Process vs. Product

It all started with a bit of chalk.

Inspired by English artist, Julian Beever the kindergarten and first grade class began an adventure that would take them to the heart of “process” oriented creativity: The Temporal. Nothing is more temporary than chalk on a sidewalk in the Spring. With this in mind our little artists took to the pavement spending a month of their art time creating pieces that wouldn’t last.

In fact, with the rain this April many of these often elaborate works wouldn’t make it past one week. It was amazing to see how not only did this not deter a single one of our artists, but only seemed to add to their enthusiasm and determination. Arriving at the studio each day they would rush to the front of the building to inspect how their pieces had changed. When the elements erased their work they simply plotted their next piece. They met each change with excitement and a determination to make something better and bigger.

We like to encourage process-oriented work. It’s so good for our creativity! In fact, we leave one day a week for just this purpose. Free Art Fridays are a day for the kids to explore their creativity as they see fit. But finding an artist to study whose work is completely process-oriented is a challenge. Our Multimedia instructor, Brittney, found a great example in Julian Beever. I think our youngest After School Art Studio artists would agree!