Julia Marshall, Connie Stewart, Anne Thulson
Publication Date: October 8, 2021
Pages: 144
This full-color resource will help educators teach about current art and integrate its philosophy and methods into the K–12 classroom. The authors provide a framework that looks at art through the lens of nine themes—everyday life, work, power, earth, space and place, self and others, change and time, inheritance, and visual culture—highlighting the conceptual aspects of art and connecting disparate forms of expression. They also provide guidelines and examples for how to use contemporary art to change the dynamics of a classroom, apply inventive non-linear lenses to topics, broaden and update the art “canon,” and spur creative and critical thinking. Young people will find the selected artwork accessible and relevant to their lives, diverse and expansive, probing, serious, and funny. Challenging conventional notions of what should be considered art and how it should be created, this book offers a sampling of what is out there to inspire educators and students to explore the limitless world of new art.
Book Features:
Julia Marshall is professor emeritus of art education at San Francisco State University. Her books include Integrating the Visual Arts Across the Curriculum and Art-Centered Learning Across the Curriculum. Connie Stewart is a professor of art education at the University of Northern Colorado, School of Art and Design. Anne Thulson is an associate professor of art education at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.
“Challenging conventional notions of what should be considered art and how it should be created, Teaching Contemporary Art with Young People offers a sampling of what is out there to inspire educators and students to explore the limitless world of new art. Young people will find the selected artwork accessible and relevant to their lives, diverse and expansive, probing, serious and funny.”
—Sir Read A Lot
“This book benefits art educators—art teachers, preservice art teachers, and art education professors—who are interested in teaching contemporary art and artists to their students but do not know where to begin, as well as art educators who question the value of teaching contemporary art and artists. I especially appreciate the concrete contemporary art and artists theme-based unit examples, which guide readers on design and implementation within their unique pedagogical context.”
—Jaehan Bae, associate professor of art education, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
“If you are feeling overwhelmed by how to incorporate contemporary art into your curriculum, you will be motivated by this resource that inspires readers to expand their canon. Each thoughtfully crafted section supports practical application in the art classroom. It is a pioneering resource for teachers to meet the new generation of students with art made today.”
—Lorinda Rice, art curriculum specialist, Lincoln Public Schools
Contents
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction 1
Reflections From Anne Thulson 1
Reflections From Connie Stewart 1
Reflections From Julia Marshall 2
About This Book 2
PART I: Overview of Contemporary Art and Links to Education
1 Contemporary Art 7
Julia Marshall
Characteristics of Contemporary Art 7
Final Thoughts 12
2 Exploding the Canon 14
Anne Thulson
The Canon 14
Enlarging the Canon 15
3 Curating Artists for the Classroom 16
Anne Thulson
Researching: A Sustainable Practice 16
Looking at the Criteria Through
Eightmile Whisper 17
Editing: Covering Up to Uncover 19
Archiving 20
Combining 20
Sharing 24
PART II: Themes in Contemporary Art
4 We Need to Know About That! 27
Connie Stewart
The Purpose of Teaching With Themes 27
Summary of the Themes 27
Conclusion 28
5 Exploring Contemporary Art Through Themes 29
THEME 1: Self and Others 29
Jorge Lucero
Emphasizing Relationships 29
Contemporary Art With a Focus on Relationships 30
