Art Inquiry by Mary Erickson This presentation shows

Art Inquiry by Mary Erickson

This presentation shows how using an inquiry strategy can help students: I. Find meaningful connections between viewing art and making art. II. Develop skills identified in the National Core Visual Arts Standards. III. Develop English Language Arts skills identified in the Common Core Standards.

Inquiry Strategy Two mascots represent the complementary processes of an inquiry strategy. Questor is a viewer, curious about artworks. Jack is an artist, jumping for new art ideas. @Tempe Center for the Arts and Mary Erickson, 2014 www. . tempe. gov/TCAeducation

Part I: Using an inquiry strategy helps students find meaningful connections between viewing art and making art.

What Can I See? Learn about and Times? I See? about What Can I the Artist’s Life & Life the Artist’s Times? What Can I Learn How Does it Compare Mean? to Other Artworks? What Does it This strategy starts with four viewer’s questions (Questor Questions) you and your students can ask about any artwork, in any sequence.

What Choices will I What Ideas Can I Get from the Artist’s Life & Make in My Own Artwork? Times? My Own Life and Times? See? What Can I Learn about What Ideas Can I Get What Do I Want to from Looking at Other Art? Achieve with My Art? The four viewer’s questions correlate with four artist questions (Jack Questions) you and your students can ask, in any sequence, about their own art making.

Questor and Jack’s four very broad questions can be broken into general starter questions to initiate further inquiry.

Text What Can I See in What Choices Will I Make in My the Artwork? KE How well students understand or appreciate an artwork can depend on how carefully they look at it. Students’ artworks look as they do because of their choices.

What people, places, or things, if any, are shown in this artwork? Will my artwork have SUBJECT subject matter? MATTER What one or two DESIGN elements of design is elements (line, shape, ELEMENTS most important for the light & dark, color, success of my artwork? texture, mass, space, or other) are most important in this artwork? Why? What design principles DESIGN can I use to organize the How did the artist use PRINCIPLES elements into an design principles to interesting and unified organize elements within composition? this artwork? Text (Continued on next slide) These are general questions you can ask about any artwork to help direct your students’ inquiry through careful observatio n and decision making.

(Continued from preceding slide) What can I see in the artwork that shows the tools, materials, or process the artist used to make it? TECHNICAL FEATURES What tools, materials, and processes am I considering? Text What qualities in my artwork might be What might I be missing difficult to capture in a if I am not looking at the REPRODUCTION reproduction (or actual artwork but at a example, if it were reproduction? reproduced online or in a photograph or scan). How is this artwork protected from harm? CARE How can I best present Has its condition and preserve my deteriorated over time? artwork? These, too, are general questions you can ask about any artwork to help direct your students’ inquiry through careful observatio n and decision making.

Text What Can I Learn What Ideas Can I about the Life and Get from My Own Life and Times? Times of the Artist? Sometimes students need information about where and when an artist made an artwork to make sense of it. Students can get art ideas from many sources, including their own life experiences.

What are/were the personal What art ideas can I get background and life ARTIST’S LIFE from my own personal experiences of the artist? or family experiences? What are/was the natural or What ideas might I get PHYSICAL built environment/s like from my physical where the artist lives/lived ENVIRONMENT environment? and works/worked? What is the artist’s culture? What do/did people think, believe, and do in that culture? CULTURE Text. What ideas might I get from my culture? Can I get ideas from my art classes, fellow What art training, traditions, ARTWORLD art students, art movements, and teachers, or maybe expectations surround/ed museum visits? the artist? Will my work have a What function or purpose FUNCTION function? If so, what does/did this artwork function? serve? For whom? These are general questions you can ask about any artwork to help direct your students’ contextual inquiry.

Finding connections with other artworks can bring new perspectives to any artwork. How Does this What Ideas Can I Artwork Compare Get from Looking with Other at Other Art? Artworks? Students can get ideas for their own art by exploring artworks by other artists.

