Contemporary Art Lesson Plans for Elementary and Secondary Education
Catherine Weaver
University of Central Florida
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 2
Elementary 2D Lesson Plan
Alyne Harris, n.d., Cotton Field
Alyne Harris, n.d., Slave Women
Big Ideas
Historical and Global Connections
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Objective
For this lesson, I would like students to be able to identify historical events and issues
about slavery that may have been influential in their own history and family past. I would also
like for them to look at these images and paint from these works their own life experiences by
using color, form, and line. By showing them these historical images and allowing them to draw
from them by expressing their own experiences, I am allowing them to connect the visual arts
with other disciplines. This shows them that art is more than creating pretty pictures. Art can
hold meaning and draw from what they know and as well as what inspires them.
Procedures
Alyne Harris is a Florida Folk Artist from Gainesville, Florida. Her work depicts scenes
from church, black history, nature, and memories from her childhood. She uses her hands,
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 3
brushes, sticks, kitchen utensils, and anything else available to her to paint her images onto
canvas using acrylic paint. She began as a self taught artist and painted with mud at night while
worked as a housekeeper during the day.
I chose Harris for my lesson plan because she uses issues of black history to convey
brightly colored scenes. By providing students with an understanding and a connection with
historical and global issues, students are able to connect with historical events that may have
affected their ancestors and family members. Students will identify examples of works created
by artists that relate to cultural as well as life experiences. They will use these resources to
inspire expression of personal ideas and experiences in the works of art they view in class. Based
on what they have found, they will sketch a life experience that they wish to present to the class
and then paint it with tempera paint. “Projects such as reconstructing memories of
childhood….or describing how their identities are constructed in part by objects….often afford
students unexpected insights into self” (Gude, 2007, pp.8).
Assessment
Materials include tempura paint, paint brushes, pencils for sketching what they want to draw, and
paper
For this assignment, I want students to learn how history has made an impact on their lives in
some way or another as well as provide them with the basic art making skills of drawing with
line, color, and form.
See assessment rubric in appendix
Statement of Origin
I came across the idea of using culture by viewing samples of folk art. I believe children
can reflect on these images of slavery and learn that art can be representative of one’s past and
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 4
how they fit in with society. I believe that students need to be provided with a meaningful art
experience which, according to Amy Giles is “an experience for which a child has intensity,…a
disposition to lose oneself in an activity, and purpose,…to be a result or effect that is intended or
desired” (Giles, 1999, pp.1).
References
Harris, A. (n.d.). Cotton Field. Retrieved from http://www.jtfolkart.com/artist/alyne-harris/.
Harris, A. (n.d.). Slave Women. Retrieved from http://www.jtfolkart.com/artist/alyne-harris/.
Giles, A. R. (1999). “School Art Versus Meaningful Artistically Authentic Art Education.”
NAEA Advisory, Ed. Christine Davis, National Art Education Association, pp. 1-2.
Gude, O. (2007). “Principles and Possibilities: Considerations for a 21st Century art and Culture
Curriculum,” Art Education, Vol. 60, No. 1, pp. 6-17.
Secondary 2D Lesson Plan
Tom Feelings, 1995,from The Middle Passage
Big Idea
Critical Thinking and Reflection
Tom Feelings,1995, from The Middle Passage
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 5
Skills, Techniques, and Processes
Organizational Structure
Historical and Global Connections
Objectives
For this lesson, I would like students to identify with a dehumanizing and devastating
event from history such as in the images above with the slave trade. Students will reflect upon
this historical event and think about how it may have affected them. Students will analyze the
above drawings and overall structure of them and determine the overall composition. By
evaluating this work, students will gain a perspective on what kind of environment these
individuals had to deal with.
Procedures
Tom Feelings is an illustrator for many children books. His illustrations consist mainly of
African American men and women. In The Middle Passage (1995), from which these images
were obtained, his illustrations deal with slavery and the poor conditions brought upon to these
men and women. "When I am asked what kind of work I do, my answer is that I am a storyteller,
in picture form, who tries to reflect and interpret the lives and experiences of the people that gave
me life” (Feelings, n.d.).
For this lesson plan, students will review the historical event of the slave trade and how
this may have had an effect on their upbringing. Students will analyze these drawings based on
technical skills, development of idea, aesthetic appeal, and social implementation. They will also
be asked to identify what form of perspective is shown in these images, the line quality and
composition found in these images, and where the horizon line lays in each image. Then,
students will convey their own historical rendition of the slave trade using the perspective that is
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 6
found in both of these images (one-point perspective) as well as drawing themselves into their
image. By teaching students to “immerse themselves in a process of making and sensitively
interact with images and ideas as they emerge” (Gude, 2007, pp.8), students will be able to
identify with the work and form an intellectual and emotional reaction to their work as well as
the historical event portrayed within the image.
Assessment
Materials include, pencil, charcoal, paper, erasers, and blending sticks.
I believe it is important for students to know and understand events in history that have placed an
impact on how the world is today. I also believe it is important for students to learn how to draw
perspective using techniques that they will continue to use as they advance into the art making
world.
See assessment rubric in appendix
Statement of Origin
The idea of placing the students inside the historical event of the slave trade was brought
about by Olivia Gude’s (2007) article, Principles of Possibility: Considerations for a 21st
Century Art and Culture Curriculum. In this article, she expresses the importance of students
being able to formulate an idea of self. She explains that “quality projects aid students in
exploring how one’s sense of self is constructed within complex family, social, and media
experiences” (Gude, 2007, pp. 8). By connecting Gude with an historical event and placing the
student as the figure in the image as the victim of the piece, students are connecting with how it
may have felt to be in that place at that time and therefore be able to empathize with individuals
stuck in similar situations.
References
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 7
Clark, J.H. (1995). The Middle Passage (T. Feelings, Illus.). Retrieved from
http://www.juneteenth.com/middlep.htm.
Clark, J.H. (1995). The Middle Passage (T. Feelings, Illus.). Retrieved from
http://www.juneteenth.com/middlep.htm.
Gude, O. (2007). “Principles and Possibilities: Considerations for a 21st Century art and Culture
Curriculum,” Art Education, Vol. 60, No. 1, pp. 6-17.
Feelings, T. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.juneteenth.com/Tom_Feelings.htm.
Elementary 3D
Willie Cole, 2008, Love Seat
Big Idea
Critical Thinking and Reflection
Historical and Global Connections
Innovation, Technology, and the Future
Objectives
During this lesson, I would like students to be able to learn about the artist that
constructed these sculptures made out of shoes and for what purpose. I would like students to
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 8
reflect upon our own culture and how many items we throw away that could still be recycled and
reused to construct forms such as these chairs. I want students to think about how they would
create their own forms with reusable items
Procedures
Willie Cole is known for his transformations of ordinary, discarded domestic objects,
such as shoes, irons, and lawn jockeys, into powerful works of art that present social, political or
cultural perspectives of the urban African American experience.“Great art often engages the
most significant issues of community, calling on each of us to bring our deepest understanding
and empathy to our shared social experience” (Gude, 2007, pp. 8). Students should be engaged in
what is going on in society and how to change the world to provide for a better future.
In this lesson plan, students will construct sculptural forms out of an item they have
found in multiple such as bottle caps, plastic bottles, buttons, etc. that can be constructed
together to make a cohesive form. This lesson plan will reflect upon our culture’s wasteful
abilities and how to make constructive, useful objects from these recyclable materials. During
this exercise, students will gain an appreciation for our world and learn the importance of
recycling as well as how to be resourceful with materials.
Assessment
Materials- Have students collect multiples of a single item, glue, string, thin wire, and anything
that can be used to keep these items together.
After this lesson is completed, students should be able to provide an understanding of
culture based materials and have developed an appreciation for the environment. Students should
learn to be resourceful with materials and should be able to construct aesthetically pleasing forms
from recyclable materials.
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 9
See assessment rubric in appendix
Statement of Origin
Willie Cole’s use of everyday objects such as the shoe sculptures above inspired me to
think of issues of recycling materials and using them to create works of art. By teaching kids to
use their discarded materials in new ways such as making functional furniture, I am teaching
students to be aware of materials and their worth rather than just throwing them out. At the same
time, I am showing them how to create a cohesive, functional form using the idea of multiples.
References
Cole, W. (2008). Love Seat. Retrieved from
http://collections.madmuseum.org/code/emuseum.asp?emu_action=searchrequest&modul
eid=1&profile=objects&currentrecord=1&style=single&rawsearch=id/,/is/,/5476/,/false/,/
true.
Cole, W. (1993). Made in the Philippines. Retrieved from
http://www.artknowledgenews.com/2009-08-07-22-56-49-willie-cole-and-hank-willisthomas-explore-amistad-centers-extensive-collection-of-art.html.
Gude, O. (2007). “Principles and Possibilities: Considerations for a 21st Century art and Culture
Curriculum,” Art Education, Vol. 60, No. 1, pp. 6-17.
Secondary 3D Lesson Plan
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 10
Lesley Dill, 2010, Heaven/Hell Dress
Lesley Dill, 2010, Sister Gertrude Installation
Big idea
Critical Thinking and Reflection
Skills, techniques, and Processes
Organizational Structure
Innovation, Technology, and the Future
Objectives
To show how text and artistic elements are interconnected.
In this lesson, students will combine creative and technical knowledge to produce visually strong
works of art. By using text in their scenes of duality, they are making connections between the
art of written language and the act of making art itself. Combining these dual elements into one
scene or image will allow for a more complex and graphically appealing scenario.
Procedures
Lesley Dill’s work deals primarily with themes of language, the body, emotion, and
society. Dill describes language as being “the touchstone, the pivot point of all my work”
(Hunter Museum of American Art, n.d.). Her use of language stems from a book of poetry by
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 11
Emily Dickenson that her mother gave her. She saw images in the words that she simply could
not ignore. Dill describes words as her “spiritual armor” that she stitches and weaves across her
multi-layered works.
I chose Dill for my Secondary 3D lesson plan because I feel like her work speaks to
students. She uses recognizable forms and places text on top of them to illustrate and convey her
intended meaning behind her work. By doing this, she is construing multiple meanings to the
viewer.
Create a single sculpture that incorporates a conflict within your value system (can
choose from provided list or create your own with permission from teacher):
Heaven vs. Hell
Good vs. Evil
Appearance vs. Reality
**Must use text to convey your message. Examples shown in the dresses above.
Preliminary sketches will be made to tell whether the student is on the right track or not. These
sketches will be peer reviewed and critiqued in class.
The sculpture does not have to be something from real life. It can be imaginative or
abstract in form. You can use your imagination to invent forms that may have been stimulated
from real objects (Linderman, 1996, pp. 109).
Assessment
The materials used for this assignment will consist of making a wire amateur that shall be
covered with papier-mâché (strips of newspaper dipped in papier-mâché) and painting with
acrylic paint.
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 12
Students will have a basic understanding of how text can promote visual literacy and how
to combine artistic forms with text to transform a simple idea into a complex message. Using
scenes of duality allows for students to think critically, reflect, and present a message they wish
to use to represent themselves. Also, by using new and unfamiliar processes of art making,
students are able to form new art making abilities.
See grading rubric in appendix
Statement of Origin
I originally thought about this idea of duality but I did not know how to make it into a
concise lesson plan. At first, I thought about having students weave words into fabric, but I
couldn’t figure out the purpose or what the end product’s meaning would be or represent. After
looking at the images as not dresses, but instead as sculptural forms, I decided that students
should create a single sculpture with both conflicting views embodied into it.
References
Dill, L. (2010). Heaven/Hell Dress. Retrieved from
http://www.arthurrogergallery.com/dynamic/artist_pressrelease.asp?ArtistID=19.
Dill, L.(2010). Sister Gertrude Installation. Retrieved from
http://www.arthurrogergallery.com/dynamic/artwork_display.asp?ArtworkID=4710&Exh
ibitID=166.
Hunter Museum of American Art (n.d). I Heard A Voice: The Art of Lesley Dill. Retrieved from
http://www.huntermuseum.org/exhibition/7/i-heard-a-voicethe-art-of-lesley-dill/.
Linderman, M.G. (1996). “Chapter 8: Art Production: Ideas and Techniques,” Art in the
Elementary School, McGraw Hill, pp. 108-112.
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 13
Elementary Media Criticism
Carl Knickerbocker, n.d., They’re Putting TV in my brain
Carl Knickerbocker, 2010, Evolution of Reedy Creek
Big Idea
Critical Thinking and Reflection
Historical and Global Connections
Objectives
To provide students with an understanding of the media and how it shapes society’s
values. Students will learn the importance of comparing and contrasting images of Florida
throughout various historical periods. Additionally, students learn to create their own original
artistic examples of how media shapes culture.
Procedures
Carl Knickerbocker is a University of Central Florida graduate whose work deals
primarily with themes of Florida and the sociopolitical. He is self taught and uses colorful
canvases to present his ideas and images to the viewer. Jeanine Taylor Folk Art expresses that
Knickerbocker’s art can make you “think and laugh at the same time” (Jeanine Taylor Folk Art,
2011).
