PROJECT: Art for Action
DURATION: 5 sessions
TEAMS: choice of group work (no limit on # of people) or individual
KEY CONCEPTS: social activism, installation, performance, immersive environment
MATERIALS:
´ Pencils
´ Paper
´ Various materials (to discuss)
RESEARCH
´ Tricot Pirate
o Yarn Bombing on street (2010)
´ Andrew
o Yarn Bombing on public transit (2010)
´ International Fiber Collaborative
o Gas Station Project (2008)
´ Christo and Jeanne-Claude
o Wrapped Coast (1969)
´ Mona Hatoum
o Corps Étranger (1994)
´ Mierle Laderman Ukeles
o Touch Sanitation (1977-1980)
´ Jim Green
o Laughing escalator (2004)
o Talking Vestibule (2002)
´ Guerilla Bookmarking (2010)
o LASER tag (2007)
´ Laurel School
STEP 1. Discussion
Part 1: Think about these questions: What’s the most memorable artwork you’ve seen? Why is it memorable? How did it change you or the way you see something? What was your most memorable activity? Why is it memorable and how did it change the way you see things?
Part 2: What is art? Name some artworks. Art is a visual experience at the base: like a pizza (every pizza has dough and sauce- that’s how we know it’s a pizza, but not every pizza is the same- condiments change).
Part 3: If you’re blind, how do you experience art? Through touch. Is performance art? What does performance consist of? So it’s experienced also through hearing it. Acting is also art, then? Could we agree that experiencing an activity is also art?
Part 4: “Art is the great weapon”- Andy Warhol. Is it really? What about propaganda? What about the posters you made in the last project? They are all fighting for the disclosure of information in a visual manner. Commercial also have the same goal. Performance and Installation too. Could we agree that art has the capacity to change people?
STEP 2 Plan
Part 1: Answer these questions: Name one thing you’d like to change and why. How could we let people know what we need to change? In what way would it be best to communicate that message? Where would it be most effective? Who needs to be most aware?
Part 2: Creating a project is similar to starting a business, or organizing a big party. You need to know who’s invited, where and when you’ll be setting up camp, what’s going to be happening and why, and how you’ll get to that goal. Write up as much information as you can: write everything you’ll need and everything you still need to find out in order to make this happen. Write up a list of deadlines to help better manage your time.
STEP 3 Create
Part 1: From the plan, start to make things happen. Organize yourself so you know everything you need to know in order for this to happen. If you have any special requests, find some friends to help, or ask a teacher. Contacts are key in making something happen: if you know the right people, and you know how to make compromises, anything can happen.
Part 2: Make it happen. Don’t forget to document it (proving it actually happened) by taking pictures, videos, or anything else that could help.
STEP 4 Justification
This will be done as a 1 page written assignment or sketchbook page. You can write it by hand as long as I can read it properly, otherwise, I suggest typing it. Note that you will get more points if you answer the question and explain WHY. The following questions will have to be answered:
´ How different was working in teams this time compared to the last project?
´ How different was your plan compared to what actually ended up happening?
´ How effective do you think your project was? Do you think people care about your message more that they did before they saw your project?
´ How do you think you could have made it more of a success?
´ How did you present your project?
´ Where did you present this project? Why was that place important?
´ In what way is social activism more effective than visual works of art like simple paintings and drawings?
´ With this kind of art, can we really say that “art is the great weapon”? How?
RUBRIC
PLANNING Competency 1: | |
1 page with answers to each of these questions: Name one thing you’d like to change and why. How could we let people know what we need to change? In what way would it be best to communicate that message? Where would it be most effective? Who needs to be most aware? | /50 |
1 page that answers: who, what, where, when , why, and how | /30 |
1 list of materials needed | /10 |
One list of potential deadlines | /10 |
ARTWORK Competency 2: | |
Finished product: well thought out, carried through to the end | /50 |
Documentation: a photo or a video, etc. | /20 |
Effort and determination to make something happen | /20 |
Efficient and positive teamwork | /10 |
JUSTIFICATION Competency 3: | |
Compares working in teams between the first project and this one | /10 |
Discusses the difference between the plan and the final product | /10 |
Explains the effectiveness of the project toward the viewers | /10 |
Enumerates ways to improve the project | /10 |
Describes the presentation of the project | /10 |
Includes the importance of the project’s placement in relation to the message | /10 |
Explains how social activism is more effective than visual arts in conveying a message | /10 |
Revisits the question: is art really the great weapon? | /10 |
Justification handed in | /20 |