Each year across Texas' V.A.S.E. (Visual Arts Scholastic Event) is hosted in regions. With thousands of art students with their teachers bused to the area competition. Panels of judges are waiting in rooms to interview each student as they talk about their art. The students are judged in their ability to articulate the experiences and thought processes in implementing the techniques in completing their art.
Below are five presentations of students’ work in the competition.Click on the link and it will show each presentation. I hope you enjoy seeing the amazing work submitted by art teachers from across the great state of Texas. On this particular year, I judged and was not a participating teacher.
The many years that I did involve my students, nothing compared to the look on their faces after they successfully completed the interview with the judge as well as scoring high for technical expertise in their art. One of my favorite years was the first year that electronic media was a category and eleven of my eleven students scored the highest score possible.
Teachers from all across Texas have their student's art work represented in these videos which includes; self portraits, prints,design and color exercises, collage, watercolor, oil, and acrylic paintings,oil pastels, mixed media, and varied experiments.
For more details and more examples, visit the TAEA.org web site.For more lesson ideas. You can visit my sister sites online:
Art Work on the Web. or Cool Art Cards.To send e-cards, Type in User: artguest Password: Cool123
Another memorable V.A.S.E. moment was when the judges ask why a computer was sitting in the room with the hundreds of finalist’s traditional media art work in the room. It was because each of my students had submitted their electronic Senior portfolios and not one of the judges knew how to access the presentations. I am not faulting the judges, the only reason I knew was because I taught it as I think the 1st electronic media/art teacher in Texas(and I was self taught). They ask me to sit quietly and run each portfolio presentation. It was a great pleasure to hear the “oohs and ahhhs” over my shoulder when the portfolios were viewed. One portfolio contained 34 exemplary pieces of work in assorted media. Vu Pham submitted the 1st electronic portfolio ever submitted and it won state recognition.
That’s the good news, the bad news is that nobody ever saw it, while
other traditional art state finalists were on exhibit, his portfolio
was ahead of it’s time and sat inside a computer-yelling, "Hey I am in
here, don’t you guys want to see me?” It was one of those peak
experiences in my teaching career. Eventually all
of those portfolios and more will be available in this site for viewing as the
membership section fills up with content and is finally launched. Be patient and hang in there! It has taken
me over six years to figure out how to get this far, and over a week to learn how to put this movie and the newsletter on this
site. I guess you could call it that good old technology learning curve.
