Baltimore County, MD smARTS, 28 Mar 2016

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From YouTube: smARTS: Students, Life Inspire Art (Winter 2016)

Description

Linda Popp, artist and educator, discusses if you can teach creativity.

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Can you teach creativity?

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our next guest has spent her professional career, trying to answer that question. with us now is linda popp,, an artist and visual arts educator.

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Linda, welcome to smarts!. Thank you very much! and,, you know,. I do describe you as a "living, young legend.".

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Whenever your name comes up,, it's sort of the sound of the name, too -- "linda popp.", but it's also all the amazing work that you have done.

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To inspire people here in the county, -- young, students,, adults,, everybody --.

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About visual arts. so,, we're so honored to have you here.

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Thank you, thank you!. I take every opportunity that I can to celebrate the amazing visual arts program that we have in baltimore county public schools.

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All right,, so I'm going to ask you the big question... okay.. Can one teach creativity?, you'd better, believe it!, that's what we're all about.

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In education, we call it "creative problem solving,".

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And it begins with a teacher developing problems for the students.

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That are very structured, but at the same time, open-ended.

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And then we facilitate their creativity by asking them to take risks. --.

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To go beyond that one answer that they're asked for.

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In so many other classes to develop multiple solutions to a problem,.

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To get feedback from others, to incorporate that feedback into their work,.

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To constantly analyze and assess what they're doing.

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And those are all skills that can transfer to all their other subjects.

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So the process is just as important as the product.

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Right., do you think that process is better taught with the visual arts.

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Than perhaps maybe social studies or math or...

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I think the issue is for social studies and math.

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To perhaps find ways to use the arts in those classrooms --.

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To address the different learning styles and the creativity.

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And innovation that we're looking for in today's society.

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All the information is there., the kids have it at their fingertips on their phone or their tablets..

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They do, don't they?.

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Now the thing is, what do you do with it?.

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And that's where the creativity and the innovation come to play.

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yeah. we're just a huge part of that.. That's terrific.!.

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Well,, I'm sure over your 41 years of teaching,.

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You've seen some amazing work come from students.

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absolutely. and I know that the reginald lewis museum is going to be presenting.

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A juried exhibit of some current work from high school students.

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That's been inspired by ruth starr exhibit.

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Can you tell me a little bit about that -- what the theme is and a little bit about the exhibit?.

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This is an annual event and each year the theme is different.

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And this year the students were asked--.

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The student problem was to express personal ideas.

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About race, gender, issues within our society.

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And there's your perfect example of 'can. We teach creativity?'.

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Because every student's response is different.

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Right. all right, and the teacher facilitates that creative problem solving.

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To come up with, what is it that I want to say about this topic.

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In a way, that's going to perhaps move others.

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Or think about it in a way that they hadn't before.

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right., that's what art does.

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Well, fortunately,: there is a lot of opportunities for baltimore county students to show some of their innovative work.

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we're lucky to have some places who support what they're doing.

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And that's the walters,, the bma,, the reginald lewis, museum, goucher.

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Why do you think the major institutions have decided to take this on?.

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Because they're very pressed,, you know,, they have limited resources.

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Why is it important that they display some of the students' art works.

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In their own galleries?.

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Yeah,, I think it's a win-win situation., it's great for our students to have their work on display in these wonderful community facilities,.

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And it's great for the museums to bring in those audiences.

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When the families come--, I can remember having parents come.

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And say they hadn't been to the museum before., and it just makes me-- how powerful that is to have.

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The family come to see their student's works, surrounded by these masters.

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It's a huge event and it's a wonderful--, we're very fortunate that we have these community connections.

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Yeah, we are. okay,, so we've talked about linda popp,, the educator.

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Now we're going to talk about linda popp,, the artist., your own work,, which is fascinating, -- oh, thank you!.

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I mean,, if you would,, tell me a little bit about your vision.

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And your inspiration behind your own work.

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My work is --, I call it "assemblage narrative, sculptures".

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That happen to be clocks because they tell stories over time.

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Using artifacts or symbolic objects.

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I've done this in the classroom, and this is my art form.

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Probably for the last 20 years.

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I have three series: family,, faith, and relationships.

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I think my teaching has informed my art.

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And I think my art informs my teaching., I think that's true of all art, teachers.

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I get inspired by my students,. I've asked them to take risks,.

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I've asked them to explore personal ideas.

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So I'd better be doing it myself in my work.

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Okay, and speaking of your work,, we have just a few seconds. Left.

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tell me a little bit about the towson arts. Collective exhibit coming up.

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Oh!, I'm excited about this because it's called "mother and child,".

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And it's an exhibit of mature female artists who happen to have children.

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That are also professional artists., so I'm very lucky in that I have nine close female friends.

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Who are going to exhibit, together with our children.

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Terrific! and it's january 9th is the opening reception at towson arts collective.

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All right,, I will be there. fantastic!

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and after 41 years,. I know you're retiring,, but only you're going to be doing more artwork and a great presence.

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Here for all of us in baltimore, county., linda popp,, thanks so much. thank you., it's been the best career ever!

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thank you! well,. Now, let's take a look at the calendar.