SETTING GOALS & EXPECTATIONS

1. Conceptual Structure
● Big Idea: Change
Change is described in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a verb meaning to alter or transform.
Depending on how you look at it you can change as in alter; to make different in particular, or to
transform; to make radically different. Either way, artists throughout time and across cultures
and histories have used art as a way to change perceptions on a variety of topics and issues. In
this respect, art provokes us to consider new ways of thinking, to ask questions about difficult
topics and to encounter communities, cultures, and people that are often overlooked and
marginalized. ​https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/change

● Key Concepts:
1. How do artist’s work?
2. The materials an artist uses have agency and communicate ideas.
3. Artists use visual representations to speak to issues larger than themselves.
4. How can I, as an artist, create awareness about global issues?

● Essential Questions:
1. How do images influence our view of the world, community and self?
2. How does art help us learn about ourselves, others and our global society?
3. How do artists create works of art that effectively communicate?
4. How can images affect change?

RESPONDING AND CONNECTING

2. Instructional Activities
Looking at Art: Investigating Artists who use images to think about global change
● VTS: Students will look at Emily Schnellbacher, ​Fall

Visual Thinking Strategies is a tool which asks students to quietly contemplate works of art and
process through a teacher facilitated question structure where they co-construct knowledge of
art and implied meanings. The facilitator asks a series of three questions, What do you see
going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? And What more can we
find? Students are then asked to use evidence in articulating their responses while also
responding to others viewpoints in a respectful way that produces divergent thinking, promotes
critical thinking, and celebrates student diversity and the lived experiences of each student.
This strategy makes a great introduction to the activity of change. Using the Emily Schnellbacher
piece, students will be exposed to consider ideas about context, setting and material in
interesting ways.
● Gates Foundation: The Gates Foundation “inspires people to take action to change the
world”. Students will work in small groups to explore the Gates Discovery Center
website to see the kinds of change that the foundation is committed to making in the
world. ​https://discovergates.org/exhibit-type/permanent-exhibits/
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/

The Gates Foundation is a wonderful example of an organization filled with innovators

scientists, artists, and philanthropists all working together to make an impact in the
world. The website itself fosters the idea through its slogan, “All lives have equal value.
We are Impatient optimists working to reduce inequity”. Exploring the website allows
students to gain a richer understanding of change as a means of altering and
Transforming and giving them necessary background information about global issues.
 ● Like Scientists, artists also create and innovate, creating work that causes people to
contemplate, and ask questions about important global issues: To create change.
Students will view the work of the following artists who work in the big idea of change.

The website allow the students through teacher facilitation to begin to draw connections for
students that move across the curriculum in unique ways. The design process variation is also
seen in the science field and the areas of global need can be explored in social studies and
language arts fields. Artists use art in very similar ways to call attention to issues and people in
need. There are countless artists that work in the big idea of change and use their work to
provoke new perceptions, confuse and cause the viewer to ask questions and encounter with
the work in a very emotional and personal way. In this way artists, become change agents,
seeking to draw people in to a cause that is bigger than themselves.

● Emily Schnellbacher
http://www.emilyschnellbacher.com/

● Abdoulaye Konate
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/201
6-07-05/abdoulaye-konate-on-brilliant-ideas
 ● Luzinterruptus: an artist collective
http://www.luzinterruptus.com/works/about-lu
zinterruptus/?lang=en

http://www.luzinterruptus.com/?p=4516
https://vimeo.com/222091258

http://www.luzinterruptus.com/?p=5090

● Students will be placed into groups and given one artist example, students will work
together to think back through the key concept questions...Students, in groups will need
to consider the questions.
1. What issue do you think the artist/s is/are calling our attention to? Why do you
think that?
2. What is the artists choice of material/s? What are the materials themselves
communicating?
3. What do you think the artist’s process was? What did they need to research?
4. Did the artist/s do a good job of communicating the message? Is this a strong
example of causing us to think about change? Does it cause an emotional
response?
● Each group will present their findings to the class as a whole.

Working in groups is essential to this process as we want students to be using the experiences
and thought processes of each other to dive into what the specific artist might be trying to say
about change? The questions that each group will be considering about their given artwork
directly relate the the key concepts of the lesson and provide necessary information that aids in
their thinking of the enduring understandings. This activity is steeped in real world critical
thinking and problem solving as students work to critique the work based on the concepts and
idea much like curators might do when considering work for an exhibit. The group setting lso
provides an opportunity for each student to have a voice and a role in the process without being
overwhelmed in a whole group discussion. The presentation piece gives students the ability to
explain their thinking and teach students about their given work. Presentations may even open
up new questions the curators hadn’t considered and give more opportunities for knowledge
building.

This process additionally allows the teacher to facilitate and ask questions to the group which
may call them to reflect on artistic process, techniques and how artist’s work.

CREATING
3. Art making activities
● Students, having significant background knowledge by this point in the lesson will
consider how they can create art that causes viewer to think about change in way that
alters or transforms someone’s perception.
● Using the Action Card protocol from the Gates Foundation Center, students will enter
into a brainstorming activity that marries the type of art they like to create or the medium
they like to work in and the issue they would like to elevate. Teacher will sign off on the
task card prior to starting.

