The Eye of the Beholder

Found Art at Albany Bulb

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What is art anyway? It takes so many different forms. By taking a photo of someone’s art are we stealing it somehow? Are we documenting or plagiarizing? A photograph can be art by itself, but can a photograph of art be art? Nature may be the greatest artist of all, but can nature be art? Does the artist make the art or does the art make the artist?

Art should be beautiful, moving, an extension of the artist’s vision. But much like beauty, it would seem art is in the eye of the beholder.

Posted for the DP Weekly Photo Challenge: Work of Art

Classroom Graffiti

It should be a recipe for disaster. The classroom left wide open during 7th grade lunch by a naive substitute. Seventh graders are notorious for shenanigans and poor decision making. Their favorite activities seem to be deliberately destroying things on accident and inventing new ways to bully each other. Low and behold a gaggle of 7th graders had snuck in to my classroom at some point and left graffiti splayed all across the whiteboard for me to find upon my return at the end of the day. It gave me strong feelings so I snapped a couple photos with my phone and then forgot all about it. I rediscovered the photos recently as I was going through and organizing older and older photos, trying to piece together the forgotten days of my past.

This was my white board on the day before the last day of school 4 years ago, which was coincidentally the last year I taught 7th grade science.

This is the type of thing that makes me really love being a teacher. If only every day could end like this.

Posted for the DP Weekly Photo Challenge: Letters