High School Photography Self Portraits

I worked with a Photography class to create self portraits. We looked at paintings from the Renaissance and talked about the symbolism used in them to inform the viewer about the subject. We compared these paintings to senior pictures from today and discussed what we could learn about the subject just from looking at their photograph. Using this information students created their own symbolic self portraits with the choice of using either the darkroom or digital editing to compile multiple images together. More examples in the “Sample Student Work” album.

1st Grade Earthworks Lesson

 I taught 1st grade students about artist Andy Goldsworthy and Earthworks. We talked about why artists might create artwork outside and how they could make that artwork last forever. We discussed the importance of photography to save this temporary artwork so we could show it to others. Students created their own Earthworks outside in teams and came up with creative titles for them.

Recently I did a modified version of this project at a summer art camp. As a class (ages 6-7) the students worked together to make one large earthwork. 

2nd Grade What is Art

Students brainstormed what they think makes something art and make a class list on the board (materials, where is it, what is the subject matter etc). Students viewed several images and put them into categories: art vs. not art with a reason to back it up. Students discussed their choices by sharing one of the images with the class. Students came up with their own person definition of art (if someone asked you what art is and you had to explain it for the first time what would you say?). They used this definition to create a visual example of their words using any material of their choosing available in the art room. Students then viewed their classmates’ artworks and pointed out qualities they saw within it. These qualities were written down to make up a broad class definition of art.

5th Grade Perspective Lesson

Currently I am teaching 5th grade students the technique and origin of one-point perspective. We will be looking at artworks and defining the vanishing point and horizon line. We will be talking about the invention of the one-point perspective technique and students will be practicing making different shapes using their new skills. Students will design a fantasy city around a theme of their choosing and drawing a cityscape of their city.

High School Narrative Photography

My photography 2 class discussed the use of photography to enhance or tell a story. They watched the documentary “War Photographer” and viewed photographs by several artists that tell a story using a series of images. I encouraged students to choose a story they thought was important to tell, whether fiction or real. The student created their own narratives using 3-5 photographs.

High School Printmaking Poster Unit

Students viewed historical propaganda posters, recent motivational posters, and de-motivational posters and discussed the use of the poster as a method for conveying a message and making the viewer feel, think, or do something. Students created their own posters and printed them using linoleum block. Additional student examples can be seen in the “Sample Student Work” album.

High School Book Project

For this project I worked with a Photography 3 class to create a book of their favorite photographs they have produced over the last 3 years. Student designed their own personal layout for their pages and the book was published on Blurb.com. This unit tied in with a lesson on artist statements. Students were asked to reflect upon their experience as photographers over the last 3 years and how their photographs affects the viewer.