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Contemporary artists
grapple with local, national and international events in their
work, bringing creative perspectives to age-old issues and current
concerns. Sometimes controversial and often provocative, artists
engage ideas that range from the implications of technology, to
the issue of collective and individual identity, to the purpose
of public memorials and monuments. Relevant to the study of history,
geography, psychology, government, and economics, living artists
present compelling ways to rethink the stories that define who
we are.
NATIONAL
STANDARDS |
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cartoon
commentary
Topic: Abstraction
& Realism
Artists: Ford,
Marshall, Pettibon, Walker
In Cartoon Commentary, the medium of political cartoons is used
to explore the way symbolic systems incorporate both realistic representations
and abstract imagery and language to convey ideas. Students will
research the history and technique of political cartoons and create
their own cartoons that convey political or social issues of their
time. The contemporary artists in this lesson explore the cartoon
genre, incorporating elements of satire, allegory, and epic narrative
in their work. |
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migrating
viewpoints
Topic: Home
& Displacement
Artists: Orozco,
Osorio, Sikander, Suh, Walker
In an age of global travel and migration, many people identify themselves
with multiple cultures, cities, or a diaspora of individuals. The
city where a person is born is distinct from those that they travel
to later in life or those that represent the distinct cultural identities
of their family. This lesson will have students explore the concepts
of assimilation, hybridization, translation, and cultural borrowing. |
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yearbook
tribes & nomads
Topic: Individuals
& Collectives
Artists: Schorr,
Suh
Yearbooks are a common representation of the high school experience,
changing in subtle ways over time to reflect the era in which they
were published. Looking at the changes that reflect different social
standards and expectations over time, students will investigate
how the concept of tribes and nomads relates to the creation of
public documents that express who we are. Students will examine
group portraits, image archives, and the role of photography in
creating a collective memory. |
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traditional
crafts, contemporary ideas
Topic: Labor
& Craftsmanship
Artists:
Antoni, Mann, Puryear, Sikander, Suh
What do the tools, techniques, and products created in the past
or by distant cultures communicate about a society? In this lesson
students will consider the way anthropologists study the artifacts
of the past in order to create their own social history of contemporary
material culture. Traditional forms such as woodworking, weaving,
sewing, wet plate photography, and miniature painting will be
explored in the work of contemporary artists as a model for students
to adopt a past craft in their own writing and art.
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landscape & place
Topic: The Natural
World
Artists: Celmins,
Chin, Ford, Mann, Schorr, Turrell
Historical depictions of the landscape are often seen as a reflection
of the social policies and commonly held beliefs about people and
their place in the world. This lesson will examine the symbolism
of representing people and animals in the landscape. Students will
study contemporary images of landscapes and natural settings to
create an archive representing their own relationship to the natural
world. |
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the
face of fame
Topic: Public
& Private Space
Artists: Horn,
Pfeiffer, Schorr, Wodiczko
In the 1960s Andy Warhol declared that “In the future, everyone
will be world famous for 15 minutes.” In 1979 he told the Washington
Post, “I’m bored with that line. I never use it anymore.
My new line is ‘In 15 minutes, everybody will be famous.’”
This lesson will explore the idea of celebrity and give students
the chance to create their own 15 minutes of fame through films
and photographic images. Students will examine the way artists grapple
with and critique media and the cult of the celebrity. (Updated
for Season Three!) |
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honoring
heroes & history
Topic: Ritual
& Commemoration
Artists:
Bourgeeois, Lin, Puryear, Smith, Suh
Who decides who or what deserves to be commemorated? In remembering
the past, certain stories and heroes have been selected as part
of the larger historical narrative while others have been overlooked.
Using local and national public sculptures, monuments, and memorials,
students will explore how artists create works that commemorate
people & events and how their work relates to more traditional
public monuments and statues.
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mediating
media
Topic: Technology
& Systems
Artists: Charles,
Kilgallen, Kruger, Pfeiffer
‘Visual saturation’ and ‘perceptual overload’
are terms we use to describe the way that new technologies and media
have become ubiquitous in daily life. With new technologies come
opportunities and responsibilities. This lesson explores how artists,
politicians, and business interests have addressed the issue of
mass media like advertising and popular culture and its relationship
to individual rights and identity. Students will explore the connections
between art and advertising. |
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war
on film
Topic: War
& Conflict
Artists:
Korot, Mann, Schorr
Films and photographs on war are often heavily edited, biased,
and selective in what they portray: suffering rather than jubilation,
winners rather than losers, leaders rather troops, etc. Looking
at the way photographs have documented the people and places affected
by war, teachers and students will look at photographs and video
as the starting point for researching, comparing, contrasting,
and critiquing historical and contemporary wartime journalistic
and art-based photography.
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National
Standards for Social Studies
#1 Culture
Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of culture and cultural diversity.
#2 Time, Continuity and Change
Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time.
#3 People, Places and Environment
Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of people, places, and environments.
#4 Individual Development and Identity
Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of individual development and identity.
#5 Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions.
#6 Power, Authority, and Governance
Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance.
#7 Production, Distribution, and Consumption
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of how people organize for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods
and services.
#8 Science, Technology, and Society
Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of relationships among science, technology, and society.
#9 Global Connections
Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of global connections and interdependence.
#10 Civic Ideals and Practices
Social Studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.
State Standards for Social Studies
Find out if this lesson plan correlates to
your state's education standards! On PBS
TeacherSource do a search for "Art in
the 21st Century" and click on the Standards Match icon. |
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