SAA...Springfield Art...Appropriation?

My favorite word in the language of art history is the verb appropriate. I know, it’s strange to love a word that means, “to take [something] for one's own use, typically without the owner's permission” (Merriam Webster), but hear me out. And prepare yourself—because we’ve done just that at the SAA.

In the everyday world (say, not citing scholarly quotes in a final paper), stealing ideas for our own, original use doesn’t sound like the greatest of ideas (not to mention the lawsuits and potential expulsion as consequences). But in art, I feel it’s all we do; we look to what’s been done before and assess them, borrow their ideas, shift things around, et voilà! By transforming an existing idea or place or familiarity with an object—Campbell’s soup cans, anyone?—you have something extravagant, new and fortifying!

As artists of young and old continue to appropriate the already-existing or everyday into a new work of art, so does the Art Association with its educational programming. Perhaps some of you are familiar with Art Outreach, an in-the-classroom arts appreciation program, with more than 70 thematic portfolios. Established in 1973, these portfolios, with 10 to 12 prints in each, explore a certain artist, pairing or artists, or movement in art history; for example, we have an “Impressionism” portfolio, a portfolio on Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera; and more general information portfolios, like “Transportation,” “Women Artists,” or “Sports.” Any educational organization in the Sangamon County can check out these portfolios, free of charge. Not sure who Claude Monet was? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with information packets, additional reading information, and supplementary craft projects for the classroom, already included for your presentation.

Although we have more than 40 schools utilizing the program, we decided to appropriate the materials and wonderful information already in Art Outreach’s possession and introduce them to another audience—those that homeschool. But to appropriate means to add something new, right? So we did, by hosting the Art Outreach program in our spacious Condell studio, or Gallery, with a presentation and an art project that visually reinforces the lesson or theme. We named it “Third Thursday,” as it occurs the third Thursday of every month. The Art Association also researched the various national cultural & heritage months and paired them with a portfolio; for example, Third Thursday discussed the “Harlem Renaissance” for African American History Month in February, and “Landscape & Seascape” for April’s Earth Day.

All of our presentations are available under the “Art Outreach” tag on our site, or by clicking here. We do ask that anyone interested in coming to the Third Thursday presentations please call ahead. There is also a $6/student registration fee to cover the expense of supply materials for each craft. Come down to the SAA and appropriate Art Outreach into your homeschool curriculum! Our next presentation is August 19 at 1pm.