Sara E. Thomas
One of my main objectives for this unit is to have students wrestle with the idea “What is art?” in order to create their own definition of art. I will begin this unit by brainstorming with the class “What is art?” Through leading questions I would like students to begin to realize that even in the art room there are pieces of art besides simply what is hung on the walls. I would like them to start considering the utilitarian objects as well: chairs, tables, lights, etc. I would like students to start thinking about whether or not these objects can also be considered artwork.
From this discussion I would like students to begin thinking about how an industrial designer works. Though everyday objects serve a specific purpose they have gone through many stages of planning. Initially things were designed by an engineer to be sure the mechanics of the object worked correctly. After that an artist would design the aesthetics, or outward appearance, of the machine. Often times now these two people will work very closely with one another, making sure that form and function fit hand in hand. In some companies there is one person who does both of these jobs, called an industrial designer. The industrial designer will tackle both the aesthetics and engineering of the machine. By using simple objects around the art room, such as chairs and staplers, students will be lead through a discussion about the process which an industrial designer would go through to create these objects. Where do they start? What things are important for them to keep in mind? It is important for the designer to know as much as possible about the product they are creating.
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- Who will use the product?
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- What does it need to do (its main use)?
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- How can it be made as efficient as possible?
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- How can it be made aesthetically pleasing?
Throughout this unit students will be given the opportunity to become industrial designers. Students will learn as much as they can about boats and will then be challenged to put their knowledge to the test by creating their very own functioning model of a boat. To start students must learn as absorb as much information as possible about boats. The first two assignments are to help students increase their knowledge of different uses of boats throughout history and the aesthetics of boats.