Figure 1: Nam June Paik, Untitled (Newspaper Drawings), 1990s, oil stick on printed newsprint, SAAM

Sample Contemporary Art Lesson: Flux News Estimated Completion Time: 2 class periods Grade Level: High School Author: Craig Roland, The University of Florida

"The Fluxus artists burst out of the 1960s, rebelling against the elitism of the art world." (artsy.net)

Background: Fluxus artists blurred the boundaries between art and life. In doing so, they challenged the notion of 'high art' by creating unassuming, often humorous objects and performances and demonstrating the idea that “anything can be art and anyone can do it.”

Korean born artist, Nam June Paik was a founder of the Fluxus movement. While he worked in a variety of media, he is best known as the "first video artist." Paik moved to New York City in the 60s to live and work as an artist. In the 1990s, Paik suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on his left side. During his recovery, Paik became a news junkie, watching television news programs and reading newspapers daily. In the process, he introduced personal commentary on all sorts of news stories, international incidents, and global trends into his work.

Paik's interest in the news, as viewed through daily television transmissions and newspapers, can be seen in a series of "newspaper drawings" he did while recovering from his stroke (1990- 2005), in which he applied colored oil sticks to the newsprint containing the daily news. Paik's daily ritual of reading the newspaper became a means of self-expression as he commented on the content of the page and transformed it graphically with abstract lines and shapes in black, red, white, green and yellow using oil sticks. For some, Paik's newspaper drawings had a child- like quality and were not seriously considered as art. Others though reveled in Paik's new form of public expression and marveled at the fact that Paik was still making art having suffered from a stroke.

Lesson Overview: Students will examine "newspaper drawings" by Nam June Paik and then create their own "newspaper drawings" inspired by today's news and Paik's artistic practices. While Paik is best known as the inventor of video art, he worked in a variety of media over his career. As a key figure in the Fluxus movement, Paik rejected traditional hierarchies in the art world in favor of making art for the masses. In this lesson, students will inspect the "newspaper drawings" made by Paik during the 1990s while recovering from a stroke. Then, in response to the recent attention given to "fake news" in the media, students will honor Paik and his interest in the news by creating their own "Flux News" spreads.

Enduring Ideas/Essential Questions Some artists reinterpret daily life using everyday materials. In this lesson, students will explore the questions: "What can we make art about?" and "What materials and processes can we use to make art?" In doing so, students will learn that everyday experiences can serve as a source of inspiration for making art.

National Core Art Standards (HS Proficient): Students will VA: Cr1.2.Ia: Shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using a contemporary practice of art or design. VA: Cr3.1.Ia: Apply relevant criteria from traditional and contemporary cultural contexts to examine, reflect on, and plan revisions for works of art and design in progress. VA: Re.7.1.Ia: Hypothesize ways in which art influences perception and understanding of human experiences. VA: Re9.1.Ia: Establish relevant criteria in order to evaluate a work of art or collection of works.

New Generation Sunshine State Standards: Students will: VA.912.C.3.1: Use descriptive terms and varied approaches in art analysis to explain the meaning or purpose of an artwork. VA.912.S.1.3: Interpret and reflect on cultural and historical events to create art. VA.912.S.1.5: Compare the aesthetic impact of images created with different media. VA.912.O.3.2: Create a series of artworks to inform viewers about personal opinions and/or current issues. VA.912.C.1.3: Evaluate the technical skill, aesthetic appeal, and/or social implication of artistic exemplars to formulate criteria for assessing personal work. VA.912.H.1.1: Analyze the impact of social, ecological, economic, religious, and/or political issues on the function or meaning of the artwork.

Lesson Objectives In this lesson, students will individually and collectively: (1) examine and interpret the 'newspaper drawings' of Nam June Paik; (2) use oil pastels to embellish a current newspaper spread so as to create new meaning; and (3) assess the effectiveness of their own work and that of others in creating compositions that are visually and conceptually of interest.

Tools and Materials For this art lesson, you will need to collect a quantity of one- and two-page newspaper spreads for students individually or with partners to examine and then embellish using cray-pas or oil pastel colors. A variety of black-and-white spreads that feature news stories, news photographs, and advertisements would be most appropriate. Avoid spreads containing heavy use of color. Have a variety of colored cray-pas or oil pastel colors for students to choose from in small cups distributed around the class tables. Also, it would be good to have some black and white crayons available. You may want to cover the classroom tables with white roll paper to minimize clean up. Additionally, have a PowerPoint presentation ready with a picture of Nam June Paik and a selection of his newspaper drawings ready to introduce the lesson.

