J.O. Combs Unified School District Visual Arts Curriculum, Benchmarks, and Performance Tasks Level I Studio Art

J.O. Combs Unified School District Visual Arts Curriculum, Benchmarks, and Performance Tasks Level I Studio Art STANDARD #1 FOUNDATIONS Students know and apply arts concepts, processes, and techniques. Integrate art elements and principles into original artwork. Know an increasing variety of visual art media, techniques, and processes, making choices as to what to apply to own artwork. Project: Still-Life Drawing By observing a collection of arranged objects, students will create a realistic still-life drawing in graphite that uses contour lines, a wide range of value, and simulated texture with attention to spatial relationships among forms to give the work a sense of depth. Project: Pop Art Painting Students will create a series of four Pop Art inspired paintings of a common place object (clothespin) or product (Pepsi can) that demonstrates their knowledge of color theory (including tint, tone, and neutral/intensity) using a different color scheme for each quadrant. Project: Optical Color Mixing After selecting an appropriated image, students will use the optical color mixing technique to recreate the image in a grid format. After marking two grids (one on the original image and one on another sheet of blank paper) the student will blend all the colors in a square section visually, and then will attempt to match the optical color by mixing paint. Each mixed color is then painted into a square section on the corresponding grid. From a distance, the painted work should resemble the original image in terms of tone, tint, hue, and intensity. Project: Weekly Sketchbook Assignments Students will complete a 30-minute drawing (sculptural pieces will also be accepted) in their sketchbook each week of the school year. Students will be encouraged to choose their own subject matter, material, and application technique for each drawing as a way of building their observation skills, technical skills, and problem-solving skills. 14

Project: Fiber Structure Students will create a vessel with ½ cotton core using their choice of fibrous materials (raffia, string, yarn, strips of material, etc.) to give the piece surface texture and pattern. Project: Dream House Students will gain a working knowledge of two-point perspective by designing the exterior of their dream house. The house should demonstrate their use of the technique by including (in whatever location they choose) stairs, a pathway, doors, windows, a balcony or porch, and realistic landscaping. (A floor plan may accompany this project). 15

STANDARD #2 ARTISTIC EXPRESSION Students demonstrate personal involvement and the ability to communicate through original or interpretive work. Communicate intentional meaning through the use of memory/experience, imagination, and/or observation in artwork. Solve complex artistic problems in unique and expressive ways. Students at this level are not required to meet Benchmark #1. Project: Personal Logo After learning about the role of the graphic designer, the function of typography, techniques for layout, and design principles such as contrast, pattern, and emphasis, students will create a personal logo that reflects their personality through type, format, and/or graphic. Project: Narrative Printmaking After learning about the artwork of Elizabeth Catlett, students will work in groups to make autobiographical books containing narratives from personal experiences and printed images to accompany the narratives. Project: Lost Work of Art After researching and studying a period of time in the history of art, students will create an original lost work of art that demonstrates their knowledge of the artistic characteristics that are representative of that period. Project: Tessellation After learning about and studying the work of M.C. Escher, students will create a tessellating shape, and then work to create at least three different visually intriguing images that work well within that shape. They will then choose one (or two, to create an alternating pattern) of these solutions and will develop their own finished tessellation with an emphasis towards intentional use of color. Project: Alice Neel Inspired Figure Drawing Students begin learning art criticism and history by looking at the work of Alice Neel. Students will learn the basic rules of figure drawing and the rules of facial proportions for portraiture to create a full body portrait using expressive color. 16

Benchmark #3 Communicate a specific idea or concept through an original work of art. Project: Public Art Students will learn about public art and artists (Richard Serra, Barbara Kruger, and the iron horse sculpture) and the processes involved in installing a piece of art in a public setting. Students will then work in groups to design and propose a work of art for the high school campus. The final project will include a written proposal and an outline of the steps needed to obtain permission to implement the project along with a scaled model of the site with installation in place. Project: Slab Box Students will choose a theme that is personally relevant to base their work on (sports, a person, or favorite movie/band are common themes). After completing preliminary sketches of a container that incorporates minimum dimensions, a sculptural element and a lid, based on their theme, students will create a container using the slab construction method. 17

