Teaching Sequence

30 minutes	Part B: The artistic process
30 minutes	Part C: Responding to the artist
10 minutes	Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Part A: Joshua Yeldham Introduction

Step 1.

Once you have checked in with your class and established a safe place to create and discuss art, invite students to take a seat and inform them that they will be learning about an Australian artist named Joshua Yeldham. Present each student with their very own student resource booklet: Joshua Yeldham Student Resource and artist portfolio. Give students 5-10 minutes to read through the resource and what some of the main learnings in the lessons might be.

Step 2.

Invite students to take a comfortable seat and ask them to write in their books or on butcher paper a ‘See, Think, Wonder’ table so that they can record their thoughts.

An example of the table and potential answers:

I see (students can draw or write their thoughts)

I think (students can draw or write their thoughts)

I wonder (students can draw or write their thoughts)

1) I can see great detail and patterns in Joshua’s artwork

2) I can see and feel the passion in his tone of voice and how the artist describes his process and connection to nature.

3) I see that nothing about his art is symmetrical or perfect.

1) I think that Joshua might have felt isolated as a young boy because he had a learning difficulty

2) I think his use of colour and emphasis on pattern and detail shows great character

3) I think I am intrigued by his work because I can feel how passionate he is about the natural world

1) I wonder if I could do more creative tasks when I feel lonely

2)I wonder if people apply for artist residencies?

3) I wonder if there are other islands like Lord Howe?

Consideration: You may like to consider conducting a ‘Hear, Feel, Wonder’ for students with vision impairments OR as a separate task that encourages students to connect with the task.

Step 3.

Play the video by Joshua Yeldham:

While students are writing in their notebooks, walk around the room and discuss the notes that your students have made. Let your class know that you too are recording new information and feeling inspired by the wonderings in their table.

Step 4.

You may like to stop the video at various points and discuss the information as it is coming through to ensure students have not missed anything important. Once you have watched the video take some time to reflect on the views and opinions of your students and conduct a class discussion about the following:

Why was art an important part of Joshua’s life as a young boy?
What did you notice about Joshua Yeldham’s artistic process and practice?
What parts of Josh’s art might change or vary depending on his environment, imagination, experiences?
What is Lord Howe and how did Lord Howe impact Joshua’s art?
Are there connections between his artworks and his emotions or experiences? For example, Joshua Yeldham created owls as a metaphor for his longing to have a family. His desire to have a family was so strong that the owls began to represent hope".

Part B: Art analysis

Step 1.

Now that you have watched and discussed the artist, hand students the student resource booklet: Joshua Yeldham Student Resource and the table (Student Worksheet). If you chose to project the table on an interactive board, ask your students to complete the sections either in their art folio or on their electronic devices.

In the future, students may wish to create a similar table as a guide to consolidate their understanding of the artist. This table can also be used in other tasks or when students would like to reflect on their own art-making - should they choose to.

Step 2.

Ask students to flick through the student resource booklet: Joshua Yeldham Student Resource and choose a particular artwork by the artist that they wish to discuss.

Artist Name: Joshua Yeldham

Table 1. The artistic process

Have a class discussion about how artist Josh Yeldham developed his practice

What medium (materials) does the artist use?
What are the various techniques the artist uses in his artwork?
Where does the artist draw his inspiration from (myth, imagination, experience, landscape, history)?
What is the intention behind the artwork and what message is the artist trying to convey?
What emotion does the artwork evoke?

Part C - Responding to the artist.

Each of the tasks in Part C will explore creativity and invite students to ‘think, then produce’ and to formulate new ideas or extend on existing ones. To be creative, children do not necessarily have to design, make or compose something new that has not yet been discovered before. Instead, students consider and explore new information, ways of seeing and conducting information that they have not yet considered. The act of being creative is personal and new to the individual.

Step 1.

While watching the video students may have developed an interest in a specific artwork or technique. Ask students to locate the artwork in the Joshua Yeldham booklet and save it on their tablet in preparation for their individual open word poem.

Step 2.

Before you ask your class to work on this independently, model the process to your students and encourage them to either listen or partake. Project a painting by Joshua Yeldham and invite your student to say the first word that comes to mind. Encourage your class to be experimental with words, their emotions and vulnerability. This exercise is aimed to prompt students to be open and to celebrate creativity and the flow of language.

Student response may include:

Withdrawn	Swirls	Gloomy	Stare
Pale	Lines	Twinkle	Fair

Etc….

Step 3.

Model how to read an open word poem following your own creative flow. Ask students to think about how varying degrees of inflation, tone and emphasis might affect their mood and the audience?

You may like to recite the poem with a high sense of emotion and sadness or whisper as if you are telling someone a secret.

Step 4.

Once you have completed this, ask your students to create their own open word poem and invite them to share this with a friend or in a group.

Alternatively

Present an informed opinion about a display of artwork as a written review.

The students can choose an artwork by Josh Yeldham and write a short opinion piece about the painting. Students are asked to consider the following points and elaborate on other areas they wish to discuss. Remind students to think about the following:

Look at the artwork and consider how Joshua has used visual conventions (shape, colour, pattern, repetition, size, texture, medium) in his paintings. Ask students to investigate where objects, people, flora, and fauna are positioned, the colours, various shapes, and the size of his artwork.

For example:

The artist’s drawings are incredibly detailed and his appreciation for the land, animals and nature is present in his art. He shows this by emphasizing the size of animals and by repeatedly drawing them in great detail. Joshua is fixated on creating new patterns and discovering new markings that he can create for and with his environment.

Opening statements:

In this particular drawing…

Joshua has created an artwork of…

Joshua’s artwork is…

This artwork resembles...

Discuss how Joshua’s Yeldham’s process takes place and whether this process affects the end result
Discuss the emotional response that might occur when viewing Joshua’s artwork (student’s can consider their feelings and their peers to discuss the emotive response)
Mention the internal dialogue in Joshua’s mind and how this is reflected in his artwork.

Reflection

Ask students to choose from one of the thought starters and write a response to the following or both...

How did the Lord Howe artist residency help support and protect the vitality of love for creativity?
Why is the relationship we have with art and creativity so important?
Have you ever looked at your life from a bird's eye view and wanted to change anything? Can you explain it to me?
What is most compelling about Joshua Yeldham’s artwork or process?
Can you explain a moment where you might have been able to relate to the artist's narrative or experiences?
What medium or technique they would like to experiment with - paint, ink, colour, clay, patterns etc., and why?

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Lord Howe Island - Artist in Residence

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