This lesson plan was researched and written by Serenity Mitchell, a Spring 2022 University of Texas at Tyler Exhibition Practicum Student. The lesson plan was edited by Rachel Anthony, the Tyler Museum of Art Education Manager.
If you use or reference this lesson plan, please leave a comment with your feedback. The lesson plan can be downloaded in the link below.
Anonymous, Mask, Moor c 1985 Tlaquitlapa Guerrero Mexico 13 5/8 x 9 x 5 7/8 Wood, commercial paint E6. Tyler Museum of Art, Gift off Laura and Dan Boeckman. 2010.1.75
Culture: Mexico
Subject: Folk Art, Art History
Collection: Boeckman Collection
Grades: Middle School
Topics: Artistic Practices, Art History, Critical Thinking
Art Vocabulary
Activity Vocabulary:
Elements of Design
Line Quality
- The sensitivity and control of line variation to express visual characteristic.
Shape
- Refers to a solid or the illusion of a solid; a shape having height, width, depth, i.e. geometric, organic shape.
Form
- The shape, outline, or configuration of any structure as apart from color, and material.
Space
- The implied receding distance from the viewer.
Color
- A pure color, the quality of a color;
- The common name of a color;
- And, hue also implies the temperature of a color.
Texture
- The actual and visual feel of surface areas.
Principles of Design
Rhythm/ Pattern
- Repetition of an element or a motif, and/or the emphasis of directional movements.
Movement
- An implied visual sensation through repetition of an element or through a progressive change of an element.
Balance
- A feeling of equal weight, attention, or attraction of visual elements within an artwork.
- The hidden structure and relationship of elements within a work, giving it stability, tension, excitement, or equilibrium. Individual relationships may be unbalanced but balance may exist within the total structure.
- A feeling of equality in weight, attention, or attraction of the various elements within the pictorial field.
Craftsmanship
- Everything from attention to detail, to sensitivity with materials, and the appropriateness of the for things to look at and think about in relation to how we make things; the ability to produced well-made objects and images.
Proportion
- Comparison of elements in terms of their relative size, or quantity.
- Asymmetrical: A form of balance created when visual units are placed in different positions within the picture, creating a sense of equilibrium, without repeating placement of units with respect to the central axis.
- Symmetrical: A form of balance in which each half of an image is a mirror reflection of the other half
Bibliography: Resources for Vocabulary and Lesson Plan
Corrales, Eloy Martín, and Consuelo López-Morillas. “Peace Treaties with Morocco, the Ottoman Empire, and the North African Regencies.” In Muslims in Spain, 1492- 1814: Living and Negotiating in the Land of the Infidel, 216–50. Brill, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctv1sr6k4c.11.
“Glossary of Art Terms – Cleveland Institute of Art.” Accessed April 21, 2022.https://www.cia.edu/files/resources/14ciaglossaryofartterms.pdf.
Office of the Secretary of State. “§117.202: Art, Middle School 1, Adopted 2013.” Texas Education Agency: Education, updated 2013, accessed January 5, 2022, https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=2&ch=117&rl=202.
Office of the Secretary of State. “§117.203: Art, Middle School 2, Adopted 2013.” Texas Education Agency: Education, updated 2013, accessed January 5, 2022, https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=2&ch=117&rl=203.
Office of the Secretary of State. “§117.204: Art, Middle School 3, Adopted 2013.” Texas Education Agency: Education, updated 2013, accessed January 5, 2022, https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=2&ch=117&rl=204.
The Folk Art of Latin America by Marion Oettinger, Jr., “The Many Faces of Latin American Folk Art” 27-31 AND “Masks” and “Puppets,” 50 -57.
Tyerman, Christopher. “CRUSADES IN SPAIN.” In The World of the Crusades, 285–306. Yale University Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvgc61wq.14.
Middle School Lesson Plans
Goals:
Middle School Students of all Levels will be able to do the following:
- Identify the principles of design used in the artwork;
- Identify the elements of design used in the artwork;
- Students will learn about the history of Mexico and the complex beliefs that continue in the modern era;
- And, students will learn about traditions and arts made in Mexico.
Texas Middle School TEKS:
Art 1, Art 2, Art 3
Art 1:
- §117.202.c.1.A / B / C / D
- Foundations: Observation and Perception:
- identify and illustrate concepts from direct observation, original sources, personal experiences, and communities such as family, school, cultural, local, regional, national, and international;
- understand and apply the elements of art, including line, shape, color, texture, form, space, and value, as the fundamentals of art in personal artworks using art vocabulary appropriately;
- understand and apply the principles of design, including emphasis, repetition/pattern, movement/rhythm, contrast/variety, balance, proportion, and unity, in personal artworks using art vocabulary appropriately;
- discuss the expressive properties of artworks such as appropriation, meaning, narrative, message, and symbol using art vocabulary accurately.