Introduction Write the word "Fluxus" on the board and the name "Nam June Paik." Mention to students that they will be studying works by the artist Nam June Paik in this lesson. To begin, ask the students to distinguish between "high" and "low art." Create two columns on the board with the words "high" and "low" at the top of each one. Then ask for descriptive words and examples that would differentiate between the two. To further prompt students' thinking ask "Who would likely prefer to see "high art" and who might prefer "low art?" Next, ask "Where would we most likely see "high art" and "low art?" Lastly, point out that the concept of high and low art can be traced back to 18th century ideas about fine art and craft.

Offer a short history of the Fluxus movement. Say something like, "Recently, art movements like the Fluxus of the 1960s held high art in disdain, preferring "art for the masses." Fluxus artists often blur the boundaries between art and life while demonstrating the idea that “anything can be art and anyone can do it.” Nam June Paik, a Korean artist, was a founder of the Fluxus movement. While Paik is best known as the "first video artist," he also worked in a variety of media. In our lesson today, we are going to look closely at Nam June Paik's newspaper drawings that he did during the 1990s while recovering from a stroke.

Procedure: Display one or two of Paik's newspaper drawings on the screen.

1. Have students pair up and pass out a worksheet (Appendix A) to each pair with 3 columns and the prompts "What We See or Know" "What We Wonder About," and "What We Think" at the top of each column (or See and Know, Wonder, and Think). Ask each pair of students to fill out as much as they can on their worksheets in regards to the work shown on the screen. For instance, they might put in the first column that they see one- or two-page newspaper spreads that has been colored on. They might also add "the artist's name "Nam June Paik" and the media "newsprint and oil stick." In the second column they might write down a question like "I wonder why the artist colored in this newspaper?" or "I wonder what the artist is trying to say?" In the third column, they might write "This looks like a child colored it in" or "We think the artist is trying to bring attention to certain stories in the news." Allow 10 minutes or so for students to record their observations and questions. If time permits, you might turn this initial KWL activity into a mini-research project in which students search the Web for additional information about Paik and his newspaper drawings.

2. Once most of the students have finished writing, explain to them that the class as a whole is going to share their responses to the worksheet items. The purpose of the discussion is to see how many things students noticed in the drawings and to explore how different people interpreted their meaning. 3. Make three columns on the board, with the headings of “What We See and Know,” “What We Wonder About” and “What We Think.” First, ask the group “What are some things we see or notice in this drawing?” Encourage students to describe what they see: faces, certain words, colored marks, shapes, and so on). As students describe the work, have them point out certain things that they notice. When students make interpretative comments, have them justify their ideas with evidence they see in the artwork. Ask, “What do you see in the drawing that makes you think that?” Write down the things students notice and say about the work in column one. If necessary, ask questions that require the students to probe the drawing further. “What else do you see in this drawing? What sorts of colors do you see? What can you say about the artist’s marks on the page?”

4. Once the descriptions seem exhausted, ask “What would you like to know about this drawing or artist?” or “What question do you have about the drawing?” Write these responses on the board under column two.

5. Lastly, ask “Why do you suppose the artist hand-colored these newspaper spreads?" or "What do you think this drawing is about?” The purpose here is to explore the “content” of the drawings or how different students interpret its meaning. As students offer their interpretations, ask follow-up questions where appropriate that require students to cite evidence for their responses. For example “What makes you think this is about "War?” or “What do you see in the drawing that leads you to believe these two people are related?” Lastly, prompt students thinking by asking "Do you think this drawing is Art or not?" Justify your decision. Write these responses on the board under column three.

6. Allow 15 minutes or so for looking and talking about Paik's work as a group. The purpose of this in-depth analysis is to fully explore the drawing, and the choices the artist made in creating it. As an alternative, you may choose to discuss the questions students raised about the work, although some of these questions may have already been answered in the earlier discussion. Ask, “What are some ways that we might find answers to our questions" (e.g., search the Web for information on Paik and find other newspaper drawings by the artist)”

7. Share some background information about Paik and his newspaper drawings. In particular, describe how Paik suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on his left side. During his recovery, Paik became a news junkie, watching television news programs and reading newspapers daily. In the process, he began introducing personal commentary on all sorts of news stories, international incidents, and global trends into his work. Paik's daily ritual of reading the newspaper became a means of self- expression as he commented on the content of the pages he read by transforming them graphically with abstract lines and shapes in black, red, white, green and yellow using oil sticks.

8. Have student stack their worksheets in the center of their tables for pick-up at the end of class. If time permits, record your observations and general reactions to the group discussion in terms of their understandings, difficulties, questions raised, and other comments made.

