Here is my Final Synthesis Essay for Arts Learning Policy and Practice.
-
Final Synthesis Essay–Arts Learning
June 10, 2013 by arichard@uoregon.edu
Category Arts Learning Policy and Practice | Tags: | 1 Comment
-
Portfolio Highlights and Selected Examples of Work
May 9, 2013 by arichard@uoregon.edu
Below are examples that I feel best demonstrate some of the major skills I have learned during the 2013-2014 academic year.
Graphic Design:
Research and Writing:
Category Professional | Tags: | No Comments
-
Arts Learning Policy and Practice Learning Objectives
April 8, 2013 by arichard@uoregon.edu
AAD 510 Arts Learning Policy and Practice
Learning Objectives
My learning objectives for Arts Learning Policy and Practice this term are to:
– Learn/brainstorm unexpected or new methods for audience engagement, with a particular focus on arts education for adults in performing arts centers
Reflection 6/9/13: I accomplished this learning objective through the development of my Arts Education Plan, as well as through my facilitation with Tracey, which both targeted arts learning opportunities for adults. Through the readings, I gained insight into “best practices” for implementing arts education programs through partnerships between schools and arts organizations, which included performing arts centers. In addition, Annie and Amy’s Arts Education Plan, which was based in a performing arts center, was useful for me in understanding how an arts education program for children can be implemented in such a center.
– Explore intergenerational arts learning opportunities within arts nonprofit organizations, as well as other learning opportunities for “special populations”
Reflection 6/9/13: I did accomplish this through both the Arts Education Plan, which dealt specifically with intergenerational learning, and through my facilitation with Tracey, which looked at arts learning opportunities for veterans and other populations with special cognitive or emotional needs. I understand how the formation and evaluation of such arts learning programs for “special” populations is fundamentally different than arts learning programs for children, and I feel equipped to articulate those differences.
– Become more familiar with the current national environment for arts education in K-12 public schools
Reflection 6/9/13: I do feel like I gained a pretty holistic perspective of arts education in K-12 public schools. I learned that arts learning opportunities are presented by outside teaching artists and arts organizations much more frequently than I previously thought. Arts learning is a domain that must be considered by ALL arts administrators to some extent, and should not be simply left to the Community Engagement/Education departments of arts organizations. Making arts learning opportunities available to children, especially, is the shared responsibility of both arts managers and schools, whether or not arts managers asked to fill that role.
I will support my own learning in this class by feeling free to bounce ideas off of my classmates and professor, even if the ideas are not completely, perfectly formed. This amounts to taking more risks in communication; essentially, giving myself permission to think creatively and in a more open-ended way than I usually do, and communicating my ideas to others. This also means that in general, I would like to speak up more in group situations, and trust my ability to lead and teach others what I know. At the same time, I want to keep in mind that my classmates are also a wealth of knowledge, ideas, and inspiration. I am excited to share thoughts in this seminar-style class.
Reflection 6/9/13: I still didn’t participate in class discussion as much as I expected or hoped, but I am okay with that. I feel like I contributed heartily by writing thoughtful, careful, and sometimes provocative blog posts. I did appreciate the opportunity to learn from my classmates, through the presentation of the Arts Education Plans, and through Facilitations.
Category Arts Learning Policy and Practice | Tags: | No Comments
-
Showcase ePortfolio
March 19, 2013 by arichard@uoregon.edu
AAD 585 Multimedia in Arts Administration
Assignment Description: Students will create and make live their Prototype Professional Showcase ePortfolio websites for presentation to the class.
Here it is! The moment of truth is upon us: my Showcase ePortfolio.
I learned a ton in this (CSS) website creation process, but there are a couple of things I definitely would have done differently. For example, I would have chosen some sort of central theme for my website, and made the design consistent page-to-page with that theme. Instead, I just designed the header and thought having a neat, almost-transparent image in the background of all the content would be suitable, and while I like the design I created, it makes the text a little difficult to read. The site looks sort of old-fashioned, but I think it’s cute, functional, and easy-to-use. I plan on adding a few features later down the road, such as my AAD “Student Spotlight” video interview which will be completed soon. I like how my Resume page turned out. I initially had a bunch of text pulled straight from my resume, and I realized I might as well put a jpg that links to a pdf of the actual document instead. I also like the Professional Associations page, as all the jpgs link out to the organization’s websites. I would probably tweak some of the other pages–I’m not sold on “Work Samples” or “Research,” which look a little unwieldy. But overall, since this was a very steep learning curve for me, I am proud at what I accomplished in about five weeks’ time. If I choose to learn more about web design in the future, I have a solid foundation.
