Lesson Plans for Art Classes
When I was teaching middle and high school English, I spent a lot of time writing lesson plans. Sometimes they were complicated, multi-paged documents that laid out everything I had to accomplish for a unit or lesson. Sometimes it was as simple as a few ideas jotted down on a sticky note. I’ve found that writing plans for an art class isn’t too different. And teaching art to adults isn’t all that different from teaching reading and writing to children. It comes down to creating a lesson hook, an engaging narrative, interesting materials, and a balance of instruction and hands-on learning.
I’ve taught once online via a prerecorded video and it was good practice for seeing how that worked, but there’s nothing like the energy of a room full of students. Especially when the students want to be there!
Right now, I’m preparing for three upcoming workshops, and I thought I’d share my planning process for each class. I hope this might help you if you are a teaching artist (or want to be), or if you are curious about what it might be like to learn with me.
The Class: A two-hour workshop at a local library teaching letterpress printing, gelli plate printing, and collage.
The Details: The class is free for the students (10 of them) and I get paid for both my time and for providing the materials.
With so little time, every minute counts so this class is all about being organized and keeping things simple. I’ll make sure that there is a station set up for each student with everything they need so I won’t waste time handing out materials at any point during the class. I’ll do a printmaking demonstration and then students will have time to try out both gelli plate printing and letterpress printing while I help them. The second hour will start with a collage demonstration and then the students will work on collages. I’ll also still keep the letterpress open to anyone who wants more time there.
The Class: A ten-week, three-hour class at an art club teaching printmaking and collage.
The Details: The art club handled registration and I’m teaching in their studio. I receive an hourly fee plus a materials fee from the students.
I’ve spent hours and hours preparing for this class, and each time I think I’m finished, I go to work again. Each class begins with a half-hour of collage in a sketchbook. I’ll give a short lecture on the class topic and provide handouts and examples from myself and other artists. I’ll demonstrate the technique and then the students will go to work. The class will end with a critique for anyone who asks and maybe a little homework. As with any class, I’m hauling around lots of materials and supplies, so I have to get to the classroom forty minutes early to set up. When I add in travel time (at least an hour each way), this class soon turns into a much longer day than I’d considered when I signed up. There’s also added clean-up time, bringing the materials back to my car, traveling home, and unpacking. I put many more hours into the class than I’m getting paid for. It’s important to have experience teaching art, but I don’t think I’ll agree to do workshops like this again because the pay doesn’t compensate for the amount of effort involved. It’s so much fun to teach, but it has to be an opportunity that equally supports the teachers and the learners.
The Class: A one-day college and printmaking workshop hosted by a local gallery
The Details: I handled registration on my website and the gallery earns a percentage. There’s a materials fee (included) and a supply list
My friends and fellow artists at AiR Studio Gallery offered me use of the gallery to host a class. I’m particularly excited about this one because it’s close to home and takes place over one day (no lugging materials back and forth for weeks!) I’ll be halfway through the ten-week class, so I’ll have a good idea of how long my lessons take. We will spend a few hours gel plate and letterpress printing to create a stash of paper for the collages that will occupy the rest of the day. Like kids, adults aren’t going to want to sit still watching and listening for hours, so my class will mix demonstrations and hands-on work. I’ll keep materials in one location, which will give us all a reason to stand up and move around. There will be a break for lunch and we will end the day with show and tell.
More to Come: Online and in-person
I’ve started planning an online class! For my first attempt, I’m starting small with a class all about using different types of vintage paper and ephemera, how to organize paper, where to find the good stuff, and some basic collage lessons. This will be a class for anyone and even if you already work with vintage paper, I hope I’ll have some new tips and tricks for you. If there’s a class you’d like to have me teach, please let me know in the comments.
As far as additional in-person classes, I’d like to host another one or two-day workshop at a local venue.