Living Kitchen Farm and Dairy

This week I am attending the Urban Ag workshop. Today was the second of the workshop and they took us out to a working farm and goat dairy.  We loaded a charter bus and took the ride to Depew Ok where the Living Kitchen farm and Dairy is.

When each one of us got off the bus we had to get a piece of paper that would divide us up into 4 groups.  There was honeybees, forging, dairy, and 3 sisters.  I had 3 sisters and my friends were in two different groups.  The person in charge of our group walked us out into the fields were the crops were.  There is a Native American story about the 3 Sisters which in short each sister ended up being corn, beans, and squash.  She told us the story of the sisters and explained to us what we were going to do.  We were the workers of all the groups.  We got to plant the beans and a melon along with a companion flower next to each corn sprout coming up.  We had to do three rows and these rows were long lol.  I got to plant the beans while the other ladies each helped with the others as well.  And oh by the way it was about 93 degrees today and we were in the middle of a field and our only shade was a tent they put up for us.  After planting and a glass of water (which they provided us with Mason jar cups of water that was cool)  We then had to harvest beets, cabbage, and potatoes, which we were going to be eating these for lunch.  I really loved digging for the potatoes with my hands.  I usually garden with my hands and I don't use gloves.  It was to neat to see how potatoes grow and how u harvest them.  We got to harvest red, white, and purple, yes I said purple, potatoes.

Since we were finished we had a few questions and drank more water before walking to the cabin for lunch.  We walked up the road to the cabin.

Well after I got all hot and sweaty walking to lunch I finally arrived at the cabin.  There was cooking demonstration going on with the foods we harvested.  One group got to milk the goats which by the way produce a gallon of milk a day per goat (I need a goat cause my boys drink a gallon a day).  That group then made cheese, which they later told us after lunch that process.  My group brought the cabbage, beets, and potatoes, the third group got to work with honeybees.  They learned a lot about the bees.  We had fresh honey for our tea.

After a few questions we moved to the dinning room for lunch.  We had family style lunch.  I tried a beet for the first time not too bad.  All the food was very healthy and good.  After lunch we got back into our groups to share what we learned with the other groups.  We all had to walk back to the bus and then head back to Tulsa.  Today was truly much better and a very fun day more than yesterday, where we just sat and listened to speakers about how obese we are as a state etc.

Harwelden Institute Visual Arts Workshop

This past week I attended the Harwelden workshop for visual arts.  I had a really good time working with different art forms and mediums.  But at times I was lost.  I was mostly lost when they (the two instructors) were making references to artist besides the ones we were talking about that I had no clue who they were.  I was the only one in the workshop from my school and who was an art major or teacher.  I have always loved painting, drawing, etc but not call myself an artist.

The first project we worked with prints with fruits, vegetables, and other things from nature.Below are some examples of my fellow peers work.

 The next two are mine.  The one with flowers I used strawberries for the flowers, green peppers for the yellow flowers as well as a lemon, I also used celery and broccoli and some ferns and pine leavers.

 This one was only ferns and pine leaves to make this design.

This activity can be used with my students.  I have used apples to make apple prints during my apple unit.  But I now got to see other items used for printing and can't wait to try this out with my students this coming year.

On the next day we had a clay artist come talk with us.  She makes whistles in her works and showed us many examples.  Afterwards we got to work with clay while she helped us if needed.  I started working with mine and keep moving it and moving it trying to come up with and idea.  Most the ladies started already with something but I wanted to make some kind of flower.  I enjoy gardening and flowers and thought lets do it.

 This was the lady next to me who was an art teacher and major.  She was amazing to watch.

 This was mine.  I ended up with a flower and many liked what I did.  I kept telling myself that mine wasnt to the caliber as the others but I then remember each student is different and has their own talents.  I think I did a pretty good job.  I am getting it fired and then I will paint it when I get it back.

 This lady was the oldest and was a retired teacher.  She made a donkey and was hollowing out the middle so it can be fired.

Another teachers work.  I learned a lot about clay and the firing process and what I needed to do to protect it from cracking etc.  This was the most relaxing thing I did the whole week.  As a matter of fact all the projects relaxed me and I got to express my creative side and see the potential with my students.Then in the afternoon we got a personal viewing of a George O'Keefe painting that Gilcrease has.  It was really cool to see and hear about her and her work.  We then got to come back and make our on piece based on her paintings.  During lunch we were asked to take pictures of flowers around the museum.  I took some of the following.

 The above picture will be the one I choose to paint, which my painting is in the next picture in the middle of two other teachers' paintings.

 I really love how they did their picture.

 I thought mine looked good but wanted it to turn out a little better with the black lines when I should have shadowed with colors like the other ladies did.

Gurthie Green pics.

On Wednesday we got to visit two locations downtown.  The first one was the Gurthie Green.  The CEO explained the process to get it and how it is ecologically friendly.

The second location was across the street at an art gallery 108 Contemporary.  The artist on display made the above items.  The objects were made out of clay rods that she fired then hand painted.  The while circle has over 120,000 rods that she had to put together each and every one of her pieces.  It was really cool to see in person.  It reminded me of a Koosh ball.

Over all this workshop was very valuable to me and I plan to use and my students get the opportunity to have an artist come my class 2 times and on the 3rd time we get to go to Gilcrease Museum.