STANDARD #3 -- CONNECTIONS Students demonstrate personal involvement and the ability to communicate through original or interpretive work. Use concepts and themes with intention in their artwork. Analyze relationships of works of art to one another in terms of history, aesthetics, and culture. Project: Political Portrait After studying how historical leaders are portrayed throughout time (Roman emperors, Henry VIII, Napoleon, Kennedy), students will create an image of a contemporary political/pop figure to base a work of art on. They must work to portray that figure in either a generous, considerate and benevolent light, or in a sinister, lethal and dangerous light using perspective, color, value and symbolism. (An interesting choice might be Queen Elizabeth as sinister or Marilyn Manson as benevolent.) Project: Homage Box Using the assemblage boxes of Joseph Cornell as inspiration, students will choose an individual to pay homage to within a three dimensional space. Using a box of their choosing (cigar boxes or shoe boxes work well) students will collect and arrange collected materials to create a unified statement. Project: Masterpiece Groupings Given a random grouping of master art works, students will place the pieces into a series of groups (value, originating culture, time period, theme, style, etc.). Discussion should occur in the smaller groups as they make their placement choices. After they have completed each grouping, they will share their ideas and discuss their choices with the class. Project: Aesthetic Choices and Ethical Dilemmas Given a situation or circumstance, students will have to make choices about the value of art in society and how important it is as a record of human development. They will need to justify their choices and will present and argue their choice (in a debate format) to opponents. (Example: If you were the only person in the Louvre during a devastating fire and had the ability to save either the Venus de Milo or the Mona Lisa, but not both, which would you save?) 18

Benchmark #3 Examine and understand the connections between their own work and historical and cultural influences. Students at this level are not required to meet benchmark #3. Project: Architecture Integration Students work in small groups to examine architectural details in many parts of the world (past and present) and synthesize those details into their own design for a campus-based student center. Project: Mobiles Students will build on their experiences working in the third dimension by constructing mobiles inspired by the work of Alexander Calder. When these works are complete and on display, students will analyze and discuss why Calder s work in this area was so revolutionary, how it contributed to the expanding definition of art, and how his work influenced their approach to the project. 19

STANDARD #4 AESTHETIC VALUING Students reflect upon and assess the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others. Utilize the constructive criticism process to analyze their own work and the work of peers. Respond to a variety of works of art and interpret the artists intent. Benchmark #3 Justify and articulate clearly conclusions from artistic analysis. Project: Art Show Participation & Reflection Level I students will chose the best work of art from their portfolio for placement in the Winter Art Show. Once the work is on display, they will be asked to make various observations about the other works both in writing and during a class-wide discussion. Project: Critique I Gallery Format After completing a project, students will be asked to judge their own work based on how well they met the specified criteria. Once all of the works are complete, they will be displayed and discussed by the class to determine which elements of the works were most successful and why, as well as which elements could have been improved upon. Students at this level are not required to meet benchmark #2. Project: Token Response Students will be given ten master images to evaluate using specific categories (most expensive, longest to make, best, etc.). After analyzing the works, they will prescribe to each work a token (a symbol of each category). Tokens will be tallied and the group will discuss the outcome. Project: In-Out-Maybe Students will make judgments about aesthetic objects by placing them in one of three categories: In meaning it is a work of art, Out it is not a work of art, or Maybe not sure if it is or isn t a work of art. At the conclusion of the activity, students will reflect, in writing, why they make the choices they did and begin to articulate their own criteria for what makes an object art. 20

Project: Self Analysis At the completion of a project, students will be asked to analyze their own work in terms of its success meeting the criteria. They will assign scores to each area of a rubric listing reasons why they deserve that mark. Benchmark #4 Understand the work of critics, historians, aestheticians, and artists in visual art. Project: Curriculum Exposure During the school year, students will be introduced to each discipline in the visual arts (criticism, aesthetics, art history, and art production). In a culminating exam, they will be able to define each of these areas and cite examples explaining why these areas are important for study. Project: Multiple Viewpoints Given a work of art, students will make accurate observations about the work from multiple viewpoints (a critic, an artist, a historian, and an aesthetician). Project: Research Project Students will research an artist of their choice and write a five-page art criticism paper describing the art movement the artist adhered to and their personal stylistic characteristics, referring to one work of art as an example. They will then draw an assigned portion of a masterpiece, enlarge it using the grid method, and complete the reproduction by incorporating their artist s style into the work. 21

