North Lawndale College Prep Charter HS

Interdisciplinary Projects: 100 Sample Art-based Driving Questions

2012-2013

Good Driving Questions

are provocative;
are open-ended, not close-ended;
lead to argumentative claims/essays/presentations;
are challenging; and
are more specific than they are vague.
Sample Driving Questions:
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Does art reflect or produce culture/society?

How has art sustained social change movements?
What is the responsibility of the artist to society?
Does violence in the media contribute to teen violence? In Chicago?
Have the effects of violence in the media been exaggerated?
Is there an increase in media pressure on young children to dress and act sexually?
Should sex and/or violence in the media be regulated more?
How have representations of various groups of people (LGBTQ people, racial minorities,
religious minorities) changed over time?
9. Is it possible for the arts to transform a community or neighborhood?
10. Can art be used to heal from trauma?
11. How do students benefit from arts education in high school?
12. How has technology changed art in the last 30 years?
13. The power of persuasion: How has art been used as propaganda?
14. Who defines what art is?
15. How does fashion reinforce or defy stereotypes?
16. Has public art changed the culture of North Lawndale and/or neighborhoods in Chicago?
17. How is North Lawndale represented in the media and what effect does this have on the
community?
18. What is the effect of foreclosed homes and abandoned lots on a community and/or city?
19. Do urban gardens and public parks have the power to transform a community?
20. How did the Harlem Renaissance transform how African American culture was viewed? How
has this changed over time?
21. In what ways can art & media be used to initiate social change/revolution?
22. In what ways are artists agents of change?
23. In what ways are the arts a universal language?
24. What does it mean to be an artist?
25. Is an artist born or made? Nature v. Nurture.

26. In what ways are the arts transformative, personally, socially, or culturally?
27. What role do the arts play in shaping culture?
28. In what ways do the arts (all arts and all forms of media) shape our perception of ourselves?
29. In what ways do the arts (all forms, including all forms of media) shape our perception of
society?
30. Does a person need to possess talent to be an artist or can they develop the skills to create
art?
31. Can art be taught?
32. Who or what defines artistic talent?
33. What is good art?
34. Who determines the value/worth of art?
35. Why is graffiti illegal when public advertising is legal?
36. Is censorship ever justified?
37. Should art be required in schools?
38. What does it mean to be an artist in society?
39. Of what value are the arts to our society/culture?
40. In what ways are the arts used for therapeutic purposes?
41. Why is the work of white male artists the work that occupies the greatest space in museums?
42. Is art important or necessary?
43. Why do people create art?
44. How has art changed through time?
45. What choices must an artist make before beginning a work?
46. What exactly is art? Are there limits to art making?
47. How does art expand our thinking?
48. How does art record and communicate the human experience?
49. How does art reflect human culture?
50. What is the artists role in contemporary society?
51. What makes art modern?
52. Should artists be allowed to express themselves without restrictions?
53. How does an artist develop his or her own vision?
54. How is an idea born?
55. Is it possible to have an original idea?
56. Is the artist's intention relevant to the viewer?
57. Is taste absolute?
58. What does quality look like in a given visual art form?
59. Why is art necessary?
60. How do people express themselves through art today?
61. How has art changed through time?
62. Where do artists get their ideas?
63. What can I make art about?
64. Does something have to be original to be art?
65. What is creative thinking?
66. What personality traits exist among creative people?
67. What limits creativity?
68. Are the arts an activity that you do, or an activity that you think about or both?
69. Is name brand clothing worth the price?
70. Does the fashion industry promote young girls to dress sexually?
71. Is it possible to trace where and how our clothing is made?
72. Do clothing manufacturers have social responsibility to their workers?
73. How has art recorded history?

74. In what ways can a fictional work of theater convey something real from the human
experience?
75. Do students benefit from having theater programs school?
76. How can architecture affect the people who inhabit buildings?
77. Should the government fund community art projects?
78. What is the purpose of public art?
79. Should new buildings be required to be environmentally green?
80. Does "green architecture" really make a difference in global warming?
81. What history do the murals of Chicago represent?
82. How have ancient symbols been re-appropriated in contemporary times?
83. Is name brand clothing worth the price?
84. Does the fashion industry promote young girls to dress sexually?
85. Is it possible to trace where and how our clothing is made?
86. Do clothing manufacturers have social responsibility to their workers?
87. How has art recorded history?
88. In what ways can a fictional work of theater convey something real from the human
experience?
89. Do students benefit from having theater programs school?
90. How can architecture affect the people who inhabit buildings?
91. Should the government fund community art projects?
92. How have cultural norms been reflected in dance over the years?
93. Is it ever okay to engage in illegal activity as an expression of self?
94. Is it necessary to express ones own opinion?
95. Is it ever okay to suppress ones own opinion/beliefs for the sake of the group, even if the
voice of the group is in direct opposition to your own opinion or beliefs?
96. Is there a popular/political youth movement today?
97. Are youth as politically motivated today as they were in the 60s and 70s? Why/not?
98. What is the evidence that tests measure how smart or successful we will be?
99. How is success measured in the arts versus the rest of society?
100.
Why do so many artists find success posthumously while they struggle to support
themselves during their lifetime?