Art 133-Unit 3 Paper: Vulnerability Erika Rodriguez, T/Th 3-4:50pm

For Unit 3, the big idea was vulnerability. The way that I would define vulnerability is

how much one tells about themselves to others; how they display their feelings to others. The

21st century approach that relates to vulnerability is visual thinking strategies. Artists use

vulnerability in their art by also using visual thinking strategies. They think before they create

their art, and they are the ones that get to decide how much about themselves they are willing to

disclose to others. This thought process is similar to what Daniel H. Pink (2006) says in his book,

which is that We compress years of experience, thought, and emotion into a few compact

narratives that we convey to others and tell to ourselves (p. 115). Again, artists decide if they

want to be vulnerable, and they decide how to approach their vulnerability. Vulnerability also

affects students, not just artists. According to Eldridge (2012), the most vulnerable students are

those who live in low-income and high poverty rate communities. In cases like these when it

comes down to teaching, teachers could use a childs vulnerability to their advantage in a

positive way. Without making it feel as if a teacher is trying to interfere into their personal lives,

they could tell them to use art as an escape; to release their fears, goals, and dreams into their

artwork. Like Pink (2005) says, We are our stories (p. 115).

I plan to teach third grade in the future, and a way I could possibly teach vulnerability at

that age is by asking them about their likes and dislikes. I think that is something they are willing

to share with me as a teacher, and their fellow classmates who I hope are their friends. Not

everyone has the same opinions about what they do and do not like, so I feel that this would be a

good starting point when teaching vulnerability as an art. I could then proceed to make a painting

assignment where they could reflect their likes and dislikes using color. For example, if they

dislike something, they could use the color they think best represents it and paint whatever they
Art 133-Unit 3 Paper: Vulnerability Erika Rodriguez, T/Th 3-4:50pm

have in their mind onto their paper. I think visually seeing their vulnerability will really help

them grow more confident.

Art 133-Unit 3 Paper: Vulnerability Erika Rodriguez, T/Th 3-4:50pm

References

Eldridge, L. A. (2012). The ethic of caring holistically for art students: Esmeraldas boutique. In

L. H. Campbell & S. Simmons III (Eds.), The heart of education: Holistic approaches

(pp. 287-296). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Pink, D. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY: The

Berkeley Group.