In Defense of Art
In this activity, students will compose an essay or speech in defense of art, addressing contemporary concerns about artistic practice and the role of the artist.
ART & LIT LESSON 1: ESSAY/SPEECH
1—2 class periods (60-90 min) + written assignment or speech
VIDEOS:
Against Interpretation Video and Transcript
HANDOUTS:
Handout 3 (as needed)
WORKSHEET:
TEACHING PLAN:
- Art and Culture
Medium > Architecture
Medium > Visual Arts
Subject Matter > Art History
Subject Matter > Music
Subject Matter > Philosophy
- History and Social Studies
Themes > Culture
- Literature and Language Arts
Genre > Drama
Genre > Essay
Place > American
Place > Modern World
- Analysis
- Architectural analysis
- Critical thinking
- Cultural analysis
- Discussion
- Evaluating arguments
- Expository writing
- Gathering, classifying and interpreting written, oral and visual information
- Literary analysis
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions
- Media analysis
- Musical analysis
- Oral presentation skills
- Persuasive writing and speaking
- Representing ideas and information orally and in writing
- Synthesis
- Visual analysis
- Visual art analysis
- Writing skills
- ELA Reading: 5-7
- ELA Writing: 1, 4-6, 10
- ELA Speaking & Listening: 1-2
- HSS Reading: 5-7
- HSS Writing: 1, 4-6, 10
LESSON 1 HANDOUTS
- Allow additional time for peer review, editing, and revision of work, or for students to evaluate the use of perspective, structure, style, and tone in their finished pieces.
- Add a visual requirement, such as the use of images (for essays) or digital media (for speeches).
- Increase the minimum length requirement for the essays or speeches, asking students to compare their own defense of art to the work of historical theorists (see Handout 3 and the Art & Literature Unit Research handout for related texts and resources).
- Publish class excerpts in the school newspaper or literary/art journal, coordinate a class blog, radio segment, or podcast, or encourage students to submit their final pieces independently.