Digital Media: Hour of Code Guest Speaker

Today in our Digital Media class we completed our Hour of Code projects and had a chance to hear from a Guest Speaker, a professional coder and app creator Mike Desmond.  Mr. Desmond shared his background and talked about some of the realities of the career in coding and also gave us some advice on our long term app projects.  We also learned some great information about coding languages such as JavaScript and Objective-C, the Stony Brook Innovation Lab, and the future of 3D printing!

Last Day of Classes

Today is the Last Day of Class which is exciting but bittersweet.  I hope everyone has a fun and safe summer and remember to keep the creativity flowing!  It was fun working with all of you this year and best of luck to all the seniors who are graduating!  The Vine above will help you remember what this year was like with Mr. Needles in art room 161

The Columbus Museum of Art's Mobile Photo Now Exhibition

Tim Needles Photograph of Smithtown East's Patriots Day in the Columbus Museum of Art's #MobilePhotoNow Exhibition

I am honored to have two of my mobile photographs included in the Columbus Museum of Art's #MobilePhotoNow Exhibition which opens to the public today in Columbus, Ohio and runs throuh March 22, 2015.  More than 5,000 photographers from 89 different countries (from 6 continents) submitted nearly 45,000 images via Instagram and 300 images were selected making it largest museum mobile photography exhibition to date.  The museum partnered with the Josh Johnson and the #JJ online photography community (which we work with in class occasionally) to create the show and examine the world of photographs created exclusively on mobile devices.

I'm especially proud to have an photograph that I created with students from my media art class modeling here on Smithtown East's Patriots Day included in the show- the image was chosen to represent the spirit of community seems very appropriate.  If you take a look at Josh Johnson's video below you can see the Patriots Day photograph showcase with some text about the spirit week event at the museum's opening in the background.

AP Art: summer assignments and concentration examples

The 2012-2013 AP Art class will have a short meeting next Wednesday May 23 at 2:05pm in room 161 to discuss the schedule and summer assignments which are posted below.  If you cannot attend for any reason make sure you see Mr.Needles and complete the 14 assignments by the first week of class because they are a large part of the first quarter grade and the AP test itself.  As an example of what a finished work should look like in terms of the art/design principals above is an example of a quality 'drawing exam' work by Alejandro and below is an example of a quality '2D exam' work by Megan both of whom will be in the class with you next year.  If you have any questions about the assignments feel free to email me or come speak with me, other than that remember to enjoy the work and don't stress out because it usually means death to creativity!

Summer Assignments:

All assignments can be done in any medium, technique and style you desire but should be 2-Dimensional work (flat) not 3-Dimensional (sculpture) work in any media that is 18”x24” or smaller and should be entirely original (do not use other people’s pictures, characters, or content in any way).

Part I: Breadth Assignments:

(these 4 assignments should be sent to me via email, instagram, flickr, ect by August for feedback as they will count towards your 1st Quarter grade)

1. Self Portrait (without showing your face)- The important thing here is to reveal something about yourself without using your face. In fact, you need not use any part of your body at all in this assignment. Instead, you are challenged to portray who you are in some alternative way. What image can you create or invent that would tell us something about you - your personality, your interests, your character, your inclinations, your talents, your passions, your obsessions, your desires, your needs, your likes and dislikes, your essence?

2. Noir- Read the definition below and create a work that has a theme of noir in some way.
(adjective French: Black; noting the black numbers in roulette or the film noir style which incorporates deep shadows and a grim urban setting, photographed in somber tones and permeated by a feeling of disillusionment, pessimism, and despair.)

3. Song- Illustrate a song of your choice. Do NOT incorporate the lyrics into the work but instead illustrate the words or feelings or music itself! The theme is open to your own interpretation.

4. Chronicle- Take a part of your life whether it is a single 24 hour day or a week or a class period and make an art piece representing that period of time. You can incorporate text or leave it abstract but be creative and do not simply document, make it creative.

Part II: Concentration Assignments:

Create 10 works in a theme of your choice in a medium that you want to work with for the AP test (pencil, photography, mixed media, ect.).  Examples from the past include "A Day In The Life", "A Reinterpretation of the Past through Steam technology", and "Perspectives of the Brooklyn Bridge" so it's really wide open but if you want to run your idea past me before you begin I'd love to hear it.  Here's a link to the College Board website which has information about the test with examples of Concentration pieces that have scored well in the past: AP: Studio Art

Part III: Shanti Peace Poster

Create a 8"x10' poster for the Shanti Peace Poster Contest, the theme is peace and you are free to use quotes from Ghandi and/or Martin Luther King if you wish.  Here's a link to the three winning Smithtown designs from last year's contest: 2011 Peace Poster

Skype in the Classroom: Screenwriter Kevin Bisch

This Thursday the Media Art Honor Society will host a Skype in the Classroom chat afterschool with Smithtown alum screenwriter Kevin Bisch best known for his hit film Hitch starring Kevin James and Will Smith.  He was voted one of "100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know" so it should be a great talk for students who want to go into film and writing!

Happy Holidays from Mr.Needles!

Happy Holidays everyone, see you soon!

Mr. Needles class in The Matador

This semester's edition of The Matador featured an article about Mr. Needles class and their participation in the Inside Out Project from the French photographer JR. After the winter break we will be working on expanding the project outside of the art wing and into the rest of the school and larger community so if you are interested come by art room 161 in January! If you haven't seen JR's acceptance speech at TED last make sure you check it out here: TEDprize

AP Alumni Visit: Jen Yu

The AP Art class had a chance to meet with some alumni who are currently in art schools to begin the year. Here's some photos of the presentation given by alumnus Jen Yu who is currently attending the Maryland Institute College of Art. She showed the class her most recent project which was a powerful collection of drawings and paintings based on her family in China.

Here are some samples of Jen's work that which was shown to the class

And here's an image of Jen in class working on a self portrait from back in 2008.

Breadth Madness

Happy Halloween and congratulations- you're now almost 1/4th the way to the finish line! As the 1st quarter comes to a close I'd like each student to post the Breadth piece that you are most proud of and to comment on each others work. This will help give you some direction in terms of where you are headed for your portfolio and your concentration. The important question to ask yourself is- Why is this your favorite? What about it do you respond to? Try to write a short sentance or two summing up why the piece was chosen and when commenting see if you can help give each other some more focus in terms of your direction.

This week we'll go over the basics of blogging and working on the web!

Hello from San Fransico

Hey Artroom, It's great to see you all posting your introductions and getting to know you all. I'm currently in San Francisco working with Adobe which is fun. I'm looking forward to seeing more work from you all and getting to know you better. In addition to posting please leave comments for each other on the images that are put up. Remember to keep it positive and helpful!

Summer!!

Hello from Atlanta! I hope you guys are all having a great summer! Mine has been very hot so far but I'm working with Adobe so it's all good. I've also seen some great art which is always inspiring. Don't forget to work on your summer assignments- you don't want to get behind on them! I'll be asking for a post of your first works soon- see you then!

<3 Mr.Needles