This pre-visit activity prepares your students for their museum visit to see Art since the 1960s: California Experiments

Transcription

1

2 This pre-visit activity prepares your students for their museum visit to see Art since the 1960s: California Experiments. This exhibition is a part of a series of collection installations that focus on the story of California art, highlighting key artistic developments of the twentieth century as well as groundbreaking exhibitions held at the museum. Art since the 1960s: California Experiments features examples of new art forms created from the 1960s through the 1990s: Pop Art, Assemblage, Conceptual Art, Video, and Performance Art, just to name a few. The artists in Art since the 1960s all contributed to the nation s artistic and cultural development by experimenting with innovative art forms. They expanded notions of what art can be by making art out of things like trash, air pollution, even lipstick. When you visit this exhibition, you are may see things you did not expect to find in a museum! Your museum visit and pre-visit activity support interdisciplinary learning by connecting Visual Art, Language Arts, and Social Studies content areas, and address the California State Content Standards in the Visual Arts. 1.0 Artistic Perception 2.0 Creative Expression 3.0 Historical and Cultural Context 4.0 Aesthetic Valuing 5.0 Connections, Relationships, Applications Please adapt these activities according to your classroom needs. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Students will discuss a work of art featured in the exhibition Art Since the 1960s: California Experiments to explore artistic concepts and vocabulary related to the exhibition. They will consider how unconventional materials can be employed to convey a concept or social message. They will research and form an opinion about global warming, and create a visual image that communicates their ideas.

3 FEATURED ARTIST: Kim Abeles, AIR SHARE (TWENTY DAYS OF SMOG/ TEN DAYS OF ACID RAIN), Spring 1991 MATERIALS: Transparency of Kim Abeles, Air Share Transparency of Kim Abeles, Zoe s Highchair SIMPLE LESSON: Transparency paper for photocopier Access to Photocopier EXTENDED LESSON: 5 x 7 gray construction paper Transfer paper (red or white works best, do not get gray) Cutting tools such as X-acto blades, scissors or islice blade ( Cutting mats BOTH LESSONS: Newspapers and magazines 5 x 7 drawing paper Pencils Sharpie markers 5 x 7 Nature Print paper ( Plexiglas plate covers or transparency paper (to pin down over stencil and sun print paper) 2 4 trays or buckets of water (must be larger than 5 x 7 )

4 DISCUSS: Tell students that they will visit the Orange County Museum of Art to view the exhibition Art Since the 1960s: California Experiments. Ask students to describe what they know about the 1960s. What historic events were happening? What cultural and social changes were taking place in America in the 1960s? Students may describe events as varied as the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, student protests, Beatlemania, or the Summer of Love. Tell students that the 1960s were a period of social experimentation and activism that that brought about considerable changes in our culture, from Civil rights to increased opportunities for women, to the type of music we listen to and the way we dress today. The 1960s also initiated a period of artistic experimentation that had an equally significant impact on contemporary art. Artists were asking questions about the very nature of art what it is and what it could be. Many artists believed art should have a social message and created works of Activist Art. For some, the concept, or idea they wanted to communicate, became more important than the finished product. This is called Conceptual Art. Artists experimented with unconventional materials and techniques, creating sculpture from recycled objects, conducting performances, and designing room-size installations. Artists living and working in California felt especially free to experiment with new ideas, as they were on the periphery of what was then considered to be the center of the art world: New York. Many of the artists we will see exhibited at the museum went to local schools such as UCLA, UC Irvine, and the California Institute for the Arts, and some still teach there today. Because of their influence, the Los Angeles region is now considered to be equal to (if not better than) the New York art scene. Tell students we will look at the work of one of these artists, Kim Abeles, as an example of what we might see at the museum. When we visit the museum, please remember not to touch the works of art on view, as much of it is very fragile, and all of it is irreplaceable. detail, Kim Abeles, Air Share (Twenty Days of Smog/Ten Days of Acid Rain)

