>>Hey everybody, welcome to the creative corner.

My name is Lauren.

I'm an art teacher with Art For The Journey.

And I'm thrilled that you're here today.

Here in the creative corner, we like to explore lots of different things from the world of arts and culture, and today is no different.

Today's episode is about art in motion.

We're gonna to spend some time drawing together, although probably not the way that you're used to.

We're going to try to retrain our brains so that our eyes and our hands move together.

And things are going to get a little silly.

Then we're going to visit with some students from a school in Richmond, Virginia.

Who make movement look graceful, powerful, and united.

And finally, we'll take a field trip, literally.

I'm gonna to head out to my neighborhood soccer field to gather some unexpected art supplies from nature.

And I'll show you some artists who are making some truly incredible work in very interesting places.

So come on in.

Let's get creative.

(upbeat music) We're going to warm up today with one of my favorite drawing activities.

I love to draw.

But a lot of the time when I start to draw something, I get really caught up on how I think it should look.

Which distracts me from actually looking at it.

So my favorite solution to that problem is blind contour drawing.

A contour is the outline of a shape.

So for this activity, we're going to be focusing just on lines.

We're not gonna worry about shadows or color or spatial perspective.

We're also going to be drawing blind.

That doesn't mean that we're gonna blindfold ourselves.

It just means that we're going to focus exclusively on the thing that we're drawing, So we're not going to look at our paper.

As you can imagine, making drawings without looking at your paper can result in some pretty funny looking pictures.

That's one of the things I love about this activity.

Those funny looking pictures though, are actually training our brains to be better at observational drawing.

Making blind contours forces us to draw exactly what we see or observe.

As opposed to what we infer or interpret about our subject.

There are only two rules for blind contour drawing.

One, you must not look at your paper while you're drawing.

Look exclusively at your subject and allow your eyes to trace the lines around and throughout whatever it is that you're looking at.

And two once you start drawing, you may not lift your pen or pencil until you're done.

This means that your whole drawing is gonna be one big, long, twisty line.

Now that sounds challenging, but it's actually gonna help you keep your place on the paper, since you're not looking at it while you're drawing it.

So, grab some paper and something to draw with, and let's have some fun.

The first thing I'm gonna try and draw is my hand.

So I'm gonna take one piece of paper and use some removable tape here.

It's some washi tape and stick it down on the table so it doesn't wander away from me.

Cause I'm gonna be looking at this hand drawing with the other one.

And again, I am prepared for this drawing to be very imperfect.

It will probably look a little bit silly.

And strange.

So what I'm gonna do is I wanna pick a point around the outline of my hands cause you know we're drawing contours.

Which means outlines and lines.

So I'm gonna start probably on this side and I'm gonna trace my way around my hand as I drop it.

I'm wonna try and include some of the little wrinkles where my knuckles are and the lines on my palm and things like that.

So, I'm gonna start here on this side of my hand.

And again, I'm not looking at my drawing, I'm just looking at my hand.

So my eyes are focused over here.

Holding my marker kind of loosely cause this is not a very precise, drawing.

I'm trying to be as accurate as I can without looking but it's not about precision but observation.

So, I'm not pressing very hard.

I'm not holding the marker very tightly.

It's tempting to look at your drawing but have good self control and not feel.

I have a feeling that my drawing is gonna be way larger than my actual hand.

Very big.

Not too bad.

There's a little bit of a giant gap between my thumb and my forefinger, but I'm pretty happy with that.

So I started here, and I traced all the way around my hand with my eyes and let my marker follow.

So I get a drawing that looks a little spooky, a little frankensteiny.

But it definitely looks like a hand.

You can tell what it is.

You can tell where the lines are and things like that.

If you just told me to look at my hand and look at my paper and draw it, I would get caught up in all kinds of little details that are not important and I would probably spend 18 hours Just trying to draw my pinky.

So this takes you out of that zone of perfectionism and thinking too much about what you're doing because all you're doing is observing.

And then letting your brain translate that from your eyes to your hands directly without going through any kind of interpretation, it's direct observation.

Okay.

I'm going to draw my hand One more time, but I'm gonna put it in a different position just to get my brain and my eyes something different to think about.

So, I'm gonna make a fist, and, turn it like that.

