Art teachers incorporate visual language, written language, spoken language, sign language, computer programming language, and more into their lessons. Students create the first letter of their first name using a cut-paper mosaic technique, combine typography with graphic design tools to create name designs, use a CAD program to turn character drawings into 3D-printed figures, design public word sculptures to inspire positive action, and more.
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The theme of this month’s issue was suggested by an interesting group of coincidental article submissions that addressed the topic of language in multiple ways. In this issue, you will find articles that incorporate visual language, written language, spoken language, computer language, and sign language. What languages will you explore with your students?
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After sharing the picture book Alphabet City by Stephen T. Johnson (Puffin Books, 1999) with my class, I introduce students to the work of artist Stephen Powers, who creates artworks that incorporate letters and words. Students then create a cut-paper mosaic of the first letter of their first name. Students share their letter mosaic through a prompt and talk about a problem they solved while making it.
The start of a new school year generates excitement, engagement, and curiosity in every classroom. I’ve found that one way to get to know my sixth-grade students is to introduce a unit on typography. Students bring Chromebooks to the art room daily, so having this technology readily available makes for a fun way to break the ice and get to know your students by name. This unit contains two different projects that typically take three or four one-hour class periods to complete.
We have all had to research and write biographies on different people throughout our educational journeys. For this project, I wanted students to research and reflect on the person they know best—themselves—in a visual artistic manner. A visual autobiography to me is a representation of symbols and characteristics that one uses to describe oneself. The challenge is to choose icons that can accurately express something about yourself while using a minimum of words.
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The 3D printer is an exciting technology, adding to your art program possibilities of sculpture, jewelry design, pottery, and more. In recent years, these printers have become more affordable and user-friendly, so I was eager to incorporate them into my curriculum. For our final 3D printing project, students drew figures on paper and transformed them into 3D designs. This project required the students to adopt a new way of thinking and planning for the resulting 3D print.
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The middle-school years are a wonderful time for students to learn that words matter. In this lesson, the key concept is communication. Students used text on fabric to share their ideas and created word pillows with an inspiring message. I began the lesson with a few quotes and reminded my young artists that these words and others have shaped our country. We [then] discussed how and why words matter. Words have the power to inspire our actions and bring people together.
American Sign Language (ASL) is kindred to the arts as it is a visual language. Combining the arts and ASL is one of many ways you can create an inclusive climate in your school community while celebrating school spirit. Our ASL murals evolved from a unit on plaster wrap and artist George Segal. With a goal to fully engage students, I selected a young adult fluent in ASL on TikTok as our primary resource to introduce the alphabet.
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We start by discussing where we see satire and parody in pop culture. Students naturally wind up talking about “Weird Al” Yankovic or SNL (Saturday Night Live) Weekend Update—things that clearly parody society. I introduce them to artists who use parody in their art, which leads us to examine the art of Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) artist John Pound, who is considered the pioneer of the GPK style. After examining a variety of images by the GPK artists, students brainstorm ideas for their own parody art cards.
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I asked students to think about the word impact and to consider what visuals come to mind when they hear this word. Students were prompted to think about a memory or scenario that motivated them to take some type of positive action. Once students had an example, they wrote about it in a design worksheet, followed by the association of a specific word that embodied what they felt. The design worksheet consisted of a series of prompts addressing intention, placement, personal story (optional), and design concepts.
Thandiwe Muriu is a self-taught Kenyan photographer whose photographs reveal a passion for color, texture, and precision. Her body of work includes commercial, fashion, and portrait photography, and she is internationally renowned for photographs that are part-fashion, part-portrait. These works are a mix of mesmerizing textiles, traditional cultural practices, and stunning new visions of African womanhood.
