8th graders were challenged to research an artist from history, create a digital presentation, and then create a design including that artist's style as well as their favorite cartoon character. They used tempera paint to build a painting on large canvases. This process took several weeks to finish!
We spent one full week in the computer lab, looking for information about the artist and then putting together a digital presentation on Google Slides or Power Point. Students really enjoyed this - many of their presentations were so well done they looked like a graphic artist designed them! This project met many of our Alabama state standards for Visual Art as well as English Language Arts and Technology. Students were required to write the information for their presentations in their own words, without copying. We had an interesting discussion about plagiarism! We also discussed reliable sources of online information vs. invalid (Wikipedia). After Spring Break, we listened to each presentation and learned about famous artists from each other. Peer teaching is fun!
The canvas paintings were designed to be inspired by historical artists and the finished product is a "parody," with the student's favorite cartoon juxtaposed somewhere in the design. We talked about copyright, fair use, and when it is okay to use various images in our art. Students then completed the paintings, paying close attention to detail and technique. I am proud of their work!
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Kelsey contemplates his Andy Goldsworthy Parody painting
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| Shakira works on her Jasper Johns inspired piece |
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| Abstract Art |
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Non-Objective Art (early 20th century)
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| Renaissance Drawing (late 1400's - 1500's) |
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| Surrealism (early 20th century) |
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| Op Art (mid 20th century) |
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| still life painting (Janet Fish is a contemporary artist) |
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| political posters (Shepard Fairey is a contemporary artist) |
What is "Fair Use?"
"In its most general sense, a fair use is any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and 'transformative' purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a copyrighted work. Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright owner. In other words, fair use is a defense against a claim of copyright infringement. If your use qualifies as a fair use, then it would not be considered an infringement." Stanford University Libraries
See below for assessment outlines:
