Brainstorming Te Kaupapa

The Destination, The Passengers, and The Test Drive

Welcome to Phase 3. You have spent Term 1 building your vehicle (Subject Matter) and learning how the engine works (Materiality). Now, you need to decide where you are going.

The Mission: By the end of this phase, you will have a clear Inquiry, a team of Artist Models, and a successful Test Drive painting.

Choosing Your Destination

Before you start driving, you need a destination. You must select one of the five Haerenga Themes to anchor your folio.

The 5 Themes

Theme 1: The Daily Commute (Mental Health, Dissociation, Motion, Phobias).
Theme 2: Urban Isolation (Culture Clash, Body Image, Barriers, Outsiders).
Theme 3: The Construction Site (Identity, Trauma, Environment, Scaffolding).
Theme 4: Memory and Ruin (Childhood, Loss, Decay, Environmental Decline).
Theme 5: The Safe Haven (Sanctuary, Defence Mechanisms, Interiority).

Activity: The Silent World Café (Group Brainstorming)

Before you choose, we will explore the territory together—in silence.

The Process:

Rotate: Move around the 5 theme tables in the room.
Silent Contribution: Grab a marker. You cannot speak. Write or draw your associations with that theme (e.g., "Panic" for Commute, "Rust" for Construction).
Connect: Draw lines connecting your ideas to what others have written.
Harvest: Walk around once more to see the collective "Brain" of the class. Photograph the ideas that resonate with you.

The Personal Mind Map (Solo Dive)

Goal: To filter the group's ideas through your own personal lens.

Open a double-page spread in your Visual Diary. In the centre, write the name of the ONE theme that stuck with you from the World Café.
Create four branches coming off this centre:

Branch A: The Personal Connection

How does this theme relate to me?
Example (Memory & Ruin): "My family moved house three times; I feel like I've lost my 'home' base."

Branch B: The Visual Archive (Look back at Week 1)

What photos do I already have that fit this?
Example: "My photos of the cracked pavement (Week 1) fit perfectly with the idea of 'ruin'."

Branch C: The Mood/Atmosphere

What does this theme feel like?
Keywords: Claustrophobic, blurry, bright, cold, nostalgic, sharp.

Branch D: The "What If" Questions

Write 3 loose questions.
Example: "What if the ruin wasn't a building, but a person?" "What if the memory was happy but looked scary?"

The challenge lies in slowing down enough to GET big ideas and be inspired to go beyond first responses. Let’s face it, a good, juicy question always leads to multiple answers….

Joe Fusaro [teacher]

Art Project Ideas: A Guide to Subject Matter SelectionHow to come up with an inspiring, original topic for your high school Art project (GCSE, IGCSE and A Level Art ideas from an experienced teacher and coursework assessor).

THE CONTEXT DIVE (Checking the Map)

Te Kaupapa: Researching Beyond the Visual

Goal: To give your painting "substance" by researching the real-world ideas behind your theme.

The Trap vs. The Goal

Level 3 students often make paintings that look cool but mean nothing.

The Trap (Weak Inquiry): "I am painting ruins because they look cool and textured."
The Goal (Strong Inquiry): "I am painting ruins to explore the psychological concept of 'memory decay' and how we lose our childhood history."

To get the Strong Inquiry, you need to look outside of the art room. You need Context.

The Mission: 3 Angles of Research

You must locate THREE different types of "Non-Art" resources. You need to look at your theme from three specific angles: Local, Global, and Psychological.

Angle 1: Personal & Local (Aotearoa Context)

Find a story, fact, or connection that grounds your theme in YOUR reality.

Ask: How does this theme appear in my life, my whānau, or my city?
Resource Type: Local news headlines, family history, photos of your neighbourhood, or Māori concepts/whakataukī (proverbs) related to the theme.
Example (Theme: Construction Site): An article about the housing crisis in Auckland or the specific demolition of a building you walk past every day.

Angle 2: Global & Factual (The Big Picture)

Find a resource that shows this is a universal human issue.

Ask: How does the rest of the world deal with this?
Resource Type: International news articles, historical facts, documentaries, or statistics.
Example (Theme: Daily Commute): Global statistics on "Mega-Cities" and how urban overpopulation affects stress levels worldwide.

Angle 3: Emotional & Psychological (The Feeling)

Find words that name the specific feeling you are exploring.

Ask: What is the scientific or poetic name for this emotion?
Resource Type: Song lyrics, poetry, or psychological definitions.
Example (Theme: Mental Health): Don't just say "sadness." Look up "Dissociation" or "Saudade" (a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing).

The Output: The Context Page

Open a double-page spread in your Visual Diary.

Paste: Print and paste your 3 findings (don't stick in 10 pages of text—cut it down to the good bits).
Highlight: Use a highlighter to pick out the key phrases or words that spark images in your mind.
The Visual Bridge: Next to each resource, write a note translating the Idea into a Visual.
- Idea: "Dissociation feels like being underwater."
- Visual Bridge: "I will use blue glazes and blurred edges in Panel 2 to show this feeling."

How this Guides Your 3 Panels

This research is not busy work. It gives you the "plot" for your folio board.

AVOID cliches! your first idea is NEVER your best!

REFLECT. what has been successful or joyful in the past 2-3 years of Art study... look at past HC galleries to remind you of what we did

RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH... look at as many past examples as possible!