How is this artwork similar in style to other artworks made in the same context (by the same artist, within his/her movement, or within her/his culture)? What earlier artists or artworks influenced this artist? What other artworks can be associated with theme underlying this artwork? STYLE Do I want my artwork to be similar in style to my other artworks other artists have made? Text INFLUENCE THEME How has my artwork been influenced by other artists or their work? What other artist has expresses a big idea similar to theme in which I am interested? These are general questions you can ask about any artwork to help direct your students’ inquiry into relationshi ps among artworks.

Interpretation is a process of finding meaning in an artwork and supporting one’s conclusion with evidence. What Does this to Achieve Artwork Mean? with My Artwork? What Do I Want Students may have clear ideas about what they want to do before making their artworks or their ideas may evolve as they work.

Why did the artist want this artwork to look as it does? ARTIST’S INTENTION What is my goal as an artist? How would I like my artwork to be ART SPECIALISTS’ understood in the How was this artwork UNDERSTANDINGSartworld? Which artworld? understood within the culture of its time or by CULTURAL members of other Do I want my work to subcultures (not art UNDERSTANDINGSreflect or impact my specialists)? culture or society? How do/did art specialists understand this artwork? Text How might my own personal experiences affect how I understand this artwork? YOUR OWN VIEWPOINT What are my personal goals for this artwork? These are general questions you can ask about any artwork to help direct your students’ inquiry into what artworks might mean and into setting their own art making goals.

Inquiry Strategy as Scaffold A scaffold is a temporary structure that provides a place where workers can stand as they construct, paint, repair, or otherwise maintain a permanent structure, like a building, tower, or bridge. Like any scaffold, this art inquiry strategy is important only as long as it is useful to you and/or your students. Ultimately, as you and/or your students adapt or replace this scaffold, you become independent inquirers directing your own inquiries about art and through art making.

Part II: Using an inquiry strategy helps students develop skills identified in the National Core Visual Arts Standards. The National Core Visual Arts Standards focus on four artistic processes, further identified in 11 anchor standards: CREATING (Cr) = 3 PRESENTING (Pr) = 3 RESPONDING (Re) = 3 CONNECTING (Cn) = 2

Art inquiry offers entry points for planning instruction to address all eleven national standards.

SUBJECT MATTER TO MEET CREATING AND PRESENTING ANCHOR STANDARDS DESIGN ELEMENTS DESIGN PRINCIPLES TECHNICAL FEATURES REPRODUCTION CARE Cr 2. Organize and develop artistic ideas. Text and work. (Also PLAN inquiry) Cr 3. Refine and complete artistic work. (Also PLAN inquiry) Pr 1. Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.

SUBJECT MATTER DESIGN ELEMENTS TO MEET DESIGN PRINCIPLES PRESENTING AND TECHNICAL FEATURES RESPONDING ANCHOR STANDARDS REPRODUCTION CARE Textwork for presentation. (Also Pr 3. Select, analyze and interpret artistic INTERPRET inquiry) Re 1. Perceive and analyze artistic work.

ARTIST’S LIFE TO MEET CREATING AND CONNECTING ANCHOR STANDARDS PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT CULTURE ARTWORLD FUNCTION Cr 1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. (Also EXPLORE and Text PLAN inquiry) Cn 1. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. Cn 2. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding. (Also LEARN, COMPARE, and EXPLORE inquiry)

ARTIST’S LIFE TO MEET CONNECTING ANCHOR STANDARD PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT CULTURE ARTWORLD FUNCTION Text Cn 2. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding. (Also SEEK, COMPARE, and EXPLORE inquiry)

TO MEET CREATING AND CONNECTING ANCHOR STANDARDS STYLE INFLUENCE THEME Cr 1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. (Also SEEK and PLAN inquiry) Cn 2. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding. (Also SEEK and LEARN inquiry)

TO MEET RESPONDING AND CONNECTING ANCHOR STANDARDS STYLE INFLUENCE THEME Re 3. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. (Also INTERPRET inquiry) Cn 2. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding. (Also LEARN and EXPLORE inquiry)

