Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Researching Walls and Barriers

There are two parts to your presentation:
Part A - Powerpoint on a researched topic.
Part B - Visuwords exploration of one word from your topic. (See below for more info. on part B)

Part A
Go to the following site for walls and barriers research topics.

Choose a topic from 1 - 9.

Make sure that you are selecting one that no one else has chosen. You will be working on this individually, not in pairs or groups. We are trying to maximize the information and thinking about various walls and barriers to inspire our artistic projects.

Note: For topic #1 on the Mexico/US fence - here is another resource


Research and present your findings to the class, providing links, resources and images.


Answer the following questions as you research your topic.

1. Give a brief overview of your topic. Who, what, where, when and why.
Include photos and links to show other research and information
2. Discuss whether there is a positive or negative impact and who is being impacted positively or negatively by the wall/barrier.
3. Discuss your personal opinion about this wall/barrier.
4. Discuss your findings from Part B

Part A should not take you more than 2 days (Monday and Tuesday). Your presentation should not be longer than 5 minutes. We'll spend a few minutes at the end of each presentation for questions and a brief discussion.
You can work on Part B on Wednesday.

Part B
  • Choose one word that came up frequently in your research, that you would like to explore further. e.g. "border" or "fence"
  • Go to visuwords.com
  • Enter the word you chose
  • In your sketchbook, or on the computer, make your own graphic organizer by recording words that you think relate to this topic.
  • Make sure to click on new words and keep looking further into the topic.
  • Share your findings with the class as the last part of your presentation.

Presentation due: Thursday May 19, 2010

El Anatsui - Researching the artist and his work

El Anatsui - Who is he and what's the big deal anyway?



We've been invited to particpate in this exciting collaborative project with the ROM and in order to do this, we need to learn more about him, his work, his message and our thoughts about his work and on walls and barriers.



1)Read as much as you can about El Anatsui on the internet.

While you are reading, make notes in a word doc and be sure to reference the webpage, date and author. (See your agenda for how to reference webpages)



2)Your Blog post will consist of several main sections:

a) Who is El Anatsui?

b) What does his artwork look like? Describe the stylistic characteristics of his work but also post or link to one or more images. Consider and discuss which design principles are significant or dominant.

c) What are some of the big concerns/ideas he is communicating through his artwork?

d) How do you connect to his work? What do you appreciate about his work? Does the work of art hold some particular attraction or personal association for you? You can mention your participation in the ROM project as well.



*Aim to make this post personal rather than a formal critique. Write your opinions and thoughts about his work. Enjoy!



Here are some links to get you started.

El Anatsui at the October Gallery - New York

Between Heaven and Earth Video about El Anatsui

El Anatsui's website at the Nation Museum of African Art

New England Journal of Aesthetic Research

Images of El Anatsui using recycled materials



There is also a facebook page that you can find here:

Please finish this by Wednesday May 12, 2010, posted on your blog.