Street Art For Social Change

Panmela Castro, Women’s Rights Are Human Rights, created for the New York City Women’s March, spray paint on wall, March 2017

Andrew Comeau 11/29/17

Introductory Information: • Grades: High School, Grades 11 and 12 • Class size: approximately 20 students • Length of project: 5 class periods, 1 hour and 30 minutes each • Lesson Topic and Description: In this lesson, students will explore the works of various street artists from around the globe and reflect upon the contexts of these artists works. The students will investigate how the context and mes- sages in the works can reflect across various cultures. The students will learn different techniques used by street artists, such as wheat pasting and stencil- ing, to create an artwork that addresses a social issue of their choice.

• STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS

A. ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS: Students will understand that… • Celebrating similarities and differences among cultures affirm iden- tities and create a sense of community. • Art making can communicate the commonalities among cultures. • The context in which a work of art is created provides a window into the purposes it serves and the reasons it is valued.

B. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: • How do artists from different cultures and eras explore and express similar themes? • What can works of art tell us about a society, culture, era or com- munity? • What can we learn by studying the contexts of works of art?

C. STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED: • 1) Methods, Materials, and Techniques. Student will demonstrate knowledge of the methods, materials, and techniques unique to the vis- ual arts. • 5) Critical Response. Students will describe and analyze their own work and the work of others using appropriate visual arts vocabulary. When appropriate, students will connect their analysis to interpretation and evaluation. • 7) Roles of Artists in Communities. Students will describe the roles of artists, patrons, cultural organizations, and arts institutions in societies of the past and present.

D. ACQUISITION/ LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• The students will identify the context of works from various street artists and explain how the context is universal among various cultures. • The students will design a stencil or wheat paste that reflects different ap- proaches to styles of street art. • The students will create an image that reflects a social issue that they are affected by or one that they have observed in our world. (From the local to global scale) • The students will experiment with the use of imagery, icons, and text to cre- ate a strong message that addresses the social issue they are exploring. • The students will be able interpret the works of their peers and their own and discuss how their image reflects the social issues they are investigat- ing.

STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

A. PERFORMANCE TASK OR FINAL PRODUCT: The students will create a final product that employs techniques used by street artists, such as stenciling or wheat pasting, to create a powerful visual message that reflects a social issue they would like to explore. An example of a successful product would be a well executed stencil or wheat paste that in- corporates the use of symbols and text. How the student incorporates symbols and text to develop their message will play an important role in how the message or idea is delivered to the viewer.

Keizer untitled stencil and spray paint on wall 2012

B. CONTINUUM OF ASSESSMENTS: • Students as a class will view and discuss different street artists from across the globe and explore the social issues the artists are investi- gating. • Students will create small sketches of their ideas to guide their final composition. • Students will complete a self-assessment sheet and reflect upon why they chose their specific social issue, how well their image reflects the issues they researched, and how proficiently they mastered the techni- cal skills. • The students will participate in a small group discussions mid-way through the project to discuss their different ideas and get feedback on how they think their imagery represents the issue they are exploring. • Students will be split into groups of five for a final critique at the end of the project to discuss the works and their messages.

STAGE 3: LEARNING PLAN A. MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT: • spray paint • x-acto knife • scissors • markers • pencils • tracing paper • drawing paper • acrylic paint • acrylic paint markers • canvas boards ( varying sizes) • `cardboard • paintbrushes • acrylic matte/ gloss gel B. RESOURCES: VISUALS, TEXT, MEDIA AND WEB

Akbar, A. (2006, May 15). Banksy takes to streets to highlight Aids crisis. Re- trieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/banksy-takes-to- streets-to-highlight-aids-crisis-478417.html Castro, P. (2017). Women’s Rights Are Human Rights [Spray paint on wall]. Retrieved from https://media.cmcdn.net/f4c2bdfda21f2b8deb4d/ 32478604/1917x1276.webp Lange, H. (2012). Keizer Street Artist: Cairo. Retrieved from https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxnypmYvovc Banksy Swept Under the Carpet Medium: stencil and spray paint on wall 2012

Murray, S. (2012, April 9). Egyptian Graffiti: Keizer. Retrieved from https:// sites.tufts.edu/anth144pcme/2012/04/09/egyptian-graffiti-keizer/o Page. (2017, March 5). Panmela Castro: Brazil’s graffiti queen, delivering justice through the nozzle of a paint can. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/ style/article/her-panmela-castro/index.html Pittman, T. (2015, November 15). How A Brazilian Graffiti Artist Is Empowering Women Around The World. Retrieved from https:/www.huffingtonpost.com/ entry/panmela-castro-graffiti-artist-brazil_us_563cf31be4b0307f2cad508f? utm_hp_ref=latino-voices Rojo, J., & Harrington, S. (2014, April 9). Swoon: Submerged Motherlands,’ A Tree Grows in the Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved from https:// www.huffingtonpost.com/jaime-rojo-steven-harrington/swoon-brooklyn- museum_b_5115253.html Sharma, S. (2014). From Street Art to High Art. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYIt_TZ8ry4 Tapper, J. (2007, May 13). GALLERY: Swept under the carpet ... Red faces as another Banksy mural bites the dust. Retrieved from http:// www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-454427/GALLERY-Swept-carpet---Red- faces-Banksy-mural-bites-dust.html C. VOCABULARY WITH DEFINITIONS:

