Contemporary Art as Public Pedagogy Curricula

Exploration 6: Final

Contemporary Art as Public Pedagogy Curricula

The unit of study for my final project encompasses high contrast photography. The first lesson is the introduction to high contrast photography with a PowerPoint presentation that was viewed by the students. The second and third lesson deals with a narrowed subject of high contrast photography dealing with public art. The students were pushed to explore and see public art in a black and white form, viewing it from a different way they normally would see it. Through these three lessons students will understand and view the world through black and white. Upon the completion of the unit, students will have a final critique within the class and also a gallery show for students and parents to view with a required artist statement attached.

*This was previously taught since I am currently out on maternity leave. I used my lesson format template that is required within my district.

Examples:

Unit 1: High Contrast Photography Introduction

Lesson: _High Contrast Photography

Time Frame: 1 Week

Project: Learning About Contrast

Level: All Advanced Level Photo

N.J.C.C.C. Standards:

□ 1.1 All students will acquire knowledge and skills that increase aesthetic awareness in visual arts.

□ 1.2 All students will refine perceptual, intellectual, physical, and technical skills through creating

visual arts.

□ 1.3 All students will utilize arts elements and arts media to produce artistic products/works of art.

□ 1.4 All students will demonstrate knowledge of the process of critique.

□ 1.5 All students will identify the various historical, social, and cultural influences and traditions which have generated artistic accomplishments throughout the ages and which continue to shape contemporary arts.

□ 1.6 All students will develop design skills for planning the form and function of space, structures, objects, sound, and events.

Objectives/Requirements:

Students will:

• Be lectured on the meaning behind what “High Contrast Photography” means and the definition. They will than apply the objectives to this assignment and edit their photographs to have high contrast.

Materials & Preparation:

• Power point Presentation

• Movie

Resources:

• Teacher’s examples in Power point presentation & film.

• Vocabulary:

High Contrast Photography:

• Contrast is the difference in luminance that makes objects in your photograph distinguishable

• Dark Black To Bright White, To Allow Positive And Negative Portions To Shine Through Your Photograph

Procedures:

1. Students will be introduced to High Contrast Photography through a Power point that I will have for them along with an example of how to preform the high contrast in Photoshop. Students will be able to view photographs during class time of examples to help with ideas on composition.

2. Class time will be used for editing and viewing photographs, all photographs will be taken on their own time outside of the classroom.

Assessment/Evaluation:

Students Must: Edit their photographs in a similar way of which I taught in class to achieve the high contrast elements in their photographs in order to gain full credit for this assignment. Critique is required.

Homework: All photographs must be taken outside of school in order to achieve this assignment.

Unit 2: High Contrast Photography Public Art Outdoor Light Quality

Lesson: _High Contrast Photography Street Art Outdoor Time Frame: 1 Week

Project: Learning About Contrast

Level: All Advanced Level Photo

N.J.C.C.C. Standards:

□ 1.1 All students will acquire knowledge and skills that increase aesthetic awareness in visual arts.

□ 1.2 All students will refine perceptual, intellectual, physical, and technical skills through creating

visual arts.

□ 1.3 All students will utilize arts elements and arts media to produce artistic products/works of art.

□ 1.4 All students will demonstrate knowledge of the process of critique.

□ 1.5 All students will identify the various historical, social, and cultural influences and traditions which have generated artistic accomplishments throughout the ages and which continue to shape contemporary arts.

□ 1.6 All students will develop design skills for planning the form and function of space, structures, objects, sound, and events.

Objectives/Requirements:

Students will:

• Students will continue their unit on high contrast photography, however within this lesson students are narrowed within the subject that they can capture, street art (outdoors). I will do a lesson on street art and public art and how to capture the best quality lighting of the outdoors.

Materials & Preparation:

• Prior student examples

Resources:

• Prior student examples.

• Vocabulary:

High Contrast Photography:

• Street Art

Procedures:

1. Students will be introduced to High Contrast Photography and street art and what the best quality of capturing photographs outside and exploring public art. I will have students view previous students photographs to gather ideas and thoughts moving forward with their assignment.

2. Class time will be used for editing and viewing photographs, all photographs will be taken on their own time outside of the classroom.

Assessment/Evaluation:

Students Must: Edit their photographs in a similar way of which I taught in class to achieve the high contrast elements in their photographs in order to gain full credit for this assignment. Critique is required.

Homework: All photographs must be taken outside of school in order to achieve this assignment.

Unit 3: High Contrast Photography Studio Light Quality Self-Portrait

Lesson: _High Contrast Photography Studio Lighting Self-Portrait Time Frame: 1 Week

Project: Learning About Contrast

Level: All Advanced Level Photo

N.J.C.C.C. Standards:

□ 1.1 All students will acquire knowledge and skills that increase aesthetic awareness in visual arts.

□ 1.2 All students will refine perceptual, intellectual, physical, and technical skills through creating

visual arts.

□ 1.3 All students will utilize arts elements and arts media to produce artistic products/works of art.

□ 1.4 All students will demonstrate knowledge of the process of critique.

□ 1.5 All students will identify the various historical, social, and cultural influences and traditions which have generated artistic accomplishments throughout the ages and which continue to shape

contemporary arts.

□ 1.6 All students will develop design skills for planning the form and function of space, structures, objects, sound, and events.

Objectives/Requirements:

Students will:

• Students will continue their unit on high contrast photography, however within this lesson students are narrowed within the subject that they can capture, self portraiture using studio lighting. I will show examples of studio portrait work with high contrast editing.

Materials & Preparation:

• Prior student examples and computer examples.

Resources:

• Prior student examples and internet examples.

• Vocabulary:

High Contrast Photography:

• Studio Portrait Photography.

Procedures:

1. Students will be introduced to High Contrast Photography and studio portrait photography and what the best quality of capturing photographs indoors. I will have students view previous students photographs to gather ideas and thoughts moving forward with their assignment.

2. Class time will be used for editing and viewing photographs, all photographs will be taken on their own time outside of the classroom.

Assessment/Evaluation:

Students Must: Edit their photographs in a similar way of which I taught in class to achieve the high contrast elements in their photographs in order to gain full credit for this assignment.

Homework: All photographs must be taken outside of school in order to achieve this assignment.

Reflection:

Public pedagogy is seen in my lesson of high contrast black and white photography through street art. Students must have allowed themselves time outside of their comfort zone in order to capture public art through the lens of a camera and view it “differently” by editing it in Photoshop by implementing high contrast. Since I have already taught this lesson to my class (currently on maternity), the way I had imagined that it would have gone was very close to the actual outcome of the lesson. I knew from the beginning before introducing it that I would have some students that would say that they weren’t allowed to drive far away to capture street art. However, our school has a graffiti mural near the art department, so I was prepared to mention that to the students that weren’t able to venture out and explore new types of street art, however street art is everywhere. I didn’t think that there would be anymore challenges except for the students that weren’t able to travel. This lesson seemed to be a topic that I felt the students would be very interested in and very eager to start right away. When I introduced this lesson, I allowed for fifteen minutes that students would be able to go on the internet and investigate public art and high contrast photography incorporating, outdoor light quality and indoor studio light quality. The research preformed for this lesson was mostly on techniques of editing to complete the objective of high contrast in Photoshop. I also researched public street art and a variety of artists to lecture about and show examples to the class. I felt that incorporating a visual would allow the students to understand better. This class really made me look beyond the classroom walls of art and what I teach, art history. I felt that I was researching more and viewing artists that make art public. I feel as though when you teach a certain subject you become fixated on it, therefore you loose sight of many other types of art that is currently being created or different mediums. Engaging in public pedagogy is the most significant item that I feel this class allowed me to do more of, it has opened my eyes to the very many public items of art out there and just how I need to open my eyes more.