Name: Laura Liptak	E:mail:
Art Form: Visual Art	Grade Level(s) Middle School

Philosophical Perspective

In the visual arts there is a marked progression in styles that relate to political, economic and social changes throughout the world and in different societies and civilizations throughout history. With artwork, it is interesting to develop a time line. Students begin to relate historical and global events to trends in art and architecture; thereby expanding their understanding of the subject and in the world they live in. They begin to view their environment, the world they live in, the chair they sit on, buildings, ads, movies, etc. in a more global and historical context. If a visual arts teacher is successful in conveying this to students they will begin to SEE things within a new frame of reference.

Instructional Strategy

wo strategies related to the historical and cultural context standards for students are as follows:   Time Lines-(depending on the medium we are using in a unit- painting, sculpture, ceramics, etc. ) Using a general time line such as the one found in Jansen's History of Art, a bulletin board is made with general information. Students find pictures of artwork and attach them to the appropriate area of the time line referencing the artist, region of the artwork, and the social, economic or political influences evident in the piece.   Styles project-Students draw their own composition. Throughout the term they make revisions of their original related to different styles from different periods of time and from different regions of the world. How would this picture look if Warhol painted it? How would it look as an Amat'e design done by an American Indian? A French Impressionist?

Reflections:

Reflections   In my classroom I emphasize the process, not the product.   How did we get to this point? How do we develop this technique and take it a step further? Where did we draw our inspiration from?   Students need to understand that the answers to the questions are based strongly on historical and cultural context. The art we produce now is an extension of what has already been done.