The information provided in our art curriculums and various art textbooks does not represent the African American and Latino art culture as a whole. This sparse information that is provided in textbooks, only gives a brief explanation about the art of Africa and Puerto Rico along with various resources and daily life uses of this art. In some of these books it also only gives a brief explanation of artists of color and art during the Harlem Renaissance era and the muralist era in California. There are no major or particular art textbooks in our curriculum that explores African American art and its aesthetics from its roots in Africa through contemporary African American artists today.
Therefore, the intent of this unit is to expose students to a distinct art form of Graffiti, and its significance on African American and Hispanic art and culture today. Through my exposure to literature and visual art materials in the seminar, "Race and Ethnicity in Contemporary Art and Literature", it will offer a way to introduce and build upon the knowledge and aesthetics of students in visual art classes. It has also fostered the teaching of Art and Literature as one component in the art room. As these artists are studied and the literature is read, the idea of racism, gender and ethnicity in graffiti art will be fully revealed.
This unit is designed for students who are enrolled in advanced drawing and advanced painting classes. The majority of these students that I teach at James Hillhouse High School are of the African American culture. Their knowledge about African American and Hispanic artists varies, but they show a desire to find out more information about artists of color.
In this unit, the goals will allow students the opportunity to focus on developing their own style of Graffiti art. This unit will also use as a resource for information the art and style of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. In this examination students will compare and contrast these specific works of Basquiat in graffiti, and how graffiti played a major role in his art style.
Another goal of this unit will be to introduce students to the visual art of Hispanic graffiti artists who have made their art part of subway art. Through this introduction, students will focus on the visual racism, ethnicity and gender questions like the art of Basquiat that are the focal point in many of these subway pieces. This unit will also examine the history and the techniques of graffiti.
In this unit there will be various strategies and objectives developed in order to teach this unit. The strategies and objectives are:
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1. Students will be taking trips to the Yale Art Gallery and the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, in order to gain knowledge about various artists and style in art works.
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2. The Internet will also be used as a research tool.
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3. Students will be assigned various literature pieces of reading to understand or gain knowledge about racism, gender and ethnicity in art.
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4. Students will also learn and develop their own aesthetics in art through exposure.
Student Objectives:
Knowledge Objectives:
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1. Students will describe how graffiti is a part of everyday culture.
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2. Student will develop basic vocabulary terms for thinking and writing about graffiti.
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3. Students will become familiar with the Internet and other library resources.
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4. Students will research graffiti art using the Internet and library.
Skills Objectives:
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1. Students will be able to work with various media.
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2. Students will be able to make and justify judgments about aesthetics qualities in graffiti art.
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3. Students will develop their expository writing skills.
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4. Students will develop their own style of graffiti letters.
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5. Students will be encouraged to use the Yale Art Gallery as a resource for their study.
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6. Students will participate in creative hands-on art activities.
Attitude Objectives:
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1. Students will enjoy exploring their creative abilities.
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2. Students will develop confidence in their ability to express creative ideas, and imagination through visual arts.
Process Objectives:
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1. Students will view, discuss, and write about works of graffiti art.
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2. Students will create artworks in a variety of media.
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3. Students will creatively express themselves in a work of art that they complete using graffiti lettering.
Experience Objectives:
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1. Students will encounter historical work of art in the Yale Art Gallery.
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2. Students will discover information about graffiti art.
This unit will also address the following Visual Arts Content Standards that are the focal point in teaching of art in the New Haven Public Schools.
Content Standard 3.0 Evaluate, Critique, and Integrate Art Concepts.
Performance Standards
Students should:
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3.1 Choose, evaluate and critique a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas to communicate meaning.
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3.2 Integrate visual, spatial and temporal concepts in content.
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3.3 Apply evaluation, critiquing and integrating skills in daily life.
Content Standard 4.0 Historical and Cultural Relationships and Influences in Artwork.
Performance Standards
Students should:
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4.1 Understand the visual arts in relation to history and cultures and be able to identify specific works.
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4.2 Describe the functions of art in relation to history and cultures.
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4.3 Expand verbally and in writing how history and culture influenced art works.
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4.4 Express the contribution historical and cultural influenced art works.
Content Standard 5.0 Critique and Assessment of Artwork
Performance Standards
Students should:
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5.1 Reflect upon and assess the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others.
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5.2 Through analysis, gain insight of the meaning, purpose, content and process of art works.
Content Standard 7.0 Expanding Artistic Knowledge and Resources
Performance Standards
Students should:
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7.1 Use museums, galleries, the art community, libraries, etc. to expand knowledge beyond the classroom.
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a. Experience the art community and resources for life-long learning and career options.
The vocabulary for this unit is as follows:
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1. Bite- to copy another style that already exists.
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2. Buff- to remove.
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3. Burn- to beat your competitor.
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4. Def- something that is really good.
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5. Fade- to blend colors.
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6. Tag- a writers signature.
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7. Throw-up- a signature written with on layer of paint.
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8. Wak- not good work.
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9. Wildstyle- letters that appear complicated; interlocking letters.
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10. Writer- a practitioner of the art of graffiti.
