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 Steps
Introductory Activity:
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Ask students to write about the following two questions
for 20 minutes and then have them discuss their ideas as a class.
- What makes something a work of art?
- What, if anything, do you think the purpose of art should be?
What effect should it have on the viewer?
Ask students to list their favorite artists, art works, and describe what makes these works so appealing to them. How do they make them feel? What do they make them think about?
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Learning Activities:
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Activity One: Making an Art History Timeline
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Tell students that they are going to create an art
history timeline, working from the 1880s up to the present. In order
to get an overview of this extensive topic, break students into groups
of two to three to research the movements listed below. For a printer-friendly
version, go to STUDENT ORGANIZER:
ACTIVITY ONE.
- Impressionism
- Post-Impressionism
- Expressionism
- DaDa
- Some of the following: Die Brücke, Fauvism, Cubism, Bauhaus,
Harlem Renaissance, Surrealism
- Abstract Expressionism
- Pop Art
- Minimalism
- Conceptual Art
- Post-Modern Art
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Each group should provide the following information
on their movement (and anything else they found interesting):
- Time period their movement encompasses
- A brief summary of the most important ideas behind the movement
- Historical influences that led up to this movement, or a mention
of what came before this movement in the art world
- If the movement was a reaction to something, what was it?
- The purpose of the movement--what was it trying to say about
art
- Media used by artists of the movement e.g., paint, photography,
ready-made objects…
- Major artists or founders of the movement
- Characteristics of the artwork representing this movement
- Initial reaction of the public to the movement
- Two to three pieces of art work from this movement (Xeroxes,
printouts from the Internet), along with why they are representative
of this period
Art history sites for research
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Once students have done their research, they should
create a poster displaying their findings along with samples of artwork
from their movement. Ideally, the poster should be done in the style
of the movement they were covering. Or, have students create a presentation
using HyperStudio or PowerPoint.
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Each group should give a 5-10 minute presentation of
their movement. (Have students present in chronological order, so
they can see how each movement influenced its successor.) Encourage
students to ask questions of the presenters. After the presentations,
hang the posters, in chronological order, in your classroom.
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Next, break students into groups of 4-5 and ask them
to discuss which movement appealed to them most, and why.
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Homework: Ask students to read the interview with Katy
Siegel at the PBS EGG THE ART SHOW site below and answer the questions
in the STUDENT ORGANIZER: ACTIVITY
ONE HOMEWORK.
- EGG THE ARTS SHOW: Interview with Katy Siegel
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/egg/209/conceptual/index.html
Click on "Interview" in the menu bar on this page, then
select "Katy Siegel." This is the interview that students
are asked to read in the homework assignment. To print it, simply
copy (Ctrl+C) the article and paste (Ctrl+P) it into a word document.
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Activity Two: Researching a Conceptual Artist
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Break students into pairs. Ask them to choose an artist
from the list provided below, (or they can choose any artist they
come across who is widely considered to be a conceptual artist), and
do research to learn about the artist’s life, work, and ideas.
The topics they investigate should include: (For a printer-friendly
version, go to STUDENT ORGANIZER:
ACTIVITY TWO.)
About the artist:
- When they lived, where they lived, major art movements going
on at the time
- Who influenced their work
About a piece of their artwork:
- What objects are in the work?
- How are the objects placed in relation to one another?
- What colors are used?
- What senses is the artist appealing to?
- Which elements stand out the most?
- Why do you think the artist made those elements stand out more?
- What messages did the artists want to send to the viewer, if
any?
List of conceptual artists:
- John Cage
- Yoko Ono
- Lawrence Weiner
- Marcel Duchamp
- Sol Lewitt
- Joseph Kosuth
- Robert Smithson
Students can use these sites to begin their research:
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Have students present their research to the class.
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After the presentations, ask students to generate a list of commonalities they find between the conceptual artists presented. Using this list, have them create a working definition
of conceptual art. Display this definition in your classroom.
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After they’ve written their definition, tell students they can add to it with information they find on the following sites:
Sites about conceptual art
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Culminating Activity/Assessment: Conceptual
Art Creation and Exhibit
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Ask students to create their own work of conceptual art, using materials accessible to them in their daily lives. Make sure to review student concepts before they execute them.
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The final piece should be accompanied by an artist’s
statement that describes:
- What objects are in the work? Why?
- How are the objects placed in relation to one another? Why?
- What colors are used? Why?
- What senses are they appealing to? Why?
- Which elements stand out the most? Why?
- What messages they want to send to the viewer, if any?
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Each piece should be titled (or purposefully left untitled).
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As a class, brainstorm ideas for the title of the exhibit.
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If students would like to display their exhibit in
class, encourage them to invite other classes in to see their art.
They may want to give a brief explanation of conceptual art to the
visiting classrooms. The artist’s statements should accompany
the pieces of art.
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If students decide to display or create their work online, they
may want to visit the following site to see one example of an online
conceptual art gallery.
The following sites offer information on how to create a Web site:
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Extensions
Cross-Curricular Extension:
Social Studies: Ask students to choose an appealing movement on
the art history timeline to research the social and political milieu.
Have them write an essay on the connections they see between the
time and the artwork produced during that time.
Social Studies, Art: Remind students of how the camera redirected
the focus of many artists. Now tell them to imagine they’re
living one hundred years into the future. Tell them to describe
a technological invention that triggers a new movement in art history.
Students are encouraged to create or describe a piece of artwork
from this new movement.
Community Extension:
Visit a local museum or invite a local artist to discuss and show
their work.
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