Documentary & Commentary Unit

Click on the lesson titles below to see these units in detail.

Lesson 1
From Documentary to Commentary

Picture
Lesson Description
This lesson will introduce students to understanding how an artwork can appear to be just documentary yet, at the same time, be making a comment about an event or issue.  Through small and large group discussion structures, students will discover how selected artworks may have more than one purpose.  Students will compare and contrast art works to construct understanding of the artist's purpose for the work.

Lesson 2
Contemporary Artists Awaken the Collective Conscious 

 Lesson Description
In this lesson students will discover how and why artists use their art to make comments on contemporary social issues.  Through discussion and brain storming students will identify the issues that are of importance to them in their personal lives.  Through researching a chosen social issue, students will understand how artists gather critical information to support their point of view as a basis for their art creation.  After formulating an opinion, and gathering information to support point of view, students will create their own social commentary artwork in the next lesson.

Lesson 3
Ideas Into Action

Lesson Description
In this lesson student will utilize the information gained through their individual research on a chosen issue to create an original artwork. 

Lesson 4
Getting the Message Out

 Lesson Description
To conclude this unit student will reflect on the art that they, and their classmates have created.  While participating in a class critique of the commentary artworks created, students will build their visual language and critical thinking skills .  Students will work together to present their work for exhibition.  Students will articulate their intentions, as the artist, in the creation of a commentary artwork through the creation of an artist statement to be displayed with their artwork.
 

Unit Objectives:
  • The student will understand how artists use their art to document history and make comments on contemporary issues.
  • The student will understand how and why artists have used their art to document and comment on war and social conflict.
  • The student will understand the role of the artist in shaping society.
  • The student will understand how the media and technique choices made by artist effect the power of the artwork's message.
  • The student will create an original artwork that expresses their view of a conflict or social issue in their life.
  Essential Understandings:
  • Throughout history, art has been created to document and reflect the society in which it was created.
  • Artists create to illustrate individual and collective viewpoints.
  • Art can raise awareness to social and political issues.
  • Art can instigate change in personal and public arenas.
  • Artists have a role in documenting and shaping society.

Essential Questions:
  • How can art be both documentary and commentary?
  • What has made it possible for artists to move from creating documentary artworks to creating commentary artworks about conflict and social issues?
  • What makes an artwork a commentary rather than just a documentary of an event or social issue?
  • What is conflict?
  • What are the social issues in contemporary society?
  • How can artists use their art to make comments on social issues?
  • How can artists use their art to bring about social change?
  • What role does the artist play in shaping society?


Assessments
From Lesson 1 - Each group will create 3 questions they think everyone should be able to answer about the artwork. (These questions will be used as part of the summative assessment)
Resources available on the individual lesson pages.
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