Education and the damage done.

Today I met with two sixth grade classes at the Meekins Library. My work has been on display there for two weeks now and one of the librarians told me this past Saturday that the classes were very interested in the work I am displaying. I suggested that I come in and talk with them. I feel that rather than stand and talk it is much more educational to show and discuss. I took the sporebox in with me and unfolded it as I gave a little history of how I became and artist and what now drives me to continue.
A great deal of attention was paid to my hair?

The first group sat intently and listened and asked many a question. It was not until I told them they could get up and interact with the sporebox that I realized how interested they were. I don’t believe one kid left without touching the box or playing with its pieces.

The myth of the sporozoans origin becomes more layered every time I tell it. Talking with these kids really forced me to explain it in simple terms, starting from the beginning with anatomy class and drawing from the model.

I hope that the sporozoan leaves an indelible mark on some if not all of these kids; the mark of change and creativity. The mark that allows them to look at things with open eyes and balanced tempers.

In my talk I spoke of how I started drawing and my experiences with Mr. Palmer and how his prodding forced me to reexamine who I was and how I could become the person I wanted to be. Watching these kids interact and seeing their eyes open so wide when I told them they could touch the object made me realize, even more than I ever have before, that our education system is designed to fail. We teach to a test that has nothing to do with cognition and only to do with rote learning.

Art is my truth.