- Foundations: Observation and Perception:
- §117.202.c.1.A
- Creative Expression:
- create original artworks based on direct observations, original sources, personal experiences, and the community;
- Creative Expression:
- §117.202.c.3.A / B / C
- Historical and Cultural Relevance:
- identify the influence of historical and political events in artworks;
- identify examples of art that convey universal themes such as beliefs, cultural narrative, life cycles, the passage of time, identity, conflict, and cooperation;
- explain the relationships that exist between societies and their art and architecture;
- Historical and Cultural Relevance:
- §117.202.c.4.A / B
- Critical Evaluation and Response
- create written or oral responses to artwork using appropriate art vocabulary;
- analyze original artworks using a method of critique such as describing the artwork, analyzing the way it is organized, interpreting the artist’s intention, and evaluating the success of the artwork;
- Critical Evaluation and Response
Art 2:
- §117.203.b.1.A / B / C / D
- Foundations: Observation and Perception:
- identify and illustrate ideas from direct observation, original sources, imagination, personal experiences, and communities such as family, school, cultural, local, regional, national, and international;
- compare and contrast the elements of art, including line, shape, color, texture, form, space, and value, as the fundamentals of art in personal artworks using vocabulary accurately;
- compare and contrast the principles of design, including emphasis, repetition/pattern, movement/rhythm, contrast/variety, balance, proportion, and unity, in personal artworks using vocabulary accurately;
- understand and apply the expressive properties of artworks such as appropriation, meaning, narrative, message, and symbol using art vocabulary accurately.
- Foundations: Observation and Perception:
- §117.203.b.1.A
- Creative Expression:
- create original artworks that express a variety of ideas based on direct observations, original sources, and personal experiences, including memory, identity, imagination, and the community;
- Creative Expression:
- §117.203.b.3.A / B / C
- Historical and Cultural Relevance:
- analyze ways that global, cultural, historical, and political issues influence artworks;
- analyze selected artworks to determine contemporary relevance in relationship to universal themes such as belief, cultural narrative, life cycles, the passage of time, identity, conflict, and cooperation;
- compare and contrast relationships that exist between a society’s art and its music, literature, and architecture;
- Historical and Cultural Relevance:
- §117.203.b.4.A / B
- Critical Evaluation and Response:
- create written or oral responses about personal or collaborative artworks addressing purpose, technique, organization, judgment, and personal expression;
- analyze original artworks using a method of critique such as describing the artwork, analyzing the way it is organized, interpreting the artist’s intention, and evaluating the success of the artwork;
- Critical Evaluation and Response:
Art 3:
- §117.203.b.1.A / B / C / D
- Foundations: Observation and Perception:
- identify and illustrate concepts from direct observation, original sources, imagination, personal experience, and communities such as family, school, cultural, local, regional, national, and international;
- evaluate the elements of art, including line, shape, color, texture, form, space, and value, as the fundamentals of art in personal artworks using vocabulary accurately;
- evaluate the principles of design, including emphasis, repetition/pattern, movement/rhythm, contrast/variety, balance, proportion, and unity, in personal artworks using vocabulary accurately;
- compare and contrast the expressive properties of artworks, including appropriation, meaning, narrative, message, and symbol, using vocabulary accurately.
- Foundations: Observation and Perception:
- §117.203.b.1.A
- Creative Expression:
- create original artworks expressing themes found through direct observation; original sources; personal experiences, including memory, identity, and imagination; and the community;
- Creative Expression:
- §117.203.b.3.A / B / C
- Historical and Cultural Relevance:
- analyze ways in which global, contemporary, historical, and political issues have influenced art;
- analyze cultural ideas expressed in artworks relating to social, political, and environmental themes such as environment/nature, conflict and power, relationships to others, and reality/fantasy;
- evaluate the relationships that exist among a society’s art, music, theatre, and dance;
- Historical and Cultural Relevance:
- §117.203.b.4.A / B
- Critical Evaluation and Response:
- create written and oral responses about personal or collaborative artworks addressing purpose, technique, organization, judgment, and personal expression;
- analyze original artworks and portfolios using a method of critique such as describing the artwork, analyzing the way it is organized, interpreting the artist’s intention, and evaluating the success of the artwork;
- Critical Evaluation and Response:
Middle School Art Activities
Questions for Middle School Students:
- Examine (Moor Mask). Identify where each element of art is located in the folk art.
- Examine (Moor Mask). Identify where each principle of art is located in the folk art.
- Why was this artwork created?
Activity: Middle School Fine Arts
Setting: Classroom
- Materials: Paper, bars of soap, pencils, paint brushes plastic ceramic carving tools, watercolor paints, and paper plates.
- Subject: Creating a Mask in the Style of the Moor Mask
- Activity: Middle School Art History
- Activity Setting: In the gallery, or outside, depending on the group’s participation level.
- Materials: Pencil/ Pen on Paper or Word Document
- Subject: Native mask, foreign empires, historical events that have been documented
- Texas TEKS: Art 1, Art 2, Art 3
- Duration: A Lecture
The idea of the history assignment will be to learn about the conquest of the natives of Mexico and their experiences, their experiences with new religions. Additionally, students will learn how the indigenous people coped with the east Spanish Recontaquestsa.
This should include learning of the emperors of the Spain and northern Africa, the Berbers, or Moors as they were known as by the Spanish. They will learn about the inclusion of the native people of the land and how Christian or early Catholic missionaries attempted negotiations with the natives and the Spanish. The lesson will end with the recreation and influences of the mask as well as the mask purpose within the now colonized or modern Spanish society. Then, the students will be asked how it ties them to the past and continue in the future.
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