ArtsREPORT I don’t limit my vision of what art class should look like to what the end product, or artwork, looks like. Don’t get me wrong; how artwork looks is important because art is visual, but there is much more value in the act of making art because that’s where the learning takes place. My philosophy on art education is based greatly on cultivating an environment that enables students to have the confidence and ability to make independent, educated design decisions. It is important for the student to make artistic decisions, to make meaning, and to make original work. If these roles are being fulfilled by someone else (such as the teacher), the tasks that are left for the students are much less rigorous and require more direction following than creative thinking. Therefore, the act of teaching is more like mentoring, guiding, and sharing knowledge: steering the student on the right path through trial and error. One of the ways I do this is to find opportunities that will get our students involved in not-so-typical art projects. A question I continuously ask myself is: how can I make a typical project (i.e. a project some may call “Pinterest worthy”) into something especially educational and tap into ways of thinking that may get students out of their comfort zone? How can I infuse ideologies that will allow my students to make unique decisions, create meaning, and come up with a product that may not end up decorating a wall, but perhaps will become a product they are proud of because of the actual process they went through to create it? Enter our most recent collaboration with Greensboro artist, Jay Jones. I met Jay’s wife, Naomi, at High Point Furniture Market in May 2016. As I was leaving a fantastic presentation on traditional methods of furniture refinishing, I walked by this amazing display of copper butterflies and other abstract shapes dancing above my head. I just had to stop and admire the beautiful pieces of art. After chatting with the woman who was standing in the booth, I learned that her husband, Jay, made these mobiles and, his studio is on Elm Street in Greensboro! I instantly saw an opportunity to pursue. – I teach my students about Alexander Calder and mobiles every year. What would be better than to have a professional mobile maker involved in creating mobiles in the classroom? THESE are the moments I absolutely have to jump on as an educator. I had to make this happen! Mobile-izing By Ninoshka Boylston, Art Teacher Art Outside of the Classroom 14 | Winter 2017