Secondary Art Classes

Art Making and Meaning is an extensive resource.  A year-long inquiry-oriented high-school art class might address all seventeen Art Making and Meaning questions.  A two-dimensional class might focus on the Anne Coe segments of the DVD.  A three-dimensional class might focus on the Michael Brolly segments. It is a good idea to preview each segment in case some introduction may be in order. Some teachers might find a few artworks a bit suggestive for middle or high school students.  They might choose to skip parts of these Michael Brolly segments: “The Real Thing,” “More to See and Touch,” “What Does it Do,” “Group Think and My Two Cents,” “Experienced and Informed,” “Family Resemblance,” and “Big Ideas.” 

The DVD “Introduction” provides a general orientation to the four categories of inquiry presented in Art Making and Meaning.  Middle school or high school teachers of introduction to art classes should select those Art Making and Meaning questions that most closely address their broad goals.  They might wish to begin with questions that lead to “Facts about an Artwork”, “Contextual Facts,” and the “What the Artist Wants to Do” question from “Conclusions about Meanings.”  Teachers of more advanced classes might continue with the more sophisticated questions in “Conclusions about Meanings” and “Conclusions about Connections among Artworks.”