J.O. Combs Unified School District Visual Arts Curriculum, Benchmarks, and Performance Tasks Level II Studio Art STANDARD #1 FOUNDATIONS Students know and apply arts concepts, processes, and techniques. Integrate art elements and principles into original artwork. Know an increasing variety of visual art media, techniques, and processes, making choices as to what to apply to own artwork. Project: Landscape Painting Students will create a landscape painting that demonstrates their understanding of emphasis to direct the eye to a specific, pre-determined focal point. Project: Houseplant Still-Life Students will create realistic graphite drawing of a houseplant using a wide range of values and textures with a repeating pattern in the background. Project: Monoprinting Student will combine objects, images, and a variety of textures to create a finished monoprint of any subject matter. Project: 40 Square Solution Students will choose an appropriate theme for a project that will require them to exercise their visual problem solving skills by creating 40 unique compositions based on that theme. At least six media must be used to complete the assignment. Attention to each solution s composition and visual impact is considered along with the quality of execution and the success of the media chosen to communicate the intent. Project: Chair Sculpture Working in groups, students will use a chair as the basis for a sculpture. Theme and materials used are to be determined by the group before and during construction. 22

STANDARD #2 ARTISTIC EXPRESSION Students demonstrate personal involvement and the ability to communicate through original or interpretive work. Communicate intentional meaning through the use of memory/experience, imagination, and/or observation in artwork. Solve complex artistic problems in unique and expressive ways. Project: Living Pictures Students will work in large groups (10-15) to recreate master works of art using their body and minimal props. Students must embrace the ideas of performance art and the notion of the artwork as being intangible. Their success will be determined by their ability to create an identifiable interpretation of the artwork. Project: Skeleton Study Using their observational drawing skills, students will create a graphite drawing of a section of the human skeleton using a wide range of value and focusing on recreating the structure in an exact likeness. Project: Crumpled Paper Still-Life Using patterns of directional strokes to indicate the shifting angles of planes and tonal variations, students will draw a group of paper bags (or other interesting objects). The focus of the project is learning to define forms by changing the direction and value of their pencil strokes rather than using an outline. Project: Deborah Butterfield Inspired Animal Sculpture After conducting a scavenger hunt search around school grounds looking for interesting objects (sticks, leaves, branches, bark, string, cactus spines, plastic straws, etc.) students use these materials to create the shape of an animal of their choosing in any pose. 23

Benchmark #3 Communicate a specific idea or concept through an original work of art. Project: Children s Book Illustration Students will choose a favorite adult story (preferably a novel with no illustrations) and will then illustrate a scene in the story as though it was in a child s book. Project: Figure Drawing Using gesture drawing techniques, student will complete a series of overlapping drawings of classmates in different poses. (Twister game works well for creating a mixture of body positions.) Once the drawings are complete, students will trace over their pencil lines in Sharpie marker, and then will randomly fill in shapes with a mixture of no more than five colors. 24

STANDARD #3 -- CONNECTIONS Students demonstrate personal involvement and the ability to communicate through original or interpretive work. Use concepts and themes with intention in their artwork. Analyze relationships of works of art to one another in terms of history, aesthetics, and culture. Project: Social Action Students will choose a social issue to use as a basis for a work of art. They will then work to create a linoleum cut that clearly communicates their thoughts about the issue. The image must be strong graphically (simplified, high contrast, clean) and should make a strong visual statement without the use of words. Project: Devotional Altar Students will create a devotional altar to a subject of their choosing (love, religion, person, hobby, etc.). Using plaster to form a structure and then shaping the poured plaster, they will create a space for reflection, and then will decorate the form using mosaic tile, paint, assemblage, and collage. Project: Universal Concepts II Students will choose a universal concept (such as birth, poverty, family, war, or progress) and find three examples of how other artists have dealt with this issue. Then, after analysis and reflection, they will create their own work of art to give form to their perspective and experience with this concept. Project: Concept Investigation Given a list of several universal concepts, students will choose one of these as an area for an in-depth investigation. They will research art history to discover and analyze how artists working in different styles, eras, and places depicted the theme. Then they will present their findings to the class. Project: Comparison/Contrast Students will be shown a pairing of slides and be asked to write about the similarities between the works and the differences as they perceive them in terms of style, historical time period, geographical location and culture, and formal and expressive qualities and technique. 25

Project: Triptych Students will complete a series of three works (possibly the three best compositions from the 40 square solution project) that convey a similar meaning. The triptych should reflect an emerging personal style and should communicate their concept/theme effectively. Benchmark #3 Examine and understand the connections between their own work and historical and cultural influences. Students at this level are not required to meet Benchmark #3. Project: Heritage Image Students study the art from their own cultural heritage and produce a work of art that reflects both that heritage and their connection with contemporary culture. 26