For the next part of the lesson, lay out a quantity of one- and two-page newspaper spreads on a vacant classroom table for students to choose from. Also have a large selection of colored cray- pas or oil pastels in cups for distribution around the room. See "Tools and Materials" above for additional preparation suggestions.

Introduce the studio activity by saying something like “Similar to what Paik did, we are going to work together to create our own newspaper drawings using oil pastels." Collaborating with a partner, have students choose a one or two-page newspaper spread among those on the table at the front of the room. Invite students to talk with their partners about the choices available and how the two of them might work together to embellish and highlight elements of the page with color to create new meaning. Once the initial decision has been made about what page to use, ask students to return to their seats with their partners and news spread in hand to begin work.

Note: Depending on the students' experience with inventing their own compositions and working with oil pastels, you might wish to demonstrate how to use oil pastels to embellish their pictures. Points to possibly emphasize during your demonstration include:

• Show how to fill in the shapes of the drawing using bright colors and how using dark colors in the background make the figures and shapes stand out. Press hard on the oil pastels so that your colors are rich and thick. • Show how to blend two colors together in some of the shapes. • Encourage students to have a focal point in their composition. • To unify the composition, encourage students to repeat colors. • Finally, show how to outline the shapes of the picture with a black oil pastel to make the colors stand out.

While students work on their compositions (Figures 2 + 3), walk around the room and monitor their progress. As appropriate, ask individual students questions like: “What is your composition about?” and “How are you going to show what’s most important?” Depending on the time available and students’ work habits, an additional class period may be required to complete the final pictures.

Figures 2 + 3: Newspaper Drawings in progress.

As students finish, have them sign their drawings along with the date and a title in the bottom right-hand corner on the backside of the paper. Distribution and Clean-Up: If possible, have all the necessary materials that students will need for the day’s activity on each table, before they enter the class. For clean-up, students can stack their drawings or worksheets in the center of the table for quick pickup and return the oil pastels to their cups. Note: Oil pastels can break into small pieces when students are using them. Covering tables with while roll paper or newspaper beforehand makes clean up much easier and prevents you from having to wipe the tables down after students leave.

Closure: Make a classroom or hall display of the all the drawings completed for this lesson. Ask students questions about their drawings and creative process like “How did you and your partner decide what to emphasize in your news spread?" and "How did you show what’s important in your picture?” and "What new meaning did you create in modifying the news spread?" Have students fill out the self-assessment forms (Attachment B) and turn them in.

Assessment: Questions to consider when assessing students’ learning and performance in this lesson include: To what extent were students able to analyze and interpret Paik's newspaper drawings? How successful were students in embellishing their own newspaper drawings to create new meaning? To what extent were students able to create original compositions based on the content in their newspaper spreads? How well did students work together to complete the assignment? Also refer to students’ worksheets in assessing the learning outcomes of the lesson. See Attachment C for a rubric to assist in assessing the students’ work from this lesson. (You may wish to share this rubric with students beforehand).

References Kedmey, K. (Jan 14, 2017). What is Fluxus? Artsy.net downloaded from https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-fluxus-movement-art-museums-galleries.

Kaplen, H. (December 30, 2013). Museum: A tale of art, Life and everything In between. Eyelevel. Retrieved from http://eyelevel.si.edu/2013/12/museum-a-tale-of-art- life-and-everything-in-between.html.

Guggenheim Museum (2017). Nam June Paik. Retrieved from https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/nam-june-paik.

Attachment A: Worksheet

Title of Work: ______Artist: ______

Your Name(s): ______+ ______

What We See or What We wonder What We Think Know about

Attachment B: Self-Assessment Form

Name(s):

Title of Our Picture:

What our picture is about:

Something that I think we did particularly well in our picture:

Something that I would like to redo or work more on in our picture:

Attachment C: Lesson Rubric

Rubric for the Flux News Project

To receive a “satisfactory,” a drawing must: • Fill the page • Incorporate large and small elements • Indicate some attention to detail • Include some contrasting colors (bright and dark colors)

To receive a “proficient,” a drawing must meet all of the criteria for a satisfactory” and: • Demonstrate effective use of detail, color blending, contrast, and outlining to add dimension and visual interest. • Incorporate rich and thick colors.

To receive an “exceptional,” a drawing must meet all of the criteria for a “proficient” and: • Include a strong focal point to draw the viewer’s attention, and/or • Reflect an effort to reinterpret the content of the existing page through visual embellishments and compositional choices. Comments: