Installation Art Project – 6400

Summary

In this project, students were introduced to the modern genre of Installation art–a popular art movement in which an artist creates large-scale environments using a variety of media that engages the viewer. Students began by independently researching some of the most well-known Installation artists and recording in their sketchbooks the artist’s design process, preferred medium, the connection between the art and the space it occupies, and the intended message their work communicates. Local artist and sculpture professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Eric McMaster, shared his work with the class and discussed his Installations, the materials he incorporated into his work, and the collaboration needed to bring his ideas to fruition. The final product criteria was to: communicate a message, include a fantasy component, and incorporate only two colors. Students were encouraged to consider engaging all of the senses of the audience and to make it as interactive as possible. After the mini-installation was created, the group completed the final phase of the design process (communication/critique) and created a presentation/proposal explaining their work as if they were presenting the idea to a benefactor or gallery. Student learning was assessed on their final product, presentation, design process blog posts, and written critique.

TIPC Ratings

This lesson falls in the Approaching range for Research and Information Fluency. Students were directed to the project blog, Installation Artists page dedicated to the most well known Installation artists with links to credible websites in which they created sketchbook research pages based on a selected artist. These research pages were to include facts about the artist’s work such as most frequently used media, themes, inspiration, etc. Students printed several examples of the artists work and wrote a personal response about the work, formally critiquing the selected images and supporting their judgement. Students were able to share with their group about the artist they researched and could discuss how their chosen artists differed in message, technique, and media. This process not only helped them to better understand Installation art but also helped guide them when creating a mini-installation of their own.

This lesson falls in the Ideal range for Communication and Collaboration. Students formed groups of 4-5 members to design and build a mini-installation. They quickly delegated different roles based on their strengths and weaknesses in order to meet the project deadline. Students were asked to complete posts on the project blog to document the different stages of their design process (identification, conceptualization, exploration, modeling & creating) and completed the design process with communication/critique in which they created a presentation of the project as if they were “selling” the idea to a museum or patron. They were given the opportunity to choose the digital format (PowerPoint, Webpage, Movie Maker, etc.) which best communicated their idea. This presentation and photographs of their final product were loaded on group pages of the project blog where they were evaluated by a panel of judges (faculty, staff, and administrators selected by the teacher) which later provided feedback on the finished products and presentations. Students were also asked to write a formal critique on a mini-installation created by a different group. They were asked to write about the formal aspects of the mini-installations design (color, shape, space, repetition, emphasis etc.) but also on the intended message of the product.

This lesson falls in the Ideal range for Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. Students were given a design problem in which they had to develop a solution. They were given the task of creating a mini-installation (or environment) that communicated a message. The teacher limited their choice of color palette to two colors, plus the addition of black or white, and required the students to include a fantasy component. As a group, students had to agree on a meaningful message and the best way to visually communicate that message to an audience. The students were able to choose their media and many of the groups brought in materials that they had collected or purchased for the project. They began the problem solving process by sketching and brainstorming solutions. It was important for them to first establish their intended audience and the environment/place for their mini-installation as if it were going to be later created on a large scale. They were also encouraged to consider an interactive product that expanded upon traditional visual art and stimulated multiple senses of the audience. Critical thinking became even more important during the exploration/refinement stage in which the groups began troubleshooting their original ideas and had to often “return to the drawing board” in order to find viable solutions that did not hinder their vision. The teacher modelled the design process stages, on the project blog, in a mini-installation of her own to illustrate the importance of planning and troubleshooting before creating a product. Visiting artist, Eric McMaster, also shared some of his obstacles when beginning a project; this helped alleviate some of the frustration which often accompanies both innovation and collaboration.

This lesson fall in the Ideal range for Creativity and Innovation. For many students, this is their first experience with 21st century art and it opens their minds to possibilities of media and technology. Visual art is no longer limited to a single painting or marble statue created by a lone artist but could be designed by a group of artists, with different skill sets and knowledge, to create a single environment. The audience is now not a simple passerby but might actually be an integral part of the final design. Lastly, art is no longer limited to a museum or home of the wealthy but might exist in a public or unexpected place. This change of aesthetics widens the opportunities for creativity and innovation but can also be overwhelming without structure or some limitations. Creating these mini-installations gave the students an experience in which they could explore the possibilities of 21st century art while strengthening basic art skills/knowledge such as; sketching, brainstorming,drawing, painting, color theory, building/constructing, and critiquing or evaluating. They were given the opportunity to choose the media, the format, and the size that best communicated their design/intended message. In the final class critique, the students commented on the final products and the variety of design solutions. The final digital presentations gave the groups another venue to successfully convey the intended message and assess their final product from a different viewpoint. Some of the groups went beyond the project requirements and used video software/effects, Photoshop, and music to their presentations which gave them more creative freedom where as some students were hindered by their building skills/experience and choice of materials in the actual sculpture.