Project 3: art as activism and social commentary
For this project, you will be learning about how artists have used art to draw attention to a cause that they believe in.
LEARNING TARGETS:
- I can use the artistic process to come up with an idea for a piece of artwork that draws attention to a cause I believe in.
- I can use my knowledge of street art and the elements and principles of design to come up with the materials and design for my project.
- I can explain the difference between street art and graffiti.
History of Street art and Graffiti
In the beginning...
The oldest artwork in the world is located in the Lascaux cave in France. Before humans could write, they were spray painting on walls
A visit to the cave
The oldest artwork in the world is located in the Lascaux cave in France. Before humans could write, they were spray painting on walls
A visit to the cave
The first year of the wall
Tear Down that Wall!
Why didn't Germans just leave?
In 1989, the Berlin Wall, the symbol and literal obstacle separating East Berlin from West Berlin, was torn down. During the 44 years of separation, West Berliners graffiti-ed the wall with images of hope, words of faith, and anger about their separations from friends and family. While the Berlin wall was an actual wall, we have walls in society that prevent us from having positive friendships and relationships with other...We call this social injustice.
Tear Down that Wall!
Why didn't Germans just leave?
In 1989, the Berlin Wall, the symbol and literal obstacle separating East Berlin from West Berlin, was torn down. During the 44 years of separation, West Berliners graffiti-ed the wall with images of hope, words of faith, and anger about their separations from friends and family. While the Berlin wall was an actual wall, we have walls in society that prevent us from having positive friendships and relationships with other...We call this social injustice.
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Investigate
Your task: Identify and area wherein you see social injustice. It could be from personal experience or an observation you have about the world. Research your topic. You will be creating a piece of street art that expresses why such injustice is wrong and how it can be overcome.
Your topic proposal should answer the following questions:
Possible Topics:
Racism
Education for all
Feeding the hungry
Underage Drinking
Lowering Crime
Police Brutality
Income Inequality
Need for Peace
Lowering Crime
Genocide
Unfair Pay
Homophobia/Transphobia
Border Control
Immigration
Health Care
Political Unrest in the Middle East
Sexism
Homelessness
Domestic Violence
Your topic proposal should answer the following questions:
- Overall Topic:
- Why is the topic a problem?
- What biases exist that cause the topic problem?
- What are the “big” words surrounding this topic (may be derogatory, may be definitions, may be uplifting)?
- What can people do to overcome this problem?
- What images are associated with this problem/could you associate?
Possible Topics:
Racism
Education for all
Feeding the hungry
Underage Drinking
Lowering Crime
Police Brutality
Income Inequality
Need for Peace
Lowering Crime
Genocide
Unfair Pay
Homophobia/Transphobia
Border Control
Immigration
Health Care
Political Unrest in the Middle East
Sexism
Homelessness
Domestic Violence
plan
Now that you have narrowed down to one idea, how are you going to visualize it?
You may need to begin by taking or compiling reference photos. Begin by using thumbnail sketches (10+) to plan your composition, considering the elements and principles of design. Remember you are not changing ideas at this point, just playing with how to use the space and elements and principles of design. You will also want to think about your location, style, materials, size, and whether or not you are gong to use color. Remember that you should be able to explain how your choices relate back to your message! Also be conscious of where your risk taking is going to come in to your piece. Your piece should show your knowledge of the difference between street art and vandalism and should not damage any part of its location.
When you have made a decision complete a final sketch of your composition. You will explain this and all of your thinking in your process journal.
You may need to begin by taking or compiling reference photos. Begin by using thumbnail sketches (10+) to plan your composition, considering the elements and principles of design. Remember you are not changing ideas at this point, just playing with how to use the space and elements and principles of design. You will also want to think about your location, style, materials, size, and whether or not you are gong to use color. Remember that you should be able to explain how your choices relate back to your message! Also be conscious of where your risk taking is going to come in to your piece. Your piece should show your knowledge of the difference between street art and vandalism and should not damage any part of its location.
When you have made a decision complete a final sketch of your composition. You will explain this and all of your thinking in your process journal.
Create
Start your project. As you work and get feedback, make improvements and adjustments to your piece. Once you have problem solved any remaining issues, you are ready to present!
Remember to document your progress as you go so you can complete your weekly process journal.
Remember to document your progress as you go so you can complete your weekly process journal.
Present
Photograph your piece and write your artist statement. Put both in your digital portfolio
Turn in your project to Google Classroom by uploading a photo and filling out the rubric and reflection.
Turn in your project to Google Classroom by uploading a photo and filling out the rubric and reflection.