Part IV: Reflections

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The implementation process of my lesson was very enjoyable. I also think that my lesson, though it was a run-through with my family, made an impact. I led my mom, dad, and fiance through lesson 2, Interrupting the Routine: Environmental Degradation Signs Environmental Signs(for more information on this lesson visit blog Part II: Develop a Lesson Plan). I wasn’t sure if the project and addressing environmental issues would mean too much to any of my “students”. However, I was pleasantly surprised of their interest and excitement in the project.

The lesson was simple, but my “students” were extremely creative. After introducing the lesson, what we would be doing, reviewing environmental concerns, and discussing examples of environmental degradation, I had them go on a scavenger hunt for examples of environmental issues or degradation. They photographed one chosen example, printed it out, and then made environmental signs that would draw attention to their issue.

One challenge that I thought I would encounter was the limitations of our location in finding rich examples to illustrate. At first, I thought location would limit the successes of the lesson, whether in the classroom or at my home. However, after implementing the lesson with my family, I am very hopeful, that my future students will be successful and end up with rich results as well. Even, in my very small backyard, my mom, dad, and fiance were able to find various examples of environmental issues.

The insightfulness of each of their chosen example to photograph was inspiring to me. After my “students” finished the project, I had them discuss what they were thinking during the project, and the meaning behind their final piece. My mom focused on the paved road outside our house. She said that she wanted to depict the road to comment on how development, like roads, were interfering with the natural ecosystem and water drainage.  Just a few weeks before, we had seen the impact of roads and development, when all across our town flashfloods created extensive damage and closed roads. Because roads destroy porous ground, water can not drain into the ground and be slowly filtered. Instead it quickly runs to the drain, and washes out in bulk to a local creek causing dangerous flashflooding and decreased water quality. My dad also was also  creative and insightful with his project. He captured oil drops on our drive way from the van. In our discussion, he said he wanted to reflect on the damage oil was doing to our environment, like the massive oil spill in the Gulf. Also, he said by capturing the car and oil, he hoped to illustrate the numerous other effects our automobile dependent society was having on the environment. Finally, my fiance photographed a piece of pollution he found on our yard. He also commented on our heavily consumerist society and its conflict with the health of the environment. He also jokingly said that the project really helped make a difference- my dad immediately picked up the piece of trash and threw it away.

One place that I could improve the project would be displaying them in a highly visable place. In a classroom I think this would have worked bettter. I could hang the signs around the door or around the classroom to raise awareness around the school. The projects didn’t have the same affect hanging in my house. Overall I am very excited to try out this lesson in the future with my classes.

Part III: Implementation

I implemented Lesson 2 of my unit. Here are some photos:

Part II: Develop a Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan

Laura McGowan

Unit Title: Contemporary Art and Public Pedagogy: Environmental Awareness

Lesson Title: Interrupting the Routine: Environmental Degradation Signs

Grade Level: k-12 (this lesson can really be adapted to any grade level)     Number of Students: 20

This is the 2 lesson of 5 projected lessons in this unit.

Number of class periods for the lesson _?

I.          UNIT RATIONAL

Students will explore contemporary art, art as public pedagogy, and environmental issues in art.

II.        LESSON RATIONALE

Students will explore the issue of environmental degradation. By research or observation, students will discover different forms of environmental degradation. Students will then photograph of sketch one of the forms. Then students will manipulate photographs or sketches to create an informative road sign to hang around the classroom or school.

III.       GOALS AND STANDARDS

Pennsylvania visual arts standards 9.4 A,B,D

IV.       LEARNER OUTCOMES

Students will explore and learn about environmental issues. Students will also learn how to use art as a way of public pedagogy and agency.

V.        MATERIALS NEEDED FOR LESSON

A.  Teacher Materials

Example images of environmental degradation, cameras, paper, paint, scissors, glue, computers, grading Rubric

B.  Student Materials

Camera, Paper, Pencil, Paint, Scissors, Glue, Photo Processing Software

Materials for special needs student(s)

Special writing utensils, directions handout

VI.       VOCABULARY (Optional)

VI.       LESSON PROCEDURES

A.  Starting the Lesson

Show students a series of road signs and altered road signs.

