History of Projects 2000-2017
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MathsEveryone has "their math" that they do every day, addition, geometry, calculus, algebra, and more. Not all of these people learned their daily math in school. Not all of these people have taken the math they do daily in school; they learned out of necessity.
Each student will interview and learn the math of someone in their lives or someone out in the world. They will learn and write up these maths with explanations, demonstrations, and problem sets. They will create a "Maths Text Book" and teach each others Maths. |
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IDEA ANIMATION
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JOIN THE CANON OF ART SPRING '17
Students will find a Modern to Post Modern artist of note. (1850 - today) (Courbet - Present Day) Then they will emulate their Method, Subject, and Reason for creation and make 2 to 3 images like the artist. The students will also write the art history to explain their artist.
After the emulation is complete, each student will create 2 to 3 pieces of work. Of course, they can be influenced by anyone or anything, but they must be consistent in their creations. That is, they must be a series of works, just like real artists do. Then, they will write themselves into the Canon of Art using the same criteria that they used for the famous artist. Finally, as a group, they will place themselves into our art history book as if they are contemporaries and peers of the artists that came before them. |
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BENTO BOX MURAKAMI FALL '16For the first assignment, students will create images representing their values and experiences and display them on a personal bento box. These images will then act as a storyboard to inform the writing of their college essay.
This project combines the beauty and imagination of Hikaru Murakami’s Japanese Magical Realist writing with the art of Joaquin Torres-Garcia's bento box style of painting. These two artists share intersections and similarities. The students will paint and write their way in and out of these two artists' paths. |
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THE CLASSIC SELF-HELP BOOK FALL '16This project will have the students reinterpreting a novel by turning it into a self-help book. Then, they will make a Jean Lowe-style painted book describing this new book. The student must choose a classic, 50 years or older. No Harry, Katniss, Tris, or Sponge Bob will have to say no to.
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Where Book Trees GrowInspired Furniture was a collaboration between Humanities & Engineering classes where students looked to nature’s remarkable ability to design as a guide for their own work. During this project, they critically examined humans’ relationships – societal, economic, personal & otherwise – with nature and employed the engineering process to construct a piece of DIY furniture. Each of these pieces was inspired by, and constructed around, observations of nature’s most functional & attractive design approaches.
Then, my Art Class installed one of the pieces in the hallway at High Tech High. They built both a desk and wainscoting around the project, where students can study and read. The mural above the work depicts the natural habitat where Book Trees Grow, a great example of how projects exist in the outside world. |
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Busts of High Tech HighThese busts represent the finest in High Tech High Sculpture. The four thousand year-old tradition is exemplified in this “last hurrah” senior project in Jeff Robin’s art class. While they did not study--or even hear--a lecture about busts, or completely understand the place in art history busts hold, they did a good job. The students have been working all semester creating, making and doing, so Robin thought, “Eh, give it a try”. The students were supposed to find an image to riff off of to create their busts. Some did, and some did not. Then, they used the large pile of cut-off scraps their teacher had saved for years to create their busts. They were displayed on a high shelf at High Tech High until the students took them home.
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A FIGHT WITH GRAVITYThe physics and art students of Andrew Gloag and Jeff Robin made Kites, Hot Air Balloons and other Flying Objects to try and discover the best way to fight gravity. They experimented, tried, failed and tried again. Everyone defied gravity, please take a look.
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GATES OF HELLMy intersession class of 2016 replicated Rodin's Gates of Hell. However instead of using Dante's Inferno as a insperation they used the seven deadly sins. They also included Rodin's Thinker, the Three Shades and the Heads of the Dammed, to have a connection to Rodin's posthumous master piece.
This Gates of Hell is located in the northwest door way of High Tech High. |
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STAIRCASE TO NOWHERE FALL 2015In the fall of 2015 our students designed staircases. They created scale models and full size "staircases to nowhere" around the school. Using play they will design a 1:10 staircase themselves. With a partner using trigonometry and CAD they designed and built a 1:5 scale staircase and with a party of 10 they created life size Staircases to Nowhere at various locations in the school. It is a conceptual art piece physics and math project.
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20TH CENTURY BOX SPRING 2015Students picked a subject that they were interested in from the Twentieth Century. Not a subject that they are an expert in, rather one that they are interested in. They then created four written and illustrated works and an artifact about their subject. They then exhibited their work in a cigar box that they altered to represent their subject.
The Four writings were: Assumption at 0 (what you think the subject is about and why you chose it), Research (to find a historical consensus), Primary Documents, and a Historical Fiction (students will write a story about their subject). |
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IMMIGRANT OR REFUGEE FALL 2014The students interview Immigrants or Refugees to tell their stories of coming to this country, their ideas about home, loss and new beginnings. The students drew, collaged, paint and use video and sound to tell these important stories.
