SchoolArts - April 2008

A l l L

e v e l s

When Words

Fail Us

Notallartteacherswouldagree
with these lists, however. Some
teacherswouldchoosetodeleteor Asourdefinitionofartexpands,shouldn’tourvocabularythatcommunicatesabout
changewordswhileotherswould artalsoexpand?KristanexploresBreakingWaveI,anelectronicallyproducedartwork
addtothelist.Thislackofagree- byRobertJ.Krawczyk,anddeterminesvocabularythatbestdescribesandanalyzes
the piece.
ment suggests that the elements of
art and principles of design are a
flexiblesetofwordsthatshouldbe anactivitytohelpstudentsexpand totheartisttheimagesare“simul-
asdynamicastheobjectsthatthey thevocabularyofartforbettercom- taneouslystructured,unstructured;
criticallyexamine. munication. visible,invisible;logical,illogical;
perfect, imperfect; intentional, unin-
Communicatingabout Process tentional,two-dimensional,three-

Pam Stephens

As any art teacher will tell you, the elements of art and the principles of design are the building blocks of art—those basic words that help artists and viewers communicate about art objects. Most art teachers will cite the elements of art as color,value, texture,shape, form,space, and line. The principles of design are usually cited as balance, contrast, proportion, pattern, emphasis,unity, and variety.

Contemporary Art work Placestudentsinsmallgroupsand dimensional.”Pointoutthatwhile Muchoftoday’sartworktranscends askeachgrouptolisttheelements unityandvarietyofcolorandline theconfinementofhangingona ofartandprinciplesofdesignas mightbegintodescribeandanalyze wallorsittingonapedestal.Elec- theyknowthem.Comparethelists theseartworks,thesewordsseem tronicart,installationpieces,and producedby tofallshort

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• postersor Internetimagesof traditionalartobjectssuch assculpture, drawings, or paintings

beexpanded?Thisarticledescribes Display examplesof imagesof theycriticallyexamine. nontraditional traditional artwork.An artwork(suchaspaintingsorsculp- Internetsearchof“installationart” tures)andencourageeachgroup orspecifictitleswillprovideample toapplythewordsontheirliststo examplesofnontraditionalworks carefullydescribeandanalyzewhat suchastheBeallCenterforArtand theysee.Whenthedescriptionand Technology’sLemurinstallation, analysisofeachartworkissuf- unusualadvertisementssuchasRed- ficient,introduceanontraditional bullArtCan2005andDoveEvolu- imagesuchasthosefoundinthe tion,oramemorialtoSeptember11 websitegalleriesofBitArt:Dimen- atwww.Exhibit13.com. sionof TimeinStrangeAttractors. Guidestudentstocontemplate Thecomplexartworksinthese whatnewwordsweneedtoconsider electronicgalleriesarecomputer aswecarefullyexploreandthought-generated. Upon close examination, theartworksareillogical.According ^{ContinuedonpageXX.}

Materials

• Internetlinkstonontra-ditionalartworkssuchas performancepiecesorinstal-lations

• online font generator

• paper

60 School Arts April 2008

fully communicate about today’s art. Remind them that as our definition of art expands, so too should our vocabulary. What words might we add to the traditional elements and principles to better describe and interpret contemporary artworks? (Examples: pixel, point, bit, ambiguous, manipulation, transient, time.)

Using an online font generator, ask students to create an appropriately illustrated element or principle. Ask students to pool their words and to sort them as either elements or principles. Display images of contemporary artworks and post the new words alongside them.

Close

Encourage students to think deeply about new forms of art and to communicate in effective ways. Consider the reasons why, as art changes, so should we be flexible in the ways that we view, think about, and interpret art. When words fail us, we might just need a new set of words to expand our art vocabulary.

Pam Stephens is a member of the SchoolArts advisory board. She teaches art education and coordinates the program at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. Pamela.Stephens@nau.edu

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students use visual structures and functions of art to communicate ideas.

WEB LINK

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