B.  Lesson Sequence

     

Teacher Actions	Expected Learner Actions
1.   Discuss how altered road signs can interfere with daily routine, introduce art making activity 2.   Provide a quick overview of some forms of environmental degradation, and ask for examples from the class. 3.   Guide students in capturing local examples of environmental degradation by photographs or sketches. 4.   Guide students in making signs, offer help when needed. 5.   Assist students in displaying signs. 6.   Guide a discussion on the meanings of students’ signs, there reflections, challenges, and successes of the project.	1.   Students will remain in their seats and listen. 2.         Students will raise their hands and, when called on by the teacher, answer the teacher’s questions. When they are not speaking, students will listen to other students’ ideas. 3.    Students will photograph or sketch local instances of environmental degradation. 4.         Students will make signs out of the photographs or sketches. 5.         Students will hang signs around art classroom or school. 6.         Students will raise their hands and, when called on by the teacher, answer the teacher’s questions. When they are not speaking, students will listen to other students’ ideas.

VII.     ENDING THE LESSON

A.  Closure of Lesson

Students will engage in a class discussion and critique of the signs. I will remind students of the purpose of the signs and art’s role as public pedagogy. The next lesson will also be briefly introduced or mentioned.

B.  Transition to Next Lesson

This week we learned how to help gain people’s attention about environmental issues. Next we will take the perspective of a tree, a bird, soil, or something in nature do try to understand nature’s experience, so our artwork that raises awareness will have more meaning.

VIII.    ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING

A Rubric based on learner outcomes

IX.       EVALUATION OF TEACHING

Evaluation of Teaching will consist of Teacher reflection after implementation of the lesson.

Part I: Unit Overview

Unit Title: Contemporary Art and Public Pedagogy: Environmental Awareness

This unit will focus on how contemporary art acts as public pedagogy addresses environmental awareness through both art criticism, analysis, and art making.

Enduring Idea:

Environmental Awareness: Making aware the causes, effects of environmental degradation and alternatives to ways of living that lead to environmental degradation.

Key Concepts about the Enduring Idea:

key concepts include forms of environmental degradation including, land, air, water pollution, global warming, animal extinction, habitat destruction and degradation, suburban sprawl, etc. Key concepts also include environmentally friendly alternatives or being green, and ways of raising awareness of environmental issues and greenl iving.

Key concepts about Contemporary Art as Public Pedagogy:

How does art act as public pedagogy?

How can art be used to demonstrate environmental degradation and raise awareness?

Essential Questions:

How does contemporary art act as public pedagogy?

How does contemporary art act as agency and culture commentary?

How does contemporary art raise awareness of environmental issues?

How can you make art that includes contemporary art concepts to explore environmental awareness and act as public pedagogy?

Rationale:

With current environmental issues such as global warming, air quality pollution, energy crisis, land degradation with suburban sprawl and over development, etc, it is important to be aware of these issues and pursue alternative ways of living and developing. It is also important to understand the role contemporary art as public pedagogy  and how can help make a positive change.

Unit Objectives:

Students will learn about contemporary art and contemporary art as public pedagogy.

Students will learn about contemporary art concepts.

Students will learn about contemporary art that raises awareness of environmental issues.

Students will learn how to make their own art making projects that act as public pedagogy and address environmental issues.

Standards:

Pennsylvania Art Standards

9.2A, 9.2F; 9.3 A,B; 9.4 A,B,D

End of Unit Assessment:

Students will participate in a critique and discussion of their art making projects. To further the agency aspect of the artwork students will also engage in a public exhibition of their work, either in a public space or on a blog.

Evidence:

Evidence of student learning will incorporate involvement in the class critique and discussion, along with a written reflection about the art making project and what they learned in the unit.

Rubric:

Discussion and written reflection will both have a rubric that students will receive prior to the activity.

Curriculum Map:

 

Contemporary Art and Public Pedagogy:

Environmental Awareness

 

