Reflections of Buffalo State's AED200

I wont lie to you, this has been a long semester.  Five classes, an internship and 2 kids is something that should have been thought harder about.  This class was both what I expected and at the same time not.  As the class title suggests "Fundamentals of Art Inquiry" I expected the history and definitions, even the curator perspective.  What I was not totally expecting was the practical art that snuck its way in there.  Lets revisit my expectations:

• I hope to gain another perspective of the Art world out side of my previous teachings (High School and AP art classes
• With any luck I will get to see a fair number of students express their views on art and other related topics
• Lastly I hope to have some fun!  I have never ran a Blog and with my love for technology I am honestly surprised I have never dove into this trend

 I absolutely gained more perspective on the art world as a whole.  There were lessons that really opened my up to the development of techniques and the way the art world perceived the works of their time.
A few of the projects required the interaction of peers to review their work and even critique it.  This accompanied with the answer and response message boards really allowed for some close interaction with my fellow students.  It actually felt like too often to be honest but it was all a part of the process.
As for the fun, I did have some fun throughout the semester.  Agreeably the work load for this class got to be a little on the heavy side but if anything it drove home the material.

As for what art is, I still believe it is the same.  Anything that can be seen or thought of a creative and adding something of value to any given area of life.  My original definition really focused on the visual arts specifically but art is so much more.  The funny part is that art is what people make it to be.  There are women who made quilts out of old tattered cloths as a need to survive and re-use the resources they had.  This was nothing more than a blanket to them and now the world celebrates these pieces as art.  The makers had no intention of creating art and in fact it may have been the furthest thing from their minds when they made them.  As time moved forward and people started to see how spectacular these quilts were and what they were comprised of they shifted from blankets to art.  I have just gained a new appreciation for the styles and techniques that are used to define art.  New styles will crop up as time moves forward and they will always be compared to the styles of the past.  We look for connections and inspirational motivation from these past forms to better understand the new.  Some times clear connections can be made other times it is much more difficult for professionals to agree upon, but this does not make it any less of art then it was intended or not.

My favorite artist has not really changed at all.  I still enjoy Dali's work and if anything I have a better understanding of who he was as a person and his vision on art.  I would say this stayed the same mainly because this course did not alter my tastes but instead it allowed for me to make connections between different forms of art and the methods in which the artists created the imagery.  I still like what I like but now I have seen the development of who I like and even how his pieces would be incorporated into an art collection and curators vision of a museum.

For the reflection of taking an online course I would say my expectations were close to spot on.  I have taken quite a few online courses and this classes format was no different than any other before it.  What I would say is that this class carried a work load that rivaled every class I have ever taken, be it online or in class.  I liked each section of the class but to have 3 or 4 sections that really take a fair amount of time to divulge pertinent and viable information was more tasking than expected.  Without a doubt of the 5 classes I took this semester and my internship, this was easily the class I had to spend the most time on.  It was taxing and at times I felt like I was putting in too much effort while others may not have and I noticed every week on the discussion boards and project, hey I looked at every single one every week and some times I really had to search for posts that had enough insightful information for me to comment or respond to.  That was the only surprise for this online course.