Category infodesign, Technology | Tags: | No Comments
-
Reflection on Learning Objectives, Research Methods
March 18, 2013 by arichard@uoregon.edu
Reflection on Learning Objectives
AAD 630 Research Methods
At the beginning of this term, I hoped to “better define both where I fall on the positivist/post-positivist spectrum, and what epistemology is appropriate for my research area.” As I worked through my various research ideas this term, I became very confident that my research will fall under a post-positivist umbrella. This does not mean that the positivist paradigm holds no value to me, only that the innate subjectivity of my research topic necessitates an acceptance of a gray area that positivism does not seem to accommodate. I think this is true of most exploratory (and often, social science-based) research.
I also stated, ” I also hope to discover a way to include surveying and experimental methods into my inquiry. I don’t know if it is possible to combine a more “hard science” approach with a softer social science approach, but both approaches to research interest me.” In my final research proposal, I did include surveys as a data collection tool, although I now think seeing surveys as “hard science” is a little short-sighted. It’s all in how the data is collected and analyzed that really determines what kind of lens the researcher is operating under, not necessarily the tool itself. Experimental methods are not likely to come into my data collection methods, because they just don’t have a place.
As my final learning objective, I explained, “Through this class, I want to learn the best way to design my research in order to meet that practical end, while working with concepts as subjective and slippery as “transformation” and “healing.”” The “practical end” to which I was referring involved creating a set of usable tools for music venues, which I have since moved away from. Furthermore, I am no longer dealing with the concepts of “transformation” and “healing” head-on, because it didn’t seem feasible. I really changed directions with my research, while still retaining the essence of my inquiry. Through this class, I believe I successfully identified the most appropriate research epistemology and data collection methods to align with my research interests.
Category Research | Tags: | No Comments
-
Showcase ePortfolio Timeline
March 4, 2013 by arichard@uoregon.edu
Multimedia In Arts Administration
Showcase ePortfolio Timeline
Assignment description: Students create a timeline, a chronology of events to complete their websites. The timeline is an outline of calendar dates detailing activities with specific tasks necessary to complete the website.
Timeline: Showcase ePortfolio Design
Category infodesign | Tags: | No Comments
-
Web 2.0 App Abstract: Musicovery
February 28, 2013 by arichard@uoregon.edu
AAD 585 Multimedia In Arts Administration
Web 2.0 App Abstract Assignment
Assignment Description:
Students pick a Web 2.0 app that they use, and/or one they are interested in knowing more about, to write a brief abstract about its features, application, and value. This will be presented like a product review, approximately a page in length, and submitted as a PDF. These will be shared on my instructional blog. Web 2.0 apps include Diigo, Skype, Prezi, Evernote, Flickr, hulu, digg, weebly, Linkedin, and many more.
Category infodesign | Tags: | 1 Comment
-
Showcase ePortfolio Template and Narrative
February 21, 2013 by arichard@uoregon.edu
AAD 585 Multimedia In Arts Administration
Showcase ePortfolio Web Template and Narrative Assignment
Category infodesign | Tags: | No Comments
-
Arts Organization Website Case Study
February 19, 2013 by arichard@uoregon.edu
AAD 585 Multimedia In Arts Administration
Arts Org. Website Case Study Assignment
Assignment Description: Students will pick an arts organization (their internship site makes for an interesting choice) and critique the organization website. The case study will include a brief backgrounder of the organization, an overall assessment – addressing design, UI (user interface), navigation, functionality, and content, and prescription for improvement.
PDF of Portland Institute for Contemporary Art website case study: Website Case Study
Category infodesign | Tags: | No Comments
-
Potential Research Methods
February 18, 2013 by arichard@uoregon.edu
AAD 630 Research Methods
Research Methods Blog Post
In completing my second-year research, I will attempt to answer the question, What models of programming are most effective at engaging audiences at a live music venue? Further, what are the benefits of participatory models of programming for an audience member? Enhanced creativity? Increased social connections and/or creative collaborations between community members? Or simply, an increase in enjoyment of a performance?
I expect my research to mainly be approached mainly from the audience perspective. I intend to conduct two or more case studies of organizations with innovative, interdisciplinary, and/or participatory music programming, using personal observation and possibly interviews with staff members to understand why innovative music or performing arts venues program the way that they do. The rest of my research will be conducted through audience surveys and/or focus groups pre- and post-performance. My research will be qualitative and exploratory in nature, as I attempt to understand what audiences stand to gain from a venue’s participatory model of musical programming. Rather than looking for a specific increase in measurable attributes within a population, I will seek to gain a deeper understanding of the experience of a smaller number of individuals. I believe this can best be accomplished through surveys and focus groups. In addition to these research methods, I will conduct a literature review in order to situate my research topic within a framework of live music as a breeding ground for improved quality of life, personal transformation, and possibly, social group development and inception of creative projects.
Category Research | Tags: | No Comments