When the botanical art program at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul, MN ended late last year, it marked the end of arts programming at the conservatory. Mark Granlund began the art education program there and taught in the program for 15 years. This event could have been the end of botanical art instruction for Mark, but instead was opportunity in disguise. During the last week of class, Mark received an email from a woman in British Columbia, Canada asking if Como’s classes were taught online. Mark entertained the idea and began investigating what it would take to teach a botanical art class online. Curiosity turned into action. Mark developed an online curriculum and launched his new course this past Spring. The pilot course went well and the second class is also going well. How did he do it?
Mark drew upon the classroom experiences he had while teaching at Como. This helped him figure out the format of the class. To bring his traditional classroom curriculum online, he had to break activities down and breakdown the stages of the drawing process. By doing so, he identified the bits of information he could explain as text and the elements of his class that could only be taught through demonstration. This analytical evaluation of his classes resulted in a drawing course for beginners incorporating the combined use of video demonstrations, quizzes, critique sessions, and a class blog.
To teach online, Mark had to change his approach to teaching. Because he could no longer respond to questions in-person, he had to write everything down and deliver his information to students in advance. He spent a lot of time breaking things down into small steps — a lot of time. While incredibly time-consuming, he enjoyed the process. Mark says he likes that he can provide links and various resources to his students; resources he might not have provided to students in his classes at Como. Connecting students to a variety of resources helps to counter-balance the lack of face-to-face classroom interaction.
Mark uses Moodle to create his online classes. Moodle is a course management system designed specifically for online courses. The technical issues he has had to troubleshoot have been primarily PC vs. Mac issues. Students like the Moodle platform and find it easy to navigate.
Assessing student work is done efficiently through the Class Portfolio into which students upload their work. Mark can offer feedback on an individual basis through the class portfolio. There is also a Class Forum where students can ask questions of Mark and their classmates. The forum provides a learning environment like that of a physical classroom. Students can also participate in live chats, however neither class has taken advantage of this feature. Student schedules vary so much that chatting live has not been possible.
Student scheduling is one element of an online class that has proven to be difficult to manage. When students enroll in a traditional botanical art class, they participate according to a set schedule. In an online class, students participate when they can. The luxury of flexibility can be an issue sometimes. But as with traditional classroom learning, life happens and if a student has to miss a class or postpone participation, both Mark and his students roll with the changes. Mark tells his students he will always be available to answer their questions, even if they do not finish a class with their classmates. The nice thing about an online class is that students always have information available to them and have the resources to catch-up on their own.
When asked about the biggest difference between an online class and a traditional class, Mark cites accountability and student interaction as the biggest differences. Accountability and interaction occur at a different pace online. Everyday he struggles with these two questions: How do you get people to engage? How do you coax the people on the edge to interact?
Another difference between online and traditional botanical art classes is advertising. With an online class, Mark does not have to print flyers and drive all over town to post them onto bulletin boards. He advertises his classes on his blog and through social media channels.
Mark’s current drawing class for beginners is almost complete. During summer, he will continue writing curriculum for the intermediate drawing class he will teach in September. This class will be followed by a watercolor course for beginners in mid-Fall. Mark’s advanced drawing class will begin in 2011. Details about Mark’s classes will be posted in Classes Near You > Minnesota when they become available.
Office Hours with Mark Granlund
Do you want to learn more about Mark’s online classes? Mark will respond to your questions directly through ArtPlantae Today. Enter your questions or comments below and check the “Notify Me” box so you can follow the conversation about Mark’s classes as it develops. Mark will respond to questions every Thursday evening through the month of July. So if you don’t have a question today, you will have the opportunity to ask your question anytime during this month.
About Mark Granlund
When Mark is not working tirelessly creating his new classes, he is beautifying the city of St. Paul, MN as the Arts & Garden Program Coordinator. In this position, Mark tends to 150,000 square feet of public gardens, 60 public sculptures, and 570 hanging baskets. He also works as a liason between government agencies and community groups. Mark is currently assisting in a project that will bring healthy, locally-grown food to the residents of St. Paul. He is also involved with the Blooming St. Paul project dedicated to greening up neighborhoods and the installation of public art. One of his projects is related to a light-rail line that will connect downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis. This rail line will run down a major street and its construction will be very disruptive to the area. Mark is working with other groups to turn this huge disruption into a positive experience by creating planted medians and a sustainable landscape around the finished rail line.
Mark’s most engaging project at this time is writing and illustrating The Book of Bartholomew. This book is a collection of short stories about young adults and their experiences managing careers and relationships. Mark is posting a sentence or snippet of his book daily on the his Facebook page. When the book is released, readers will be able to view the short stories in their entirety. The book has been designed to be an online experience. When the book’s website launches, a new short story will be unveiled every two weeks. The overall theme of the book is about supporting local artists and local growers. Mark is working on The Book of Bartholomew with five other artists. An exhibition about this book will be held at Homewood Studios, October 1-18, 2010.
