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Activities to support the development of a body of work
Activities to support the development of a body of work
There are ideas and activities on this page that teachers can implement in the classroom to support students to demonstrate their understanding of artmaking as a practice, represent their ideas and interests through their interpretation of subject matter and their use of expressive forms.
It is not intended that these activities are worked through chronologically. Each teacher should develop a sequence of structured lessons that suits the needs of their specific cohort and supports the production of an individual work or series of works during the HSC course.
Artist quotes to consider
'Tell your own story, and you will be interesting.' Louise Bourgeois
'The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.' Robert Hughes
'The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.' Walt Disney
'Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.' Vincent Van Gogh
Activity 1 - What do students need to create a body of work?
Activity 1 - What do students need to create a body of work?
Have a look at the poster and read the quotes above.
In small groups make a list of the qualities that are important when developing a body of work- which words would you add to the poster list? Are there some that you would remove?
You might individually define words that are new and make words bigger, or annotate words that you think are significant.
Another option might be to create a word cloud of responses to the question 'What qualities do you think you will need to create a successful body of work?' using the online tool mentimeter.
Activity 2 - Play to your strengths
Activity 2 - Play to your strengths
What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to artmaking?
Create a visually engaging page in your art diary that identifies your art-making skills and interests and also your personal qualities that might be strengths in the coming months. You might refer to the class list from activity 1 above. You might ask your peers and your teacher for advice. Think about artworks you created in the past that you felt had qualities that were successful. What were those qualities? What are your artmaking skills and interests?
Use illustrations, symbols, sketches, examples, materials and documentation to bring one or two art dairy pages about your strengths and skills to life in a visually engaging manner.
Student advice -
It is time to get real. Are you a patient perfectionist? If the answer is yes, then, maybe your initial idea of gluing 3000 coloured paperclips onto a large board at even intervals is worth developing further. If the answer is no - then perhaps you need to consider other options! If your stop-animation skills are pretty flash... is now really the time to dump that media and take up throwing pots? Maybe not.
The body of work is the right time to play to your strengths.
Activity 3 - Artist research
Activity 3 - Artist research
Artist research for the body of work should be genuine. It should relate to your material and conceptual investigations. It should also be detailed, because the point of it is to inform your own artmaking. It should be practical- because you are encouraged to move beyond written descriptions and interpretations to also being experimental and hands on. Try the techniques used by the artists you have identified as possibly inspiring your own work and ideas. Reflect on your experiments using materials and methods of artists that have inspired you.
Research the practice of 3-4 artists that you have identified and discussed with your teacher. Use the Visual arts stage 6 artist practice scaffold to support detailed interpretations of their material and conceptual practice in your art diary.
Allow a double page in your art diary (at least) to record interpretations and to document the work of each artist using imagery, practical experiments and your experimentation with techniques and materials.
Use reliable sources to investigate the artists' work. Refer to public art gallery websites, art critics and historians when interpreting their ideas, actions, choices and processes.
Explain how the ideas, values, choices and/ or techniques of each artist can inform and extend your own artmaking practice.
Activity 4 - Successful Visual Arts Process Diaries (VAPDs)
Activity 4 - Successful Visual Arts Process Diaries (VAPDs)
Select one of the ARTEXPRESS links from the list below to view examples of successful VAPDs.
In your own VAPD, paste an image of the student’s Body of Work, and one or more images of their VAPD entries.
Write a comment that links the VAPD page to the Body of Work. Use the questions below to guide your comment.
Does this page show the student developing ideas and concepts?
What kind of supporting material have they included, such as concept maps, mood boards, or collections of images?
How have they communicated their artmaking intentions or explained their ideas and concepts?
How are these ideas represented in their Body of Work?
Does the page show the student's artmaking?
Does it show the student’s planning, experiments, or progress on their Body of Work?
What can you tell about their ideas, intentions, and actions?
How do the student’s notes evaluate or reflect on their work?
What connections can you see between their VAPD and their Body of Work?
Does the page show the student’s research into the world or artworld?
Have they researched an artist?
How can that artist’s influence be seen in the Body of Work?
Have they researched an idea or issue from the world or artworld?
How has this been explored and represented in their Body of Work?
Arcelie Abenoja, 'The Fall of Loi Krathong', 2021, photomedia.
Anabel Burrows, 'Contemplation of Space', 2021, collection of works.
Amy Fairleigh, 'Liability', 2021, drawing.
Sophie Linton, 'Musician man', 2021, time-based forms.
Mark-Lawrence Maureira,'The Sole Trader', 2021, drawing.
Ella Powditch, 'My Cabinet Of Curiosities', 2021, sculpture.
Dylan Shadbolt, 'Midnight Presence', 2021, photomedia.
Sumayya Atham Bawa, 'My twilight kingdom is a hidden cavern in the bottom of the ocean', 2020, painting.
Anna Decombes, 'Muse', 2020, Photomedia.
Talija Hrnjak, 'Displaced identities', 2020, printmaking.
Zak Kalivas, 'CTRL+C', 2020, time-based forms.
Joshua Merchant, 'Lost landscape', 2020, painting.
Gordon Wang, 'Earth's ephemeris', 2020, graphic design.
ARTEXPRESS links accessed 21/09/2021.
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