RYAN, MICHAEL

7th Grade Art

In 7th Grade Art we... cover a variety of materials, mediums and artists to expand artistic exploration. 7th grade art acts as a gateway to the three art classes one student could take in 8th Grade: Studio Art, Fiber Arts and Design, and 3D Art. Each project is in service of bolstering artistic skills while also helping to expose students to mediums they may encounter in 8th grade.

• Students work to better understand color theory and how to apply it through the use of colored pencils and paint.
• Students work to understand techniques to help them to draw from observation, utilizing skills learned in 6th grade and augmenting these skills. 
• Students work to investigate mixed mediums within works of art.
• Students work to investigate craft arts and how to manipulate artworks crafted with fibers.
• Students work to investigate transferring information from 2D to 3D and learn sculptural techniques. 

Course Units

• Unit 1: Exploring and Applying Media
• Unit 2: Building Skill and Mixing Mediums
• Unit 3: Craft and Craftsmanship
• Unit 4: Exploring Dimension

*More detailed information on each course unit can be found under the 7th Grade Class heading on my website

An art survey course that allows for exploration of materials and technique across a variety of artistic media that builds upon the work from 6th Grade Art, garners experience, and helps to inform choices beyond this course.

Unit 1: Exploring and Applying Media

In this unit, students will explore drawing techniques, composition, and a variety of drawing-based media that will help them better understand and integrate past skills with new technical knowledge.

Visual Art Practices in Unit 1: 

Developing a respect for tools and materials:

In developing an understanding of the classroom environment and rules and through better understanding technique and process, students learn to better respect and care for the tools and materials allowing them to better work collaboratively, take risks, and assess their process of working. Care for tools and materials transfers to care for student work and craftsmanship.

Developing Craftsmanship:

In developing an understanding for material and tools and working over time, students will be able to better develop craftsmanship in their work and working habits. Through working to critique their work, the work of others, and that of master artists, students will better understand what well crafted objects look like. Self reflective exercises and student-teacher conferences will help this skill to develop throughout the course.

Utilizing Choice

Students will have choice in many aspects of the projects of this unit and beyond. While choice opens doorways in the artistic process it can sometimes be paralyzing. This unit is designed to allow for prescribed choices to help students better attune to their own artistic inclinations and aesthetic so that in future projects and units, more freedom can be given. This will prepare students for more open ended work and the possibility for more risk taking.

Understanding and critiquing artists work:

Using art history as an inroad into lessons, students will work to better understand and critique the work of other artists, which will act not only as a way to give inspiration and help students to better understand the projects at hand and open the doorway to inspiration.

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Unit 2: Exploring and Applying Media

In this unit, students will explore color theory, mixed media techniques, and craft artistic choices of their own based on sketches and rough drafts.

Visual Art Practices in Unit 2: 

Experimenting with materials:

Experimenting with materials and tools is an important step in the process of making art. Through working and practicing with media, more skill can be built and therefore more confidence when it comes to working with materials, some new and some tried and true.

Mixing media to create artwork:

The creation of mixed media or multimedia artworks allows for a greater range of expression and visual complexity. A mixed media artwork will allow students to incorporate texture and balance into their work and give them an opportunity to more succinctly plan and justify their motives. 

Understanding Composition:

Composition and compositional tools help to make a work of art more dynamic for the viewer. Balance, emphasis, pattern, and movement are all helpful principles of design that can help make the composition of artworks more interesting. A better understanding of these principles can help to develop successful, eye-catching artworks. 

Utilizing visual resources and artistic license:

Utilizing reference and visual resources is a part of being an artist, however not directly copying from imagery that isn’t yours or “free use” is problematic. Finding reference is important as an artist but working to change or alter it in a way that is yours, utilizing your artistic license, is an important ethical skill to develop.

Developing critique methodologies:

Students will begin to utilize critique methodologies for the work of master artists which will help them to better understand critique as it relates to their work and the work of their peers.  Self reflection exercises, teacher conference check ins, and peer to peer and class discussion will develop this skill.

Unit 3: Craft Arts and Craftsmanship

In this unit, students will work within craft arts and work to develop a better sense of craftsmanship, precision, and time management through their working methodologies.

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Visual Art Practices in Unit 3: 

Exploring new materials and mediums:

Exploration of new tools and mediums that may not be commonplace, or commonplace in the student’s art practice helps to expand horizons when it comes to making. While tools and mediums might differ, artistic practice and the elements and principles of art remain the same, allowing for a level of comfort as new working methodologies take hold. 

Honing Craftsmanship:

Students will continue to work to develop their craftsmanship as they work throughout the course. Through experiments, small practice projects and larger projects, students will gain an appreciation of craftsmanship throughout a variety of artistic mediums as their projects advance and change. 

Working with precision:

Overtime, artists' ability to work more precisely and with a more detail oriented eye can be developed to allow for finer, more intricate works of art. In exploring the craft arts mediums, students will find that there is a greater opportunity to hone their skill and work with more precision through a variety of projects and exploratory assignments.

Justify Artistic Choices:

While students have worked to craft objects and justify choices prior to this unit, here, students will need to not only justify but also defend the choices they have made as they work to craft their artworks and in their artist statements, reflections, and critiques.

Unit 4: Exploring Dimension

In this unit, students will work to move into three-dimensional exploration with projects that are more sculptural.

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Visual Art Practices in Unit 4: 

Building with dimension

While dimension can be created on two dimensional surfaces through shading and value, working dimensionally by physically building with material is another journey. Utilizing the additive process, students will explore how to build form through a variety of techniques and mediums that will require experimentation and attention to detail. 

