Arts & Religion Overview

The Arts & Religion Unit

Unit Title: Art as Activism

Summary & Background Information:

This unit focuses on art as activism. Students will be introduced to the topic through a series of 60 minute lessons that explore protest art--both its form and function. Lessons will provide a condensed introduction to portraiture, music, spoken word, graffiti and murals as a way to raise awareness of social and political injustices. Students will be asked to think about their experiences with these art forms, then asked to ponder creating their own.

At the end of the unit students will demonstrate their understanding of the purpose and function of protest art, by creating their own piece individually or as part of a larger class-selected project aimed at raising awareness about a social or civic issue and a call to action.

Curriculum Links:

Visual Art:

D1.1 Create art works, using a variety of traditional forms and current media technologies, that express feelings, ideas, and issues.

D2.2 Analyse ways in which elements and principles of design are used in a variety of art works to communicate a theme or message, and evaluate the effectiveness of their use on the basis of criteria generated by the class.

D3.1 Identify and describe some of the ways in which visual art forms and styles reflect the beliefs and traditions of a variety of cultures and civilizations.

D3.2 Identify and analyse some of the social, political, and economic factors that affect the creation of visual and media arts and the visual and media arts community.

Music:

C1.3 Create musical compositions in a variety of forms for specific purposes and audiences.

Drama:

B1.1 Engage actively in drama exploration and role play, with a focus on identifying and examining a range of issues, themes, and ideas.

Religious Education:

Grade 6:

LS1.2 Describe the call of Christian ‘vocation’ received in baptism (i.e. everyone is called to serve society, to discern their gifts and talents and to be united in making a contribution in the world) and determine ways we can respond to this call as young people.

LS1.3 Identify the areas of “personal responsibility” that students assume in their lives and connect this to the vocation to participate in family, school and parish.

LS2.2 Explain the distinction between human differences that belong to God’s plan and “sinful inequalities” which are a contradiction to the Gospel, and then link this to the work of organizations that help to alleviate injustice in the local and global community.

LS2.3 Identify situations of injustice in society, our country and the world which oppose the virtue of human dignity and fundamental human rights.

Grade 7:

LS2.2 Describe the forms of solidarity which can effectively address socio-economic problems and explain through example how these forms of solidarity can promote social change and respect for the common good.

LS2.3 Describe the ways that the “principle of solidarity” is manifested by the distribution of goods and the remuneration for work in the local and global communities.

Grade 8:

LS1.2 Examine the political initiatives presently being promoted at various levels of civil society and critique how well each promotes the dignity of the human person and the Common Good as it is defined in Sacred Scripture and Catholic social teaching.

LS1.3 Recognize signs of the growing human interdependence of the global community and identify ways it is challenging Catholic organizations and individuals in their mission of promoting social justice principles.

LS1.4 Articulate the three essential elements of the Common Good and link them to ecological justice and the universal common good of protecting the earth’s resources for future generations.

Guiding Questions:

1. How can we use our God-given gifts and talents to make the world a better place?

2. How can we alleviate injustice in the local and global community? - What is our personal responsibility? What is an activist?

3. What do activists do?

4. What is protest art and how can it be used to make a difference?

5. What makes an effective community leader?

6. What should a portrait or self-portrait show about an individual or group of people?

7. What features can make a portrait or self-portrait into an activist statement?

8. How can music play a role in social and political activism?

9. What is protest music?

10. What songs inspire you to make a difference?

11. Has music ever changed your point of view? How?

12. How can Spoken Word poetry play a role in social and political activism?

13. How can poetry inspire you to make a difference?

14. Has poetry ever changed your point of view? How?

Learning Goals:

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• understand what an activist is and what they do.

• understand the purpose of protest art.

• identify traits of an effective community leader.

• begin to see the connection between our behaviour and our responsibility as Catholics.

• begin to understand the selections artists make when creating a composition that highlights certain traits of a subject.

• begin to understand techniques specific to portraiture that artists use to draw attention to certain features.

• begin to make connections between using artistic gifts and making change in the world.

• see how music can be a social and political commentary.

• understand how music and songwriting can move people to make change.

• begin identifying elements of musical composition for the purpose of raising awareness.

• see the power of Spoken Word poetry as a socio-political commentary.

• recognize certain graffiti and murals as means for artistic expression as social commentary.

• apply their knowledge of protest art to their own creations.

Success Criteria:

I can…

• explain what activism is and what activists do..

• name some local activists.

• explain what protest art is.

• identify examples of protest art.

• understand that my behaviour in defending what is right is what God expects of me.

• begin to identify choices artists make when trying to create a portrait that highlights certain traits of the subject that they want the audience to see.

• begin to identify techniques used in photography and painting that draw attention to certain features of a subject.

• identify musical compositions created for the purpose of raising awareness.

• understand the connection between using my God-given gifts and talents and making a contribution to the world.

• understand how music can be a social and political commentary to create critical messages, inspire action, and achieve lasting change.

• understand how Spoken Word poetry can be a social and political commentary to create critical messages, inspire action, and achieve lasting change.

• see how murals and graffiti can be accessible and respected forms of protest art.