• stencil- a device for applying a pattern, design, words, etc., to a sur- face, consisting of a thin sheet of cardboard, metal, or other materials from which figures or letters have been cut out, a coloring substance, ink etc., being rubbed, brushed, or sprayed over the sheet, passing through the perforations and onto the surface

• wheat paste- an adhesive that consists of water and flour. Street artists often use wheat paste to adhere drawings or prints to walls and other surfaces

• tag- A nickname or other identifying mark written as the signature of a graffiti artist

D. TEACHER INSTRUCTION:

• The teacher will introduce the lesson by showing a powerpoint about street art. • The teacher will introduce the topic of street art by discussing vocabulary and explaining the local and global laws and sanctions around graffiti. • The teachers will introduce street artist that create work through the use of stencils, wheat pasting, and free hand painting. • The teacher will introduce the street artist Swoon by showing a video form her show at the Brooklyn Museum. The teacher will ask: • How does the Swoon’s imagery represent both her personal ideas and messages as well as ideas that relate to others in a larger con- text? • Do you think street art can be considered as Fine Art? • The teacher will show the work by the street artist Keizer. • The teacher will ask the students what they think about the piece and ask them to share what they think the message is suggesting. • The teacher will explain how Egypt has dealt with and is currently dealing with many wars which inspired the artist to address the current state of the country and their current status towards achieving peace. • The teacher will ask how are the symbols that the artist used acces- sible to people from many cultures? • The teacher will show the work of street artist Panmela Castro from Brazil. • The teacher will discuss how her experience of being a victim of domes- tic violence brought her to creating street art that empowers women and sheds light on the pervasive issues of domestic violence in Brazil. • The teacher will ask the students if they believe that this message is re- latable to people from around the world. • The teacher will ask the students how the artists imagery represents the issue she is addressing. • The teacher will show the work by the street artist Banksy. • The teacher ask the students to analyze the image and interpret the meaning of the image. • The teacher will explain how Banksy created this piece to shed light on the Aids Crisis in Africa and the Wests action of addressing the matter by “sweeping it under the carpet”. • The teacher will also explain how the exterior gallery wall he painted it on was then painted over by the gallery just two months later. • The teacher will ask students what they think about both the artists ac- tions and the gallery’s reaction. • The teacher will introduce the project to the students have them begin by re- searching a social issue that personally affects them or that they are interested in addressing. • The teacher will ask the students to write some notes about the issue and brainstorm ways through writing or sketching to visually address the issue. • The teacher will check in with each student before proceeding to the final prod- uct to ensure that the imagery is well developed and delivers some sort of mes- sage or idea to the viewer. • After completing the research aspect, students will have multiple working class periods to work on creating their project. • Mid-way through the project, the students will gather in small groups to discuss their topics and ideas and receive feedback in regards to how their imagery rep- resents the issue they are exploring. • Over the course of these working class periods, the teacher will meet with stu- dents individually to brainstorm, strategize, and troubleshoot issues with stu- dents as needed. • When the projects are complete, the teacher will have students get into small groups of five and critique the works of each artist. • The teacher will have the students focus their discussion on how the piece de- livers a message to the viewer regarding the social issue they explored and how the artists imagery reflects this message. • The teacher will have each student fill out an assessment sheet at the end of the project and reflect upon why they chose their specific social issue, how well their image reflects the issues the researched, and how proficiently they mas- tered the technical skills related to the project.

E. QUESTIONS TO GENERATE DISCUSSION: • Have you seen street art or graffiti before? If so, where (in your own com- munity, while traveling)? • Why do you believe these artists choose to place their work outside rather than a museum or gallery? • How are street artists messages universal across cultures? • How do street artists use imagery, symbols, and text to get their message across to the viewer?

F. LEARNING ACTIVITY: The students will….

• The students will research a social issue that affects them or that they are interested in exploring. • The students will choose a social issue and begin to brainstorm how they will create an image that delivers a message about the issue to the viewer. • Students will record some notes and create a couple of small sketches to explore how different imagery and symbols could express the social issue they are concerned about. • The student will choose their strongest idea and create an image through the use of wheat pasting or stenciling. • The students will participate in a small group discussions mid-way through the project to discuss their different ideas and get feedback on how they think their imagery represents the issue they are exploring. • When students have completed the project, they will participate in a small group critique in which they will critique each artists work both visually and conceptually. • The student will fill out a self-assessment sheet at the end of the project to reflect on their work and what they learned.

G. . DIFFERENTIATION:

• For students who have difficulty using an x-acto knife or razor blade, scissors will be made available to cut the stencil or the wheat paste poster. • ELL students have the option of using text in their first language to ad- dress their topic. The student will be asked to translate the meaning of the words to the teacher as well as those critiquing the students work. • ELL students have the option to partner with another student to research and discuss their topic.