The Social Struggles of Contemporary Black Art

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 22.03.05

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Rationale
  3. Unit Content - An Overview
  4. Teaching Strategies
  5. Classroom Activities
  6. Appendix on Implementing District Standards
  7. Notes
  8. Bibliography

Struggle, Defiance, and Triumph: Black Photographers and Their Magic

Katherine Steiner

Published September 2022

Tools for this Unit:

Classroom Activities

Lesson: One - Subject and Theme

Time: 90 Minutes

Lesson Objective:

Students will be able to define subject and theme as applied to photography, in order to begin designing their own photography project.

National Core Art Standards:

#VA:Cn10.1  Anchor Standard: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

#VA:Re8.1  Anchor Standard: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Related Artwork: Zanele Muholi’s Faces and Phases project

Lesson Activities:

Analyzing the Art: Students will view images from Zanele Muholi’s Faces and Phases project, and use the 5-5-5 strategy to keep track of what they notice while looking at the photographs.

The teacher will show Muholi’s video on their project, and then continue the conversation about subject and theme in photographs.

Making Art: Students will use their sketchbooks to draw thumbnails of some photography ideas. Students will be encouraged to pick a subject (person, please, or thing) that has significance to them and/or a subject they want to use to make a statement. Students will practice taking photographs of their classmates using their phones, focusing on capturing facial expressions. (Teacher will clearly review all policies on social media and posting photos taken in class online.) Students will upload all photos taken to the classroom on Google Drive.

Lesson: Two - Balance and Juxtaposition

Time: 90 Minutes

Lesson Objective:

Students will be able to define balance and juxtaposition as it applies to photography, in order to continue work on their independent photography assignment.

National Core Art Standards:

#VA:Cn10.1  Anchor Standard: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

#VA:Re8.1  Anchor Standard: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Related Artwork: Hank Willis Thomas’ Cotton Bowl

Lesson Procedure:

Analyzing the Art: Students will analyze Thomas’ Cotton Bowl using the 5-5-5 strategy, and then discuss as a class what they think it means. Once students have gotten their ideas down on paper, the teacher will discuss Thomas’ original plan for the image and what it means. Teacher will lead a discussion on balancing photographs, with students slowly taking over and running the conversation.

Making Art: Students will look at their sketchbook thumbnails from the previous class and determine if they are balanced or unbalanced (which is not necessarily a bad thing,) and look at what they included and specifically didn’t include. Students will create new thumbnail sketches, using the concepts of balance and juxtaposition (or purposefully ignoring them.) Students will take photographs in the classroom, specifically looking for balance and juxtaposition for at least one photo, and at least one photo that shows a lack of balance. Students will upload all photographs to Google Drive.

Lesson: Three - Composition and Perspective

Time: 90 Minutes

Lesson Objective:

Students will be able to define composition and perspective as it applies to photography, in order to compose and think about the specific photographs in their projects.

National Core Art Standards:

#VA:Cn10.1  Anchor Standard: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

#VA:Re8.1  Anchor Standard: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Related Artwork: Nicole Fleetwood’s Marking Time, Keith Calhoun and Shaundra McCormick’s Angola Prison Series

Lesson Procedure:

Analyzing the Art: Students will look at a collection of photos from Marking Time and Angola, composed of photos that are both obviously prison photos and some that don’t make it clear where they’re taken. Students will write about photographs that are most important to them in their own lives, and compare them to the photos they’re looking at on the screen.

Making Art: Students will look at the photos they’ve taken so far, as well as their classmates’ photos, and analyze the composition and perspective of at least 2 of their own and 2 photographs of classmates. Then students will continue to refine their ideas on what they want their project to look like. The teacher will individually conference with each student to establish a plan and timeline for their project.

Lesson: Four - Inference and Hidden Meaning

Time: 90 Minutes

Lesson Objective:

Students will be able to infer meaning from loaded photography, in order to interpret the photographs of others.

National Core Art Standards:

#VA:Re8.1  Anchor Standard: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

#VA:Cr3.1  Anchor Standard: Refine and complete artistic work.

Related Artwork: Hank Willis Thomas’ Football and Chain, Basketball and Chain

Lesson Procedure:

Analyzing the Art: Students will compare the two images of Football and Chain, and Basketball and Chain. Then they will think-pair-share on what they think the photographs mean and what gives them those ideas. They’ll use what they know already about the pieces of the images to piece together a meaning.

