Secondary Methods, Spring 2015
Enduring Idea: Food
Unit Plans: SUSTAINMENT GLUTTONY CULTURE
Rationale:
Food is more than just breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are many significant concepts and questions that take the subject of food much further than just what is on your plate. One must consider why, how, where, and who with. “The Meaning of Food is an exploration of culture through food. What we consume, how we acquire it, who prepares it, who’s at the table, and who eats first is a form of communication that is rich with meaning” (PBS). The key concepts that will be explored in this unit are sustainment, gluttony, and culture. The lessons concerning sustainment and gluttony will give the students room to explore the needs and wants of food, while the culture lesson will give them the opportunity to discover the traditions and customs of different societies. These concepts take the idea of food in directions that will make it possible for a student to find meaning in food and make connections to their individual worlds.
Sustainment is the act of supporting life by food or providing a means of subsistence. The whole idea behind sustainment is that it is a necessity and a means of livelihood. Food and water are the main necessities to maintain life and survival. The essential question that will be investigated through my sustainment lesson is: “What foods do you consider to be necessary for sustaining life?” This question will really get the student to think about what is important to them and what is necessary for survival. The answer to this question will reflect the student’s own opinions and interests. The students will be able to relate to the lesson because their artwork will be focused on their own personal interests and beliefs. I decided to go in this direction with my questions because it will drive the students to have a real connection to their artwork. During the lesson for this key concept, the students will create a digital self-portrait made up of different foods that represent the parts of their faces. The students will use Wacom tablets and Photoshop to digitally draw the food items on a layer on top of a photo of themselves. The students will be able to participate in a discussion about their choices and the meaning behind their artworks. The artists I have chosen for this key concept are Giuseppe Arcimboldo and Sandy Skoglund. The first artist, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, is an Italian painter who was born in Milan in 1527. His most known works are his portraits made entirely of vegetables, fruits, and other natural materials. His vegetable portrait paintings are the main inspiration for this lesson. The pieces I chose to show in this lesson from Arcimboldo are Vortumnus and Spring. The second artist, Sandy Skoglund, is an American photographer and installation artist, born in 1946 in Quincy, Massachusetts. She is most known for her installation photographs of various scenes made up of multiples of the same object or subject matter and bright, contrasting colors. The artworks that I chose for this lesson by Skoglund are The Cocktail Party and Remaining Popcorn. I chose Sandy Skoglund for this lesson because in the pieces I chose, she took objects and covered them in a separate skin and in these particular pieces, she used food.
Gluttony is defined as habitual greed or excess in eating. The idea behind using gluttony as a key concept is that it encompasses the want of food rather than the need. This deadly sin is about the loss of self-control and the inability to gain it back. For my lesson on gluttony, I decided to expand on this concept and explore the Seven Deadly Sins. My essential question for this concept is: “How do you interpret each of the Seven Deadly Sins?” This is an opportunity for students to explore their own meaning of the Seven Deadly Sins and expand from what they already know about them. During this lesson, the students will create a series of seven drawings that depict their interpretation of each deadly sin through objects and symbols. The students will present their drawings in a creative way of their choosing; for example: a book, on a box, matted on a poster, etc. The artists I have chosen for this key concept are Andy Warhol and Lucian Freud. Andy Warhol is a contemporary American painter, filmmaker, and illustrator, born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Warhol is known for many things, but mostly for his iconic commercialized pop art pieces depicting objects and subjects in popular culture. The artworks I chose from Warhol are Brillo Boxes, Campbell’s Soup Cans, and the Velvet Underground record cover. I chose Warhol’s artwork to be visual exemplars in this lesson for a couple reasons. Warhol took ordinary objects and made them into iconic pieces of art. His work is also commercially sold and overproduced, which relates back to the concept of greed and going past the point of need. The second artist for this lesson is Lucian Freud, a British painter born in 1922 in Berlin, Germany. Freud is most known for his portrait and nude paintings with very stylized brush strokes, later to be known as impasto. The artwork I chose from Lucian Freud for this lesson is Fat Sue, a portrait of a very gluttonous-looking woman lying on a couch. I chose this portrait because I wanted to have an example of what one might characterize as an image for gluttony, for example.
Culture is the behaviors and belief characteristics of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. Food plays an essential role in the characteristics of a culture. It often helps define a group of people or a place. Most cultures or communities have specific foods that they are known for. Different foods are produced in different parts of the world because of the resources that are available to them. The essential question for this key concept is: “What kinds of foods are associated with different cultures or communities?” Students will have the chance with this question to research and explore other cultures and what makes them special. It is important for students to learn about and experience cultures other than their own. The lesson for this key concept explores the characteristics of different cultures by the types of food they are known for. The students will each get their own city and create a piece of art based on their findings through research. The artists that will be used as visual exemplars in this lesson are Claes Oldenburg, Coosje van Bruggen, and Carmen Lomas Garza. Claes Oldenburg is a sculpture and installation artist born in 1929 in Stockholm, Sweden. Coosje van Bruggen is also a sculpture and installation artist born in 1942 in Groningen, the Netherlands. Oldenburg and van Bruggen were married in 1977 and are well known for Spoonbridge and Cherry, a sculpture of a large spoon and cherry located in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden in Minnesota. This sculpture is the main inspiration for this lesson on culture because it is a 3-dimensional piece that has a place in a certain area and community. The second artist, Carmen Lomas Garza, is a Mexican American painter born in 1948 in Kingsville, Texas. Garza’s artwork is strongly influenced by her family and heritage. Her paintings focus on her happy childhood memories of her family and community participating in Mexican American activities. The examples I chose from Carmen Lomas Garza are Tamalada and Empanadas. These paintings depict her family working together to make food that is special to their Mexican American culture. I decided to use these paintings because they are great examples of a specific culture and what food they make and have for their family gatherings and celebrations.
In conclusion to my rationale, there are several aspects to be explored in the concept of food. Food is a part of everyday life and is worth teaching about to students. The lessons that go along with this rationale are designed to allow the students to learn more about themselves, other cultures, and popular culture. Knowledge in these areas will help the students to have a more well-rounded education and view of the world within them and around them.
Bibliography
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"Claes Oldenburg & Coosje Van Bruggen: Biographies." Claes Oldenburg & Coosje Van Bruggen: Biographies. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2015. <http://oldenburgvanbruggen.com/biography/bios-individual.htm>.
"¡Del Corazón! / American Art." ¡Del Corazón! / American Art. Smithsonian American Art Museum, n.d. Web. 02 May 2015. <http://americanart.si.edu/education/corazon/artistas_01.cfm>.
Dorsey, Jonathan. "Biography." Sandy Skoglund. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2015. <http://sandyskoglundphotography.weebly.com/biography.html>.
"Giuseppe Arcimboldo Biography." Giuseppe Arcimboldo. N.p., 2002. Web. 02 May 2015. <http://www.giuseppe-arcimboldo.org/biography.html>.
"The Meaning of Food." PBS. PBS, 2005. Web. 02 May 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/opb/meaningoffood/>.
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