Transferring Information from two- to three-dimensions:

Students will work to combine the skills that they have learned while learning to work with sculptural materials and while working to craft more dimensional creations based off of reference and taken from life. Students will work to transfer information from two- to three- dimensions, crafting artwork that will require an attention to detail and an experimentation to mimic and portray dimension accurately. 

Synthesizing process start to finish

As a culminating unit, students will work to synthesize and actualize their project on multiple fronts. From initial sketches and questions, to building, to check in mid-process, to artist statements and final reflections, students will utilize their robust experience to both cerebrally and creatively express themselves.

3D Art

In 3D Art we... explore three-dimensional art creation in clay and other sculptural mediums. Students will learn how to craft objects that are both in relief and in the round. Utilizing a variety of materials, but primarily focusing on clay, students will have the opportunity to sculpt and craft objects that help them to better understand working in three dimensions. 

• Students work to apply the knowledge of color theory that they have learned in the last three years into a variety of sculptures.
• Students learn how to model objects in clay through a variety of techniques (slab, coil, pinch pot, and carving). 
• Students learn how to craft objects through process-based decision-making. 
• Students investigate other sculptural materials, including recycled materials. 

Course Units

• Unit 1: Basic Building Blocks
• Unit 2: Craftsmanship and Technique: Building Skill
• Unit 3: Dimensional Exploration
• Unit 4: Form, Function, and Synthesized Creation

*More detailed information on each course unit can be found under the 3D Art Class heading on my website

An introduction to three dimensional mediums in art, specifically clay, with opportunity to grow and develop artistic understanding in form, relief, and sculptural creation. 

Unit 1: Intro to 3D (Basic Building Blocks)

In this unit, students will be learning the basics of working dimensionally through working in low relief, better understanding the elements and principles of art and how they relate to form based artwork, and developing craftsmanship in dimension.

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Visual Art Practices: 

Developing a respect for tools and materials:

In developing an understanding for the classroom environment and rules and through better understanding technique and process, students learn to better respect and care for the tools and materials allowing them to better work collaboratively, take risks, and assess their process of working.

Developing Craftsmanship:

In developing an understanding for material and working over time, students will be able to better develop craftsmanship in their work and working habits. Through working to critique their work, the work of others, and that of master artists, students will better understand what well crafted objects look like. Through working with materials over time students will develop a better sense of that craft. 

Understanding and interpreting artists work:

Using art history as an inroad into lessons, students will work to better understand and interpret the work of other artists which will act not only as a way to give inspiration and help students to better understand the projects at hand but also to develop craftsmanship and work to critique. 

Critique methodologies:

Students will utilize critique in the work of master artists which will help them to critique their own work and the work of their peers. Through self reflection exercises, students will better hone their own self reflection strategies.

Unit 2: Craftsmanship and Technique (Building Skill)

In this unit, students will work to further development and hone their craftsmanship while working three dimensionally and creating objects that are both aesthetically designed and functional.

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Visual Art Practices: 

Exploration of Technique

In working further within the medium of clay, students will be exposed to different techniques and building methods that will reference earlier techniques and expand upon them. Students will have the opportunity to use what they have learned and go further with it.

Honing Craftsmanship:

Students will continue to work to develop their craftsmanship as they continue to work in the medium of clay. Through experiments, small practice projects and larger clay projects, students will gain an appreciation of working with clay and a better understanding of how to clean, refine, and make objects look more polished. This advancement of craftsmanship is commonplace in all art mediums.

Combining Methods of Working:

In developing skill, technique, and craft, students will also better understand how techniques can be combined to create a desired result that may not be available with one technique alone. This will further not only their visual vocabulary but their creative thinking.

Unit 3: Dimensional Exploration

This unit will push students to synthesize their knowledge of working in three dimensions to create artworks that are inspired by observation and are based in and draw inspiration from life. 

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Visual Art Practices: 

Develop Observational Skills

In this unit, students will better develop their observational skills as they work from reference to craft their projects. References may include photographs or real life objects which they will use as inspiration and a driving force in the creation of work in this unit.

Transferring Information from two- to three-dimensions:

Students will synthesize the skills that they have learned while learning to work with sculptural materials in their initial projects and work to craft more dimensional creations based off of reference and taken from life. Students will work to transfer information from two- to three- dimensions, crafting artwork that will require an attention to detail and an experimentation to mimic and portray dimension accurately. 

Justify Artistic Choices:

While students have worked to craft objects and justify choices prior to this unit, here, students will need to not only justify but also defend the choices they have made as they work to craft their artworks and in their artist statements, reflections, and critiques. 

Unit 4: Form, Function, and Synthesis

In this culminating unit of the course, students will utilize the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the course to craft a final project that involves a multitude if not all of the technical building techniques they have learned. This unit will utilize the term form and function as a jumping off point for students, either creating something functional with decorative form or utilizing previous functional items to create something with interesting form.

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Visual Art Practices: 

Self Directed Inquiry and Exploration

Student inquiry and exploration on this project will be without as much aid of the initial units guiding hand from the teacher. While the teacher will always be there to help and to mentor during the process, with the parameters and expectations set, the teacher will work to conference more and lead less as students leave the creative nest so to speak.

Investigating Form and Function 

As craftspeople, artists often must marry form and function together to ensure that something is both usable and aesthetically pleasing. Students will investigate this marriage through the duration of the unit as they examine examples and the work of other artists and as they work to create and craft themselves.

Synthesizing process start to finish

As a culminating unit, students will work to synthesize and actualize their project on multiple fronts. From initial sketches and questions, to building, to check in mid-process, to artist statements and final reflections, students will utilize their robust experience to both cerebrally and creatively express themselves.