Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

40 minutes – Part A: Words in Art?
30 minutes – Part B: Artworks with Words
60 minutes – Part C: Adding Text to Art
10 minutes – Reflection

Part A: Words in Art?

Step 1. Explain to the class that in this lesson they will be looking at how words have been used by a number of artists, and forming an opinion on how effective text is in art making. To finish the lesson, students will create a text-based artwork representing an issue of their choosing.

Step 2. Pre-assess the class’ understanding and opinions about the use of text in art by facilitating a brief 'social barometer' activity. Distribute three sticky notes to each class member and invite students to write their name on each one.

Step 3. At the top of the whiteboard draw a horizontal line. On the left of the line write ‘agree’, and ‘disagree’ on the right end. Explain to the class that you will be making a statement and asking students to stick their sticky-note to the point along the continuum that represents their opinion. Demonstrate how students can use the entire line to represent the extent to which they agree or disagree with the statement. Write the following statement on the whiteboard above the continuum:

A page of text can be considered a work of art.

Allow the class some time to consider this, then come up to the board and place their first sticky note along the continuum, then return to their seats. If any students need to ask questions or discuss their answers with their peers before they decide on their place on the line, allow this to happen organically as you allow the students around 2 minutes to complete this task.

Step 4. Once all students have returned to their seats, write the following sentence below the last question and draw a new line across the board:

A single sentence can be a work of art.

Again, allow the class to come up and stick another post-it on the board and return to their seats.

Step 5. Finally, repeat this process using the question:

A single word can be a work of art.

Step 6. Allow students to come up to the board and use a whiteboard marker to connect their post-its with lines as if they were point on a line graph.

Step 7. Invite students to return to their desks and consider their line across the board. Facilitate a quick class discussion using the following questions to prompt critical thinking:

Did your opinion stay the same as the amount of words was reduced?
Did you agree or disagree less as the words were reduced?
Did you have a different opinion for each question?

Ask students to work independently to complete the following questions (available on the Student Worksheet):

Describe the line you have made on the board.
What does this line show you about your opinion around this topic?
How did your opinions compare to the rest of your class and why do you think this is the case?

Note: Students will be revisiting these answers near the end of the lesson to see what has changed.

Step 8. Once these questions are complete, gather the class for a brief discussion of their opinions. Ask students to share what they discovered about their opinions around words in art. Encourage respectful sharing of contradictory opinions from students as this sharing occurs.

Part B: Artworks with Words

Step 1. Contextualise the use of words in art by briefly explaining to students that during the 1960-70s some conceptual artists began experimenting with text in their art. While text had appeared in art before this movement, these artists made text the main focus of their art.

Step 2. Invite students to form groups of 3-4. They will be working together to explore an artwork using the ‘explanation game’ thinking routine. This routine will help students to explore the aesthetic value of text, and how the meaning of the text and its aesthetic can be used together to create a message behind the work.

Show students John Baldessari’s ‘I will not make any more boring art’ (1971) - Lithograph, composition: 22 3/8 x 29 9/16" (56.8 x 75.1 cm); sheet: 22 7/16 x 30 1/16" (57 x 76.4 cm) https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/john-baldessari-i-will-not-make-any-more-boring-art-1971.

Invite students to examine John Baldessari’s artwork. Then have them take turns to point out one interesting element of the work by making a statement beginning with ‘I noticed…’. Then, the other students in their group take turns suggesting ‘why the artist chose to do this’. Demonstrate this technique for the class by:

Making a statement such as: ‘I notice that the handwriting looks rushed’. Then write your statement on your whiteboard.
Call for a student volunteer to suggest why the artists may have chosen to make the handwriting look rushed. Suggested answers could include: to look like something that the writer doesn’t care about, or to remind viewers of writing lines as punishment.
As students make suggestions, add them to the whiteboard. Allow 1-3 students to make suggestions before finishing this demonstration.

Remind students that the person making the statement is responsible for recording their observation and their fellow students' suggestions based on this statement. This means that they should record what happens during their turn making the statement. Invite students to complete the thinking routine as modelled.

Step 3. Ask for volunteers to share the interesting statements explored in the routine and how the group explored these statements.

Step 4. Explain to the class that they will now analyse a contemporary, text-based artwork. By examining this work, they will start to get a sense of how the meaning of text and its aesthetic interact to create meaning.

Step 5. Encourage students to form new groups of 2-4 and allocate them one of the following artworks. You may choose to print versions of the artworks below or you can provide students with short URLs to the works:

Emily Floyd ‘It’s time (again)’ 2008 https://www.mca.com.au/collection/work/2008.23/
Emma White ‘Negative reinforcement 2’ 2008 https://www.mca.com.au/collection/work/2009.64/
Aleks Danko ‘Joycean laugh’ 2008-9 https://www.mca.com.au/collection/work/2009.14/

Step 6. Explain to the class that they will be examining the work through four lenses (also listed in the Student Worksheet) that will provide them with a way of viewing the artwork:

Lens 1 - Words: Use this lens to explore the text on the page. If the artwork has multiple words, scan the work and select the 1-3 key words. Investigate these words using synonyms. How could this add to the work's meaning?
Lens 2 - Elements: Use this lens to scan and describe the elements of the work. Focus on the physical aspects of the work only such as colour, line, and composition. How could this add to the work's meaning?
Lens 3 – Context: Use this lens to investigate where is the work, what is it displayed, printed or presented on? How could this add to the work's meaning?
Lens 4 – Messaging: Use this lens to draw on your previous answers. Putting together the work’s words, elements and context, they are to consider what they believe the artist is attempting to convey and why.

Step 7. Invite students to find a partner who analysed another work and share their answers.

Part D: Adding Text to Art

Step 1. Invite students to watch three Faber-Castell calligraphy videos, paying attention to how the Calligraphy Brush Pens are used to create variation in line width.

Brush Pen Calligraphy Tutorial (PART1) (https://youtu.be/pyf8fwiLM70)

Brush Pen Calligraphy Tutorial (PART2) (https://youtu.be/DDERsLHjdqg)

Brush Pen Calligraphy Tutorial (PART3) (https://youtu.be/Rc1kbQYQDwU)

Step 2. Explain to the class that they will be using similar calligraphy techniques to create a text-based artwork. Inform the class that they will be doing a short, free writing activity to help them find the words they will be using for this artwork. They will have 5 minutes to write about a topic of interest to them and their peers in response to a sentence starter. Explain to the class that the idea of this activity is to write continually for five minutes. Ask students to resist the urge to self-edit as they write. Free writing is about getting a flow of ideas, not crafting well structured sentences.

Provide the class with the sentence starter ‘This week, I will be making my school an ever better place by…’.

Encourage the class to reflect on this sentence starter for a minute, then begin their 5 minutes of silent, uninterrupted free writing.

Step 3. Once 5 minutes is up invite the class to review their free writing and either highlight or underline the words that they feel are most interesting in their the text. Students can set the parameters around what they consider interesting. For example, they may select frequently occurring words, words that capture their ideas well, or emotive or provocative words. These words will form the basis for their own text-based artwork.

Step 4. Invite students to draft a text-based artwork in their visual arts process diaries using lead pencils, featuring select words from their free writing. Explain that students may use short phrases or sentences, a mix of words, or a single word in their design, there is no word limit for this work. Remind students that words, line, colour and placement on the page are all important elements of the artwork that they will need to consider when drafting this work.

Hot tip: Inspire students with this Calligraphy Techniques handout.

Step 5. Once students have a drafted their text-based artworks, hand out a piece of A3 paper to each student and layout the selection of Calligraphy Brush Pens, so that students can come up and select what they need for their artworks.

Step 6. Invite students to complete their text-based artworks.

Reflection

To conclude this lesson, invite students to revisit their answers from the sticky note activity at the beginning of the class and reflect on the below question (available in the Student Worksheet). They are asked to respond to the question below and provide three statements that explain why this has happened:

Have the artworks that you have examined today changed or strengthened your opinion of text in artworks?

Differentiated Learning

Extension – If your school has access to print making facilities you can extend this project by using these posters as the initial designs for a print run.

Work with the class to identify an area where their artworks could be displayed in your school or local community. Then invite the class help you arrange to make this happen.

Provisions for Learning Support – In place of the 5 minute free writing activity, invite the class to review an existing piece of text that they have worked on in another class (visual arts or otherwise), to help select their words for their final artwork.

Teacher Reflection

Creative Sustainability - Text in Art

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