Appropriation Artwork

 Grade Level: High School

Number of Sessions: 3

Time Per: 60 mins

Vocabulary:

-          Appropriation - The intentional borrowing, copying, and alteration of existing images and objects. (MoMA)

-          Appropriation - The action of taking something for one's own use, typically without the owner's permission. (Oxford)

-          Recontextualize – To place something such as a literary or artistic work into a different context (Meriam)

Supplies Needed:

  • -          Paint (acrylic & watercolor)

    -          Brushes

    -          Magazines

    -          Variety colored paper

    -          Scissors

    -          Tape

    -          Markers

    -          Colored Pencils

    -          Found Objects

VA:Cr1.2.IIa – Choose from a range of materials and methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan works of art and design.

W.12.2. - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Rationale for Lesson:

This lesson is a great opportunity for students to learn from a creative professional and more so explore what kind of imagery is interesting to them and more importantly what is not interesting to them at all. High school is the appropriate grade level because they will be able to engage in more thoughtful and critical responses to the artwork presented and in turn causing self-reflection upon their own art. Along with that, this is possibly the first chance students get to respectfully and honestly disagree with a work of art. Students should always get the chance to explore new materials which is why it is their choice for this lesson, but it’s also an opportunity for them to hone in on materials they are familiar with as well.

Artmaking:

Based on in class discussions and personal research, students will create a work of art drawing inspiration (a form of appropriation) from any source imagery that they can use to transform, alter, and change into their own work of art with their own new meaning. This may be done in any medium/material but works best with familiar mediums/materials.

Based on their online research and river experience, students will create a painting that communicates what they learned about the relationship between abiotic and biotic components of a river ecosystem. They may choose to either use acrylic or watercolor paint with any size canvas larger than 12 x 12 in.

LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT FOCUS:

Student Learning Objectives and Assessments:

LO1: Students will compare the differences and similarities between varied levels of appropriated artwork. (VA:Re8.1.IIa)

Assessment 1: During the discussion the students as a collective will voice their opinion on the presented artwork. (Formative)

LO2: Given the conclusions and new information about appropriation artwork, the students will redesign objects or artworks of their choosing, to give a new meaning/purpose behind it. (VA:Cr2.3.IIa)

Assessment 2: Students will have at least 3 illustrations/moquette’s of their altered design/object/artwork. (Formative)

LO3: Students will a create work of art that has been altered from the aesthetic/idea of the previous source/artwork created. (VA:Cr1.2.IIa)(VA:Cr2.2.IIa)

Assessment 3: Students will turn in a completed, repurposed work of art demonstrating at least 3 identifiable changes (additions, subtractions, alterations) to a previous source material. (Summative)

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

Learning Activities and Instructional strategies:

  1. Hook: Students will do a VTS(see, think, wonder) with Richard Prince’s Untitled, 2015 (Instagram Screenshot photo). (Teacher and Student Activity)

  2. Teacher will show a PowerPoint slideshow of varying degrees of appropriated artwork from different artists to discuss different motivations for making art in this way. (Teacher Activity)

  3. The project will be explained; students are going to select 3-5 cultural objects or works of art to draw inspiration from before landing on one they feel most confident about and connected to, in order to create a final, well thought out work of art. (Introduction)

  4. As a class, we will come up with criterion for appropriation art that is acceptable to everyone (amount of change, type of change, reason for change, etc.) (Teacher/Student Activity)

  5. The students will collaborate and come up with ideas in pairs and then split up to brainstorm how they might draw inspiration from their chosen imagery. (Collaborative Student Activity)

  6. Students will draw, paint, sculpt, or put together their favorite idea from their brainstorming session. (Independent Student Activity)

  7. Students will explain to a partner the changes that they made to their source material and what they’re trying to communicate. (Collaborative Student Activity)

    TEACHER REFLECTION:

This lesson had successes and challenges alike. The most successful part of this lesson was the fact that the student was able to understand appropriation art to the degree that they were able to use source material around their own life to comment on it (Starbucks). I believe I presented a wide enough range of different art that creates opportunity for thoughtful criticism and reflection of their own art as well as the art that they view. One of the biggest challenges I found was that the lack of materials limited outcome possibilities such as sculpture or more fine art reproductions. In the future I will also likely have the student(s) come up with designs that don’t singularly involve logos, perhaps it would look like this (1 sculpture redesign, 1 logo redesign, 1 product redesign, 1 artist redesign, 1 their choice).