Also a really good exercise in looking closely if you make a blind contour drawing of either your own face by looking at a mirror, which is really fun, or if you make a drawing of somebody else, if you sit in front of a friend or family member.

You guys can actually draw each other which is also fun to do at the same time.

But if you look at somebody else's face and draw them, you will notice things about their face that you've never noticed before.

You'll notice freckles and the way their eyebrows are shaped and little expressions that they make and things like that.

And it's actually really beautiful experience to look really closely at something or someone that you don't usually give much attention to.

That's really funny looking.

It now looks like a hand.

(laughs) I'm gonna switch it up and do something a little different now.

I've got a big art book in front of me.

And I'm gonna try to recreate or make a drawing based on one of the paintings in this book.

So I'm gonna look at this picture that has a giraffe and a couple of figures or people in it.

And I'm gonna see what I can draw with a blind contour based on that.

So, I'm gonna Start with,these giraffes.

Put, We're here.

Now i work my way around sort of clockwise not gonna worry about the spots on the giraffe because more detail than I think I can handle by not looking at my picture.

Never would have guessed that this giraffe has this sharp, pointy angle on it's chest like that.

(upbeat music) When I'm draw with my giraffe, I'm going to try and move (indistinct) these people.

I feel (indistinct) fence that's in the background as a way to connect (indistinct) the only thing you can do whether you're looking at a picture or whether you're looking at someone's face or your own reflection, or you can use your non dominant hands.

So I'm drawing with your right hand, cause I'm right handed.

I can use my left hand to trace and move at the same time.

And certainly moving both hands in the same way at the same time.

And that can help me stay on track with my where my lines are in case I get lost in arms and sleeves and things like that, that intersect.

So I might do that a little bit here.

I might use that to make some sense figures.

I'm getting to the end of my paper here, So I'm gonna have to leave out this last figure which is okay.

All right.

Lets see how it is.

All right You can definitely tell that's a giraffe.

This is good.

I feel good about this curve and the neck there when my eyes are following this curve.

And looking at this bone right here, just trying to pay really close attention to how the lines were moving sort of what angles they were at and how they were curved and things like that.

So I didn't get the proportions quite right.

This giraffe has a giant head compared to its body, whereas the giraffe in the painting has a much smaller head that's more proportional compared to its body.

It's the right size in comparison to the rest of the giraffe.

But that's okay, cause that's not the point here.

The point is to follow the lines and pay close attention and look closely and be a good observer.

And I feel like I was doing that in this picture.

Got the fence in here you can see this man in his turban or his headscarf.

His legs are a little bit separated from his body.

It's floating in space a little bit.

So this is a really fun part of me drawing.

Cause looking at your drawings at the end and seeing how they ended up.

But also, I think it's identifiable.

I mean, if you looked at this drawing and you look at this painting, you could figure out that this was based on that.

So that is the goal.

You observe something closely and capture enough of an essence of the lines of it.

Your brain is connecting what you're seeing to what you're doing.

All right.

I have once again dragged my brother into the creative corner to help me out today.

I needed a face to draw as a blind contour and I don't have a mirror in here.

So, I'm going to draw Alex.

He is just gonna sit very still, and I'm gonna try to draw the contours of his face.

When you make your contour drawing, you can start anywhere you want.

You can start somebody's nose or at the top of their head or whatever.

As long as you know where you're going.

(indistinct) (upbeat music) Don't worry too much about the texture of Alex's beard or his or anything like that.

I'm doing a little bit of that just so that I know when I look at it that that's his beard but otherwise, I'm just gonna outline a little bit I'm definitely getting towards the end of my paper.

(laughs) And I'm only halfway across your mustache.

Let me get another piece of paper.

(upbeat music) (laughs) >>Looks like you need another paper.

(laughs) >>Your hair is really (laughs) I think they are very squished together.

Yeah.

I don't know if I just got really concentrated and it wasn't moving as much.

That's funny.

I gave myself more paper and I used about tenth of it.

>>Thank you.

>>You are welcome.

Thank you.

(laugh) >>Wanna try again or >>Yeah let's (laughs) Let's do one more.

Very abstract.

>>Yeah it's so cool.

>>Yeah.

All the pieces of your face are there.

They're just arranged in a slightly different way, than they are now real life.

But I kinda like it.

One of the things I love about blind contour drawings is that at first glance, they look like just a tangle of lines.

