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Foundations of Art & Design(9-12)
Foundations introduces students to the fundamentals of art and design while exploring past and contemporary works of art made by artists around the globe. Students will develop an understanding of artistic concepts and techniques while observing and discussing artworks created by other artists, their peers, and themselves. They will create original drawings, paintings, and sculptures that respond to thematic ideas regarding their identities, values, and lived experiences. Classes will practice art-making techniques in various media to create works such as symbolic still-lifes, design non-objective album covers, and paint a "time travel" triptych that documents past, present, and future memories (click here for full curriculum.)
This course is structured to support beginners as well as students who have previous experience in visual art. The mission of Foundations is to create a safe and affirming environment in which young artists of all ability levels have the opportunity to exercise their creativity, produce meaningful work, and discuss their art and the art of others. All lessons utilize scaffolding and are adapted to meet the needs of diverse learners.
Foundations meets National Core Visual Arts Standards and MA State Standards for secondary Foundations in Visual Art (2019) (click here for scope and sequence.)
Students will:
Develop critical thinking and visual literacy
Expand their aesthetic perspectives from a survey of global artistic traditions from the past and present
Reflect upon their relationship with the arts in their everyday lives
Students will gain artistic proficiency by evidence of:
An ability to conceive content
Skill in design elements and principles
Technique in two- and three-dimensional materials
Strong homework and classwork habits
Reflections on works of art in their historical context
Enduring Understandings:
Art is first and foremost a communication system
Artists communicate messages about many subjects and ideas
Art is a form of symbolically mediated behavior used only by human beings
Essential Questions:
What counts as art?
Why do we create art?
How do we create art?
Image from Time Travel Triptych series, Cambridge Rindge and Latin, grade 10, 2020,
Symbolic Still-Life Drawings
How do artists communicate what they see?
Artists communicate representational subject matter, which can be recognized in the physical world.
Students exploring The Visible practice rendering representational subject matter in an observational still-life drawing. Students will create an original composition from objects that are meaningful to them. They will apply observational drawing techniques to create the perceived, three-dimensional likeness of a physical subject on a two-dimensional surface.
Students will explore how still-life traditions have historically communicated messages about power, wealth, and ownership, and how these same ideas could be reinforced in social media platforms of the 21st century. They will be introduced to artwork belonging to the Islamic and Dutch Golden Ages, and images from @stillherestilllife, an Instagram account featuring contemporary still-life artists working in a variety of media, styles, and techniques.
Asahi Nagata, Japanese-American illustrator
Still Here Still Life: Week 51, 2021
Non-Objective & Abstract Album Covers
How do artists communicate what they cannot see?
Artists can communicate ideas, thoughts, or sensations not visible to the human eye in abstract and non-objective works of art.
Students will create an abstract or non-objective design that represents a song of their choice. Students will think critically to compose a design that meaningfully communicates an idea, mood, concept, etc. that defines their song. Students will be introduced to modern and contemporary non-objective artists Wassily Kandinsky, Janet Sobel, Carmen Herrera, & Sam Gilliam.
Time Travel Triptych
How do artists document memory?
Artists document memories, moments in time, and locations in physical space.
Students will be introduced to the idea of art and memory by painting a triptych that documents three postcard-sized landscapes: 1. One depicting a place that they’ve been to in the past; 2. One depicting a place that they are in the present; 3. One depicting a place that they want to go to in the future. Their chosen landscapes can be in exterior or interior settings.
Students will paint one of each image in the following styles: realistic, abstract, and non-objective (they can choose which style they will apply for each image.) They will be introduced to examples of landscapes that depict both illusionistic and pictorial renditions of space. Examples include ink wash landscapes of the Tang Dynasty, Islamic Miniatures, Ukiyo-e printmakers of the Edo Period, Impressionist painters, and contemporary artists Shahzia Zikander and Matthew Wong.