Guide to Teaching Theme 1 33
THEME 2: Science, Nature, and the Earth 34
Trena Noval
Contemporary Art That Spans Art and Science 34
Mutual Processes and Their Value 34
Artists Who Explore Nature and Science 34
Guide to Teaching Theme 2 37
THEME 3: The Everyday 38
Connie Stewart
Artists and The Everyday 38
Guide to Teaching Theme 3 41
THEME 4: Space and Place 42
Rachael Delaney
Artists, Place, and Space 43
Conclusion 44
Guide to Teaching Theme 4 45
THEME 5: Power 46
Pamela Harris Lawton
Recognizing Power 46
Powerful Artists and Artworks 47
Guide to Teaching Theme 5 50
THEME 6: Popular Culture 51
Lisa Hochtritt
Using Popular Culture in Art 51
Artists Who Connect to Popular Culture 52
Guide to Teaching Theme 6 54
THEME 7: Work 55
Connie Stewart
Artists and Work 55
Guide to Teaching Theme 7 59
THEME 8: Time and Change 60
Paulina Camacho Valencia
Embracing Constant Flux 60
Art, Time, and Change 60
Conclusion 62
Guide to Teaching Theme 8 63
THEME 9: Inheritance 64
Julia Marshall
Historical Forms and Memes Convey Ideas 64
History Is the Subject 64
Artists and Inheritance 65
Guide to Teaching Theme 9 67
Further Thoughts About Themes 68
Julia Marshall
Ways to Think About Themes 68
Mining and Mapping Themes 68
Artworks Harbor Many Themes 69
Mapping the Overlaps 72
Mapping the Development of Knowledge and Thinking About an Image 72
Finding Themes Outside of Art 74
Conclusion 76
PART III: Classroom Applications of Contemporary Art
6 Why Contemporary Art in the Classroom? 79
Julia Marshall
Contemporary Art: Opening Up 79
Concluding Thoughts 82
7 Transferring Contemporary Art to the Classroom 86
Anne Thulson and Connie Stewart
Strategies for Introducing Students to Contemporary Art 86
The Importance of Teacher Dispositions 90
And Classroom Practices Keep Evolving 91
Ideas for Introducing and Scaffolding Artmaking 92
8 Framing the Invisible 93
Anne Thulson
Documentation: A Practice in Contemporary Art 93
Documentation: An Essential Part of Contemporary Art
Curriculum 93
How to Use Documentation to Change a School’s Visual Culture 94
Documentation as a Sustainable Practice 95
Meaningful Assessment Through Documentation 96
A Way Forward 98
Contemporary Art and Students With Special Needs, by Liz McAvoy 99
9 Developing Classroom Projects Based on Contemporary Art 100
PROJECT 1: Population Growth Helper Robots (K–1) 100
Jesse Bott, Christine Loehr, and Rachael Delaney
Concepts 100
Understanding Goals 101
What Happened 101
Field Trip and Readings 102
Artists and Artwork 103
Conclusion 103
PROJECT 2: Telling Our Stories— Symbolic Self-Portraits (High School) 104
Sara Stillman
Overview 104
Concepts 104
Understanding Goals 105
Materials 105
Resources 105
What Happened 105
Strategies for Making Learning Visible and Supporting Artmaking 106
The Power of the Graphic Memoir 106
Reflections 107
Contemporary Art (Middle School) 107
Lindsey Shepard
Overview 107
Concepts 107
Understanding Goals 107
Materials 107
What Happened/Teaching and Learning Strategies 108
Making Learning Visible 108
An Example: Danielle’s Artwork 109
Conclusion/Reflections 110
PROJECT 4: Art of Popular Culture (High School) 110
Katherine Giese
Overview 110
Concept 111
Understanding Goals 111
Materials and Resources 111
Scaffolding Activities 111
Making and Doing 111
Reflection and Final Scaffolding 114
An Example of Student Work 114
Teacher Reflection 114
PROJECT 5: Building Critical and Creative Thinking Through Investigating
Contemporary Art (Middle School) 116
Wendi Oster
Beginning the Investigation 117
Making Inferences 117
Researching 118
Making Personal Connections 118
Applying Their Learning 119
Conclusion 121
APPENDIX A: Q and A With Two Contemporary Artists: Kathy Aoki and Yunjin La-Mei Woo 122
APPENDIX B: Artist Resource Bank 125
Credits 127
Index 129
About the Authors and the Contributors 135
Professors: Request an Exam Copy
Print copies available for US orders only. For orders outside the US, see our international distributors.