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Things forgotten. Abandoned buildings, old train tracks, etc…
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hands as an expression of feeling. Young to old…
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Surrealism and Dreams.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Non-objective, or abstract designs based on different cultures and their mythology such as the Austrian Aborigines, etc.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Evolution and or disintegration on an object.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">A close up view or extreme perspective.
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Seasonal changes.
 * 9) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Inner landscapes
 * 10) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Useless objectives
 * 11) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Narrative self- portraits (illustrating a headache).
 * 12) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Illustrating fears and other emotions.
 * 13) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Duality and relationships; a comparison Man/woman, mother/child,light/dark.
 * 14) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Generation gap
 * 15) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">llustrating folds and fabric with patterns.
 * 16) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Human form in motion.
 * 17) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Modern day fairy Tales – original story with illustrations.
 * 18) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Original Comic book
 * 19) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Making your own creative book.
 * 20) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Structure in nature –insects.
 * 21) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Circus – color, movement, excitement, etc.
 * 22) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Time travel
 * 23) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Transformation.
 * 24) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Juxtaposition of objects.
 * 25) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reflections – metal, water, etc.
 * 26) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Medical/scientific illustrations.
 * 27) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Household appliances.27. Household appliances.
 * 28) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Different kinds of shoes from different points of views.
 * 29) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Types of costumes from different places – textiles from Indonesia.
 * 30) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nightmares.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">
 * From Eileen Mandell**
 * From Digital Arts/Illustration:**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Dance
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Movement
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Design from Nature/Nature as Design
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Music
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Packaging designs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Creating Design from Man-made Objects
 * Photography Concentrations:**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Design in Architecture to Creation of Design from Architecture
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Nature Close-ups/Abstractions from Nature
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The Body as Shape
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Lines/Creating Depth through Lines
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Multiple Views/Hockney style
 * Jeanne Bjork, Art Educator- Pewaukee High School**
 * Abandonment** both places and people. Student works at a nursing home so some of the images had to do with that idea and some were of abandoned places. (2D Design: Photography)


 * Evolution of Illness:** Student' s grandma had Parkinson's disease and so she illustrated through photographic collage, stitching and writing the process of that illness on her grandma's memory, physical ability. Each image (portrait of grandma) had a poem she'd written about the grandma interspersed. She printed images on silk organza and layered them with drawings that depicted anatomical body parts effected by the disease. The portrait became blurrier and blurrier with each image. (2D Design mixed media)


 * Identity:** Hiding behind masks and other roles that we play, specifically women. The student started out photographing people wearing masks, but eventually move away from this and developed a broader interpretation of how we hide behind our roles as women "masking" who we are. (2D Design Photography)

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">**Ruth Wilson**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Illustrating a field trip to a historical farm emphasizing theantiques, tools, etc of the historical period.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Painting their friends in different historical time periods through costumesand settings. Each friend was illustrated in an era and costume that was theircurrent passion like dance, acting, etc.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Illustrating a story using an artistic style like fauvism

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beth Heisey

 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">an examination of what is real or mirage using faces and masks
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">illustration of a story about a girl building a sailboat, losing it, and buying it back
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">freedom of expression: what it looks like
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">portraits of the everyday moods of my dog
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">overcoming depression
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">athletic trophy as empty compared to the fulfillment of running and playing soccer
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">resistance

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Susan Kidera

 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stillness (from a kid who was adhd)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Motion (from a kid who well....kind of a slug)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Seven deadly sins with the addition of her own 5
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Textile design
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">The human figure as shape (graphic design)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">bareness (both literal and metaphorical)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">vegetables
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">the dramatic figure (figures with theatrical lighting)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">dance movements from different cultures
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Idiosyncrasies (portraits revealing this in her friends)

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Elaine Strompolos

 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">cultures - began with ethnic cultures expanded to includes tourists, homeless, etc
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">feather
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">loneliness/estrangement
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Little Red Riding Hood illustrations
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">interpretations of famous Fairy Tales
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">micro views - which become abstractionmicro views - which become abstraction
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">body language
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> white Tshirt and a cap
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">loss of father - the missing person at seminal events
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">environmental consciousness
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">capturing the mood of music
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">capturing the rhythm of music
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">fabric textures

Judie Jacobs

 * a cross country meet
 * construction
 * road trip across the United States
 * rear view mirrors
 * glamorized 1940s jewelry
 * barriers
 * bras
 * members of my family through portraits of their feet
 * old fashioned circus
 * porches in my neighborhood
 * fashion and heavy machinery in rural Vermont
 * smaller than normal size

Chris Mason

 * Alice in Wonderland theme comparing parts of the story to a teenagers' life;
 * Items in nature and looking at the cell life and incorporating that as a patterned background;
 * Roller coasters and their structure turning it into abstract design
 * The jungle and concrete jungle-starting with the jungle and inserting
 * Elements of the city life taking over the jungle.

Audrey Brown

 * Flight ( these were extremely technical drawings and paintings which included sinking helicopters in the jungle as well as birds on a wire, ufo's over the southwest.
 * Winged Creatures- drawn in high detail-moths, bats, bees
 * Longboards -seen from 1 pt, 2pt 3 pt and 5 pt perspective
 * Color and Form in manmade play structures ( digital photography)
 * Landscapes from my route home from school.
 * Bottles
 * Groups of Friends
 * Telephone Poles

=3D Design Ideas=

Barb Cortese

 * Some successful examples from the past few years were:
 * Snakeskin as pattern on ceramic pottery (Wheel thrown)
 * Birds in flight constructed from found objects, exaggerating scale
 * Fences-What they divide
 * Retelling old stories-Repurposing old books

Lori Guntzel

 * Greek mythology (This should have been narrowed down to one mytholgical figure or story)
 * positive/negative space
 * nature taking over man-made objects
 * site-specific work (see Andy Goldsworthy)
 * wave formations in many diffferent media such as: clay, wire, wood, cardboard

Jennifer Brown

 * This year a student took Picasso's //Guernica// and brought individual aspects into 3D.