Collective Art as a Catalyst for Social Change

Materials:

• Large canvas or multiple panels (one per group or student)

• Acrylic paints, brushes

• Sketching pencils, erasers

• Newspaper article printouts if preferred

• Laptops/tablets (for research)

• Projector or SMART Board

• Digital sharing platform (Google Classroom)

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Georgia State Standards:

• VAHSCR.1: Visual Art Concepts and Critical Thinking

• VAHSAR.2: Contextual Understanding and Reflection

• VAHSPR.1: Creating Art

• VAHSCP.1: Collaboration and Presentation

• VAHSCU.2: Connections to Community and Cultural Issues

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Essential Questions:

• How can art be used as a catalyst for social change?

• What techniques help unify individual artworks into a cohesive visual message?

• What are the multiple causes contributing to modern social issues?

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Lesson Objectives:

• Students will analyze Jacob Lawrence’s visual narrative techniques.

• Students will investigate a current social issue, identifying multiple root causes.

• Students will contribute to a collaborative artwork expressing their perspective on the issue.

• Students will share and reflect on their artwork through a digital platform.

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Resource/Artist Reference:

• Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series (Whitney Museum of American Art)

• Interviews and video resources (See below)

• Recent newspaper articles on current social issues

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Steps and Description:

1. Introduction: Present Lawrence’s Migration Series and discuss its impact.

2. Research: Have students investigate one social issue of interest, using

         articles that highlight its complexity and multi-causal nature.

         (List of Issues and Research Sources Available for download)

1. Discussion: Small groups discuss the different causes and personal relevance of the issues they researched.

2. Planning: Each group can choose one or more issues and create separate canvases or scenes. Another option can be for the whole class to choose one unifying issue and divide a large canvas into equal sections. Each student sketches a visual metaphor or scene addressing a facet of the topic.

3. Creation: Students paint their section while maintaining consistency in color palette that matches Jacob Lawrence’s palette (see document) , composition, or symbols.

4. Digital Reflection: Students write a short statement about their section and post it with a photo of their piece online (Google Slides for Google Classroom)

5. Whole-Class Gallery Walk: Students walk around the class reviewing the full artwork and reading others’ reflections.

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Closing Activity: Lead a reflective circle. Ask: "What did you learn from working together on this artwork?" and "How did your perspective on the issue evolve through research and creation?"

 

Differentiation:

• Research articles at varying reading levels.

• Students may write responses as bullet points, paragraphs, or audio recordings.

• Allow group or partner work.

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Assessment/Rubric: See attached detailed rubric (available in downloadable format).

Understanding of Jacob Lawrence’s Work (15%)

Research & Issue Investigation (25%)

Artistic Execution & Message (25%)

Collaboration & Cohesion (20%)

Reflection & Engagement (15%)

 

Collaboration:

• Students co-create a unified artwork with clearly defined roles.

• Groups responsible for researching different causes behind the central issue.

• Students collaborate on color and symbol choices to ensure cohesion.

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Learning Target:

Students will be able to analyze how Jacob Lawrence used visual storytelling to highlight social issues, research the multiple causes behind a modern issue, and collaborate with  classmates to create a unified artwork that expresses their perspectives inspired by an artist that focused on that particular issue.

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Success Criteria:

• I CAN analyze artwork for meaning and context.

• I CAN research and present a current issue using multiple sources.

• I CAN visually communicate a message through symbolic art.

• I CAN collaborate with peers to create unified artwork.

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