Unit Two: What's It All About?

The previous unit encouraged students to explore where ideas for art expressions come from and to make decisions about ideas for their own expressions. This unit, "What's it All About?", deals with how art expressions can be ordered to best suit the original idea.

All art works have their own sense of order and composition. All artists make decisions about how to compose their ideas, whether they work formally or rely on random occurrences. This unit focuses on how artists put things together for a purpose. Through interaction with art and the study of art works and visual images, students will begin to understand and use ideas from other artists and art forms.

Mini-unit 1: A Sense of Order

This mini-unit explores many aspects of time as it relates to ourselves and to art works.

Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Sample Theme: Time/Movement Time and Value The students will: become aware that many works of art can be studied according to their design, function and setting increase their understanding of the contributions of artists, past and present, to the field of visual art increase their understanding of the contributions of Saskatchewan and Canadian artists, including Aboriginal artists, to the field of visual art.	Note: Most resources listed in this column appear in Arts Education: A Bibliography for Grades 6 to 8, 1994. Citations appear in full in the bibliography, alphabetized by title.
What did people do with their time 100 years ago? 50 years ago? Compare the answers to how people spend their time today. Investigate how people in various occupations use their time (e.g., doctor, farmer, teacher, etc.) What determines different occupations' earning power? Examine various cultures to determine what the most valued occupations are; for example, teachers, doctors, priests, etc.	References books on various cultures
Does more time spent on something make it more valuable? Look at art works that clearly took a long time to produce; for example, J. Didur, V. Cicansky, B. Anderson, E. Lindner, A. Newdigate. Look at others that appear to have been more rapidly produced; for example, R. Burton, C. Chwelos, R. Cuthand, R. Gorenko, G. McMaster, J. Nugent. What qualities are noticeably different? The students might notice, for example, spontaneous line, simplicity, brushwork, texture, tone, etc.	Saskatchewan Art Works slides #8, 27, 49, 63, 67 Saskatchewan Art Works slides #51, 52, 54, 58, 65, 68
Look at the prices of different works of art. Try to decide why they have the value that they do. Some reasons could be the artist's reputation, materials used, quality, originality, new idea, unusual approach, the times in which the artist lived, etc. Spending Time The students will: increase their understanding of the contributions of Saskatchewan and Canadian artists, including Aboriginal artists, to the field of visual art understand that visual art is a means of communication and continue to appreciate the importance of non- verbal communication begin to apply their understanding of the elements of art and the principles of design when discussing, analysing, developing and reflecting on visual art works.
Ask students if they ever have empty time and feel bored when they don't know how to fill it. List activities that we do with empty time. Do boys and girls (men and women) sometimes fill time differently? Look at art works and the media for examples which suggest likenesses and differences. Some artists could be A. Herivel, M. Hone, J. Turnbull Evans, V. Cicansky, B. Pelkey and F. Robson. Conduct a survey on how people spend time. Since watching television and reading will be common answers, refer to poems and stories which speak about spending time and people's infatuation with the television. Since many people spend their time in a static position, look for examples of art works which lack movement; for example, R. Burton, J. Cowin, J. Fafard, M. Lanoo. Discuss some of the compositional devices used to create stability; for example, horizontal lines, triangular composition, symmetrical balance, etc.	Art of the World Through the Eyes of Artists Series -- Games and Pastimes by W. and J. Richardson Saskatchewan Art Works slides #11, 12, 20, 27, 33, 36 Don't Be a TV: Television Victim (video) T.V. Sale (video) "Jimmy Jet and His TV Set" by Shel Silverstein, "Tee-vee Enigma" by S. Raskin, "Addict" by J. Montgomery and "Teevee" by E. Merriam from Of Quarks, Quasars and other Quirks: Quizzical Poems for a Super Sonic Age collected by S. and J. Brewton, and "Umbilical" by E. Merriam from Crazy to be Alive in Such a Strange World selected by N. Larrick Saskatchewan Art Works slides #51, 53, 57, 62
Ask students what activity they like to do if they have a spare minute. Have them make a drawing of themselves engaged in this activity. Discuss how movement was suggested through line and shape; for example, asymmetrical balance, diagonals, repetition, colour, etc. Look at artists' works and the media for examples of movement. Examples of artists include D. Alexander, G. Amantea, M. Broner, S. Day, J. Didur, R. McLellan, G. McMaster.	Saskatchewan Art Works slides #47, 48, 50, 55, 56, 64, 65
Suggested Activities	Possible Resources
Time and the Arts The students will: explore the relationship visual art has to the other art forms begin to reflect on how the elements of art and principles of design, the images and techniques used convey meaning in works of art begin to develop an understanding of the different concerns and purposes in representational and non- representational art works.
Many visual artists look to artists from the other arts for inspiration. Have the students listen to music for a homework assignment. Using colour, line and shape, the students can represent the music chosen. Students will display their works and play the music when finished. The students should try to guess the image that matches the music. Students will be very successful at matching images with sounds and they will become more aware of the power of the elements and principles of art and design in expressing different concepts. View Fantasia, The Nutcracker, etc. and discuss how the artists were inspired by music. How many different renderings of the sky can be found and how did the music change with each?	Art of the World Through the Eyes of Artists Series -- Entertainers by W. and J. Richardson Sole Mani (video)
At the same time or various times each day, have students make a drawing of the sky. This observation will show the many changing rhythms which are present in nature. Discuss random, regular, flowing, alternating and progressive rhythms as they relate to the observed sky patterns. Look at examples of other artists' treatments of skies in their works; for example, D. Alexander, J. Didur, R. Gorenko. Discuss the rhythms suggested and the artists' styles and purposes.	Land of Earth and Sky by R. Rees Art of the World Through the Eyes of Artists Series -- Weather and Seasons by W. and J. Richardson Saskatchewan Art Works slides #47, 56, 58
Look at O. Rogers' "Untitled" and discuss the sky. Compare it to student compositions.	Saskatchewan Art Works slide #37
Discuss the non-objective qualities of many of the student renderings and the fact that they can be very successful with or without a focal point. Have students paint their sky images using natural or unnatural hues to express some kind of a sensational sky, or have them video tape the sky at different times and set their videos to music. The students will: challenge themselves to solve visual art problems in a variety of new ways begin to understand the value of keeping an ongoing record of ideas for their own visual art compositions begin to understand and use various aspects of the creative process when developing works of art (choosing an idea or topic, brainstorming, identifying focus, adapting, reflecting, refining). Find examples of art works concerned with time. It may be an art work like C. Monet's "Cathedrals" where the same object was painted at different times of day or in different seasons. It may be an art work that disintegrates or builds up layers over a period of time, an art work which is temporary and documented in photographs or reproductions, an art work which depicts a cycle, etc.
Assign students the task of making art work concerned with time. Have students work out their ideas in their journals and design their projects using appropriate materials.	Art Synectics by N. Roukes

Unit Two Continues