Lesson Title	Learner Outcomes	Lesson Procedures	Assessment of Student Learning
Contemporary Art Concepts and Art as Public Pedagogy	Students will learn contemporary art concepts and how art can act as public pedagogy.	Students will learn contemporary art concepts and how art can be used as public pedagogy. An assortment of contemporary artwork will be discussed to further these ideas.	A discussion worksheet will be used to assess students understanding of concepts.
Environmental Signs: Support Activity	Students will explore and learn about environmental issues. Students will also learn how to use art as a way of public pedagogy and agency.	Students will explore the issue of environmental degradation. By research or observation, students will discover different forms of environmental degradation. Students will then photograph of sketch one of the forms. Then students will manipulate photographs or sketches to create an informative road sign to hang around the classroom or school.	Students will be assessed using a rubric that focuses on: Depiction of a form of environmental degradation The creation of a sign to raise awareness of the chosen environmental issue
A Day in the Life of: Support Activity	Students will gain a deeper empathy for the environment	In order to foster a closer connection to the environment and develop empathy, students will imagine they were an element of nature (such as a tree, bird, soil, etc.) preferably on or close to school ground, and create a “self-portrait”. Students will also write a short creative narrative about the day of the life of the chosen element of nature. Students will then display artworks and narratives in a public space.	Students’ art activity will be assessed using a rubric based on students taking perspective of an object in nature and depicting in creatively both in visual and written form.
Environmental Pollution Manipulation: Art making Project	Students will gain an understanding how artwork, such as the Eclipse project, can act as public pedagogy. Students will also learn how to make their own artwork that acts as public pedagogy and raises awareness of environmental issues.	(Based off of Critical Public Pedagogy Blog) Students will explore and discuss the Eclipse project. Then the class will engage in an art making project based on the Eclipse project. The project will consist of students creating a landscape of a local site- school grounds, park, or environmental center (if feasible). The project could take various forms- photography, drawing, painting, collage, etc. After the landscape is finished students will manipulate the artwork. Using sites such as the goodguide.com and dep.state.pa.us, students will investigate the air quality and pollution level of the city or site of the landscape pieces. Using the information gathered, students will explore ways to alter the piece.  Manipulation could be done through photoshop or manually with painting, drawing, or collage. Students would be encouraged to manipulate the piece to make the environmental commentary in the manipulation hyper-significant. Students will approach the project with the concept of agency to illuminate and comment on environmental issues and raise awareness through the artwork.	Students work will be assessed with a rubric.
Public Exhibiton	Students will learn how to participate in an exhibition and publicly display their artwork.	The unit will be concluded with a class public exhibition. Students will display artwork in a public arena or post on a blog. Students will also think of ways to promote the exhibition.	Students will be assessed on participation in the exhibition. Students will write short written statements and/or speak about the meaning, successes, and challenges of their projects.

Performance Art & Performed Networks of Association

Rodney’s Making Visible post (http://rdraughn.blogspot.com/) was a very interesting and creative account of an encounter of signs that altar one’s everyday life. Inspired by Rodney’s short story, I would love to explore the impact of signs of altering everyday routine and encourage alternative ways of looking at something and knowing. In my future art teaching space I thought it would be interesting to collect images of signs like the one Rodney discussed and create signs out of the images. Then I would place the series of signs around my doorway both inside and out of the classroom. The display would not only demonstrate examples of things that disrupt daily routine but also altar the routine of students that enter and exit the classroom. Hopefully the signs would prompt students to analyze the message of the signs and consider their own daily routines. Changing the signs every few weeks would also keep the students aware and constantly keep them thinking.  I also think that this would be a great basis for a student art making project. The students could make their own signs to place around the doorway to the art classroom and perhaps others around the school.

Stephen also had an incredible post (http://www.personal.psu.edu/swi100/blogs/s_izzos_aed_813_blog/blog/). I felt as though I was watching a little film in my head, his words were so descriptive and moving. Stephen makes a strong point of the influential role furniture, like a park bench, could have. I would love to do an experimental project in my future art room to call attention to the role of furniture in students lives. One day I would alter or exchange the desk and chairs for a variety of different furniture. I would observe students reactions and then ask them to reflect on the role of furniture, particularly furniture that they use frequently, such as a desk and chair. Then I might have them do an artmaking project that illustrates the experience of the change in furniture or reflects a “relationship” that they may have with a specific piece of furniture.

I loved how March in her Making Visible blog (http://lmp254.blogspot.com/) creatively took the perspective of a native to reflect on the space they both occupied and March as well. I think this would be a very interesting starting point for an activity to disrupt students’ current ways of thinking. I would gather (or have students gather) images of other beings occupying the school ground, such as a squirrel, a tree, a couple living across the street from the school. I would hang the images around the classroom and ask the students to take the perspective from one of the characters displayed to reflect on the space they all occupy and reflect on themselves from an outsiders point of view. Students could then illustrate their reflections in a creative visual or writing piece.

Making Visible

Though I would have preferred a photograph of what I saw, when I returned with my camera the group was gone. So please bear with my sketch, thanks!

Sometimes I feel like I live life in a bubble. Perhaps it is a defense mechanism to protect me for the horrible things that happen everyday, all you have to do is look in the newspaper to see proof. After reading about some of these travesties I feel like a giant rain cloud is floating over me all day. So, often I turn an eye and remove myself. . I feel the same way with finances. There are so many better ways to spend money, and donate to those that really could use it. Perhaps the overwhelming quantity of causes that could use the money, often paralyzes me into giving any at all. More times than not it is just not even a thought in my mind. My life is like a steady flow of traffic, I’m just following the car or path in front of me.