Hello, and a question for Mark Granlund: how would one begin to pursue an interest in scientific and nature illustration in an area where courses on such topics aren’t taught? I live in Memphis, Tennessee. I have a strong background in biology (have done molecular biology, field ecology, studied arthropods), and am thinking of combining both sides of my brain and someday perhaps end up doing some illustrating professionally (I have a long way to go in my technique, though! Very long way). Thank you for your time and attention, have a great day!
Replies posted to Facebook in response to this question:
How do you pursue interests in scientific illustration in an area where classes are not offered?
Tishia St
Great question. If it were me, I would do some research and find out what the college or museum docent training requires. I would follow that format…Syllabus that’s what I’m thinking.
July 8 at 10:47pm
Laura Gould
Self teaching can take you in wonderful directions…finding a subject, drawing and doing your own research can be very fulfilling. Following sources for natural science illustration like The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. If you are able to find a mentor who will give you guidance is always good….again…if you’re miles from nowhere … connect with others through a sharing network like Facebook where people are generous with their process and helpful to others :) web sites: http://www.scientificillustrator.com/ new face book group still tiny but has some good people :) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scientific-Illustrations/405737497852?ref=ts OK…that’s all I’ve got :)
July 9 at 5:54am
DebandKen Crawford
Laura, you are correct. I think if a person really wants to pursue this, the basis watercolor and drawing classes can be found most anywhere. Then the internet for the specifics of botanical illustration. Facebook groups have not only been very educational for me, but more importantly has kept me focused, (not to mention the wonderful friendships with many talented artists). Every time there is a little tidbidt of information, tips, etc. in a conversation, I take notes. : )
July 9 at 6:25am
Mindy Lighthipe
I am in the process of developing an online mentoring program to help students with long distance learning. Structure can help a student make progress much faster when there is someone who can guide, critique and direct a student in a specific area.
July 9 at 6:56am
Joseph Barnes
I myself have in the past emailed some of the faculty at Memphis College of Art, never got a reply. A friend who is a graphic artist told me they would take me more seriously if I sent them some examples of my work…. but all in all, I do still need to work hard on the basics, in reality, I still hav eproblems with some of that, and thus far … See Morehave always worked only in pencil/pen/art marker. I do have another friend who does a variety of art styles and media (batiks, scarves, also has done some botanical paintings), I have been meaning to contact her about my thoughts, she might be a possible local mentor. I am really enjoying everyone’s thoughts & comments. And Mindy, fancy seeing you here! :o)
I am tossing out a topic for both Mark and all who are following this discussion. In any situation where participants are not communicating in-person, it takes a lot of effort to encourage participants to interact with each other. Mark struggles with finding answers to these two questions:
How do you get people to engage? How do you coax the people on the edge to interact?
You would think that having a shared experience (i.e., the same online class, the same homework, etc.) would nudge people into action. However, my experience has been that it does not. Think about online classes you have taken. Was there really that much conversation?
With people logging-in when their schedule allows, how much interaction should instructors and participants really expect?
Replies posted to Facebook in response to this question:
How do you encourage participation in an online class?
Laura Gould
To make it more one on one perhaps Skype :)
July 9 at 5:36am
Hi Joseph,
Thanks for the question. When I offered the first botanical art classes at Como Zoo and Conservatory in Saint Paul, MN, there were no others available in the Twin Cities. Thankfully, the Twin Cities have Vera Ming Wong who taught these first classes. But it wasn’t long before botanical artists started coming out of the woodwork – some of them quite accomplished. Next thing I knew, I had enough people to offer quite a few botanical classes.
If you can take a long term approach, I would simply start knocking on doors and talking with people in your area. Memphis is a decent size town and I think you might be surprised at the talent that is there. Then ask someone if they will be your mentor. Or you might find there are enough people interested that someone more accomplished will offer a class.
Another approach is to look at all the resources around to help you. Botanical art is still art – drawing classes, especially ones based in observation, can be very helpful. There are also books and dvd’s. But these are one-direction learning opportunities. Check into online resources – ArtPlantae is great! There is the American Society of Botanical Artists and the Guild of Nature and Science Illustrators. See if there are members of these groups in your area. They might have more information. You can also find out about workshop opportunities through these groups, your local arboretum or garden club. Of course, I would have to mention my own online classes, which I hope can someday fit your need.
Just do what you just did – ASK! Then let others know what you find. Let me know, too.
Tania,
Good questions. Online communities are funny things. Here are just some of my thoughts:
- Only a small percent of people, even on sites like Facebook where you know almost everyone before you “friend” them, actually interact online.
- I think most people like to observe, take what information they can and feel no real allegiance to a site or people they interact with online.
