Brooke Holland and Anthony Lufkin – In Times Like These

Knowing that in the presidential election divisive opinions would be amplified this year, we wanted students to start within their classroom to build a community where we listen to each other and find where we can relate. Photography and film classes started off with each class for two weeks doing activities to get to know each other, moving seats, talking, finding connections. Fine arts classes include freshmen and seniors, special education, and honors students. It is important to create a community of openness and acceptance in order to find that we have more in common than differences. As the year went on we brought in community members to work with the classes and others to interview. Similarly, in Foundations of Art classes, students were asked to identify leadership qualities, and identify people in the community who embody those characteristics. As art educators we find a general calling to create community and find common ground; it is important to us to teach this to our students for a better future.

Americans Who Tell the Truth

In December of 2024, we took several of our arts classes to visit the Bates Mill Atrium to view the portrait collection Americans Who Tell the Truth (AWTT) by Robert Shetterly. It gave students the opportunity to view the over 270 paintings in one setting. Our Foundations of Art classes, Intro to Film, Advanced Photography, and MAP went on the field trip. As part of the field trip experience, students were asked to identify portraits that stood out to them visually, find a quote that resonated with them, and identify a stance they disagreed with.

Prior to the field trip, we had a discussion about leadership characteristics, and had our classes identify characteristics they think are found in a good leader and list some of their own. Next we had students analyze some of the narratives of the AWTT portraits that have helped shape those perspectives. Through this, students shared some personal experiences that influenced their perspective on leadership qualities. While they seemed to recognize who community leaders are, they struggled with aligning the characteristics they generated with the leaders they chose. Using the field trip as a basis for a portrait assignment, we wanted students to identify a local community leader that they could relate to, and create art that incorporated a quotation that embodied that person’s perspective.

Identifying Community Leaders

In an increasingly egocentric society, recognizing the difference between empowerment and entitlement seems to be becoming more vague. Thinking beyond one’s own needs and wants, to see the structures that impact the greater good, is something that seems to be diminishing. There are still many people who are doing good for its own sake. Identifying those people turned out to be a challenge for many of our students. In attempting to identify community leaders, we found that students didn’t always know about the individuals behind certain initiatives, practices, and clubs/organizations that were started in their own communities. We needed to have broader conversations about who ignited these positive changes. Knowing who was the catalyst behind something good that has been established in our community is often overlooked, which is why these people needed to be amplified.

The rise of community leaders is often one of necessity. It requires people to step up, to not only recognize a need, but to also sacrifice their time and energy to a cause they feel is worthwhile. Recognizing those leaders requires some understanding of the community they impact. The cultural influences and structures that define a community are the foundation for what makes community leaders. There is the adage, “we are a product of our environment.”  While often taken as a derogatory phrase to describe our limitations, it should be recognized for the influence and positive aspects it contributes to our lives. Understanding that community leaders are a result of, not in spite of, our communities is an important message we tried to convey to our students.

The Project

Through the mediums of photography and painting, we gave students the opportunity to create and portray that positive perspective. Students were asked to identify, interview, and get a photograph (utilizing specific lighting techniques) of someone they believe to be a community leader. For the students in our Foundations of Art classes, they took the photograph further and began a painting from it. While mimicking the work of Robert Shetterly, we looked at the work of Chuck Close and utilized his method of grid drawing to lay out the portraits.

Students were also asked to pick a quote from the interview they conducted that they felt embodied the person’s contribution to their community, their perspective on life, and/or philosophy, and tie it into their artwork. While this is attributed to the AWTT series, it also provided a chance for students to think critically about the inspiration and drive that promotes the leadership found in their selected individuals. It helped make students reflect on the words from the interview and think about how they influence their own perspective. Here are some examples:

. . . most important in my life is my family.

—Susan Jones

 

. . . the thing that made this work is the people and the community. It’s huge, it gives you a reason why.

—Sean Donaghy

 

I want it to be contagious. I want to impact other people; I hope someday that they’re so fortunate they could do the same thing for somebody else. I hope the people I’ve affected will also step up and make better ideas to serve our community. I hope people outdo me, (because) that means more people are going to continue to get help.

—Mindy Gould

 

Forming relationships with students and families is one of the most important jobs as a teacher.

—Tasha Readinger

 

. . . come through the door, they have to connect, I believe the connection that we make . . . (is) the community.

—Coach Dan

 

I think there is something to be said for slowing down and looking around you to appreciate what’s in front of you.

—Kali Martin

In Advanced Photography, we have done a large unit on portraits starting with formal studio lighting of the four main portrait types: environmental, candid, creative, and constructional. With this background, students are researching and selecting community members who demonstrate courage, integrity, and leadership that inspires positive change. We have looked at artists and photographers who are known for their portraiture: Cig Harvey, Arnold Newman, Annie Leibovitz, and David LaChapelle. We also watched videos completed by the Introduction to Film class as they interviewed community members to see their process and start thinking of a community beyond the walls of our school. This is in preparation for them to find a community member who resonates with them in terms of their beliefs, actions, and/or qualities. Below are examples of the four portrait types that students just completed leading up to this assignment:

Being able to identify and empathize with opposing or different perspectives can be difficult for our students who are bombarded with visual and social influences. Being able to separate their own perspectives from those found on social media and other mainstream perspectives can be challenging. Often we see a conformity to the “status quo,” where students are only working towards a minimum expectation. This “good enough” mentality is one that we have seen expand in more recent years, becoming more and more mainstream. In the arts, it can be difficult to measure what is considered “successful” since much of it has to do with individual skills, understanding, perspectives, and expectations. Because of this, we often see the bare minimum being presented as “finished.” Building rigor into our program and striving for excellence is something that we are working towards improving. By recognizing the fact that community leaders are going above and beyond expectations will hopefully inspire more effort to do the same. In the Foundations of Art class, it became clear to students that there is also a sense of obligation to paint someone well. This seemed to inspire a little more effort, despite the frustration of trying to paint representational portraits.

Viewing the AWTT exhibit was a great experience. The craftsmanship of the artwork, the chosen subjects, and the quotations by the individuals contributed to thinking about our own perspectives. Recognizing the impact that these people have made, and seeing how their paths have shaped them, will hopefully inspire our students to shape their own futures in a positive way. We hope by participating in this project students will be inspired to think about their personal goals and reflect on the influences that have impacted their perspectives. With the artwork, we hope they will recognize the importance of experimentation and creativity, as well as the mode of free speech and its impact. We also hope they will realize that “we” have more in common than differences.

There will always be opposing opinions, but at the root of society there is a moral compass, and there will be things that we all feel are important. By reaching out to community members, students will hopefully bridge the hurdle of connecting to people outside of their immediate circles, helping to break down barriers created by falsely constructed perspectives. Leadership comes in all shapes and forms. This project is one where students and their audience learn about the unsung heroes in our community. Finally, we hope they will pause for gratitude, recognizing and promoting the selfless work of these leaders. Over the next several weeks students will continue to develop their artwork to exhibit and share with the greater community.

 

Brooke Holland and Anthony Lufkin are art teachers at Medomak Valley High School, Waldoboro, RSU40. Brooke has been teaching for twenty-one years, working at the elementary level for the first ten years, and now currently teaches photography and film courses. Anthony has been teaching art for eighteen years, primarily at the elementary and middle school levels, but transitioned to high school in 2023. He currently teaches Foundations of Art and Introductory to Advanced Ceramics courses.