STANDARD #4 AESTHETIC VALUING Students reflect upon and assess the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others. Utilize the constructive criticism process to analyze their own work and the work of peers. Respond to a variety of works of art and interpret the artists intent. Project: Mid-Year Portfolio Evaluation Students will select three art works from their first semester portfolio. They will present these works to the class group and discuss (1) how the works show growth over a period of time, (2) ways in which these works demonstrate their artistic strengths, and (3) what they want to accomplish the following semester in regards to their development. Project: Critique II Mid-Project Analysis Students will be asked to stop their work on a given project mid-way through its completion. At this time, the class will tour the room stopping at each student s art work to spend a few minutes helping the student problem-solve, giving technical advice or discussing ways to improve the work. Project: Downtown Art Experience Field Trip Students will go to the Phoenix Art Museum as well as two other downtown galleries. While there, students will write critiques about their favorite work in each location they visit, including their interpretation of the meaning of the work, the qualities that the artist used to develop the work, how successful the artwork is, and why they chose that piece to discuss. Project: 20 th Century Introduction Given a selection of masterpieces from the 20 th century, students will be asked to formally analyze the works and then make assumptions about the artists intentions. These theories will be discussed with the class and later discarded (if necessary) when students learn the true driving force behind each of the artists and their works. 27

Benchmark #3 Justify and articulate clearly conclusions from artistic analysis. Benchmark #4 Understand the work of critics, historians, aestheticians, and artists in visual art. Project: Annotated Artwork Students will research a historically significant work of art and will examine the meaning and symbolism behind the subject matter in the image. They will then present their findings to the class and discuss how understanding the work s iconography gives better insight into the artwork s meaning. (Sister Wendy s Annotated Art History and The Annotated Mona Lisa are good sources for information.) Project: Critique II Guerilla Girls Students will be introduced to feminist aesthetics through the work of the Guerilla Girls. They will then discuss and make conclusions about the exclusion of women s work in the history of art and will create their own Guerilla inspired campaign to strengthen awareness of minority issues on campus. Project: Role Playing Students receive a career description card for an artist, an art historian, an art collector, or an aesthetician. Students respond to various questions about works of art by role-playing the career identified on their cards. Project: Art History Group Project Students are divided into groups of four to complete research on a movement in art history. Each student is assigned a role (critic, historian, aesthetician, and artist) and then conducts their research from that viewpoint. The information will be presented to the class so that they have multiple perspectives of each art movement. 28

J.O. Combs Unified School District Visual Arts Curriculum, Benchmarks, and Performance Tasks Level III Studio Art STANDARD #1 FOUNDATIONS Students know and apply arts concepts, processes, and techniques. Integrate art elements and principles into original artwork. Know an increasing variety of visual art media, techniques, and processes, making choices as to what to apply to own artwork. Project: Interior Space Students will complete an image depicting an interior space from an unusual point of view using 2-point perspective techniques to give the work a realistic illusion of depth. Project: Hand Sculpture Students will complete a clay sculpture of a hand holding seven art-related instruments or tools that demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how to manipulate proportion, placement, and scale to create a dynamic three-dimensional art work. Project: Printmaking Assemblage Students will create an edition of prints. The subject matter is unlimited, but the image should focus on contrast and texture. Once the edition is made, students will then take the prints and manipulate them to form a larger image. Students should try to create movement with color and shapes in a variety of ways. A combination of media may be used. Project: Sun Symbols After looking at and discussing the use of sun symbols in native cultures, students will create a work of art in any media that uses the sun as its subject matter. The final work should be original, thoughtfully constructed, and well executed. 29

STANDARD #2 ARTISTIC EXPRESSION Students demonstrate personal involvement and the ability to communicate through original or interpretive work. Communicate intentional meaning through the use of memory/experience, imagination, and/or observation in artwork. Solve complex artistic problems in unique and expressive ways. Project: Imaginary World For inclusion in their breadth portfolio, students will create an original color composition of an imaginary world (no comic characters or action figures) in the medium of their choice. Project: Inspired Work After choosing a written passage (either original or quoted from another source), students will visually render the meaning of the written work as it relates to them. They must include at least a portion of the words as a component of the composition. Project: Metamorphosis Students will create an image that focuses on transitions, such as mechanic to organic. Subject matter, media, and format are to be determined by student and are dependent upon portfolio development. Project: Chiaroscuro Study Students will select a subject with bold contrast of light and dark (perhaps a Rembrandt inspired selfportrait illuminated by a strong light on one side), and develop it into a finished work using pen outlines and brushed ink masses using both techniques to create transitional values and textures. 30

