Fear and Protection in Art Education: Thematic Curriculum Design to Support Emotional Expression and Response
The thesis project is developed from questions raised by one or more of the following: observations, fieldwork, reading, studio practice, personal interest, and related art education coursework. Throughout this iterative journey, I engaged in continuous self-reflection, both within the context of teaching and as a non-native English speaker (NNES). By analyzing video recordings of my teaching, teaching artifacts and student work, I gained valuable insights into areas for improving my curriculum design and teaching, especially teaching English Language Learners (ELLs). Recognizing the significance of students’ linguistic backgrounds in shaping my teaching approach moving forward, this reflective process acknowledges the multifaceted influence of language on curriculum development.
My thematic curriculum is focused on the theme of fear and protection from the afterschool program with PS 329Q. This documentation outlines the evolution of my curriculum and is organized into two main parts: the iterative process of crafting project examples and curriculum design.Shared here is a detailed account of artist research related to the theme and the multiple iterations of a project example, each undergoing numerous revisions before reaching the final version. After crafting the project examples, I constructed a sequence of 5 lessons, envisioning how my lessons would be structured if taught in the classroom. This initial sequence was subsequently expanded and polished into a comprehensive 14-lesson curriculum, drawing insights from my teaching experience and reflections gained through the implementation of the 5-lesson unit plan in practice.Lastly, my teaching reflections, examples of children’s work in progress offers further insight into how I revised my curriculum, serving as evidence of inward reflection on my teaching practice.
Here is my Unit Plan Overview (14 weeks):
| Unit Plan Overview (14 Weeks) | |
|---|---|
| Unit Plan Theme | Fear and Protection: Paper Mache Pectoral Sculpture Project |
| Grade Level | 4th and 5th Grades |
| Enduring Idea | As our understanding of the world expands, the list of what we fear or are scared of will also grow longer. Although some fears are grounded in reality while others are products of our imagination, fear remains a universal feeling in every human experience. We continually grapple with our fears and seek ways to overcome them. Facing and confronting fears is a powerful way to protect ourselves. This unit plan will center its lessons on the interplay between fear and protection. Students will learn about how artists address their fears within their works and the protection they portray in response to their fears. |
| Essential Question | How do artists address and respond to their fears in their works? |
| Unit Plan Description Statement | Through creating a pectoral relief sculpture with paper mache and acrylic paint, students will be able to transform 2-dimensional materials into 3-dimensional structures with their hands and understand that artwork could hold feelings and that the process of art-making could be a method to address or respond to these feelings. |
When seeking artists to incorporate into my unit plan, I utilized various resources to identify contemporary artists exploring the themes of fear and protection.
Following my research, I compiled an artist research document featuring all relevant artists and their artwork for my unit plan, whether modern or contemporary. These artists were further categorized into groups: contemporary artists exploring fear and those exploring protection. After a thorough investigation, I identified four artists—Nick Cave, Louise Bourgeois, Bisa Butler, and Landon Pointer—each with one or more artworks related to the theme of fear and protection. These artists approach this theme in distinctive ways.
Project Example
In exploring the theme of fear and protection, I initially chose to develop two project examples, each centered around a different subtheme. A project example serves as an important instructional strategy in art teacher education, providing a practice work to illuminate and refine the main learning, skills, and experiences embedded in the project. (Pratt ADE website, 2023) For the “Fear” project, I decided to create a collage project with oil pastels that visualizes fears through the use of language. On the other hand, for the theme of “Protection,” I’ve envisioned a sculpture project using paper mache and acrylic paint. The interconnection between the two projects provides depth and cohesion to the overall exploration of fear and protection. Through these interconnected projects, students will have the opportunity to delve into specific subthemes, allowing the process of confronting their fears to unfold gradually. Toward the end of making various project examples, I’ve chosen to prioritize the sculpture project centered around the theme of protection. As a result, the project about fear will not be incorporated into this curriculum. The images are a series of pictures that showcase multiple iterations of my project example.
