Estimated Time: 14, 80 minute Class times

 

Overview

After working for weeks outdoors and putting into practice various strategies for expanding drawing, painting, observation, and invention, students are ready to begin an in-depth personal work that explores their personal relationship to nature. Before launching into their own work, students will work in small groups to research and learn about various artists who are working with these themes in diverse ways. 

 

Enduring Ideas/Essential Questions:

• What is Nature, what is natural?

• How have various artists been influenced by nature or are using their art to respond to environmental issues?

• What does nature mean to you?

• How will you use preliminary drawings to inform a more personal/long-term work that communicates your perspective?

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National Core Art Standards:

• VA.Cr3.1.IIa Engage in constructive critique with peers, then reflect on, re-engage, revise, and refine works of art and design in response to personal artistic vision.

• VA.Pr4.1.IIa Analyze, select, and critique personal artwork for a collection or portfolio presentation.

• VA.Re7.1.IIa Recognize and describe personal aesthetic and empathetic responses to the natural world and constructed environments.

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Lesson Objectives

Students will...

• Discuss various definitions for "natural" and "nature" based on personal ideas and group discussion.

• Learn about how diverse artists explore ideas about nature in varied ways and demonstrate an ability to critique artwork and link how artists are influenced by lived experience

• Show evidence of preliminary sketches or studies to prepare for an in depth artwork

• Use imagery and art materials and processes to create a work of art that explores a personal connection or perspective about nature

• Reflect on their Studio Habits

• Write an artists statement that explores aesthetics, process, big ideas, and self-reflection

 

Tools and Materials:

Drawing tools: pencils, erasers, charcoal, colored pencils, markers, oil pastels, chalk pastels

Watercolor paint and brushes

Varied Papers

Collage Materials

Glue

 

Process

1. Day 1: Students watch Arts 21 series Episode, "Balance" segments on Sarah Sze and Rackstraw Downes.  Students will take notes and have the following questions beforehand.  Then Discuss:  How do these artists each confront the ways that the natural world meets the man-made world? Describe the methods and approach of each artist? How are the same/ different? Did either artist do anything or say anything that relates to how we have been working for the past couple of weeks outdoors?

2. Day 2: Spotlight on Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Reading non-western artists. Students do research in small groups using the Art Criticism graphic organizer and are each given a work of art to research using the Nation Museum Australia website for her Utopia exhibit. The works to be researched each have a page: Emu Woman (1988-89); Yam (1989); Untitled (Awelye) (1994); and Untitled (Sacred Grasses) (1996). In addition all groups will read her biographical information provided on the website. Students will each present their painting and analysis to the whole class. We will discuss her work as a group.  Teacher will emphasize that our analysis of her art likely tells us more about ourselves then about Emily, as we are learning about a woman whose indigenous cultural experience is so different from our settler/colonialist lives. Is there anything universal about her paintings? Can we we ever fully appreciate them as intended? Do we need to? Can we draw any connections between her art and our experiment.

3. Day 3: Introduce Project and Studio Habits Rubrics and Artist statement template. Have students read and ask questions.

4. Introduce contemporary artist Zaria Forman through her Ted Talk and the idea of artist as witness, activist. Also show work of Andy Goldsworthy and introduce the idea of ephemeral art. Direct students to look at the Pinterest Board for my resources for further information and encourage more research to discover other artists to add to the collection.

5. Day 4-10 Studio work time.  Students use rubric to guide new work and conduct research, use past drawings or paintings and peers or teachers to help progress.  Teachers circulates frequently to help students problem solve, give feedback and check for understanding.

6. Day 11-12: Writing artist's , self-assessing on rubrics and finishing work for presentation.

7. Day 13-14: Selecting best work, examples of connections from Project 1 and 2 that will accompany the final piece in exhibition.  Students are asked to think about drawings that lead to surprises, discoveries, and ideas. Students will the conduct a group critique of work.  Each student will present their work while classmates participate giving feedback. Teacher will pose the questions on the Board:

   1. How does your work represent your personal perspective on nature?

   2. What experiences have you had that have influenced your work? 

   3. To the Group: What's working? What do you wonder? Knowing the artist's intention, what suggestions do you have, if any?

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Assessment

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Formative Assessments:

Teacher circulates throughout to check for understanding, give useful feedback, and ask reflective questions of students.  Specifically, encourage students to think about their intended idea, perspective.  How can materials, processes, and imagery support their idea? Suggest ways to explore variations, apply techniques, or use certain materials as appropriate.

Assess: Can students have a meaning discussion that explores the concepts introduced in this project? Can students progress in a self-directed way to envision, design, test and arrive at a finished work? Can they make connections to prior work? Other artists? Asking these questions during the studio phase will prepare them to write and speak about it later.

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Self- Assessment: Studio Habits Rubric, Project Rubric

 

UNIT Formative Assessments:

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• Project 3 Artwork: 70 points (based on project rubric)

• Unit Presentation: 10 points (based on oral presentation and preparation of artwork for display)

• Written Statement: 10 points (completeness, all sections have 3 or more sentences)

• Participation: 10 points (Participated in giving feedback to at least 2 classmates)

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Artists or Works of Art Studied

See Pinterest Board for examples Sarah Sze's Stilllife with Path (2012); Rackstraw Downes' Under an On-Ramp off the George Washington Bridge (2009); Andy Goldsworthy's line and circle with branches and leaves compositions; Zaria Forman's Greenland #62 (2013); and Emily Kame Kngwarreye's Utopia Retrospective Exhibit (1988-1996).

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References

Andy Goldsworthy Digital Catalogue: Browse the Catalogue. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk/browse/

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Balance. (2012). Retrieved October 10, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/video/2231193082/

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Resources - The Art of Ed. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2016, from https://www.theartofed.com/resources/

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Podhajsky, B. L. (n.d.). Andy Goldsworthy - Melt. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from http://visualmelt.com/Andy-Goldsworthy

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Skidmore College. (2014, October 08). Creative Minute: Zaria Forman '05 Brings Awareness to the Climate Crisis. Retrieved October 08, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzLRyArDPm8

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Utopia: The Genius of Emily Kame Kngwarreye. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/utopia_the_genius_of_emily_kame_kngwarreye/home

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