5 LOOK: Project transparency of Air Share (Twenty Days of Smog/Ten Days of Acid Rain). Ask students to describe what they see. Students may identify a window with a pulled-back curtain and two flower pots on the window sill in the foreground. In the background a factory or refinery can be seen releasing smoke into the air. Ask students to describe the colors they see. How does it look this like this image was produced? Students may think it looks like it was painted, or made using stencils. Ask students to describe how stencils work. To make a stencil, an artist cuts shapes out of heavy paper and places on a surface, then applies paint, ink, or other materials to the area. When the stencil is removed, the pattern created by the cut-away shapes is reproduced on the surface. Ask if anyone has used stencils before, and encourage students to describe their experiences. Tell students that artist Kim Abeles used a stencil to create this image. Ask students to identify what part of the image was the template, and what parts were cut-away shapes. Students should identify that the light areas were covered by the template. Where is the contrast between the negative and positive space the greatest? Where is there less contrast? Tell students that instead of using a traditional material like paint or ink, Abeles used smog as her medium. She put her stencil on a piece of Plexiglas and placed it on the roof of her studio in downtown Los Angeles. Particulate matter in the air covered the surface over a period of twenty days, and when the stencil was removed, the image was revealed. Abeles exposed the lighter areas (curtain and flower pots) for less time, and the darker areas (factory) for longer. Ask students what message they think the artist seeks to communicate through her work? The artist may be trying to make visible the negative effects of pollution on our health and on our environment. Ask students how the artist s choice of materials helps to convey her ideas. Do you think she could create a more realistic or beautiful image if she used paint or pastel? Would her message be as strong? Why or why not? Why do you think she chose the title Air Share? Maybe she wants us to consider that we can all be part of the problem, and the solution.

6 Project transparency of Zoe s Highchair (Forty Days of Smog). Tell students that this is another work in the Smog Collector Series called Zoe s Highchair (Forty Days of Smog). Abeles came up with the idea for the series when she left her daughter s highchair outside for a few days. When she returned to pick up the chair, she noticed that an imprint of a cup, plate and utensils were left on the tray due to collected smog. Why do you think this incident motivated Abeles to bring this issue to the public s attention? Abeles may have been concerned about the safety of her daughter breathing polluted air, or about the state of the world her daughter and other young people will inherit in future generations. If twenty days of smog results in the darkened areas seen in the first image, what might the impact of twenty years look like? Kim Abeles, Zoe s Highchair (Forty Days of Smog) WRITE: Ask students what environmental issues are currently attracting attention. Ask students to describe what they have heard about global warming. Tell students to research the issue of global warming and take a side in the debate about its impact. Students can look to newspapers, magazines, or the internet for information. Students should write a persuasive essay addressing the question: is global warming a threat to our environment and way of life? CREATE: Ask students to create a visual response to the question: is global warming a threat to our environment and way of life? Distribute 5 x 7 drawing paper and pencils. Students should draw an image that supports their opinion about the threat of global warming. For example, a student who believes global warming will have a negative impact may draw an image of a melting penguin, while someone who believes global warming is not a threat may depict contented sunbathers. Tell students that they will create a stencil from this drawing, so they should focus on negative and positive shapes, and dark and light values for a strong visual image to communicate their message, without the use of text. It may be help for your students to think of image as a silhouette. Allow students to look at magazines or newspapers for ideas. Once students have their image, they should color in the positive space or shaded areas using black Sharpie markers. The light areas should remain white. From here, the images can be turned into transparency or cut-out stencil.

7 Option 1: Simple Lesson Transparency Stencil: Photocopy the images on to transparency paper. It may be necessary to adjust the contrast on the copy machine setting in order to get a dark finished copy. If copy is too light, the light will pass through and produce a weak sun print. Demonstrate how to create a sun print from the transparency image. A sun print is a photograph made with sunlight and special paper that changes color when exposed to the sun. Take class outside or by a sunny window (must be relatively bright day). Bring Nature Print paper and trays of water. Half of the trays should be designated for washing and the other half for setting. Remove a piece of Nature Print paper (Important: do not remove the paper from the package until just before use or it will discolor) and place it on the ground, blue side up, in a sunny spot. Place the transparency on top of the sheet of Nature Print paper. If there is a breeze it may be necessary to cover with a Plexiglas plate or tape down the outer corners to a piece of foam core. After 2-5 minutes, or as soon as the exposed areas lighten to pale blue, remove from the sun (time may vary, experimentation may be required - please note that extended exposure will destroy the image). Submerge Nature Print paper in wash tray. Agitate the paper gently by moving back and forth in the water. This helps to remove the chemicals that were not set by the sun. Then place the rinsed image into the setting tray and let soak for about 1 minute. Lay flat over paper towels to dry. Distribute Nature Print paper to students and ask them to create a sun print. Students may make more than one print from their transparency, but each image must be rinsed and submerged in water immediately after exposure to the sun. Display images in classroom. Ask class to critique the effectiveness of each image in communicating a social message, and discuss how using the natural environment as a medium adds to or detracts from this success. Kim Abeles working with members of the Orange County Museum of Art s Teen Art Council