| Lesson Summaries at a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Lesson 1 | Exploring Paper Relief Sculpture Through making an exploratory paper relief sculpture using monochromatic paper strips and their hands, students will learn to manipulate paper into 3-dimensional structures by curving, rolling, folding, and twisting. Additionally, they will understand what a relief sculpture is and how it can be constructed using 2-dimensional materials. |
| Lesson 2 | Fear and Protection By observing and discussing contemporary works of art that explore the themes of fear and protection, students will identify their fears. They will also sketch out their ideas of fears and objects that symbolize protection against those fears on a brainstorming worksheet. Through this process, students will learn that the works of other artists inspire artists and artists could address and respond to their fears through art-making. |
| Lesson 3 | Symbol and Exaggeration Through analyzing artworks that employ symbols and exaggeration, student develop their ideas brainstormed in Lesson #2 and create sculpture sketches that exaggerate forms to emphasize their chosen protective objects. They will also learn that artists use symbols and exaggeration to convey ideas, emotions, or themes, allowing for a deeper interpretation of their work. |
| Lesson 4 | Reflection and Base Selection After receiving feedback from their peers on their sculpture sketches, students will make adjustments to their sketches and offer suggestions for suitable bases for their relief sculptures, choosing from three different shapes. Through this process, they will learn that feedback can assist artists in refining their work and generating new ideas. |
| Lesson 5 | Creating Paper Forms Through an exploration of 3-dimensional forms using newsprint paper and tape, students will create a variety of paper forms based on their sculpture sketches. Students will also learn that forms are 3-dimensional shapes, and artists use their hands to manipulate paper into different forms. |
| Lesson 6 | Building Armature Through building armatures for their protective relief sculptures based on their sculpture sketches, students will continue to explore the manipulation of paper forms and develop the ability to view their sculpture from different perspectives during construction. They will also learn that the creative process of sculptural construction begins with the armature, the underlying structure. |
| Lesson 7 | Paper Mache Through applying paper mache to their protective relief sculpture, students will be able to cover the armature of the sculpture using overlapping and crossing techniques. They will also learn that paper mache acts as the “skin” that goes over the armature, helping to maintain the final form of their relief sculpture and making it stronger and smoother. |
| Lesson 8 | Paper Mache As students apply paper mache to their sculptures, they will ensure that all areas are thoroughly covered with newsprint. Through this process, they will learn that artists pay close attention to details, which affect the final results. |
| Lesson 9 | Monochromatic Color Palette By learning about a monochromatic color palette, students will be able to choose either a primary or secondary color for their 3-color palette and map out the color placement on their sculpture sketches. They will also learn that artists thoughtfully select a color palette. |
| Lesson 10 | Reflection Through a peer-share feedback session, students will refine their color palette or placement on their sculpture sketches based on the feedback they received. They will also learn the importance of reflecting on their creative process before progressing to the next step. |
| Lesson 11 | Painting: Base Color By referring to their sketch from the oil pastel color palette exploration, students will use a large brush to apply the chosen base color from their monochromatic color palette onto the sculpture. They will also learn that artists carefully choose materials and utilize planning tools that support their art-making process. |
| Lesson 12 | Painting: Medium Shapes Through continuing to paint their protective sculptures, students will use a medium brush to map out shapes that define features of their protective sculpture. They will also learn that shape can be used as a design tool to enhance and exaggerate features of a subject. |
| Lesson 13 | Painting: Details Finalizing their protective sculpture, students will use a thin brush to add details with the third and final color of their color palette; they will also learn that more information can add visual description and a sense of finality to our artwork. |
| Lesson 14 | Artist Statement and Celebration In a final celebration students share their completed protective sculptures, students will have the opportunity to wear their sculptures and express their artist statements through kinesthetic sharing. Through this experience, they understand that wearable artwork can be a form of self-expression. They will also recognize the presentation of a single artwork can influence how people engage with it. |
Reflections on Material Exploration
As the foundation of studio practices, materials aren’t merely substances and tools; they are expressive media and carriers of meaning. (Hafeli, 2005) Understanding the properties and possibilities of different materials empowers students to become more independent and expressive during their creative processes. I had the opportunity to use students’ work as a lens to analyze my teaching methods. Although we didn’t reach the painting stage for the sculptures by the end of the sequence, their work still provided valuable insights into my teaching approach for sculpture building. Reflecting on my lesson plans, I noticed that the after-school program’s scheduling structure has limited students’ opportunities to explore the materiality of paper form sculptures. This constraint was reflected in their work, particularly in the transition from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional forms. It becomes evident that there are interconnected issues concerning both scaffolding and open-ended exploration that need further attention.
