Visual Art

Visual Art: Varon                                            Date:                                 

	Module 4:	Indigenous Art vs. Contemporary Adaptations
	Lesson 1:	How do indigenous African artists use their culture and native resources to create context in their artistic works?
	Essential Question:	How does knowing the contexts, histories, and traditions of art forms help us to better understand contemporary works of art and design?
	SWBAT…	describe and analyze the ways that artists create context and use materials, in order to apply criteria to evaluate and compare artistic works.

 

Reminders:

• The classroom password for Scholastic Arts Magazine is: varon123
• Be sure to respond to each question by:

1. Crafting complete sentences.
2. Using your own words.
3. Presenting evidence from the text to support your answer.

 

Part 1: Introduction

 

**INDIGENOUS ART  VS. CONTEMPORARY ADAPTATIONS**

 

Define:

Indigenous- Originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.

Contemporary- Belonging to or occurring in the present.

Aesthetic- Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty. A set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.

Indigenous art refers to art and artifacts that originated in a particular region. This artwork is supported by and inspired by its culture (way of life) during a specific period of time.

Contemporary art refers to the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. This art is a dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that continue the challenging of boundaries that was already well underway in the 20th century.

Which of the following artworks is indigenous? Why do you say this?

Which is contemporary? What gave you this impression?

 

In Lesson 1 we will be looking at both indigenous artwork and contemporary artists with African and Caribbean identities and how each group creates meaning in their artwork.

 

Indigenous African art was created mainly for many African cultures to emphasize the importance of ancestors as intermediaries between the living, the gods, and the supreme creator. Art is seen as a way to contact these spirits of ancestors. Art may also be used to depict gods, and is valued for its functional purposes.

 

Contemporary African and African-American artists may deal with issues of identity, migration and displacement. These artists seek to observe and represent all realms of life including the dysfunctional nature of the  world we live in. Their work is about their narrative, their experience of being an artist and expressing their identity and ideology.

 

Part 2: Apply Knowledge

Directions: In the prerequisite reading, African Art and Architecture, you will learn about the many artistic contributions made by indigenous cultures across Africa. The questions in this section will come from “The Function of African Art” and “Beginnings” sections of the reading.

1. What was the purpose behind creating much of the art in Africa?

 

2. What was the traditional process followed by an African artist?

 

 

3. What did the prehistoric art of Africa look like?

 

 

 

4. What can it tell us about their culture?

 

 

 

Part 3: Making Connections

Directions: Continue with the reading, African Art and Architecture, specifically under the sub-sections “Sculpture”, “Masks” and “Decorative Arts”. Respond to the questions that follow each sub topic.

 

Sculpture:

 

5. Select two regional styles of sculpture, list each below, and explain the distinctive qualities and materials used. What were the sculptures used for? (You can choose from: Ife and Benin, Western Sudan, Guinea Coast, Central Africa, and Eastern and Southern Africa)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masks:

 

6. What is the main purpose in creating a traditional African mask?

 

 

 

7. How might these masks be used in traditional African cultures?

 

 

 

8. What types of materials are used to create masks? Why do you think these materials were used?

 

 

Decorative Arts:

 

9. Select two of the following decorative arts (goldwork, jewelry, textiles, pottery and basketry) and explain the material used, where it is found, who uses it and how exactly it is used.

 

 

 

 

Part 4: Reflection and Assessment

Directions: Please research an image of an artform from any region discussed in this prerequisite reading and post it below. Respond to the following questions using that image as a reference.

 

Based on what you have learned:

• What is this object made of?
• What is its purpose?
• What is your opinion of its *aesthetic* qualities? (look above for the definition of this word of you don’t remember)

 

Image	Responses