How to Avoid the Cliché in a High School Art ProjectStarting a new unit of work can be a daunting prospect for even the most confident of high school Art students. Read how to avoid producing cliché artwork!

Student Guide: Using AI as a Tool

Rule #1: AI is your Co-Pilot, not the Artist.

You are being assessed on your ability to clarify ideas and manipulate paint. You cannot submit AI-generated images as your own artwork. However, you can use AI text tools (like Gemini or ChatGPT) to help you visualize concepts before you paint them.

Ways to use AI to assist (not replace) you:

1. The "Visual Translator" (Text-to-Description)

Stuck on how to combine your theme with your subject? Ask AI to describe it for you.

Prompt: "Describe a painting of [Subject: Abandoned Playground] that represents [Theme: Memory Loss] using the style of [Artist: Sylvain Coulombe]. Focus on lighting, texture, and mood."
Action: Read the description. Does it give you ideas for colours or compositions you hadn't thought of? Sketch what it described.

2. The "What If" Machine (Idea Expansion)

Stuck on your Inquiry Question?

Prompt: "I am exploring the theme of 'Urban Isolation'. Give me 5 metaphor ideas for how a figure could interact with a concrete wall to show loneliness."
Action: Pick the best metaphor and sketch it.

3. The "Critique Partner" (Refining Your Question)

Prompt: "Here is my inquiry question: [Insert Question]. Is this too vague? How can I make it more specific to painting?"

Essential Documentation (Mandatory)

If you use AI to help you think, you must acknowledge it in your Visual Diary. This is valid evidence for Standard 3.3 (Clarifying Ideas).

Paste a screenshot of the chat or write a note recording:

The Prompt: What did you ask?
The Output: What did it suggest?
The Decision: How did you use it? (e.g., "I used the AI's suggestion to include 'foggy windows', but I rejected its idea to add figures because I want the scene to feel empty.")

THE PASSENGERS (Building Your Artist Team)

You are the Driver of this folio. You hold the brush, and you make the decisions. However, you cannot drive across the country alone. You need to fill the car with passengers (Artist Models) who can help you. Who is in the car....

1. The Mechanics (Phase 1 Artists)

These are the artists we studied in Term 1 (e.g., Shaw, De Crook, Coulombe).

Role: They ensure the car runs. They provide technical stability (texture, line, pouring).
Action: Keep 1–2 of these in the back seat so your "painting engine" doesn't break down.

2. The Local Guide (The Specialist Navigator)

This is a New Artist you must find yourself.

Role: They know the specific territory you are driving into. If your theme is "Memory," you need a passenger who knows how to paint "ghosts" or "blur."
Action: You must find one artist not on the course list.

3. How to Scout a Local Guide {USE THIS GUIDE}

Don't just scroll Pinterest. Use these search terms to find a useful guide:

Search Formula: [Subject] + [Atmosphere] + [Medium]

Example: "Urban decay mixed media painting" or "Night cityscape blurred motion oil."

Vetting Test:

Do they deal with my Theme?
Is their Technique accessible? (Can I actually do it?)

TE ARONGA (Mapping the Route)

A road trip needs a specific route or you'll just drive in circles. Use this formula to write your Inquiry Question:

"How can [Material/Technique] represent [Subject Matter] to explore [Thematic Concept]?"

Example: "How can layered, eroding textures (The Mechanics) represent abandoned farmhouses (The Vehicle) to explore the loss of family history (The Destination)?"

Aimless Driving: "I am painting old houses."

Mapped Route: "How can layered, eroding textures (The Mechanics) represent abandoned farmhouses (The Vehicle) to explore the loss of family history (The Destination)?"

The Vetting Test

Before you fill out your 'Statement of Intent', ask these questions:

The "Guts" Test: Does this theme have enough complexity to last for 20 weeks? (If it's just "I like cars," that's not enough. "Cars as a metaphor for escaping your past" is enough).
The Visual Test: Can I actually photograph or resource this? (Don't choose "Deep Sea Exploration" if you can't get to the ocean).
The Interest Test: Do I care about this? You will be painting this for 6 months. Pick something that matters to you.

Next Step: Once you have completed your Personal Mind Map and passed the Vetting Test, you are ready to complete the Statement of Intent slide in your digital workbook

Be curious, open-minded, and willing to experiment. The process of developing a theme is just as important as the final outcome.

THE TEST DRIVE

Critical Task: Before you start the long haul of the Folio Board, you must take the car for a spin.

The Mission:

Create ONE finished A4 painting that combines:

Your Subject Matter (The Vehicle).
Your Theme (The Destination).
Your Passengers (The techniques of your chosen artist team).

Note: This Test Drive is excellent evidence for Standard 3.3 (Clarifying Ideas).

The Warrant of Fitness Criteria:

Does it handle the corners? Can you combine the Mechanic's texture with the Guide's blur without it getting messy?
Is it fuel-efficient? Did this A4 take 20 hours? If so, simplify. You need to be faster for the folio.
Are we moving? Does the painting actually feel like your theme?

Outcome:

Green Light: Paste it in your diary or does it live on your folio? Annotate why it worked. Proceed to drive that car. dont be afraid to change durection if you hit a pothole.. sometimes you may need to even change a tire [find a new artist or path to follow!]
Red Light: The engine stalled. Annotate what broke, fix the plan, and try another sketch.