Serving Art Educators
and Students Since 1994
Metaphoric Self Portrait Sculptures
Submitted by: Melinda Zacher, Forest Hill
Community High School in West Palm Beach, FL
UNIT: Sculpture
Grade Level: High School
Time: Four to five weeks (or more - depending on length of class)
Objectives:
Synthesize art concepts and skills in works that are personally, socio-culturally and aesthetically meaningful.
Exhibit technical skills and an appropriate use of media.
To illustrate concepts imaginatively and creatively, avoiding clichéd objects and obvious symbols.
Goals:
Translate a concept into a 3D form utilizing appropriate media
Materials:
Handouts, DVD (Art: 21
Click images for larger views
Resources:
DVD (Art: 21
Betye and Alison Saars' sculptures
Activities:
Introduce project. Show slides of student work.
Pose questions to students about what they should consider when coming up with ideas for their self-portrait. (Describe and analyze themselves and how they relate to the world). Think of symbols / actions that represent each. Explain how to capture the essence of something, rather than being literal or clichéd. Think of more imaginative and creative ways of addressing topics.
How do you fit into society / school?
How do you relate or react to your family / peers?
Do you have any traditions your family follows? Do you come from another country or culture? Does religion play a part in your life?
What passions do you have? What liberates you? What confines you?
What best represents you: Body, Mind, Spirit, or Society?
Discuss different media choices and how different materials convey different meanings and emotions.
Discuss relief sculpture vs. sculpture in the round.
Discuss an artists’ relationship to the viewer. View slides and ask questions about how students react to individual pieces.
How will the viewer react to this piece?
What do you want the viewer to feel when interacting with your work?
Do you want them to know it is about you specifically, or about your meaning in a more ambiguous way?
Watch Art: 21 DVD, answer questions based on the artists’ intention and meaning, cultures, traditions, and background, and how they incorporated it all into their artwork. Focus on the process of reaching an idea.
Students will fill two pages in their sketchbooks of words describing themselves. Answer all the questions above when brainstorming ideas. Use thesauruses to come up with new words. Students can decorate, tone, collage, etc. anything they want to pages. Must have a minimum of 100 words.
Students design 2 different sculptures based on written theme.
Design must include approximate dimensions, media to be used, colors, and surface treatment.
Each design should include multiple views if it is a sculpture in the round.
Students begin collecting materials and building sculpture.
Assessments: Students will receive a criteria sheet where they will grade themselves from 1-20 on each of the following criteria:
How well does your choice of media relate to your subject? How did you treat the surface? How effective did you use media and color? Does your surface add interest or detract from the finished piece?
How innovative / original is your design? Does your design follow your proposal? Does your design flow and hold the viewers’ attention?
Evaluate your form. Evaluate your use of movement. (energized or static?) Balance and proportion. Is it freestanding? Evaluate its strength and your craftsmanship.
Evaluate your use of time in class and the level of completion of your work. Is it finished? Did you work in class every day?
Uses this area to describe any other criteria you think I should consider when grading and critiquing your work.
Metaphoric Self-Portrait Sculpture –Student Guidelines
Fill two pages in your sketchbook of words that describe you (minimum of 100 words).
Some questions to consider when coming up with ideas for your self-portrait: (Describe and analyze yourself and how you relate to the world). Think of symbols / actions that represent each. Try to capture the essence of something, rather than being literal or clichéd. Think of more imaginative and creative ways of addressing topics.
1. Who am I?
2. What is my story?
3. Where am I ?
4. Do I belong?
5. Why am I here?
6. Where am I going?
7. What am I learning?
8. Is it relevant to what I know?
9. How do I perceive the world?
Answer the following questions along with your 100 words.
10. How do you fit into society / school?
11. How do you relate or react to your family / peers?
12. Do you have any traditions your family follows?
13. Do you come from another country or culture?
14. Does religion play a part in your life?
15. What passions do you have?
16. What liberates you?
17. What confines you?
18. What best represents you: Body, Mind, Spirit, or Society?
Also keep the viewer in mind:
How will the viewer react to this piece?
