Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. Self-Portraits with a Matt Annie Charlie W henever possible I tr y to incorporate technology and contemporary art into my curriculum. After viewing artist Tim Hawkinson’s profile on season two of Art:21 (PBS), I was impressed with his fresh approach to self-portraiture. Hawkinson created a sculpture titled Emoter in which his face, moved by motors, twisted and contorted based on random signals from a TV. The same week I viewed the program, new iMac computers with the program Photo Booth arrived at my school. Photo Booth uses a camera that’s built in the computer to allow users to take their portrait and alter it using a number of distortion filters. Inspired, I set out determined to lead my students down a unique path to self-portraiture, while building their computer skills and connecting to contemporary art. Students began the project by spending one class period creating a traditional, classically proportioned self-portrait in pencil. This allowed us to have a com- Self-Portraits with a by Frederick DeMarco parison portrait once our distorted selfportraits were completed. The primary goal of the project, however, wasn’t for students to create a realistic representation. I wanted even my most insecure drawers to feel comfortable diving right in, for everyone’s self-portrait was supposed to look weird! During the next class, students viewed the Tim Hawkinson segment from Art:21, as well as work from other artists who distort faces. Students found their work amusing and interesting. We discussed how contemporary art often challenges traditional ideas of representation and allows us to make art that may be unusual or even humorous. After that, we headed to our library to take our photos. Students sat at a computer station and I guided them through the steps to taking, saving and printing out their picture. They loved using the program and viewing their friends’ wacky pictures. Students eagerly arrived for their third session and found their distorted portrait photos at their table. We discussed how to create a grid enlargement to transfer their 4" x 6" photographs onto a piece of 12" x 18" watercolor x www.ar tsandactivities.com 38 april 2010 > > >