The Lack of Scaffolding
Scaffolding, essential for introducing new concepts or skills, was not fully integrated into this sequence. The only lesson dedicated to material exploration is Lesson 2, where students have the opportunity to create various paper forms with newsprint paper and tape. However, this exploratory lesson fell short of bridging the gap between understanding materials and the later sculpture-building process in Lesson 3. The sculptures made by Student 1, 2, and 3, alongside their chosen reference images (presented to the right), illustrate varying skill levels in transitioning from 2-dimensional images to 3-dimensional forms. Student 2’s sculpture particularly highlights the need for more time allocated to sculpture building, as many of the students’ sculptures could be further developed.
During the process of constructing their sculptures using premade paper forms, I observed that students encountered difficulties in manipulating the materials. These challenges included connecting pieces, stacking, and achieving curved lines. These difficulties can be attributed, in part, to the lack of scaffolding. Lesson 3’s focus shifted to composition, guiding students to select bases from rectangular, circular, and oval shapes. While composition is crucial, this emphasis overlooked the essential skill of building 3-dimensional sculptures based on 2-dimensional reference pictures. Students were prompted to create sculptures from references without adequate prior experimentation with and understanding of the materials. Consequently, students’ comprehension of paper form sculpture remained insufficient. Realizing this, I recognize the need for a refined unit plan centered around material exploration. By providing students with more opportunities to understand and manipulate materials before starting on final projects, I can enhance their creative potential and depth of understanding.
Open-ended Exploration
The sequence’s structure, beginning with a thematic lesson, inadvertently constrained students’ creative exploration. This 5-sequenced lesson started by prompting students to discuss the work of contemporary artists and explore a singular theme. At the end of Lesson 1, students were asked to brainstorm ideas for their protective object in response to personal fears, thereby determining the concept of their final project from the outset. While the thematic approach provided a focal point, it potentially limited students’ freedom to discover the full potential of the materials.
In the first chapter of Exploring Studio Materials, Mary Hafeli (2005) points out that “a lesson or project involves special art material and making things doesn’t mean it’s an optimal creative experience for the artist” (p.19). Hafeli emphasized two key aspects of open-ended studio processes: firstly, “experimenting with art materials is purposeful play” (p.20), and secondly, “the goal of purposeful play is to understand how the variety of effects you create can suggest different meanings in artwork” (p.20). Placing material exploration, which occured in Lesson 2, after the thematic lesson, could confine students’ exploration and hinder their ability to engage in purposeful play. This limitation may restrict their opportunity to explore ideas beyond the predetermined theme.
For the revised unit plan (see Teaching Material Section), dedicating initial lessons to hands-on experimentation with paper forms could equip students with the necessary skills to create their sculptures later in the sequence. Moreover, creating an environment of open-ended exploration throughout the entire sequence, where students are encouraged to explore materials freely and generate their ideas, can cultivate creativity and foster deeper artistic engagement.
Hafeli, Mary Claire. (2005). Exploring studio materials : teaching creative art making to children. Oxford University Press.
Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin, a SAGE company.
Harmon, D. A. (2012). Culturally Responsive Teaching Through a Historical Lens: Will History Repeat Itself? ERIC. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1056428.pdf
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Yun Ju (Rebecca) Yu is a graduate of the BFA/MA in Art and Design Education, 2024. Her interests are in teaching visual art in an elementary school in NYC particularly…