Art 201 - Media, Techniques & Inquiry For Elementary & Middle School Level
Illinois Art Station Lessons
3 lessons about making 'alternative art' - created for teaching at the Illinois Art Station in Normal, IL. Alternative art refers to making art using methods and materials in ways that aren’t considered traditional, and these lessons showcased three different projects for students to do.
'Alternative Markmaking'
In this lesson, students will be applying materials in unique ways, specifically paint without using a paintbrush. Different materials were provided, from plastic utensils to sponges, and students had the freedom to either work on a smaller piece to take home, or collaborate on a piece of paper hung up on the wall. This lesson encouraged creativity and thinking outside the box, as well as using movement to create a nonrepresentational work.
'Let's Make Zines!'
During this lesson, students will create and personalize their own handmade zines to reflect their personal interests, life experiences, or anything that inspires them. This lesson will be taught to teach students a new and ‘alternative’ method of creating art, which is very popular today and incredibly accessible- students can even make a zine at home. By folding a single piece of paper, a 'zine' (short for magazine) can be made- and is a very easy and reproducible way to create and distribute art.
'Let's Make Puppets!'
During this lesson, students will be focusing on creating characters and telling stories through the art of puppet making, as well as focusing on crafts as a form of art.