TO MEET CREATING ANCHOR STANDARDS ARTIST’S INTENTION ART SPECIALISTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDINGS YOUR OWN VIEWPOINT Cr 1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. (Also SEEK and EXPLORE inquiry) Cr 2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. (Also CHOOSE inquiry) Cr 3. Refine and complete artistic work. (Also CHOOSE inquiry)

TO MEET PRESENTING AND RESPONDING ANCHOR STANDARDS ARTIST’S INTENTION ART SPECIALISTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDINGS YOUR OWN VIEWPOINT Pr 2. Convey meaning through the presentation of artwork. Pr 3. Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation. (Also LOOK inquiry) Re 2. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Re 3. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. (Also COMPARE inquiry)

Part III: Using an inquiry strategy helps students develop English Language Arts (ELA) skills identified in the Common Core standards. Sample reading and writing standards for grades 3 -5, 6 -8, and 9 -10 are listed. NOTE: Artworks can be understood both as primary sources and as text.

TO MEET READING COMMON CORE STANDARDS SUBJECT MATTER DESIGN ELEMENTS DESIGN PRINCIPLES TECHNICAL FEATURES REPRODUCTION CARE Elementary: R. 4: Interpret words and phrases [and images]* as they are used in a text [artwork*], including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word [and visual]* choices shape meaning or tone. Text Middle School: RST. 6 -8. 4: Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domainspecific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6– 8 texts [artworks]* and topics. High School: RST. 9 -10. 4: Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domainspecific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical [artistic] context relevant to grades 9– 10 texts and topics. *Artworks are considered to be text in art inquiry.

ARN TO MEET READING COMMON CORE STANDARDS ARTISTS LIFE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT CULTURE ARTWORLD FUNCTION Elementary: R. 1: Read closely to determine what the text [artwork]* says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual [and visual]* evidence when writing or speaking to Text support conclusions drawn from the text [artwork]*. Middle School: RST. 6 -8. 1: Cite specific textual [and visual]* evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts [artworks]*. High School: RST. 9 -10. 1: Cite specific textual [and visual]* evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts [artworks], attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. *Artworks are considered to be text in art inquiry.

TO MEET READING COMMON CORE STANDARDS STYLE INFLUENCE THEME Elementary: R. 9: Analyze how two or more texts [artworks] address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors [artists] take. Middle School: 6 -8. RH. 9. Analyze the relationship between a primary** and secondary source on the same topic. High School: 9 -10. RH. 9. Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary** and secondary sources. *Artworks are considered to be text in art inquiry. **Artworks are dominant primary courses in art inquiry. *.

ARTIST’S INTENTION TO MEET WRITING COMMON CORE STANDARDS ART SPECIALISTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDINGS YOUR OWN VIEWPOINT Elementary: W. 1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts [artworks]* using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. Middle School: WHST. 6 -8. 2 f: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. High School: WHST. 9 -10. 2 f: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e. g. , articulating implications or the significance of the topic). *Artworks are considered to be text in art inquiry.

Art Inquiry Resouces Almost all instructional materials on Mary Erickson Ventures focus on art inquiry. For a Power. Point presentation that introduces young people to art inquiry, click on “Tempe Center for the Arts Lessons”, then scroll down and click on “Twenty Questions”.

References Addiss, S. & Erickson, M. (1993). Art history and art education, Champaign-Urbana: University of Illinois. Erickson, M. (2005). Art making and meaning. Tucson, AZ: Crizmac. Erickson, M. (1983). Teaching art history as inquiry process, Art Education, 35(5), 28 -31. Erickson, M. (2002). Stories of art. Tucson, AZ: Crizmac. Erickson, M. (1977). Uses of history in art education. Studies in Art Education, 18(3), 22 -29. Erickson, M. & Villeneuve, P. (2004). Educators Resource. In G. Keller. M. Erickson, & P. Villeneuve (Eds. ), Chicano art for our millennium (pp. 155 -191). Bilingual Press: Tempe, AZ. Erickson, M. , Dock, M. , & Eldridge, L. (2010). Questor questions. School Arts, 109(3), pp. 44 -25. National Art Education Association. (2014). National core visual arts standards, www. artseducators. org