The Ethics of Perception: Josef Albers in the United Sates by Eva Diaz, is about an artist and experimental teacher’s method of teaching in the visual arts. In 1933, Albers was an art teacher at a Bauhaus in Berlin, Germany. To get away from the Nazi regime he, and his wife Anni moved to North Carolina in the U.S. where they opened an art college called Black Mountain. At this newly founded college his goal was to open eyes through three key elements, drawing, color, and design. Albers later headed Yale University’s department of design where he was renowned for his teaching strategies.
This article reminds me of how the Girl Scouts earned their badges. I have two daughters and between them, was their girl scout leader for 15 years. Throughout my leadership years, the steps the girls were asked to perform to earn a badge changed. Instead of doing an activity to receive a badge, the girl scouts came up with “Journey badges”. At first it was hard for us leaders to understand the concept, but to earn a journey badge the girls had to get more involved with the task that they had to accomplish to earn the badge. It was more about the experience (or the journey) of doing the task then the actual task itself.
This is the same way that Albers taught his students. He urged them to experiment using different techniques such as mirror writing, geometric abstraction and expressive drawing. One of his experiments was to use the fewest of common tools possible to create their artwork. He divided subjects into two components called matière and material and stressed the importance of the relationship that colors have with one another more than knowing the rules about color. He encouraged his students to experience the journey of the creation rather than merely completing the task.
Josef Albers encouraged broad-minded thinking and believed that better design alters habits that can improve society. I agree with this concept and think everyone would benefit from slowing down and appreciating the arts rather than being so caught up in social media and themselves they miss the beauty the world has to offer.