And then the more you look, you start to realize that there's something surprisingly identifiable about them.

There are pieces of Alex's face in this drawing for sure, even though it's a little bit nonsensical.

If you make drawings of say, three different friends using blind contours, I guarantee you'll be able to tell exactly which one is which.

It's a lot of fun to make blind contour drawings.

And it's also a terrific exercise for your brain.

You training your eyes and your hands to move in sync while you're drawing.

And it's also a form of practicing mindfulness.

Mindfulness is about being conscious and aware in the present moment.

And drawing blind contours brings your attention to just that.

Let's say you're drawing your hand.

You can't be thinking about how you're going to draw your pinky if you're still working on yourself.

Sometimes drawing makes you slow down and focus on exactly where you are, instead of on what's coming next.

So, now that we've spent some time on mindful focused drawing.

We're gonna bring the energy level up a little bit.

Here to show us the power of movement in unison is the step team from Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School in Richmond, Virginia.

(rhythmic music) What you just saw is a step or more specifically a step team routine.

The step team at the Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School in the east end of Richmond, Virginia is part of a long tradition in a form of dance.

Where the performers entire body is used as an instrument to create not just movements, but also rhythms and sounds.

It includes footsteps, hand claps and spoken word.

Sometimes in unison and sometimes in a call and response pattern.

>>Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School that's faith-based school ready to present.

>>Anna Julia Cooper was born August 10 1858.

>>I am prepared I show respect I model integrity I have a dream I will excel >>Step team routines have deep roots in African dance traditions.

>>In the early 1900s, miners in South Africa who were working in oppressive conditions were forbidden from talking to one another in the mines.

They found a way to communicate by creating rhythms and beats with their bodies the chains that held them to their workstations and the large rubber boots they wore in the often flooded mines.

Those same miners eventually started to use their movements and rhythms to entertain each other when they weren't down in the mines.

Their unique style, which included stomping and flapping their boots, became known as gumboot dancing and spread in popularity throughout South Africa in the following decades.

Fast forward to the 1940s, when fraternities that historically black universities in the United States, combined to South African gumboot dances with the tradition of American fraternity songs and chants.

Other African and Caribbean dance traditions were added to the mix.

Along with the precision of the military close order drill, and the modern day step team was born.

People of all ages participate in STEM at community events, performances and competitions like this one at a high school in Michigan.

Stepping involves sharp and coordinated movements and powerful chants that celebrate the concept of Umoja.

The Swahili word for unity.

Step team chants often include elements of praise and pride for the team or the individuals on it.

They also sometimes share oral tradition, and utilize rhyme and rhythm that emphasize the patterns and percussion of the teams movements.

So what does it feel like to be a part of a step team?

And what can you learn from stepping?

Let's ask the team and the teachers of Anna Julia Cooper.

>>Bringing that light to our school but a couple of words that come to mind, I think.

You know.

Unity.

You see those kids unify like that cause kids don't normally come together.

You know, outside the normal sports.

Like the way they were.

You know, every day in practice, they practice hard.

And you know.

When I see 'em in a performance (indistinct), it shows how hard they work on their craft.

>>What the step team brings to AJC is a sense of pride and power and good joy when they perform at school meetings.

You can see all the kids they're just like, paying attention.

They're all eyes and ears.

They're excited and it brings It makes all of us feel really proud to be part of our school.

>>I started the step team because the community that we serve has so many outstanding talents.

And I wanted to showcase those talents in a positive manner.

>>What I love about stepping is that when you are in unison, you have to be more than in unison physically, you have to be unified through your emotions.

And you have to be unified with the rhythm and the flow of your body moving.

That means clapping anything you have to have a feeling (indistinct) >>I feel like part of a family but also nervous.

So, I've learned that, everything is not easy.

And that it takes more than one to try to do the same thing.

And not everybody is perfect.

>>Just like any team activity, stepping requires communication, commitment, and practice.

A team that brings those things to the table can create not just an impressive performance, but a true community, even a family.

>>Been a part of step team is having another family.

It's very fun to be around them.

Especially when we're goofing off and doing things that we should not be doing.

It's just fun to have that extra glimmer of positivity during the positive relations at the long practices.

And it's nice to have that positivity and that sense of family and community around all the time.

>>Thanks AJC.

That was fun.

Now, I think it's time for our field trip.