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 14
For this lesson, study both pictures. Do you happen to notice how something in each
picture takes over something that was there before? For example, what might have been in the
man’s head before it was replaced with the TV? What is the difference between the TV and a
brain? In the second picture what was the land like in Florida before theme parks such as Disney
replaced the natural landscape? What changes have occurred in both pictures?
Can you think of something else that has happened in your surroundings and what effects
did that have on you and the area you live in? Illustrate your idea through the medium of paint. A
preliminary sketch will be made to make sure that you are on the right track.
Assessment
Materials include tempura paint, paper, brushes, and paper and pencil to sketch their
preliminary idea.
Students will be asked the above questions and will use critical thinking skills in a group
setting to analyze how something is affected when an object or item is bestowed upon and
replaces what was once there.
Grading for this assignment will be assessed in two parts. The group discussion section
will address how well they understand the topic as well as whether they provided any of their
own input and thoughts into the conversation. The painting will be assessed using the appropriate
grading rubric found in the appendix as well as how well they understood the project and what
was asked of them.
Statement of Origin
I was looking at these images, trying to figure out what they had in common and how to
create a lesson plan that would provide students with a critic on the media as well as be simple
enough for students to comprehend and understand. I realized that in each of these images,
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 15
something is being replaced. I then came across the idea of having students think about what it is
that is being replaced and reflect upon what has been replaced or changed in their own lives. The
final project will reflect the knowledge they have gained during the group discussion.
References
Jeanine Taylor Folk Art. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.jtfolkart.com/product//theyreputting-tv-in-my-brain/.
Knickerbocker, C. (n.d.). They’re Putting TV in My Brain. Retrieved from
http://www.jtfolkart.com/product//theyre-putting-tv-in-my-brain/
Knickerbocker, C. (2010). Evolution of Reedy Creek. Retrieved from
http://www.carlknickerbocker.com/
Secondary Media Criticism
Hank Willis Thomas, 2008, Black Power
Big Idea
Critical Thinking and Reflection
Historical and Global Connections
Objectives
Hank Willis Thomas, 2004, Afro-American AmEx
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 16
To inspire students to use critical thinking skills, reflect upon how media has had an
effect on them as well as their personal ideas about society and other social conditions in the
United States as well as other countries around the world.
Procedures
Hank Willis Thomas is a photo conceptual artist working primarily with themes related to
identity, history and popular culture. His goal is to “employ the familiar or Roland Barthes whatgoes-without-saying, to draw connections and provoke conversations about issues and histories
that are often forgotten or avoided in our commerce-infused daily lives" (Light Work, n.d.).
I chose Thomas for my lesson plan because I believe he is able to express his main ideas for
creating his work in simple, yet concise photographic images. Students can immediately identify
with these images as well as look further and delve deeper into what they represent and
communicate to the audience.
In this lesson plan, students will use critical thinking skills to develop, refine, and reflect
on Hank Willis Thomas’s theme. The students will write a response to the images they see above
and how they interpret the meanings behind these pieces as well as how it affects them on a
personal level.
After writing what they think these images represent and reflecting upon them with
personal experiences there will be an in class group discussion where each student will
summarize what they thought the meaning represented and how it affected them personally.
Then, students will create their own media criticism that has affected them on a person level
through the medium of photography. They will each compose two images, one of which has to
have them in the photo. This may allow them to better represent how they have been affected by
the media.
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 17
Assessment
Black or Blue pen, paper, a digital point and shoot camera, and photo paper (glossy, semi-glossy,
luster, or matte finish).
At the conclusion of this lesson, students will have thought critically about media
criticism and how it has affected their lives in the social world. Students will also utilize the
medium of photography to additionally prove what they have learned during this assignment and
how they can apply media criticism in their own artwork.
Students will be graded based on how well they interpreted the meanings of behind these
works for the writing portion of this assignment as well as through the grading rubric for the
photograph portion of the assignment. Participation during the in class discussion counts 1 points
towards their final grade.
See assessment rubric in appendix
Statement of Origin
As I read Thomas’s biography about his work, I considered the idea of having students
reflect upon his work and the meanings behind them. I quoted him for saying that he hopes to
promote discussion which is how I came across the idea of having students write a reflection and
then have a group discussion on their ideas about the work. I then decided that more was needed
for them to involve their own interpretation into the piece. I thought about one of my
assignments from Dr. Hopp’s Classroom Management class where we were instructed to make
two photographs, one of which had to include ourselves. I felt that this was beneficial to students
because it forces them to include themselves and their own personal views into a work of art.
