World's best Kindergarten? Maybe so.

Perhaps you've heard about Fuji Kindergarten. I first learned about it from a YouTube video I no longer can find--but it's an amazing school, and a fascinating concept.

Listen to a 2014 TED Talk by its architect creator, Takaharu Tezuka, as he explains his concept:



The Montessori approach of the educators fits well with the open classrooms and the children's freedom of movement.

One favorite activity at Fuji School is climbing on the tree with the cargo nets. 

This play area was built after the school was completed in 2007, but uses many compatible ideas.

The deck is a prominent part of the school's design. The kids love to run there, but the government did require protective railings--no, school officials were told, they couldn't put up nets around the edges instead.

Here's a glimpse of the open classroom design of the school. Architect Tezuka asserts that the noise is healthy for small children. As a teacher who's had to teach in noisy conditions, I'm less sure about that (of course, I was teaching high school, so that may be different).

The school also was profiled by the international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Monocle Magazine's Asia Bureau Chief Fiona Wilson (don't miss the video she narrates), and many others.

VIDEOS AND IMAGES: Many thanks to YouTube for the TED Talk video and images of the tree, and the play area.  The aerial view of the deck is from Upworthy, and the photo of the open classrooms is from Detail Inspiration. Fascinating articles and more photos are available from most of these. Many thanks to all!

Poverty's cure?

The Artdog Quote of the Week

John Legend thinks schools should nurture all of children's talents, and empower them to be creative.

Singer-songwriter and actor John Legend has had an amazing career, but he feels if he'd had an education that valued and nurtured his creative talents his life might have gone much better. If every child's greatest potential could be activated and empowered, it seems reasonable to believe that poverty could decrease.

"We must break the long-held expectation that schools exist to mold and manage kids," he said in a CNN interview. "In today's world, expecting every child's education to be the same, progress at the same rate and be measured against the same narrow standards of performances is not just outdated, it's a disservice to young people and the educators who dedicate their lives to helping them."

This month we'll look at some of the ways innovative schools and educators are trying to break out of that old-fashioned paradigm.

IMAGE: Many thanks to A-Z Quotes, via Hippoquotes, for this image. 

Independently together

The Artdog Quote of the Week: 

My vision of Strength in Diversity has everything to do with people from different cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, and life experiences coming together to pool their collective wisdom.

That is, in fact, also the essence of creativity: drawing ideas from a range of sources and putting them together in new ways. Only through that process can we innovate, develop our potential and make progress toward a better world.

This attitude does not mean I'm a pie-in-the-sky idealist who just wants to sing Kum By Yah with everyone else in the world because of the overflowing goodness in my heart.

And I don't espouse my ardent belief in the vital importance of social justice out of some ambition to be politically correct.

No, my primary reason for affirming the importance of a diverse and interconnected society is that I firmly believe it's my nation's best route to a strong, positive future. It will take the intelligence, and the fortitude, and the creativity of ALL of us, to get ALL of us out of the messes we've made.

As allies, not enemies, we need to think independently together.

IMAGE: Many thanks to Inner Journey Outfitters, via Pinterest, for this image. 

Please note that I am mirroring posts between this blog and the blog on my new website, Jan S. Gephardt's Artdog Studio. Each post goes live there a bit before it goes live here. 

Can a Man REALLY be a Feminist?

Artemesia Gentileschi, (possible) self-
portrait as The Allegory of Painting.

In the creative fields, as well as in all others, women have had an uphill battle for equal consideration. 

A small sampling the not-so-widely-renowned names of painters Artemesia Gentileschi, Louise Bourgeois, or Berthe Morisot provides a good example. They worked alongside such male contemporaries as Caravaggio, Dali, and Renoir, and arguably were just as skilled and visionary. But you might note I only needed to list one name for each of the men, and you undoubtedly knew who I meant, if you have any background in art history. 

These women have become better known in recent years, but I challenge you to find them in an art textbook from the 1950s or '60s. You'll find loads of women in those textbooks--but they'll be the models (the objects), not the artists.

Louise Bourgeois, part of the Femme Maison series.

