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Envirollage
Teacher's
Guide
Summary
Students
accumulate pictorial images and express their idea of community
and environment using the techniques of assemblage, collage, synectics,
and collagraph printmaking.
Program
Area
This activity
is suited to the Grade 9 Arts curriculum following an activity
introducing the use of found materials. It could easily fit into
any unit in which the recycling materials in the production of
art is discussed.
Learning
Outcomes
Teaching,
learning, and evaluation will focus on the student's ability to:
- Identify
and use shape as an element of art;
- Use unity
as a principle of design concerned with an artwork;
- Use a
variety of materials to create a mixed-media relief collage
based on a unifying idea;
- Produce
an edition of prints from a collage of low relief materials;
Materials
Required
The teacher
needs to assemble a collection of objects representing a variety
of textures and sources. These should include both fabricated
ones (metal objects, rubber, sandpaper, plastics, fabrics, wool,
glass) and natural ones (bark, bones, stones, leaves, roots, vegetables,
heavily grained wood, fur). The collections should also represent
a variety of sources from each continent. Printmaking equipment
and materials are also required (scissors, newspapers, a variety
of print papers, cardboard or other heavy board for backing plate,
cheesecloth or other dauber, printing inks, glue, barren, print
machine, linoleum, wood blocks, brayers (rollers), wooden spoon,
and water based ink).
Background
Several
works of collage and collagraph prints should be examined by the
class. Works by the following artists could be examined Juan Gris,
Max Ernst, Georges Braque, Jean Arp, Jean Dubuffet, and Romare
Bearden.
References
Brommer,
Gerald. The Art of Collage. 142-145.
Ragans,
Rosalind. ArtTalk. 319-333.
Classroom
Development
- Show
students a variety of works of collage and collagraph. Consider
the following: the source of the images; what images tell us
on their own; which images go well together, or complement each
other. Then discuss unifying devices, such as repetition, simplicity,
harmony of colour or shape, proximity, and continuation.
- Next
students are to collect images themselves. By searching for
objects students will be sensitized to a different way of looking
at environments. Ideas or themes which will unify the student's
composition should be discussed. Give students time to construct
their collage using standard techniques.
- Just
before students do any studio work remind them of the safety
precautions which are relevant to this particular activity.
Also explicitly refer to the introductory discussion/activity
on safety procedures from the beginning of the term/semester.
- Students
are to discuss their work, using appropriate art vocabulary
(relief, shape, freeform shapes, geometric shapes) where possible.
- The second
expressive art activity is to ink the collage with rolled cheesecloth
or other dauber. Printing ink is to be rubbed in completely
over the surface and into the cracks. Depending on the surface
of the work, the student may wish to use a brayer. Excess ink
is then removed with old newspapers or cheesecloth. The inked
plate is placed face-up on a pad of old newspapers. Printing
paper is placed face-down over the plate and laid in position.
The top is then rubbed with spoons, a brayer, or even the students
hands. Carefully pull back the paper and pull it off. Lay the
print flat or hang it to dry.
- Students
then repeat the discussion as in step 4.
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