Benchmark #3 Communicate a specific idea or concept through an original work of art. Project: Imaginary World For inclusion in their breadth portfolio, students will create an original color composition of an imaginary world (no comic characters or action figures) in the medium of their choice. Project: Inspired Work After choosing a written passage (either original or quoted from another source), students will visually render the meaning of the written work as it relates to them. They must include at least a portion of the words as a component of the composition. 31

STANDARD #3 -- CONNECTIONS Students demonstrate personal involvement and the ability to communicate through original or interpretive work. Use concepts and themes with intention in their artwork. Project: Transitions For inclusion in their breadth portfolio, students will create an image that demonstrates a transition (example: light to dark, childhood to adulthood, spiritual discovery, dissolution of trust, etc.). This is intentionally set up to be vague to challenge students to find their own interpretation of this idea. All media and subject matter are dependent upon what the student is trying to do with the work. Project: Ephemeral Students will create a work of art that demonstrates the word ephemeral. A literal approach to the definition may be applied, or it may be solved more metaphorically. Success of this work should not be on how readily identifiable the image is to an observer, rather, this assignment is meant to encourage students to focus on their intent; what they want to accomplish, how they attempt to get there and why. A written reflection on their artistic process should accompany their finished work. 32

Analyze relationships of works of art to one another in terms of history, aesthetics, and culture. Benchmark #3 Examine and understand the connections between their own work and historical and cultural influences. Project: Images of Power Students will research how different cultural leaders throughout time have used art as a vehicle for promoting their political agenda and for influencing their constituency. They will then analyze how important the visual image is in contemporary political culture and will find an example of how this type of propaganda is being used today. Project: Aesthetic Stance Exercise After being taught about different aesthetic stances (formalist, hedonist, existentialist, etc.) students will sit on a panel and argue the merits of different master works according to their prescribed stance. They will then evaluate their own aesthetic position and write about what qualities they think a work of art must have to be considered good. Project: Master Artist -- Research Project Students will research an artist that shares a similarity with their work s subject matter, style, or philosophy (as determined by teacher). They will then write a comparison and contrast paper about their work and the master s work. Project: Master Artist -- Inspired Work After conducting research on a master artist who shares a similarity with their work s subject matter, style, or philosophy, students will apply the knowledge learned from their master artist to create an original work of art that reflects what they learned from their research. They will then write a reflection on how their artist influenced the development of the work. 33

STANDARD #4 AESTHETIC VALUING Students reflect upon and assess the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others. Utilize the constructive criticism process to analyze their own work and the work of peers. Respond to a variety of works of art and interpret the artists intent. Benchmark #3 Justify and articulate clearly conclusions from artistic analysis. Project: Critique III Vocabulary Focus Each student will receive a focus word for the critique. After an artist presents their work to the group, each student must discuss the art in terms of the vocabulary term he or she was given. Project: Critique III Problem-Solving Focus Each student presents their work to the class by discussing their intent. They will then share the problems they encountered while working on the piece and ask their classmates to give suggestions on ways to solve them. (If time permits, the artist may choose to have the group further discuss the work in terms of its strengths and weaknesses.) Project: Gallery Opening Students will attend a local gallery opening and will reflect, in writing, upon the collection of displayed works. They will respond to the experience in terms of the atmosphere, the quality and meaning of the work (using sketched examples), and will examine in depth one work of art using the Feldman model of art criticism. Project: Critique III Gallery Format Each student will choose a work from their breadth portfolio to be reviewed by the class. Works will be displayed on the wall in a gallery format and analyzed by students in terms of their formal qualities, successful attributes, and their perceived meanings. Project: Level II Review After learning about the requirements of the Breadth portfolio, students will review the work they executed in Level II Studio Art. After careful analysis, they will choose two works to include in their Breadth portfolio and will justify these choices clearly in a written reflection. 34

Project: Concentration Introduction Students will be presented with pieces from a master artist s collection. These will be looked at, discussed, and compared to collections of other artist s works and then evaluated in terms of the artist s intent/concentration. (Example: Landscape artists van Gogh, Cezanne, O Keeffe, and Monet would be looked at and compared to show that while they shared a common subject matter, they each had a different intent). This discussion will serve as a starting point to help students understand how artists build a body of work that is unique, challenging, and worth-while. Benchmark #4 Understand the work of critics, historians, aestheticians, and artists in visual art. Students at this level are not required to meet benchmark #4. Project: Art Advocate Students will respond to critics of the NEA by writing a letter that discusses the importance and need for strong visual arts programs as a component of a basic education at all levels. The letter may also address continuing financial support of community art projects and artists. In the letter, students will discuss the four disciplines in art and justify the need for greater national support. 35