By:
Idanya Clark
Julianna Guccione
The lesson below is for high school students: designed to help prompt classroom discussion and learning centered on cultural artifacts and contemporary artists that use icons in their works. Students will discover how "traditional" works of art have inspired and informed numerous contemporary artists. An example of traditional works that the students will be looking at for this project is the Santos collection from the University of
Florida.
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Grade Level
This is a project that will get high school students 9-12 th
grades to explore the Santos collection and create and understanding of icons and their connections and affect in contemporary art today.
Characteristics of the Learners
Students at this age start thinking on a more abstract form and the egocentric thoughts decrease. This allows the individual to begin thinking and reasoning on a wider perspective. Individuals at the adolescent age also begin to improve in selective attention, can work both long term and short term memory, and think more quickly than children.
Additionally, students at the adolescence age are more aware of their own thought processes, which can help in terms of organization.
Rationale
When we think of Icons, there are religious ones and cultural ones. This lesson plan teaches the students how there are many different forms of icons and how we can use these as inspiration for something else depict how important something is to us. In the case of the example Communication through symbolism should be the focus of the lesson. Students will then do their own research on contemporary artists who use icons in their pieces and use them as inspiration for their own piece. Students will be creating a paper mache sculpture based on an icon that they feel inspires them/affects them as a person keeping the contemporary artists and Santos collection in mind.
Sunshine Standard
VA.912.C.2.2
Assess the works of others, using established or derived criteria, to support conclusions and judgments about artistic progress.
VA.912.H.1.1
Analyze the impact of social, ecological, economic, religious, and/or political issues on the function or meaning of the artwork.
VA.912.H.2.3
Analyze historical or cultural references in commemorative works of art to identify the significance of the event or person portrayed.

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VA.912.C.3.3
Examine relationships among social, historical, literary, and/or other references to explain how they are assimilated into artworks.
Objectives
The student will learn to communicate of contemporary art through the use of symbolism in a 3D sculpture that focuses on his or her own cultural identity
Learning objectives:
1.
Analyze the meaning behind a contemporary piece of work and its iconic connections.
2.
Identify contemporary artists worldwide who use tradional icons in their pieces.
3.
Create works of art that incorporates the idea of personal importance, influenced on contemporary artists and their work.
4.
Develop the understanding of skills that relate to contemporary art and its history
5.
Compare and contrast contemporary art with more the more religious and traditional pieces of the Santos collection displayed at the University of Florida.
Materials
Pencils, toned drawing paper, personal sketchbook, thin wire, wire cutters, newspaper, water buckets, Elmer’s glue, handouts (attached), acrylic paint, paint brushes, and paper mache glue.
Preparations
First a PowerPoint should be made to introduce the Santos collection and the variety of pieces that Puig has collected. It will incorporate photographs and text informing the students of the collection and references to the idea of iconic images. Afterwards, another
PowerPoint will be shown. This one will focus and reference contemporary art and artists that use iconic images/cultural identities/religious aspects as inspiration for their artwork, similar to the Santos pieces and their religious inspiration. How do these images represent the culture? Create a list of questions to ask students during the presentation to get ideas going so they may create their own connections. Students should be familiar with the idea of paper mache and wire sculpture, so that they can properly create their own sculptures.

