ALBANY — The K through 12 Albany Art Studio is beginning its third year as a Teaching Artistic Behavior/Choice art experience. 

This is a learning pedagogy that lays the foundations and practices for critical thinking that applies to any subject. Choice refers to the student’s ability to make decisions about the materials and subject matters that resonate and interest them most. 

Learning objectives are based on the National Visual Arts Standards and The 8 Studio Habits of Mind. The 8 Studio Habits of Mind from, “Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education” by Hetland, Winner and Vennema 2007, are as follows: 

Observe: Learning to attend to visual contexts more closely than ordinary looking requires; Envision: Learning to picture visually and imagine next steps; Express: Learning to create works that convey an idea, feeling or personal meaning; Develop Craft: Learning to use tools and take care of tools, materials, and space in the art studio; Engage and Persist: Learning to embrace problems, develop focus and persevere; Stretch and Explore: Reaching beyond capabilities, playfully exploring without a plan, embracing the opportunity to learn from mistakes; Reflect: Learning to think and talk with others about artwork, making judgments; Understand Art Worlds: Learning art history and current practice, learning to interact with other artists. The Art Studio classes are a combination of teaching led media exploration/experimentations and carefully thought out, take-home or showcase art pieces. Those who wish to learn more about the studio process should schedule a visit.