Last weekend, the traffic pattern literally and metaphorically altered while riding home from lunch with my mother. On the side of the road we spotted a fundraiser for a local family that had lost seven children in a house fire. I had heard my mother and sister talk about what had happened a few weeks earlier. I couldn’t bring myself to read the article that was in the newspaper, and put it out of my mind. We had to stop at a green light as we gave money to a girl collecting donations. Not following the routine of traffic was extremely uncomfortable and unnatural, which also seems to reflect how events that change the typical way of seeing and being feel as well.  The fundraiser on the side of the road not only changed how people physically moved through space (i.e. the changing traffic flow), but also how we view things. There was something so visible about the fundraiser that made me confront my typical way of seeing and acting described above. I wonder would I have donated to this worthy cause if not confronted? How would I deal with unpleasant events and financial choices if I was confronted with signs, like the fundraiser signs, everyday? Would it change me or would it sink into the invisible background of our over-saturated environment? I also thought it was very curious to see the cars that  slowed down to donate and those that kept on cruising continuing in their everyday routine. I am convinced that this is not something that I am only dealing with, but has a lot to say about our society in general, the way we take action, and our beliefs and knowledge. The fundraiser, though not a very unusual situation, invited me, and I believe the public as well, into a divergent routine than our everyday routine.

Critical Public Art Pedagogy

For the focus of Blog 6, I decided to focus on EcoArtTech and The Eclipse project by Cary Peppermint and Leila Nadir (http://turbulence.org/Works/eclipse/). I thought the project was fascinating and a great piece to base a lesson on. As a prospective art teacher I thought this assignment was great and had a lot of fun! Practicing teachers- I would love your perspective on my ideas. Below are my thoughts for a lesson using the Eclipse project.

Lesson – Eclipse and Commenting on Environmental Quality

Intro/Discussion

To start the lesson I would introduce the Eclipse project to the students and let them explore the site. Based off of their experiences with the Eclipse project, the class would engage in a conversation about the piece and the commentary about the environment. To guide the conversation about the piece and students experiences and opinions about issues involving the environment I would use the UnPacking Privilege Model (Amburgy, Keifer-Boyd, & Knight 2007). Using the model discussion would be guided by the questions:

How do your memories affect the interpretation of this piece?

How can this piece be interpreted as a cultural sign?

What stories about the meaning of gender are portrayed in the piece?

How does this piece create, maintain, and reflect racial privilege?

I would also prompt the class, using Eclipse as an example, to explore the relationship between technology and ecology to further discuss the topic.

Contemporary Concepts:

During the discussion I would also introduce the idea of agency in artworks, including a definition, questions about different forms of agency in artwork, and asking how Eclipse incorporates agency. Also I would prompt students to consider the role culture plays in the Eclipse project and our culture’s attitude towards the environment, and how it might change depending on one’s culture.

Artwork

After exploration of the Eclipse project and discussion, the class would engage in an artwork based on ideas discussed in the intro/discussion part of the lesson. The project would consist of students creating a landscape of a local site- school grounds, park, environmental center (if feasible). The project take various forms- photography, drawing, painting, collage, etc. After the landscape is finished students will manipulate the artwork. Using sites such as the goodguide.com and dep.state.pa.us, students will investigate the air quality and pollution level of the city or site of the landscape pieces. Using the information gathered, students will explore ways to alter the piece.  Manipulation could be done through photoshop or manually with painting, drawing, or collage. Before manipulation students will be introduced to hypersignification. Students would be encouraged to manipulate the piece to make the environmental commentary in the manipulation hyper-significant. Metaphor will also be discussed with students and a suggested approach to the manipulation of the piece. Students will approach the project with the concept of agency and to illuminate and comment on issues through the artwork.

Critique and Agency

After students are completed with the art project, the class will discuss the projects including successes and difficulties. Students will be encouraged to comment on what was learned during the project and if ideas about the environment were altered in the process. To further the agency of the artworks, students will also discuss and decide on a way to get the work out into the public. (suggested approaches- a community exhibition; submitting artwork to the local newspaper or news station; or creating a website or blog including the art pieces and a background and dispersing the web address to members of the school and community).

 

Reference

Amburgy, Keifer-Boyd, & Knight. 2007. Unpacking privilege: memory, culture, gender, race, and power in visual culture. Art Education (60,3), 19-24.