References
Thomas, H.W. (2008). Black Power. Retrieved from http://www.aperture.org/exposures/?p=257
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 18
Thomas, H.W. (2004). Afro American AmEx. Pitch Blackness. Retrieved from
http://hammer.ucla.edu/calendar/detail/year/2008/month/10/day/1/type/program/id/51.
Thomas, H.W. (n.d.). Light Work. Retrieved from http://www.lightwork.org/store/thomas.html.
Appendix
Elementary Grading Rubric
Students can receive a maximum of 100 points for an assignment. The total number of points
corresponds to a letter grade. Additional “bonus” points may be allotted according to conditions
outlined below.
Teachers comments:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Grading Scale
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C =70-79
D = 60-69
F = below 59
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 19
Secondary Grading Rubric
Students can receive a maximum of 100 points for an assignment. The total number of points
corresponds to a letter grade. Additional “bonus” points may be allotted according to conditions
outlined below.
Teachers comments:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
In-Class Discussion (+1 point)
Student’s participation in group discussions following the completion of a lesson will count towards the
final class grade. Students are adjudicated based on their ability to discuss and defend their work, and to
constructively critique each other’s work:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Grading Scale
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C =70-79
D = 60-69
F = below 59
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 20
Elementary and Secondary Classroom Management Plan
Objective
To provide a safe environment in which students can access materials quickly and efficiently
learn, work and create.
Level of Teacher
The teacher has authority over the classroom and is the facilitator while students work on their
assignments.
Learning Environment
Providing students with a productive and safe environment helps conduct a better learning
environment. The classroom should be a challenging environment that enables students to be
engaged and be able to interact with each other respectfully and responsibly. Student’s needs
should be met by allowing them to be comfortable, interested, motivated, inspired and engaged
so that they are able to grow and learn.
Floor Plan
For the most efficient use of the classroom, its layout and resources, a modular layout is advised,
in which students or instructors reorganize a room according to the requirements of the lesson.
Materials are provided for each student at the beginning of class and are to be kept at their
stations until the end of the period.
Classroom Style 1:
figure 1
This first layout can be viewed as the default-standard. Wide lanes between desks allow the instructor full
and easy access to each desk. The desks face the front of the room, where the instructor provides
information, gives presentations, and performs demonstrations.
Policies: Rules and Expectations
Contemporary Art Lesson Plans 21
Students must be:
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On Time and prepared.
Respectful and attentive:
o Raise your hand if you wish to speak; wait until you have been recognized and
passed a special item (ball, piece of chalk, etc) before you speak.
o No swearing, no rude remarks.
Clean up after yourself. Demonstrations on proper cleaning and organizing methods will
be given at the beginning of classes.
Respect your supplies, materials, and equipment. Demonstrations on proper usage will be
given at the beginning of each lesson.
Respect others and their property. There are no circumstances under which it is
acceptable to physically engage another individual, or their personal belongings,
equipment, supplies, or projects without permission.
No devices in class. This includes smart phones, music players, portable gaming
consoles, etc.
No food or drinks allowed in class.
Elementary Consequences
First Action: Public warning; student is addressed by name and instructed to curtail their
disruptive behavior.
Second Action: Student is assigned extra work as a punitive measure.
Third Action: Student is removed from their assigned seat and isolated in an area where
they are visible to students and the instructor.
Fourth Action: Student is removed from class entirely. Asked to either proceed to the
Administrator’s office or wait in the hall.
*It should be noted that any in-class disruption will require a student to remain after
class and speak privately with the instructor regarding their behavior.
Secondary Consequences
First Action: Public warning; student is addressed by name and instructed to curtail their disruptive
behavior.
Second Action: Student is assigned mathematics work as a punitive measure.
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Third Action: Student is removed from their assigned seat and isolated in an area where they are
visible to students and the instructor.
Fourth Action: Student is removed from class entirely. Asked to either proceed to the
Administrator’s office or wait in the hall.
*It should be noted that any in-class disruption will require a student to remain after class and speak
privately with the instructor regarding their behavior.
** Any serious abuses or violations of policies, including violations of academic honesty, will be
dealt with according to each school’s proprietary Code of Student Conduct.
Rewards
For those abiding by the policy’s rules and expectations, rewards will be distributed as
deemed appropriate by the teacher. This includes the ability to give or take away an end
of the year art show that presents student work that has been made over the course of the
year.
School Policy
Please comply with the school’s Code of Student Conduct. The code of student conduct is
established to foster and protect the core missions of the school, to foster the
development of the students in a safe and secure learning environment, and to protect the
people, properties and processes that support the school and its missions.