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Introductions
A native of Puerto Rico, Hector Puig is a Gainesville resident who has acquired an outstanding collection of Puerto Rican Santos. He also has a collection of artwork ranging from regional to international, specifically Mexico and South America. The exhibition will be on display in UF’s University Gallery, which students are encouraged to visit on their own time.
From here, I would like to ask students what objects do we like as a culture and how are they endowed by their meanings. Do different people enjoy different objects for various reasons? From these questions the student will be creating his or her own cultural connections so they may create their own “Santos” like sculpture through the use of paper mache with personal cultural meaning and symbolic elements. This will all be described in the PowerPoints that reference the Santos collection and contemporary artists which will be presented before the project is begun.
Procedures
The teacher will show two separate power points to the students, one on the Santos collection, and one on contemporary artists that use iconic images in their work. Students will do their own research on several artists and use those to begin to brainstorm their rough sketches. Students will fill out KWL chart and turn it in for a homework assignment. Students will create three preliminary drawings of their sculptures with different ideas. Students will choose the best option. Students will then individually begin their 3D pieces using paper mache, wire and paint, to which they have prior knowledge on. The size requirements are around 8 inches to one foot tall, and four inches wide. At the conclusion of the assignment, the class will critique the finished work as a group and discuss the use of symbolism in their artwork.
Distribution and Clean up
The lesson will be split into 8 class periods, each 50 minutes long
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Day 1: Discussion on the Santos Collection with a PowerPoint (15 minutes) and questions. PowerPoint on Contemporary artists that use iconic influences, and questions (20 minutes). Project introduced, hands outs passed around class, along with rubric. Introduce KWL homework assignment, which can be done in sketchbooks (last 20 minutes)
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Day 2: Work on rough sketches for ideas in their sketchbooks (20 minutes) Work with group to discuss different ideas and come up with the final idea. (20 minutes)
Have them turned in/approved/clean up (10 minutes)
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Day 3: Begin wire skeleton and complete. (45 minutes). Clean up (last 5)
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Day 4-7: Work up on the wire skeleton with paper mache. When ready, students may begin painting. (40 minutes). Clean up (10 minutes).
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Day 8: minutes: Presentation/critique (40 minutes)

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Extensions
Students have been studying Latin American history in their history class, and they should be able to make connections between the Santos collection and what they’re doing in their history class. Additionally, the students will have an opportunity to have their pieces displayed in the Main Office on campus and even in the history class.
Visuals
When introducing the lesson, a PowerPoint with visuals of the Santos collection should be included, along with several artists who use cultural and/or religious icons as inspiration. That list will be given (see in handouts) to students so they may get a head start on their own research. Additionally a list of websites below may help students make connections with contemporary art, specific artists, and more information on the Santos exhibit. http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/pop_art.htm http://armenianstudies.csufresno.edu/faculty/kouymjian/articles/2001_preface_modern_ic ons.htm http://contemporaryartscenter.org/ http://legacy.arts.ufl.edu/news/story.aspx?ID=1547
Sample
Hand outs given on the first day of the lesson:
K-W-L Chart:
What I know What I want to know What I learned

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List of artists that use icons in their pieces
Andy Warhol
Ludmila Pawlowska
Saag Pogossian
Vahe Berberian
Jeff Koons
Seeroon Yeretzian
Ron English
Jasper Johns
Henri Matisse
Vachag Ter Sarkissian
Emil Kazaz
Betty Saar
Adaptation
This is for students with hearing disabilities. The quantity of the work would not change, for the student would still be able to physically create a sculpture. The student would have the same amount of time as others. The student may need a peer buddy for some things, but for the most part there are words and visuals in the PowerPoints for him or her to follow along. If we were to watch videos, we would enable subtitles. Difficulty wise, the learner should approach the work just as the other students would. The student can respond to the instruction by creating the charts and working with other students on these, since there are visuals to it. This also has to do with participation, he or she would critique the final project but with students saying or writing their opinions down. The goals and outcomes of the project will be the same. As a result of the above, there will not be any form of a substitute curriculum necessary.
Assessing Objectives
Analyze the meaning behind a contemporary piece of work and its iconic connections.
During in class presentation/ask questions/discussion
Identify icons in contemporary artist’s art. Research/notes
Create works of art that incorporates the idea of personal importance.
Personal project. This can also be found in the research.
Develop the understanding of skills that relate to contemporary art and its history.
Mirrored in their own work and their understanding of the assignment
Compare and contrast contemporary art with traditional pieces such as the Santos collection displayed at UF.
In their own research/presentation of their own project and how it influenced them.

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