Action: Create a project idea by combining a problem you are interested in and something you
like to do.

Step 1: Think about what kind of found materials I like to use.

Examples: I like to use paper. I like to use recycled materials. I like to collage materials.

I like to________________________________________________________________.

Step 2: What is a problem you would like to help solve?

Examples: I want to help protect animals. I want to help people understand global poverty.

I want to help___________________________________________________________.

Step 3: Combine Step 1 and 2 to create a project.

Example: I am going to use found materials to create a sculptural installation that represents
how far people in Africa have to walk to obtain basic supplies for survival.

Supplies needed and three thumbnail sketches

_______________________________________________________________________
 _______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

1. 2. 3.

The brainstorming process through a version of the Gates Foundation protocol breaks the
ideation in chunks which allow students to systematically work through a project idea. While this
approach may not always work for everyone, some open-ended projects often paralyze
students, causing them to have anxiety and not be able to clearly investigate what is important
to them. This approach seems to be effective in alleviating some of the anxiety from students
not used to this type of activity. Having to create three separate thumbnail sketches or ideas
also pushes students to think passed the original idea and consider other thoughts or solutions
to the artistic problem. Having the students get their cards signed allows for thoughtful
discussions between two artists working together to evaluate ideas. Student voice is valued and
elevated in this way as artist and not as student.

4. Assessment
● Students will be assessed in the following ways.
1) Group presentations on provided artwork examples from part 2 and how well they were
able to articulate the answers to the questions.
2) Pre-planning protocol and sketch designs
3) Artwork made
4) Artist statement which asks students to answer questions from part 2 about their own
artwork. What issue are you calling our attention to? What materials did you use and
what message do the materials say? What did you need to research to better
understand your issue? What challenges did you face? Why was this issue important to
you? What do you hope that people will feel when they see your work?
5) Photographic documentation of process
All activities in this lesson have been designed to provide feedback to both student and teacher.
Assessment, at its core, is a way for the teacher and the student to enter into a dialogue about
progress in whichever way that looks for each individual student. The Group presentation is a
way to see if students are grasping the key concepts through investigating work and answering
key questions which they then present. In this way, the teacher can direct questioning to have
students clarify or promote further understanding in a way in which all students benefit. The
pre-planning protocol is essential for students to be able to show that they can think through the
artistic process in the same way as an artist. It also gives the teacher and student and
opportunity to enter into an artist to artist discussion to further personalize learning for that
particular student. Teachers can also look at student choice of material and examine conceptual
understanding for this type of sculptural art. The making of the work itself is an assessment of
artistic process and materiality (not on the product itself). The artist statement with its reflective
quality is likely the biggest indicator of mastery as students look at the sum of all of the parts
and write about their personal connection to the piece and the big idea. In this way, assessment
values and elevates the student voice in an authentic way. Students photographs throughout
their process add a visual element to their artist statement.

PRESENTING
5. How will students work be presented.
● Using the Gates Discovery center website as inspiration, students will consider how to
curate their work in a display for the larger community (school, community center,
gallery, etc). Students may look at the projects as a whole and consider what patterns
they see between the projects that would create a larger global message of need. Using
their work, statements and photographic documentation, viewers will be able to be
immersed in the student process fully understanding each artist’s voice in their quest to
enact change and lead people to possible action.

Having students convene back together to curate an exhibit is a way to bring them back to the
big idea of change and allow them to put into practice the enduring understandings. Students
again are thrust into an authentic activity where they must search for patterns and create an
overarching message of wanting their audience to connect to themselves through the idea of
change and the larger global society. They must investigate how the works themselves promote
change and what and how they communicate. Artists will receive feedback from those that view
their work in its space whether they choose to have viewers leave a note, have viewers take
their own action etc...but much like the Gates discovery center...that will be for the students to
assess.

REFLECTION
A lot of my reflection is sprinkled throughout the lesson plan. I believe that this lesson is
extremely student centered and allows students to enter into the project where they are at.
Students with more experience will be just as challenged as students with less experience. All
students will be working through authentic tasks from start to finish which elevate them as
learners and as the ones who are constructing knowledge. My mantra to my own students is
that whoever is doing the work is doing the learning. I wanted to make sure that what I was
providing were activities designed as scaffolding to allow them to do the work, and expand their
thinking on the idea of change. This process allows students to get behind a cause that they
can feel really passionate about. We all work better and learn more when the subject is
something we are truly interested in and passionate about. Using empathy and compassion,
students become hooked into thinking about the hardships of other people and asking for help
in a way that promotes change and a sense of activism. The making of the artifact allows
students to visually show what they are thinking about and thinking of what agency a material
has. The material itself becomes just as a part of the work and the message. The idea of the
curated exhibit brings the class together as concerned citizens who are empowered through
their art to showcase a united voice that deserves to be heard. This is very representative of the
culture we live in today. There are so many more ways that this lesson could take off and be
extended to create units of instruction.