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HIGH TECH HIGH DERMTECH FALL 2014With the assistance of the DermTech molecular biology team, our students began to study the diagnosis, testing, prevention and treatment of Melanoma and transformed that knowledge into paintings that tell the story of growth, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
With the guidance of the DermTech scientists and other healthcare professionals, the students learned the science to create the plan and the metaphor for their painting. The pairs of students learned to divide responsibilities and leverage each others’ strengths through this real-world workplace experience. All I had to do was get the students to make great artwork about a subject they and I were still learning about: No problem. |
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7.7 MILE BOX 47 STUDENTS FALL 2013As a team of 47, we walked and drove to Bird Rock Coffee Roasters 5627 La Jolla Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92037 from High Tech High 2861 Womble Rd, San Diego, CA 92106, a total of 7.7 miles. It took 3 hours just what google maps said it would take, however we had a 12'x4'x8" boxs with us.
Watch Video, music donated By Namism. |
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MASTER TO MASTER FALL 2013I went to the LA Louver gallery in Venice Beach and saw an inspirational show. Artists like David Hockney, Tom Wudl and Rebecca Campbell and other Contemporary Masters were showing work that was inspired by an old master’s paintings and sculptures. My students emulate this idea using the the themes and compositions of Old Masters and the Style of Modern or Contemporary Masters.
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PHYS-NEWTONIn this project an Art teacher (Jeff Robin) and a Physics teacher (Andrew Gloag) had students design posters to teach the California State Physics standards. We concentrated on the first two realms of the standards which cover mechanics and Newtonian physics. The physics concepts were presented as explanations for the images they put together and painted.
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Graphic Novel Spring 2013
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The New Path of the Buddha Spring 2014The New Path of the Buddha is an interdisciplinary project between Art and English. The students will develop a new Buddha story using the vernacular of a specific time and place. They will need to do visual and idiomatic research and synthesizes the story of the Buddha in this new place and time. Then they must tell their new story.
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Behold, High Tech High Fall 2013A Partnership with San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art
This project began in May 2012 when the education directors from the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art La Jolla, Anne Kindseth and Christina Scorza, contacted my teaching partner, Kelly Williams, and I. They asked if we wanted to bring our students for multiple visits to the museum so that they would gain a greater understanding of the artwork and have a chance to make their own art as well. Kelly and I presented the project idea to the students and called it Behold, High Tech High! The project entailed three visits to the SDCMA, research of the art, and an exploration of the concept of frontiers. Then students would ultimately present what they learned at a showcase at the museum. |
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GET BENTThis year Andrew Gloag (Physics& Math) and I did a project with our students called “Get Bent”. The idea came from us working together in the past where we used art and calculus to explain each other. It was called “Calculicious making calculus delicious”. This year we decided to try and move in a different direction, just a little bit. Get Bent will uses three-dimensional geometry, calculus and physics to explain design of chairs, lamps and to write a books about the experience.
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ECONOMICS ILLUSTRATEDDan Wise and I shared 45 students that studied and wrote about economic theories in his class and illustrated them in mine. This was not easy; the concepts were complex and sometimes difficult to explain and convey with images. The students worked hard to understand and explain their concepts, and Dan and I worked hard on not killing each other. There were hundreds of linoleum prints, and posters explaining their work, and a book on blurb.com that features their best work. I would like to thank Kai Wells for helping put the book together.
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CALCULICIOUS SPRING 2009Calculicious was a cross-curricular project between me and Andrew Gloag, the Calculus teacher.We came up with the title of the project and logo before we even decided what the project would really be. We both knew that art has math and math has art, so I guess it was faith.
The students designed their Watercolors, Acrylic Paintings and Sculptures using the calculus that they learned in class. We later exhibited the work at the San Diego Airport. |
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THE BLOOD BANK PROJECTThis project was a collaboration between the San Diego Blood Bank and High Tech High seniors. It was also a collaboration between the Biology / Multimedia Teacher and the Art teacher.
The students learned about blood, blood diseases, blood in the body, blood banking, and blood politics. They also educated the community and brought awareness to the issues that surround our San Diego Blood Bank. |
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ANALOG FLASH FOR WINDOWSThis project was meant to focus the students' minds around the concept that they were either making art about Physics and Engineering or using physics and engineering to make Art.
We decided to use the school’s interior window boxes as a constraint and to display their work. The 24 x 24 x 5 inch windows were perfect for: Analog Flash for Windows. Analog: because most of the projects are mechanical. Flash: references the program for interactivity. For Windows: not for PC but the actual windows at High Tech High. |
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55 Word Short Stories with Collage Fall 2013Ghosts. Phobias. Memories. Love. Lust. Death.
