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Lesson Plan: Street Art or Chalk Art
Unit: Making Art and Art Appreciations in our Multicultural Society. Grade Level: (3 through 12)
The Big Idea - Teaching Art for the Conceptual and Multicultural Age
Most people enjoy and appreciate Street Art or Chalk Art, Public Murals, and want to watch them be created. It takes a lot of courage to render an image onto the ground while getting covered in chalk, or recreating an old masterpiece or contemporary image on the pavement while people watch you. |
Essex Garner's
Ray
Charles |
Objective strengthens the student’s knowledge in Art Appreciation,
Cultural Diversity, and the important accomplishments of many ethic groups in
American within the Visual and Performing arts. This lesson explores a different
two-dimensional medium, and develops the student’s skills of using themes
necessary to be incorporated into their artistic renditions. This lesson allows
students to become evolved with community activities in arts, building on
student understanding of how public memorials, street art, murals, and wall
graphics fit within their communities. Students can draw on their personal
experiences for inspiration or external sources like; Jazz Musicians Dizzy
Gillepsi or Miles Davis and performance or literary artist, contemporary
Hispanic, African, and past or modern cultural or social themes. Students also
learn to shed their inhibitions of creating artwork in public spaces while they
drawing. While they are making their works, they are in fact on stage like any
performing artists. The students will examine two-dimensional concepts that fall
under Art Censorship, and demonstrate that their work has a social relevance and
wouldn’t be considered patiently offensive to other ethnic groups. Other artists
that can be explored within these cross cultural connections are: Frida Kahlo
or Diego Rivera, and artists of the Harlem Renaissance and their works like
(Romare Bearden or Jacob Lawrence).
Strand: (Know about Art), (Making Art) and Elements of Art. Introduction: The students will demonstrate prior knowledge of lessons learned within the Elements and Principles of Art when they go out to adorn the pavement. Before allowing them to draw review information on Street Art ideas by Artist Julian Beavers, and Edgar Mueller - How to Make 3D Pavement Art, an the annual Capital Street Art celebration hosted Capital City Counsel of the Arts in Jefferson City, Missouri.Instructional Activities: |
Dizzy by Essex Garner 2009
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Jacob Lawrence Boy With Kite (Heroshima Seriers) Eample Student work
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What to do - Art Making Activity
Assign students to groups or (for the older kids) allow them to work alone at recreating artwork on a large scale.
Have students plan their chalk art
beforehand, by illustrating a drawing in the classroom or by reproducing an
image they choose. This will enable students to make better use of their
sidewalk space once outdoors. With older artist, you will want to encourage
shading and dramatic color usage in their pieces.
Mark off each drawing in increments of about 2 inches square, depending on the size of the original. These same grid marks will be placed on the concrete outside for reproducing the image.
Mark off blocks of space on the sidewalk before anyone begins drawing, that way you're sure to have enough space to go around.
Use a yardstick inside the designated block to copy the grid used on the original image. A simple conversion is 2 inches on the paper = 2 feet outside on the ground, but you can also increase the outside measurement to 3 feet if you have enough room. Ensure the students understand the (according to the image
type) in most cases, it’s best to work from the lighter then darker colors
first. Chalk has a tendency to blow around in the wind, and darker hues put
down at the beginning of a drawing tend to dull the illustration over the
course of the drawing. Once the grids are completed, students can draw in one block at a time, copying from the drawing one block at a time until they're finished. For a cleaner piece practice completing your work from left to right if you are right handed, and from right to left if you are left handed. This approach minimizes leaning over areas of the drawing already completed, and reduces smudging. Vibrant colors make for a more successful drawing. Overlay grid over image. Copy from the drawing each section within the blocks, one at a time until they’re finished. Take pictures when completed. Remind your students that not all drawings are successful. See Julian Beever’s (miscellaneous drawings). |
2 inches on the paper = 2 feet outside on the ground Image above provided by Nenad Mirkovich
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Miles Davis
a Cubistic
Issue |
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What you will need
Gallon jugs of water - for drinking as well as washing off hands and legs.
Kneepads or gardener's padded or work boards - to kneel on while drawing instead of having their knees directly on the pavement.
Large sheets of plastic or garbage bags taped together - keep this on
hand as a cover in case of rain, heavy wind, or just to protect work over a
long lunch break
Paintbrushes of all shapes and sizes, sponges - to blend and spread colors.
Pastels or sidewalk chalk - Your choice, depending on price. Pastels will usually give you more vibrant colors and produce higher-quality work.
Paper towels or old towels and rags - to clean up as necessary.
Hats, sunscreen, sunglasses - to protect from the elements.
Camera to take pictures. Consider letting the local media know so they can cover
the project in the papers
and on TV.
Types of Chalk, There are three basic types of chalk that are effective for sidewalk art. They range from the cheaper version commonly used in elementary and secondary schools to the compressed Pastels.
1. Sidewalk Chalk
2. Dustless Chalk
3. Multi Pastel Compressed Chalk (I use this one professionally)
Useful Internet Links:
Celebrate Black History: The Harlem Renaissance
http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/ Julian BeeverCharlie Parker (Frank Driggs
Collection);
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_parker_charlie.htm