Dalton News

Pop, Lock and Drop: An Artist's Perspective

When people hear the phrase “pop, drop and lock it”, it normally is associated with a popular hip-hop song from 2009. The song, by hip hop artist and one-hit wonder Huey, peaked at number six on the Billboard music charts and spawned a very popular dance associated with it. In Dalton’s Art Program, the “Pop, Lock and Drop” exhibit, now showing on the 12th Floor at 89th Street, has taken on a totally different and awesome artistic meaning.
In Lotus Do’s 9th-11th grade Fine Arts class the students have taken the term Pop, Lock and Drop to a whole new level. Known for its use in hip-hop music and dance, the term applies to art. As a beginning project for the year students made drawings that had to "pop" in the foreground, "drop" in the background and "lock" in place as a whole composition. As Ms. Do put it, the purpose of the project was to “feel the edges of the object with your eyes and draw what you see and not what you know.” The end result is fantastic works of art that show the time, skill and focus needed to bring the theme to life.
 
Many of the students in the class remarked on how challenging the project was, but they also said that they learned a tremendous amount about themselves in general by doing it. One student said that the she was amazed that the “objects were so everyday and mundane, yet you were able to make them into pieces of art.” One student said that by doing this project she learned that “you will make mistakes, not just in life but in art.” Another student was able to use the project as a metaphor for life. “Things are not just black and white, but shades of gray.” These remarkable insights are what made the work on this project even more profound.
 
Many of the students in the class remarked that the visual arts floor feels different than everywhere else. The act of symbolically leaving one’s baggage at the door upon entering Ms. Do’s room serves the students well. It is clear that they are not only learning practical artistic skills, but many students remarked how the projects that they are working on in art offer lessons that they take into their other classes and lives as well. If you are on the 12th floor, stop for a while and enjoy the works on display in the hallway. They truly Pop, Drop and Lock!
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