Art
9-12
Unit Topic: Art Representations of the Natural and Ecological Worlds
Lessons: Andy Goldsworthy and Environmental Art Sculpture
Subtopics: Environmental Art, Ecological Art, Art in Nature, Land Art, Restoration Art
Purpose: To introduce students to Environmental Art. To introduce students to the Environmental Artist Andy Goldsworthy. The students will create their own Environmental Art Sculpture using found natural objects and the Elements of Art. The students will evaluate their own sculpture by writing a brief paper about their artwork. The students will have an art critique.
Lesson Content:
Day 1
-Introduce students to Environmental Art and related terms. Give the students background information and rationale behind this art movement.
-Introduce students to the terms Environmental Art, Ecological Art, Art in Nature, Land Art, Restoration Art, Earth Art and Earthworks, and Ecoventions. The definitions will be written on an overhead transparency and the students will be responsible for copying them down in their sketchbooks.
-Show transparencies of different examples of Environmental Art, including the works of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Goldsworthy, and Smithson. Ask the students key questions about the artwork. Discuss each piece of art and how it effects or relates to the environment.
Key Questions:
-What are some differences between these pieces of Environmental Art?
-Which artworks seem the most "in-tune" with nature? (Art is in harmony with nature.)
-Which artworks seem more intrusive and interrruptive to the earth and land?
-Why do you think this art was made?
-How long do you think these artworks last in the environment? Were they meant to be permanent?
-How does the viewer get to see these artworks? How are they documented? Would you be able to see environmental art in a gallery or museum?
Intro Activity ( Aesthetic Valuing):
Have the students read the handout "What is Environmental Art?" They will be responsible for answering questions about their reading. When they are finished reading the handout and answering the questions, the students will be given pictures of artworks which represent different types of environmental art (Land Art, Art in Nature, Restoration Art...). The students will do a think pair-share activity in which they discuss the different pieces and decide which category the pieces fit into. The students will need to be able to defend their answers and explain why they chose to categorize the pieces in this particular way. This is an exercise in Aesthetic Valuing.
Day 2
Introduce Andy Goldsworthy
-Introduce students to the artist Andy Goldswothy. The teacher will read a brief biography about Goldsworthy while the students take notes in their sketchbooks. After the bio is read, the students will need to write down five facts they learned from the biography and hand them in.
-Show: The teacher will show different examples of Goldsworthy's artwork. While looking at the artwork, the teacher will ask the student key questions.
Key Questions:
-What elements of art do Andy Goldsworthy incorporate into his work?
-Point out the elements of art in the pieces and discuss how they help the aesthetics of the piece.
Introduce the Studio Art Project
The students will assemble found natural objects into an arrangement emphasizing one or more of the five elements of art and decide upon the best view of their artwork to be photographed. At this point, the students should start thinking about project ideas, the materials they want to use, and the composition of these objects. The students can start making preliminary sketches of their ideas. They may bring natural objects from home to incorporate into their sculptures.
Day 3
-During class, we will walk to a local park or around the school grounds to gather materials to create our environmental art sculptures. These materials include twigs, stones, stones, grass, flowers, leaves, etc. They do not include any man-made materials such as candy wrappers, paper, plastic, or soda cans. Students may bring in materials from home such as shells, bones, or favorite stones to add to this project.
-Students will begin assemblage of art in a location outside the classroom. They should experiment with the natural materials they have gathered, arrange the items, and make sketches of their most successful compositions. The elements of art should be used in the creation of the sculptures. To protect the sculptures overnight, a drop cloth or tarp, secured with stakes, can be put over the area where the students are working.
Day 4
-Students will refine their ideas, complete the construction of their environmental art sculptures, and decide upon the best view of their work to be photographed.
-After the completion and photography of the sculptures, the students will reflect upon their artwork. They will create a brief paragraph about their artwork which addresses the following points:
-Students will identify the significance of the five art elements in their work.
-Students will describe at least one relationship between the environment and their art.
-Students will explain why they chose the materials they used to create their sculpture.
Day 5
After the sculptures have been photographed with a digital camera, they will be made into a Power Point presentation. Because the artwork is transient, the only documentation of the artwork will be the digital photographs of the pieces. We will use a projector to show the Environmental Art Sculptures to the class. There will be a critique and discussion about each student's sculpture.
| Attachments: | |
| 1. | Reading Qs- what is e. art.cwk |
| 2. | Handout- what is e. art.cwk |
| 3. | e. art vocabulary words.cwk |
| 4. | Goldsworthy Biography.cwk |
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CA- California K-12 Academic Content Standards
Standard 1.5: Analyze the materials used by a given artist and describe how its use influences the meaning of the work.The students will be graded on their environmental art sculptures, the paragraph they wrote about their sculptures, the reading questions, and the five written facts about Andy Goldsworthy. Their sculptures will be graded using the attatched rubric.
Rubrics:
environmental art sculptures