 

Public Pedagogy: Politicizing the Personal

Contemporary Art Concepts

Meshes of the Afternoon

Meshes of the Afternoon was a fascinating film. There seems to be a complexity that I am still wrapping my head around. As I understand it, the code-switching of body to object was present as the roles, meanings, or ‘language’ of body and object merged in the contexts the film was portraying. The objects such as the key, the knife, and the flower seem to be speaking another ‘language’ one that describes the woman in the film.The double-coding was interesting. The key and knife seemed to be merged but created multiple meanings to exist at the same time. The key, a symbol to unlocking, which I associate with freedom, combined with the knife to suggest ideas of danger, domestic obedience of women, and a object that ended the woman’s life. The double-coding of the objects like the knife and key, seem to speak about women’s life in the forties. There also seemed to be double-coding with the telephone. The telephone usually implies communication (and I believe strength is developed with supportive communication), but the phone is also off the hook. This seems to imply an strange situation, one that is not right. The phone off the hook makes me wonder what had happen, probably an unexpected event that would have led to the phone being off the hook. The phone placed on the bed also implies that no one is there to call in the situation- perhaps one of sexual or domestic violence. Hyper signification also relates to the double coding of domestic objects in the film. The multiple meanings of the key, knife, phone, and flower, seem to be portrayed as more important that they actually are. The objects imply more meanings then they actually do. The subversion of normalcy was also prevalent in the film, specifically in the woman’s dream and the repeating of scenes, and the multiple but same woman in the same scenes. The unusual events in the film definitely threw normalcy out the window. However, I also thought, because the film is partially a portrayal of a dream (?), does this mean that the scenes are norm as there is no limitations or norms in dreams, and therefore normalcy actually exists in the film? The filming techniques, such as the close-ups, camera angles, and shot constrictions, add to and emphasize the contemporary concepts discussed above.

Thinner than You

Several contemporary concepts discussed in are readings are relevant in Maureen Conner’s piece “Thinner Than You”. The principle ‘Forming Self ‘ can aid in the analysis of the piece. The piece is an excellent example in exploring sense of self with social and media influences. thinner than you portrays a inner struggle that the artist and many many face. The societal pressures of body image are very influential and often unhealthy. The media also portrays and emphasizes the accepted ‘norm’ of body image. Conner uses these ideas to explore self. ‘Investigating Community Themes’ is also prevalent when considering the piece. Gude states that this principle includes engaging significant issues that are shared in a community. Conner explores an issues that does not only have much meaning for her but for the wider community of females ( specifically females in a society in which the social norms of body image discussed in her piece are relevant). Like Gude suggests art that involves ‘investigating community themes’ is capable of, Thinner than You also urges others to reconsider the ‘status quo’ of body image and pressures to meet the norm in our society. Thinner than You also relates to the principle ‘Deconstructing Culture’. Art that deconstructs culture, as Gude suggests, investigates representations of different aspects of culture. Conner’s piece investigates the representation of women. The artwork is especially moving and somewhat eerie because Conner represents women without actually using a woman or the female figure. The female figure is absent but defined by the slim (and at first glance appealing) article of clothing on a thin clothes hanger object. Gaze is another principle that is effective to use in analyzing the piece. The female is the one that seems to be both the object of looking and the one doing the looking (at least this is how I view the piece- perhaps because I am a female). The female as subject describe the role of women. Women are supposed to be attractive, which is a socially constructed term. In our society thin is attractive. As female as the looker, the competition that we dress to impress others and often many women make significant sacrifices (often unhealthy ones) to be ‘attractive’. As a female looker, the image is very unsettling. Though it seems the meaning of the piece may change when the one doing the looking is male. I wonder if a male viewing the piece would see the piece as an appealing representation of the female. Would men be disturbed by the devastating consequences of being ‘attractive’ that the piece portrays? Using Gaze aids in an effective investigation of the piece. I also think double-coding is relevant in the object (the dress) of the piece. The dress is portraying various meanings simultaneously, some of which are contradictory.  At a basic level, the object is a piece of clothing, an essential object of living. The object also portrays what it means to be female, what it means to be attractive. Social norms are also defined – thin is in. Also the piece defines the sacrifices of meeting social pressures. In conclusion, I have found that discussion or examination of Thinner than You is thought provoking and effective when using the contemporary art concepts discussed in the readings this week.

Installation Art & Encounters: Extending the Invitation

Sorry for the image quality- I’m working on getting a better scan.

The placard says:

Emma Willard

Because: the school Emma Willard opened provided many women advanced education when colleges were denying female applicants. The school Willard opened helped women be seen as equal to men intellectually. Graduates of her school also went on to make big differences, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an influential woman’s rights activist.