Making Art: Students will each present a photo they have taken (for the class or otherwise), and the class will try to determine the intention before the photographer explains the photo. Students will be released from the studio as needed to take photographs around the school (only entering offices and classrooms with prior approval.) Bathrooms and locker rooms are off-limits, and will be explicitly explained to students. Students must submit 5 new photographs taken in school that day to receive credit for the class period.

Lesson: Five - Candid vs. Posed

Time: 90 Minutes

Lesson Objective:

Students will be able to analyze the difference between candid and posed photos, in order to have variety in their photographs.

National Core Art Standards:

#VA:Re8.1  Anchor Standard: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

#VA:Cr3.1  Anchor Standard: Refine and complete artistic work.

Related Artwork: Charles Harris’ Two Young Women Eating Caramel Apples, Duke Ellington etc.

Lesson Procedure:

Analyzing the Art: Students will compare the two Harris images, noting the similarities and differences. Students will then discuss the difference between candid and posed photos, and suggest situations in which each might be appropriate.

Making Art: With prior approval from teachers, students will break into teams and photograph in other classrooms. At this point, students who feel comfortable can begin using digital cameras that are not their phones (pending availability.) Three candid and three posed photos will be required to complete this lesson, all submitted to Google Drive.

Lesson: Six - Making a Statement

Time: 90 Minutes

Lesson Objective:

Students will be able to interpret statements made without words in artwork, in order to prepare to make their own statements using photography.

National Core Art Standards:

#VA:Re8.1 Anchor Standard: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

#VA:Cr3.1  Anchor Standard: Refine and complete artistic work.

Related Artwork: Fabrice Monteiro’s Prophecy Series

Lesson Procedure:

Analyzing the Art: Students will choose one of the several photos being displayed, and apply the 5-5-5 strategy to it. Students will then get into groups based on the photo they chose and discuss. Each group will then choose a representative to talk about their chosen photo and explain their interpretation. Ideally, all the photos will be chosen by students. If this isn’t the case, the teacher will summarize the photos not discussed by the class.

Making Art: Students will analyze all the photos they’ve taken so far, and pick a few that make their point. Each student will take their chosen photos and ask at least three other classmates what statement the photos make. Students will conference with one another to determine what photos they should still take, and then conference with the teacher to make sure they’re on track with their timeline. 

Lesson: Seven - Bringing Artists Together in One Show

Time: 90 Minutes

Lesson Objective:

Students will be able to identify the components of an art exhibition, in order to prepare to exhibit their own work.

National Core Art Standards:

#VA:Re8.1  Anchor Standard: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

#VA:Cr3.1  Anchor Standard: Refine and complete artistic work.

#VA:Pr.4.1  Anchor Standard: Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation.

Related Artwork: POOL Exhibit - Various artists

Lesson Procedure:

Analyzing the Art: Students will work in small groups, pairs, or individually to explore the POOL exhibit online (http://www.poolphl.com/) and complete a reflection worksheet (either on paper or via Google Forms) that asks students which photographs or other media stuck with them most, which photographers they liked best, and common threads through the different areas of the exhibit.

Making Art: Students who have already completed their portion of the gallery will begin to print their photographs. Those students will get a lesson on how to use the different photo printers, while the other students complete their photo galleries. Students will have a minimum of 6 photographs and a maximum of 10 photographs for their gallery installation. Once work is printed, students will begin determining which installations work well juxtaposed together.

Lesson: Eight - Preparing Photographs for Exhibition

Time: 90 Minutes

Lesson Objective:

Students will be able to identify and follow through with printing and preparing photos for exhibition, in order to set up a gallery to display their photos.

National Core Art Standards:

#VA:Cr3.1  Anchor Standard: Refine and complete artistic work.

#VA:Pr.4.1  Anchor Standard: Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation.

Lesson Procedure:

Making Art: Students who have not yet printed their photos will do so. Once photos are printed, students will decide how they want to display them. They can choose to frame, mat, mount, or all of the above. Students will choose the color of the frame/mat/mounting board that compliments the theme and statement of their piece. Students will decide on the composition of their work, and complete their work. Students and teacher will install the artwork, as determined by the students, in a designated space in the school building along with a brief explanation of what the exhibit is.

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