8 Option 2: Extended Lesson Cut-Out Stencil: Tell students they will turn their drawings into cut-out stencils by removing the positive shapes or dark areas. Instruct students to look at their image to see if there are any floating light areas. If so, connect them with thin bridges (see attached handout). The light areas will form the template. Once the image is ready to become a stencil, place the drawing over a piece of gray construction paper, with transfer paper sandwiched in between. Trace over the lines of the drawing, shading in the dark areas. The image should transfer to the gray construction paper and is ready to be cut into a stencil Distribute cutting mats and tools. X-acto blades will allow for the most precision, but scissors or islice blades can be used with a lesser degree of accuracy. Students should cut out the colored areas from their image, leaving the light areas as their template. If students accidentally cut through bridges, tape can be used to reattach them. Demonstrate how to create a sun print from a stencil. A sun print is a photograph made with sunlight and special paper that changes color when exposed to the sun. Take the class outside or by a sunny window (must be relatively bright day). Bring Nature Print paper and trays of water. Half of the trays should be designated for washing and the other half for setting. Remove a piece of Nature Print paper (Important: do not remove the paper from the package until just before use or it will discolor) and place it on the ground, blue side up in a sunny spot. Place the stencil on top of the sheet of Nature Print paper (if there is a breeze it may be necessary to cover with a Plexiglas plate or a sheet of transparency paper. If using transparency paper, use a sheet larger than the Nature Print sheet and tape or pin down edges to a piece of foam core). After 2-5 minutes, or as soon as the exposed areas lighten to pale blue, remove from the sun (time may vary, experimentation may be required - please note that extended exposure will destroy the image). Submerge Nature Print paper in wash tray. Agitate the paper gently by moving back and forth in the water. This helps to remove the chemicals that were not set by the sun. Then place the rinsed image into the setting tray and let soak for about 1 minute. Lay flay over paper towels to dry. Distribute Nature Print paper to students and ask them to create a sun print images from their stencil. Students may make more than one print from their template, but each image must be rinsed and submerged in water immediately after exposure to the sun. Display images in classroom. Ask class to critique the effectiveness of each image in communicating a social message, and discuss how using the natural environment as a medium adds to or detracts from this success. Students may also use spray paint with their templates to create imprints on drawing paper, fabric or canvas, and the results of each method can be compared and contrasted. If students use spray paint, please make sure to educate them on the safety issues such as using the spray paint in well-ventilated areas outside and wearing proper masks. 7.

9 VOCABULARY: Activist art: Art with a social message. Conceptual art: Art in which the ideas and processes of producing art as more important than the finished art object. Contrast: The use of opposing elements, such as colors, forms, or lines to produce an intensified effect in a work of art. Experiment: To try or test. Negative space: The space around an object or form. Positive Space: The object or subject of a work of art. Stencil: A thin sheet of material with a shape cut out of it that is marked on a surface when paint or ink is applied. Sun print: A photograph made with sunlight and special paper that changes color when exposed to the sun.

10 WHO IS KIM ABELES?: Kim Abeles is an artist who crosses disciplines and media to chronicle broad social issues. She was born in Richmond Heights, Missouri, in 1952 and spent her childhood in the steel town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the mid-70s, Abeles lived in a converted grain silo in rural southeastern Ohio where she wrote and illustrated the book, Crafts, Cookery and Country Living. In 1978 she moved to Southern California and received her MFA from the University of California at Irvine. By 1980, her downtown Los Angeles studio adjacent to sweatshops and the harsh street life provoked her to create artworks about "real" life. In The Smog Collector series, Abeles invented a method to create images from smog by collecting particulate matter onto stenciled images. Her work gained international attention, including features by Newsweek and Dan Rather. She developed projects about air pollution in conjunction with the California Bureau of Automotive Repair, with the Environmental Studies Deptartment at Oberlin College, and has served on think tanks and panel discussions for urban agencies, botanical gardens and environmental conferences. Abeles has organized and co-curated traveling exhibitions related to the AIDS epidemic, the Gulf War, air pollution, and activist art. Abeles's work has been exhibited throughout the United States, Canada, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, and Czechoslovakia, and is in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, the United States Information Agency, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Orange County Museum of Art. At the core of Abeles activities is the goal to educate her audience and public. She is a Professor of Sculpture at CSU Northridge, and recently led workshops with the Orange County Museum of Art Teen Art Council.

11 Option 1: Simple Lesson Transparency Stencil: Step 1: create drawing Step 2: fill in drawing Step 3: photocopy b/w image on transparency paper Step 4 : make sun print

12 Option 2: Extended Lesson Cut-Out Stencil: Step 1: create drawing Step 2: add bridges to drawing Step 3: cut out template Step 4: make sun print

13

14