What the F*ck Happened to Finger Painting?
Strolling around my home turf, I passed by the proliferation of what used to be a small private nursery school nestled in a humble brownstone on the Upper West Side, but is now an entire private elementary school educational system with sites in multiple brownstones and new condo lobbies. Mandell Nursery School was my brief stunt in private school, a source of snobbery my siblings would tell you I’ve carried ever since, even though my entire miseducation was spent in the public school system. (as a side note, someone from Mandell school deserves a place in Dante’s Inferno. I have a good memory).
So when C-mixto and I passed by one of their glass lobbies to see some of the arts and crafts tikes do now-a-days, imagine our disbelief when we saw the following exibit made by Kindergarteners, with the following text:
Kindergarten Spectrum Dogs!
The Kindergarten Art Studio classes have learned about color theory this term. Artists created a “theme” for their composition while learning about New Orleans artist, George Rodriguez. While listening to jazz (New Orleans Jazz artist) children created monochromatic color dogs that “pop-out” with complimentary color backgrounds, accented by analogous color details. Borders and design elements were created using the “sgraffito” technique (drawing into wet paint to reveal colors below).
C-mixto had a satisfied grin on his face, a relief upon discovering a place where his unborn progeny may be schooled (he changed his mind upon finding out that sgraffito techniques for Kindergarteners cost $28,000 a year)
I had mixed feelings- joy that kids can be challenged and exposed to the arts, but worried nevertheless that rigidity and overachieving parents may be replacing the joys of childhood. I left dumbfounded, asking myself, what the f*ck happened to finger painting?
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The short answer is: it died alongside creativity and individuality. I don’t think being unique and expressive is valued as much as it should be and for that reason, child’s play one of which is finger paint is now seem as trivial and not as learning which it is. The question posed by Nova makes me think of one tour that anyone should take at least once at http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/ .Finger painting is gone because we have lost the appreciation for our internal need to express our surrounding that have made us want to crawl into a dark, damp caves just to scribble something just because. The thoughts and ideas behind these drawings are as much a mystery as watching children paint when they are unhibited by adults. It’s not that we should or must create, it is that we NEED to find a way express ourselves any which way we can. Art is not what we learn but rather what we do remain artists, which all are when we are born. I think that we she should all look at this picture
http://www.donsmaps.com/images/handchauvet.jpg and think long and hard about the “art” we are teaching our kids.
Thanks JPLogan for giving this so much thought. Sad state of the world, then. This relates back to the need to “idle”. I’m not suggesting we shun progress and stop aiming for things like outerspace exploration but we need to reclaim the realm of individual sovereignty- the right to simply be. Not be told, not be directed, just be. I pass by schools and start to get panicky- they remind me of jails. How many times I daydreamed staring through the metal fences of the asphalt yards, longing for the day to be a free adult…
Anyway, thanks for painting in caves with us here at our urban odyssey.
Yea this is actually sad. You are both right creativity and individuality are completely lost. Children expect to be entertained rather than use their imagination. Can’t stand kids, but I really think it is their parents I can’t stand. Why can’t children play quietly on their own for hours? That should be enough stimulation. This is why I too am idle because the constant need to be stimulated has spilled over into adulthood for most, and I cannot relate or stand it. NOBODY should ever utter the words “I am bored” EVER.
Finger painting – I don’t even think they make the sh*t anymore! I used to enjoy it but was a bit of a perfectionist and hated that the lines were never straight (suicidal at age 4 because of it apparently). Agreed that it is great that children are being developed on a level we could not have imagined as children, but for christ sake they are 2, 3 and 4 years old. LET ‘EM FINGER PAINT! DO KIDS EVEN USE GLUE ANYMORE EITHER? They are missing out.
Additionally it sounds like we have some stories to share about pre- school teachers and the trauma they caused. I too have a pre-school teacher who is the only living thing that I have ever met (she is not human) that I am comfortable to say horrible things about because she was absolutely horrible to me. Judge me if you may but I don’t care, she damaged me. Irreversible damage. I wish, hope and pray that she died a slow death. Fu*cking bitch. Her name was Mrs. Snelling – nuff said. Mrs. Snelling if you are reading this, eat sh*t bitch. May your ass always be sweaty, may you reek of old meat, may you have an itch that you cannot scratch because you broke your neck you fu*king C*NT!
Sorry… I’m back.
Let this serve as an official warning to any who may try to cross her path: do not f*ck with Bianca.
Yes, our tape recorder minds must have been on overdrive- I remember nursery school well, including the name of the rotten.
Bianca might have ushered in the need to have an open Dante Inferno’s series where everyone is welcome to throw people/things in.
I liked my 1st grade teacher so much that I poked her eyes out in my class picture and now I don’t have 1st grade class picture. Thank to my old classmates you can see it here http://photos.nasza-klasa.pl/4196378/7/main/560609c7cc.jpeg Didn’t she look mean?
What a freakin funny picture. She looks like one of those teachers who not only is mean, but might have some mean garters under her dress.
Now I couldn’t resist but search all the faces to find JPLogan. I have some theories, but no one bears a striking resemblance… I did spot the kid from the Christmas story though!
She looks like a wretched woman – yikes. What an adorable picture. I checked the obituaries for Mrs. Snelling but no such luck.