Professional Artist Inspires Kids at Culver City High

The teens giggled as professional artist Mark Bradford let loose with an obscenity. He stopped, slightly abashed and aware that one shouldn't use that kind of language, never mind that the kids he was speaking to probably did on a regular basis.

Bradford, known for his massive mixed media paintings and installations, was at the Culver City High School classroom of Kristine Hatanaka to see what the students had made using the assignments he provided as part of his new program through the Getty Museum to help art teachers and students, Open Studio. The program provides art assignments that teacher can use to teach students about contemporary art and how they can create it.

"It's part of my practice," Bradford explained about his being in the classroom and the Open Studio program as a whole.  "I have a studio practice, but this is part of my social practice."

He went over a three assignment project designed to help the students see art in themselves and their everyday lives. In the first assignment students took song lyrics, printed them out and arranged them as they wanted on a poster sheet. The second assignment asked students to draw a map of their lunch room, then using a second sheet, draw a map of the social groups in that lunch room. The third involved the students making self-portraits out of wire and/or clay.

The students also asked questions about Bradford's life as an artist and even some more philosophical issues, such as what is art?

"I loved his positive advice because there are a lot of people who bring you down because of your art," said student Emily Hogan, age 17.

Being fearless in your creativity was a big part of Bradford's message. For students who were unsure whether or not they wanted to be artists, Bradford said that it was okay to be scared.

"Fear, that will work itself out," he said. "If [the desire to be an artist] is really there, it's not going anywhere."

But he said after the session with the students that art is important for all children to experience, whether or not they pursue it professionally.

"The arts teach you the same type of discipline," he said, as that needed in business or even the sciences. "There's another type of learning that's possible."

Hatanaka said that having Bradford in the classroom was definitely an inspiration for her students.

"I think they put in more effort," she said about the projects the students assembled.

She also agreed with Bradford that developing students' creativity is a critical skill.

"In any profession, you're going to be using your creativity," she said.