Serving Art Educators
and Students Since 1994

Nicole Brisco's Art Room

Creating Curriculum

From Nicole: "As an artist and art educator you have the unique ability to use your imagination when creating and exploring new curriculum. Originality is imperative to your student's success. Content rich curriculum can improve the breadth section of the portfolio while engaging Advanced Placement student's minds and giving them the tools to create diverse and interesting concentrations. Creating curriculum can be a daunting task, so I employ you to look to 'The Artist Mind' for inspiration."

"I encourage you today to become an innovative thinker and challenge yourself for the purpose of enriching the education of your students. By introducing this ideology into the curriculum, it ensures that students will create an insightful concentration that will challenge their art production as well as their mind. E-mail Nicole Brisco if you have questions. Shown here is the concentration of C. A. Lee. Read C. A. Lee's Artist Statement Student scored a 5 on her portfolio. Sizes ranged from 18 inches X 24 inches (45.7 x 61 cm) to 5 feet X 6 feet (1.5 - 2 meters)."


Admit	Amends	Confess	Carry the Message	Apologize

Desire to Change	Humble	Forgiveness	Submit
	Believe	Research	Introspection

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From Nicole: "The strongest concentrations are those which are visually connected, either by theme, color, or media. When my students begin a concentration I believe that they must start with the most in-depth and comprehensive idea. This idea is the foundation, so if it is not strong enough they are automatically set up for failure. I require my students to create a list of 100 concrete and abstract ideas, this is my opportunity to be a coach and eliminate themes I know are too trite (example friendship, love, fruit, cartoons, etc). We then narrow this list down to 25 of the most innovative subjects. They then take this list home and begin combining their ideas for a more honed in concentration. The concentration by C.A. Lee began with:

"The 12 Step Program (abstract, we also knew it could not be directly about alcohol but the individual steps), symbolism (Abstract, too vague alone), and Self Portraits (too plain, too common). You can see individually they would not work, but by connecting them, it creates a wonderful and unique concentration for my student to build off of."

The question I always ask my student before beginning is:

"Over 20,000 portfolios are submitted each year, what will make yours stand out?"

Advanced Drawing: Where is My Refuge?

"Where How has it changed throughout your life?" Students selected an age of interest in their childhood and researched what that refuge provided for them. Students created a work of art that depicted this meaningful time in their life. Each work focused on content, composition, color, and media exploration. LESSON PLAN.

Advanced Drawing: Hot Off the Presses

Students created a work of art based on an article from the newspaper. Students incorporated the actual newspaper into the artwork in an innovative way. They used their knowledge on composition, media exploration, and color to create a narrative work that is evocative to the viewer. LESSON PLAN

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