(cheering) >>I don't know about you but after watching the AJC step team in action, I'm ready to get moving.

So far today we've looked at ways to use fluid movement in our drawing to loosen up and sharpen our senses.

And we've checked out a dance tradition that uses unity and precision of movement to celebrate togetherness.

Now it's time to step outside to talk about an art form that's epic, but also temporary.

About 60 years ago, a number of artists, especially in Britain and the United States started using natural materials to create monumental works of art that were interacted with their environment.

This process became known as land art.

Although some people also call it Earth art, environmental art or earthworks.

Land art is site specific.

Which means that it's created or installed in a particular place and can't be moved around to be displayed in different art museums or galleries for example.

It's also often ephemeral, which means that it only lasts for a very short time.

Think about a work of art that's made of sticks, leaves, stones or ice.

What's going to happen to that over time?

Even in the most controlled environment, those organic materials are going to change or break down.

So when you create a work of art using those materials in a natural environment, that's going to guarantee that over time the work will evolve, shift or move.

So land artists embrace the idea that their artworks will be moved or even erased by nature.

Sometimes over the course of many years, sometimes maybe just a couple of hours.

Their work is beautiful and also special and a little bit mysterious because it's so fleeting.

It's also challenged the definition of what a work of art can be.

By using unconventional materials in unexpected settings.

Land artists make their work stand out from the traditions of contained or commercial art.

You can't walk into a shop or an art gallery and buy a 20 foot castle made out of saplings, but If you're lucky, you might walk into the forest one day and find one.

Or you could make some land out of your own.

What do you say?

Should we give it a try?

The first step to creating your own land art or earthworks is to gather your materials.

You can choose a specific medium for your artwork and collect a lot of that.

Or you can gather a variety of natural items and see what you're inspired to create.

I chose to go for a scavenger hunt and pick up a bunch of different things with interesting colors, textures and shapes.

I picked a few tall weeds and grasses that I knew would grow back.

Though, for the most part, I tried to pick up things that were already on the ground like fallen leaves, pine needles and small rocks.

So it wouldn't damage or disturb any wildlife.

Once I had an abundance of materials, I sorted them into piles and started building.

I improvise my design, adding and adapting as I went along.

Though you can certainly make a plan or sketch ahead of time if you want to.

I arranged the elements of my installation in a radial design.

Which means they spread out like rays, or like the radius of a circle from a common center point.

I used long straight materials like grasses and sticks to help define a framework for my design, and used smaller objects with more dimension and texture like pine cones, leaves and even a couple of cicada shell to add detail.

The layout of the process reminded me a little bit of the Mondelez found in Hindu and Buddhist tradition.

A Mandala is a geometric design, usually circular and radial that represents the universe and can be used in meditation.

My work wasn't exactly a mandala, but the repetition in its form was similar.

And the act of making it absolutely focused my attention and combed my mind.

As land artists know, working outside is a little unpredictable.

So my supplies and I moved around a lot.

Somethings changed places a few times within my design and the wind tried to carry my leaves away once or twice.

I did some creative layering to make sure everything stayed put.

For the Moment anyway.

Eventually, I put some finishing details at the center of my installation and decided my render was finished.

It was a pretty cool experience to seek out art supplies in the natural world and create something with them right then and there.

My materials were pretty lightweight.

No big stones or tree mountains for me.

So I knew they wouldn't be there very long.

And that in itself is really special.

I imagine a few people encountered my public artwork over the next couple of days.

But for the most part, it was just for me.

>>From your sketchbook to the stage, and even in the great outdoors, movement is a key component in making interesting works of art.

Sometimes it's intentional and precise, even choreographed.

And other times it's surprising and effective work of art in ways we can't anticipate.

Today we tested that out by stretching our brains to help our eyes and our hands move together.

Picking up some sick moves from the AJC step team.

And rearranging some natural elements to create a site specific art installation.

I hope you've enjoyed the journey and I'll see you back here next time on the creative corner.

>>The mission of art for the journey is to overcome barriers and transform lives through creating art.

Everyday art for the journey provides art programs, designed to promote wellbeing for children and adults in underserved communities.

We believe art heals.

Hundreds of volunteers and support from the community make our work possible.

To learn more about Art For The Journey, visit our website at www.ArtForTheJourney.org (upbeat music) (beeps)