- It is like any situation, it takes time to find the people who reverberate with what you are doing. There will always be people who sit on the edges unseen. That is typical in most situations – even in-person classes.
- People are busy – too busy.
I would be interested to know what online situations have gotten people motivated enough to interact with others online?
Thanks!
If you are participating in an online art class, posting your work to a server for review, and commenting on others’ work there, is usually required. An online forum simulates the critique sessions of traditional classes.
If there’s no requirement for sharing and commentary, then it’s less likely that students will participate. If no one’s participating, one might ask, why bother conducting or registering for an online class?
If the online offering is one-on-one with an instructor, then perhaps it’s not a class, but more of a mentoring or coaching situation.
Online classes aren’t for everyone, but they help busy people, or those in remote locations, learn from home on their own schedules.
I am currently a student at Prescott College and we use the MOODLE program for our online classes and discussion groups. Our professors can attach files, pictures, links, etc. for us, the students, to go to. I really do enjoy Moodle as it is easy to navigate through.
I would love to take the art course as I’m currently doing a sketch journal on natural history in the Sonoran Desert.
Hi Tishia,
Thanks for the comment. I find Moodle very easy software to use as well. I haven’t used other class software, but this seems to be just fine for me.
I hope you do take the art course. You can sign up on my website http://www.markgranlund.com/classes.htm any time. I have never been to the Sonoran, but many of my friends have raved about how beautiful it is.
Karen,
Thanks for the comment. I think the issue that Tania and I are talking about is more than about participating in a class. Tania and I talked a bit about this by phone when she interviewed me. Part of the issues of being online with anything is attracting people and having them engage. Having people view a website/class is one thing, but having people interact online is another. We both are tryng to offer a service to what we perceive as a community. We both want to have interaction with that community. Yet, the medium used is not one that demands interaction. People are free to read Tania’s articles and then walk away. People are able to sign-up for online classes and only get out of them what they want. Maybe they will do the assignments and not concern themselves with interacting. In some way, the question is what do people need from an online experience to foster interaction? What experience could Tania provide through ArtPlantae.com that would cause more people to interact on the site? What kind of online experience could I create that would help others find and give support for learning botanical art? Or is that kind of expectation not a realistic one for online endeavors? What would it take for people to engage online in this type of setting?
Mark
This is exactly it. Perfect explanation, Mark. I was thinking of this (again) this morning and posted a poll. It went out on Facebook and Twitter and was posted in your Feature Artist box. I will post the link here too. The question is, “Would you take an online class in botanical art?” Reply Here
Tania,
I like the poll idea. It will be fun to see the results.
Replies posted to Facebook in response to this question:
Would you take an online course in botanical art?
Joseph Barnes
Are you kidding? I would, in a heartbeat! I need all the guidance I can get. :o)
July 15 at 10:13am
Hey All,
Nice to hear all the comments. It is important to always seek ways to grow. If you are a beginning artist, it is easy to find classes and resources for making improvements. As you become a better or more focused artist it becomes more difficult. As people have been mentioning, this is where it is important to pull a group of artists around you who can help keep you focused. DebandKen, I like what you said about finding info, etc. online. And this is a community as well that you can fall back on.
Personally, I feel capable of drawing or painting anything I set my mind to. For me botanical art has started to be about sharing this knowledge with others. I am still figuring out ways to do this. Yesterday I was an artist at a garden tour. I sat and painted while people watched and toured the garden of a lovely house in Minneapolis. I enjoyed the interaction of talking about what is beautiful and inspirational to people and to talk about botanical art and how it can capture these things. The best advice I can give to painters is to love what you do. If you are not enjoying it, stop, paint something else or go bake bread. Love what you do and your voice will come through the work…and then there is technique. :O)
I was wondering…
You know how you go through periods of time where you chase down every botanical art class known to man and then, after a year or two of this, you figure out you need to sit still to apply all that you’ve learned?
Where are you now? Are you actively absorbing as much information as you can, or are you quietly applying what you have learned so far?
Is your interest in online botanical art classes rooted in the active pursuit of more knowledge or the need to fine-tune what you already know in the peace and quiet of your own home/studio?
Wow! Have you seen the latest figures for the poll? It seems that 96% of those responding would take an online class in botanical art.
Many thanks to all of you who participated in this discussion about online classes. Today is the last evening for office hours. Is there a question you have been wanting to ask Mark? Please post your question here.
What a great repsonse on the poll! That is exciting to hear that so many people would like to take an online class in botanical art.
I will stick around a little longer and see if there are any more questions or comments. Otherwise, thanks for the interaction. It has been fun.
Mark, thank you for sharing your time with us this month. I think we’ve had a good conversation and have gained valuable insight into what it is like to take an online class in botanical art. Let us know when registration opens for your upcoming classes!