Unit 1: Identity
Artist: Chuck Close
- Self-Portraiture: Water Color Pencils
Artist: William Wegman
- Artful Personifications: Mixed Media
Unit 1: Identity Reflection
I found these two art project’s to be inspiring and thought provoking. They are both surrounding the theme of Identity. Identity embodies what classifies somebody or something. My two pieces of work show my identity in a way that is hidden. To begin with Chuck Close’s identity themed project, I chose Tinkerbell to display my identity. I have always connected with Tinkerbell since I was a young girl. My dad used to work for Disney and ever since I was little, I told him I wanted to be Tinkerbell. According to Disney Wiki (2014), Tinkerbell expresses being sassy, witty, smart, adventurous, brave and loyal. I, myself, seem to follow these same attributes. This is why Tinkerbell is bolder and the center of attention on my piece of artwork. She is who embodies myself. I have Wendy and Peter Pan focused in behind Tinkerbell. As we know from the story, Wendy did not like Tinkerbell because she thought she liked Peter Pan. But Tink was just his sidekick. That’s why I have those two characters surround Tink. I enjoyed this project because it is not only about the Disney characters, but it has that meaning behind the artwork. My second art project based off of William Wegman involved the tale of Cinderella. Here, identity is shown through how I created Cinderella. I think of Cinderella as the pretty, loveable character in her story. She is known as the ugly stepsister from her own stepsisters. I took the picture of a pretty dog and used it as Cinderella’s face. I believe that dogs are loveable and loyal. Other’s who may not like dogs can view Cinderella as how her stepsisters viewed her. Unimportant. I had a hard time finding a picture of a full staircase to use in my “collage”. But I soon began to realize that using different styles, shapes and colors of pieces of stairs created such an effect on my art. As Bang states in her book that cutting and experimenting with different pieces of paper can change up the whole element and create something more interesting (2000, p. 92). It makes us use our imagination and experimentation. The mismatched staircase actually became my favorite part of my piece. Another piece of media used on my collage was the text of “holding out for prince charming”. If my viewer did not know what the identity of this collage what, the text was supposed to give a hint. Along with the clock, shoe, and pretty dress drawn by water colored pencils and paint. Overall, this project was a great one to get my imagination moving around.
I would love to use these studio lessons in my own classroom. It may be difficult for certain ages, so I would probably keep these closer to the fourth and fifth grade levels. I would integrate the either one of these lessons into literacy as I introduce myths and tales. We can research different characters until the students find one they really connect to, like I did with Tinkerbell. That way they can explain more through their piece of artwork. Once the project is done, I would love for my students to create their own story with their ending piece. They can write about it or share it with the class. This could be a great way to introduce each other to the class in the beginning of the year. The William Wegman project is a great way for students to get their minds moving and to be creative. I would maybe do something different such as giving my students a certain animal. Off that animal they would need to create the identity of it. It would be cool to see all the different identities students come up with by making their collage/story.
Bang, M. (2000). Picture this: How pictures work. (p. 92). San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC.
Tinker bell. (2014). Retrieved from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Tinker_Bell
I would love to use these studio lessons in my own classroom. It may be difficult for certain ages, so I would probably keep these closer to the fourth and fifth grade levels. I would integrate the either one of these lessons into literacy as I introduce myths and tales. We can research different characters until the students find one they really connect to, like I did with Tinkerbell. That way they can explain more through their piece of artwork. Once the project is done, I would love for my students to create their own story with their ending piece. They can write about it or share it with the class. This could be a great way to introduce each other to the class in the beginning of the year. The William Wegman project is a great way for students to get their minds moving and to be creative. I would maybe do something different such as giving my students a certain animal. Off that animal they would need to create the identity of it. It would be cool to see all the different identities students come up with by making their collage/story.
Bang, M. (2000). Picture this: How pictures work. (p. 92). San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC.
Tinker bell. (2014). Retrieved from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Tinker_Bell