You can find parallels in any field, not only the arts. In most of the world, for most of history, it has been a man's world. Little wonder, then, that feminists for years have "closed the circle" and not been much interested in male input. 

Especially since I live in a relatively conservative part of the country, I am all too well familiar with the commonly-held belief that the term feminist has become a synonym for man-hater. 

Berthe Morisot, Portrait of the Artist's
Mother and Sister.

Centuries of abuse and resentment will cause reactions of hatred and repudiation. But that's ultimately a losing game for everyone, if attitudes toward the opposite gender do not evolve.

One of the great tragedies of contemporary life, in my opinion, is that more recent generations of young women have rejected calling themselves feminists, even while they enjoy many privileges they never would have had without the historic role of feminists.

How long will it take before the realization hits that if you exclude roughly half the population from the conversation--especially the half that, to this day, often holds most of the power--it's going to be difficult to change the way society as a whole thinks. 

Why would a man ever have any interest in gender equality? Don't they already have it pretty good? Well, yes and no. If you insist on strict gender stereotypes, then "being a man" is a pretty scary, dangerous, unhealthy thing to be (just look at the mortality statistics). A man may have more advantages in some ways, but he's held to unrealistic, self-destructive standards, in others. 

Men aren't given much credit when they show their feelings, take care of their children (other than paying their bills), or try to make peace instead of fighting or arguing, for example. Gender stereotypes force men to be domineering brutes, just as they force women into subservient roles. 

The UN's "HeForShe" campaign, started in 2014, has received criticism for trying to include men in the conversation--not just because equality is good for women, but because it's good for men, too. The campaign's leaders may not always strike the right note for everyone (or for every situation), but it seems to me they're asking the right questions. 

Perhaps feminist and feminism aren't such accurate words for this new paradigm, given their single-gender emphasis, despite the fact that we usually focus on the relatively more disadvantaged female side of the equation. 

But gender equality itself is an idea that must ultimately prevail, if we (whatever our gender) are to live fully-realized and fulfilling lives. It's good for women, and it's actually good for men, too. It think it's time to invite men into the discussion as equals.

2/14/2017 update: If you'd like to learn more about Caravaggio and other artists of his time period, go to The Caravaggio Page on Artsy!

IMAGES: Many thanks to that ever-bountiful resource, Wikipedia (please consider making a contribution)! The photo of the painting by Artemisia Gentileschi is from her Wikipedia page. The three images from Louise Bourgeois' series Femme Maison are from the Wikipedia page devoted to that series. The photo of Berthe Morisot's painting is from her Wikipedia page. And the logo for the HeForShe campaign is from the Wikipedia page about the program.

A few words from Rosie's sisters: Artdog Image(s) of Interest

I ran across this in a Google search, and couldn't resist using it for a month that's supposed to be devoted to images with a female social justice angle: 

I thought this was a pretty cool adaptation of the iconic "Rosie the Riveter" image created by J. Howard Miller for Westinghouse, expanding the message to one that's more inclusive. And because I can, and I love a good icon, here's a bonus image: the original.

Empowering women activates 51% of any given population, and makes the overall society stronger and more agile. Talent that otherwise would be wasted can come into play. That goes for women of ALL ethnic and racial identifications. And very much NOT only in time of war.

IMAGES: As far as I can tell, the "We ALL Can Do It!" image originated on a Wordpress blog called Sara Gets Critical, which no longer seems to exist. I found it on Syd's Birthday Challenge. Many thanks! The original Miller poster image is in the common domain; I found this file on the ever-invaluable Wikipedia. Thank you!

Artdog Image of Interest: Vision

Can you visualize your dreamed-of future?

IMAGE: Courtesy of Mike Eschbach’s Facebook Page.

Artdog Quote of the Week: Creativity Starts . . .

If you're at a loss for words, remember:

IMAGE: Many thanks to the “Creativity” Pinterest board of “Calinspired.”

Artdog Quote of the Week: Gratitude and Opportunity

A final thought on gratitude as the month closes:

What are you grateful for?

IMAGE: I'm grateful to Kerri Richardson's blog, for this image. :-)

Artdog Quote of the Week: Finding Potential

Make the most of each day!

IMAGE: Many thanks to Daughter by Design.