All topics covered in stories of only 55 words. Storytelling in its leanest, most fun and challenging form. Every word matters. Only the essential to advance the plot is necessary. Success depends not on lengthbut on depth. It’s a shorter short story. –Kelly Williams (my team teacher)
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THE AMERICAN HALF CENTURY OF ARTI was teaching second semester 11th grade humanities, the students studied American history till about 1939 the semester before. As a group we discussed what was different about America than the rest of the world during and after World War II. One of the areas was The Arts. There was no rebuilding of broken city’s here only a growth in American culture and economy a perfect storm, ideas and money to make new art.
My students researched American artist that made interesting advance in artistic concepts, and they looked at the art that they liked too. They then choose an artist to emulate their style not so much their subjects. The results were fantastic; we got new Frakenthaler’s, Nevelson’s, Warhol’s and more. Along with each of their paintings they wrote a description of the artist’s work. |
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HISTORY OF SCULPTURE FLATTENED ON THE WALLEach student researched and then choose two different sculptures to study. One must be out of the canon of western art, the second in the traditional scope of western art. They then wrote a page about the sculpture describing the Method, the Subject and the Reason that that sculpture was created. Then they: sketch, drew or digitally manipulate the 3D sculpture into 2D drawing.
The student will then transfer the image onto a piece of plywood, cut out the image and then paint in the drawing. This will then be places on the wall of flattened sculptures. |
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WHO IS YOUR MASTER?Students choose an artist, craftsman, architect or designer and research their methods of creation, subject of their work and the reason for creation of their work (MSR).
Then they studied their master’s body of work. Then they planned their work around MSR. In the case of Armond Radford; he painted in the style Basquiat but used acrylic on plywood. His reason for creation was similar to his art master in that they were two African American men that wanted to stick their finger in the eye of convention. Another student; Veronica Closson, wanted to painted in the style of Morris Louis, using paint and gravity to make the composition. I would have loved to see the mess in Louis’ studio because Miss Closson destroyed my space trying to make work like her master. In the end she had more success changing her method, digital output on paper rather than using paint. |
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SENIOR ART SHOWHigh Tech High's Teen Spirit @ Cassius King Gallery,
Gas Lamp District, San Diego March 12th, 2004. All of my seniors exhibited some or all of their Who is Your Master Project at this show. We also had student musicians and a student spinning. The gallery was perfect and we wish it was still around. We are taking donations to build our own gallery if you would like to contribute, please do. |
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SERIES OF FOURStudents made a series of four paintings
and related them to each other in one way or another. |
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VALUE STUDIESStudents found a landscape they liked and reconstructed lines, shapes, hue, and value.
When I taught art in other place I had students do all kinds of art exercises, most of which they left in my classroom at the end of the year. My students needed to learn about value and relationship between different values. I would tell them, “You can make the sky any color you want” and the result was often negative because they would change the values along with hues. I came up with “A New Value” this had them find a landscape they liked and reconstruct, lines, shapes, hue and most importantly value. |
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ALTAR PROJECTThe class researched cultural and religious altars and then made their own altars to their spiritual, religious or humorous modalities.
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DIGITAL BAROQUEStudents chose a Baroque painting then altered it using Photoshop, and then painted this new Neo-Baroque image. The ideals of baroque still existed in these colorful paintings of light and dark.
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INTERSECTION MURAL2006 Mural Painting
Intersession Designed and Painted By 25 students on 45 Canvases (2’x2’) |
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THE SHIFTThe shift is when a culture changes its taste in fine arts, methods of creation, subjects and/or reason to create the art.
These three terms Relationship – Influence – The Shift will be the buzz words of this class. All of the art and writing that we will be doing and studying will center on the themes of Relationship – Influence – Shift. "The Shift Wall" is also very cool. The stuendts painted the wall at HTH where they showed their art. My best moment at HTH was after graduation the shift wall was empty because everyone took their paintings home. |
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A BITE OUT OF THE NORTON SIMON FALL 2007Each student choose one work of art to replicate. A"bite" of this larger painting was created. Next, each student coupled the painting with a writing component. A postmodernist method was employed when writing and painting. The result is a series of rebellious, reactive and enlightening "original" pieces of art and writing.
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BOY'S BATHROOM @ HTHWe really like bathroom art and thought it would be funny to dedicate urinals to staff, students and classes.
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The Strain in ArtStudents took their new knowledge of art history and created a work of art or some mechanism to describe the strains of influence in art. They may choose painting, sculpture, crafts, and architecture. They may focus on theme, subject, formal elements of art (line, perspective, contrast, rhythm, and more), and/ or reason for creation.
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Codex Bourbonico ProjectCodex Borbonicus project was an Advanced Spanish and Art project the first year High Tech High opened. I was the teacher of record, and while I can speak Spanish, I hold a California Teaching Credential to teach Spanish I would not call my self an Advanced Spanish Language Profesor, maybe a Maestro.
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