Grade 12 Art - Day 3 "Social Justice" Continued...

"Social justice art, and arts for social justice, encompasses a wide range of visual and performing art that aim to raise critical consciousness, build community, and motivate individuals to promote social change. Art has been used as a means to record history, shape culture, cultivate imagination, and harness individual and social transformation. It can not only be a means to generate awareness, but it can also be a catalyst to engage community members to take action around a social issue. Social justice art, consequently allows people to develop agency to interrupt and alter oppressive systemic patterns or individual behaviors. The processes by which people create and engage with art equips them with analytic tools to understand and challenge social injustices through social justice education (teaching for social justice), community building, and social activism/social movements. Examples of visual and performing social justice art includes: drawing, painting, sculpture, murals, graffiti, film, theater, music, dance, spoken word, etc."

- wikipedia

Using art for the purpose of Social Justice can take on many forms.  Here is a simple graphic with a strong message:

On a more local level, here is a video produced by high school students aimed at trying to shed some light on the truth surrounding the Jane and Finch area of Toronto:

Moving forward with our Social Justice mixed-media collages, I would like you to start to print, draw. and create imagery that will be glued to your canvas hardboard.  By now, you should have some thumbnail sketches that will serve to help create your final composition!

Grade 12 Art - Day 2 "Social Justice" continued

"The medium of mixed media collage lends itself well to developing a visual vocabulary for describing and translating my experiences. I live a life that calls me in many different directions – My life is a path of seeking order in chaos, peace in conflict, wholeness in fragmentation, creative action in the context of destructive action. Collage is a both a process and a medium in which I can most naturally give voice to that creative tension. I use the fragments of my life (found and created images) to translate my experiences into something else, something hopefully better than what existed prior."

- http://www.spiritmorphstudio.com/artist.htm

In today's lesson, we continue with our Social Justice assignment.  I would like you to draw three conceptual sketches that portray a social justice or environmental issue, based on our definitions from yesterday's handout.  Please come and see me with your sketches before we move to our final version of this project.  Remember: mix your media!!

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/2f/18/3f/2f183fa5d69e4c322624b502765e7253.jpg

Grade 12 - Day 1 "Social Justice Issues"

http://www.spiritmorphstudio.com/bacchus2006.htm

Social Justice/ Environmental Issues Mixed Media

"For as long as I can remember I've seen, felt, and otherwise known the world on a visceral and psycho-kinetic level, all sensations blending with one another. It's this transformative experience I'm expressing and commemorating in my work, which I hope to awaken for others in the sharing of my work."

Definitions: 

Mixed Media: A technique involving the use of two or more artistic media, such as ink and pastel or painting and collage, that are combined.

Social Justice: preventing human rights abuses and ensuring adherence to the law.

Focus: Issues of minority groups, especially international justice, poverty, women's and children's issues.  International justice particularly refers to war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

Topics: Social, Cultural, Political, or Environmental.

Step One: I will provide you with a list of artists that incorporate social justice issues into their work.
Step Two: Research and focus on one artist whose work involves a social justice issue and complete the questions provided.

Untitled, by Radcliffe Bailey, 2000, mixed media and collage on paper, 80 1/2 x 60 in. (Courtesy image/Radcliffe Bailey and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York)

Grade 9 Art - Day 75: "Applying the Elements and Principles of Design to the Work of Others"

One of our goals in Grade 9 Visual Art is to use appropriate terminology when identifying and describing the use of elements and principles of design in the works of others.  Therefore, we will examine the following works and identify those elements and principles that are prevalent.

Tom Thompson, Jack Pine

(colour, value, proportion)

Sol Lewitt, X with Columns

(line and space)

Eva Hess, Contingent

(layers of tone and texture)

Grade 10 Art - Day 75: "Artistic Conventions: Satirical Art"

Source: www.polyp.org.uk

Satire is the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. (dictionary.com)

Therefore, satirical artwork holds up and scrutinizes "vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings" (wikipedia).  

Let's go on a virtual tour of 36 pieces of art work that "describe everything wrong with the world today": http://digitalsynopsis.com/inspiration/36-thought-provoking-paintings-pawel-kuczynski/

Grade 11/12 - Day 76: "How Curators Curate, Step Seven: Opening Night!"

Opening Night!!

You made it!  Opening Night.  This is where the fun begins.  The photos above are from the student art show that we put together in Blyth every year. Thanks to http://ontariotraveldivas.com/tag/blyth-festival-art-gallery/.

From fineartabout.com:


"When curating an art exhibition, make your art opening fun, exciting and memorable. You want to create an exciting buzz so that people will keep coming back for the exhibition. Schedule your opening for the evening when most people are free to attend.

Begin the opening with a live art or music performance or light show, and then introduce the curator, artists and other significant figures to the audience.


Serve refreshments and let the visitors see the artwork.

Artists should be near their installations so they can answer any of the visitor’s questions. Have volunteers, who wear identifiable clothing like matching shirts, stand in the various rooms of the exhibition to help explain the work and make sure it does not get damaged."

Grade 11/12 - Day 75: "How Curators Curate, Step Six: Site Installation"

source: askharriete.com

The actual installation of a gallery show is a time consuming process.  Hopefully, your hard work when you first planned the layout using sketchup, or some other design method, will pay off now as things seamlessly come together! (fingers crossed) 

From fineart.about.com:

"Site installation is a key task when curating an art show. Typically one week before the opening, you and your team will need to do the on-site installation which includes the construction and painting of walls. The artists and assistants will install the artwork, and the technicians will set up the lighting and technical equipment.

If artwork was shipped, carefully unwrap the crates, bubble wrap and other packaging materials as you do not want to damage any of the work with a box cutter.

A museum will have its own staff to set up the installation; however, if you are starting out you will need to do DIY. Artists are pros at setting up their work and there are also art installation companies for hire."

What unforeseen circumstances might arise...that you might try to plan for ahead of time? 

• wall structure 
• hanging issues 
• artist's concerns 
• supply of paint for walls 
• necessary labour 
• lighting concerns

This list can go on and on.  Remember, the more thoroughly that you plan for circumstantial inconveniences and concerns, the more likely you are to succeed!

Souce: http://fineart.about.com/od/Curator/ss/Curating-A-Show-In-10-Easy-Steps-A-Step-By-Step-Guide-For-Art-Curators.htm#step8