What do you want the viewer to feel when interacting with your work?
Do you want them to know it is about you specifically, or about your meaning in a more ambiguous way?
And finally, the media. Plaster, clay, wire, cardboard, found objects, etc. How does the media you choose relate to your subject / theme?
Design 2 different sculptures based on a written theme.
Design must include approximate dimensions, media to be used, colors, and surface treatment.
Each design should include multiple views if it is a sculpture in the round.
Student Critique
If you have not scored your work consistently in the 15 to 20 points range, now assess what its strengths and weaknesses are, and how to rework the piece and raise it to a 20. Explain your rationale in a paragraph below, considering:
1. Have you done anything special with the use of the art elements (line, color, shape, texture, value)?
2. What are some of the dominant shapes, expressive forms, color schemes, and textures that carry significance in this artwork?
3. Is the work ordered/balanced? Or chaotic/disturbing? What makes for the order or chaos? Would you use words such as unity, variety, contrast, balance, movement, and rhythm to describe formal characteristics of this work?
4. Describe the quality of execution and technique. What gives the work its uniqueness?
5. Does the work evoke any feelings? To what do you ascribe your feeling – the use if colors, shapes, technique, theme?
6. Is there "symbolism" used in the work to convey meaning other than what one sees?
7. What is your general impression of the work? What did you want the viewer to think about? Did you successfully get your message across?
Discuss if the work is a significant success, why or why not, and support your judgment with evidence (Use this area to describe any other criteria you think I should consider when grading and critiquing your work.)
Assessment - Rubric
Metaphoric Self-Portrait Rubric
Possible student teacher
1. Materials well used; technique is excellent How well does your choice of media relate to your subject? |
20 |
||
2. Inventive / Imaginative How innovative / original is your design? Does your design |
20 |
||
3. Evidence of thinking / clear visual intent Did you challenge yourself? Does your piece show evidence |
30 |
||
4. Purposeful composition Did you think about the elements and principles of art and |
20 |
||
5. Awareness of style and format Evaluate your form. Evaluate your use of movement, balance |
20 |
||
6. Sensitive / Evocative Does your piece prompt memories or images from the |
20 |
||
7. Use of time / Dedication Evaluate your use of time in class and the level of completion |
20 |
||
Total: |
150 |
National Standards
1. Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes |
2. Using knowledge of structures and functions |
3. Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas |
5. Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others |
Students apply media, techniques, and processes with sufficient skill, confidence, and sensitivity that their intentions are carried out in their artworks |
Students demonstrate the ability to form and defend judgments about the characteristics and structures to accomplish commercial, personal, communal, or other purposes of art |
Students reflect on how artworks differ visually, spatially, temporally, and functionally, and describe how these are related to history and culture |
Students identify intentions of those creating artworks, explore the implications of various purposes, and justify their analyses of purposes in particular works |
Students conceive and create works of visual art that demonstrate an understanding of how the communication of their ideas relates to the media, techniques, and processes they use |
Students evaluate the effectiveness of artworks in terms of organizational structures and functions |
Students apply subjects, symbols, and ideas in their artworks and use the skills gained to solve problems in daily life |
Students describe meanings of artworks by analyzing how specific works are created and how they relate to historical and cultural contexts |
|
Students create artworks that use organizational principles and functions to solve specific visual arts problems |
(Advanced)Students describe the origins of specific images and ideas and explain why they are of value in their artwork and in the work of others |
Students reflect analytically on various interpretations as a means for understanding and evaluating works of visual art |
|
(Advanced) Students demonstrate the ability to compare two or more perspectives about the use of organizational principles and functions in artwork and to defend personal evaluations of these perspectives |
Students evaluate and defend the validity of sources for content and the manner in which subject matter, symbols, and images are used in the students' works and in significant works by others |
(Advanced) Students correlate responses to works of visual art with various techniques for communicating meanings, ideas, attitudes, views, and intentions |
|
Students create multiple solutions to specific visual arts problems that demonstrate competence in producing effective relationships between structural choices and artistic functions |
|
|
