The secondary group I am currently a part of is an art class that I attend two days a week. I have been attending this particular class, which consists of me and five other individuals, for nearly one year. I would classify this group as an activity group.
A close friend of mine, John, after realizing a common interest in art among a few of our friends and acquaintances, created the class. In our first week, we all met to decide on a fixed meeting place and time, as well as the fee that should be charged for the cost of supplies.We decided to meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 pm to 7 pm or later. Each meeting, we spend our time working on different projects for our own pleasure, with our only goal to express our love and talent for art. We use different types of mediums, such as painting, charcoal, sculpture, and wood engraving. Because we are not all proficient in every medium, we support each other in learning the proper techniques when trying something new.
As described in Chapter 1, our main purpose in this class is to enjoy art and share that interest with the rest of the roup (Galanes and Adams, pg. 1). We also make our own choices as to what we would like to work on in each class. This is why I would classify it as an activity group. Our group of artists has 3 simple rules, which brings us to the characteristics of our system.
Number one is to respect other people's work. Constructive criticism is always beneficial no matter what someone is working on. What we don't agree with is being completely negative towards a piece of work that may not be very pleasing to the eye or shows little or no talent.But the great thing about art is there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Everyone has different tastes and different visions, and our group does not allow a person to completely disregard or put down a piece of work just because he/she doesn't like it or simply isn't good enough. Number two is to come to class with a positive attitude always. If one person is in a bad mood or has any other type of negativity, it affects every person in the class.The process of art is one of relaxation and fun, but an artist also needs positive surroundings and the bility to concentrate.
If another group member brings any type of negativity, all other members can lose focus, concentration, and that also takes the fun out of the entire process. Number three is make sure payment is complete and on time. At the end of week, one person is assigned inventory, another is responsible for collecting and handling the money, and another person is responsible for picking up the supplies needed for the following week.In chapter one, the participant-observer is an active participant in a small group who at the same time observes and evaluates its processes and procedures (Galanes and Adams, pg 15).
John is the active participant-observer. Because he started our little art community, he makes sure everyone follows the rules and all supplies and other needs are met within the group. In our first week and after our first class, we had a meeting afterwards to discuss, as the book states in chapter three, input and output variables. We considered the needs and motives of the group, skills, attitudes, and values, and
