Sample Class Plan | English for Creative Careers | BOOOOOOOM
In last week’s art school workshop, we began talking about the Canadian art magazine BOOOOOOOM and its live Call for Artists; which is the free publication of a limited edition book.
We discussed BOOOOOOOM’s use of the phrase, ‘cohesive body of work’, and whether that necessarily meant a laboriously produced body of work.
I suggested that it didn’t. You could make up something pretty fast to respond to this artist opportunity; even in an afternoon!
(The students’ creative challenge was to collaborate in groups over the next week and do this).
Helping Art Professionals with English
This article is for L2 English users seeking English for Creatives.
It discusses the concept of a cohesive body of work.
This blog also showcases how Blue Noun Language Hub help international art schools deliver better English tuition and support them in preparing students for international creative careers.
In addition to the target English language, the pedagogic goals of this class are:
Prove that mid-career artists and designers are not necessarily excluded from this kind of 'finished product' artist opportunity (that it gets pretty interesting if they respond quickly and intuitively)
Show that art students can begin to build their international CV now.
Increase knowledge of how to find and apply for international Calls for Artists.
Demonstrate that international Calls for Artists can provide creative inspiration post-art school.
Make Art School English Interesting
Online English for Creatives
In our English for Art School tuition, we point art students to any kind of REAL cool and useful resource that can develop English skills for international creative careers.
In addition, we have a Network of Scottish Art Practitioners we can bring in for live critiques and coaching.
Art students watch/read it in their own time, then join a Zoom seminar to discuss the content and practise whatever vocabulary and themes the lesson highlights.
The individual seminar groups then create and collaborate with each other, presenting their work the following week.
The goal is to create a relaxed and friendly conversation space with exciting and useful content, which will improve art and design students’ English on all kinds of creative topics.
Chat Room Topic 01
At art college, you learn to work fast and channel both intuition and rational reasoning that analyses the success of any path in real-time.
Artists and designers develop the mindset to test and either move on or develop further.
It’s an excellent life skill for all kinds of careers, as well as creative careers.
Students give examples and explain their reasoning.
What are typical non-practitioner jobs after graduating art school? Why?
Chat Room Topic 02
It’s a cliché to say one should never spend lots of time on a bad idea, but how easy is it to avoid?
Discuss how easy this is to do. Each student gives an example of times they struggled with this.
(Presenting own work and practice through a different lens).
Practical English
Review language for giving advice – and when it should/shouldn’t be used.
English for Creatives | Collaborative Project
A Call for Artists like BOOOOOOOM’s has the potential to make a series of rough ideas ‘finished’.
A book publication of sketches can become a ‘cohesive work’ simply by the authorship, style or content of the sketches.
Tip | Life After Art School | Flip Artist Opportunities to Suit Your Needs
One option is to read this Call for Artists and think you would never have enough finished work to collate into a book.
But another option is to think, what can I quickly produce to seize this opportunity?
Even if you are not one of the 6 artists selected, the process of pushing yourself to produce for the brief is a catalyst.
There are always more Calls for Artists.
Life after graduating from Art College can be hard, with one difficulty keeping making artwork without the challenges set by an intense creative environment.
Calls for Artists can be sources of inspiration if you get stuck. Use them as mini challenges to create!
Helping early career creatives keep making art & keep talking (English).
Reading | Edward Ruscha | Twentysix Gasoline Stations
Students research Edward Ruscha’s publication, Twentysix Gasoline Stations using the Tate’s Artist Book Summary. (The whole book is reproduced here).
Share thoughts on the concept, format, design and presentation.
Reading | Edward Ruscha | Twentysix Gasoline Stations
Students research Edward Ruscha’s publication, Twentysix Gasoline Stations using the Tate’s Artist Book Summary. (The whole book is reproduced here).
Share thoughts on the concept, format, design and presentation.
Further Discussion | English for Creatives
Do you agree that rapid is good and valuable? That it can be easily elevated with a bit of slick presentation (like a book publication) into a final artwork or product?
Does a 'cohesive body of work' include research and sketches, or only final artworks?
Do you think that this opportunity will be awarded to an artist/designer/photographer/architect publishing a collection of fully resolved pieces?
Which artist's works do you admire that are unfinished, have unfinished aesthetic or are sketches prepping for final artworks?
What types of artworks would translate well into this book challenge - and which wouldn't?
And what are some ‘workarounds‘?
Practice Excercise | Practical
Working in your groups, produce 10 -20 coherent images/pages that respond to this brief.
Divide the labour however you wish.
Consider the title, front cover and font.
Prepare a short presentation to share your results with another group in the next English class.
Research
In their English Sketchbooks/phone photos/Pinterest students collect examples of ‘unfinished’ works by artists.
In a future class, students present one favourite ‘unfinished’ work by an artist/creative and explain what they admire about it.
(NB: You could broaden the conversation about ‘rough drafts’ to include music too).
English for Art Schools
Blue Noun are specialists in English for Creatives / English for Creative Careers.
In the same spirit as our physical space, we invite internationals to join us online to practice speaking all things art and culture.
We offer one-to-one coaching to arts professionals and have a variety of services for art schools, to provide either supplementary practical English experience for their students or to deliver the entire English training for the art school.
Make your Art School English interesting! You no longer need to travel to talk!
Art Schools can take advantage of the plethora of good information available online, like free challenges, workshops, coaching, Calls for Artists, artist interviews, and exhibition reviews.
We point your students to authentic sources as part of a creative workshop or seminar series.
Your students ‘surf’ that space to gain the English skills and information they need for an international creative career.
Further Information
Find out about how we help Art Schools and Independent Creatives.
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