Imagine there was no such thing as billboards...  No designer clothes... No cool and slightly disturbing CD covers...  No trendy hemp necklaces...  No fancy sneakers that cost way more than they are worth...  No cool cell phone covers...  No World Trade Center to mourn the loss of...  Are you getting the drift?  Art is pervasive.  It is universal.  It saves us from ourselves and it is on the critical list in our schools.  Why, you might ask?  Well.  That is what we are going to find out during this Web Quest.  You are going to save the future of art in your school by presenting a portfolio of indisputable evidence of the importance of art to educational success.  Are you ready?
 
 

The Task

Your school is going to do away with its existing visual art program due to the educational budget crisis.  Parents, educational leaders and community members agree that the "core curriculum" class are more important than the arts.  Therefore, they have to get rid of something and that something is the art classes offered at your school.

The only thing that might change their collective minds is to convince them that art is more than gluing macaroni on a plate.  It is higher level thinking-- problem solving at its best.  It is up to you to make them see that art is not only a frill that we have enjoyed, but a vital tool for learning and that both artist and non artist alike can benefit from it.

Your first task is to define the meaning of art.  This sounds simple, but not everyone's definition of art is the same. Read this excerpt from an essay written by Tolstoy that strives to define art:

Art is not, as the metaphysicians say,the manifestation of some mysterious idea of beauty or God; it is not, as the aesthetical physiologists say, a game in which man lets off his excess of stored-up energy; it is not the expression of man's emotions by external signs; it is not the production of pleasing objects; and, above all, it is not pleasure; but it is a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity.

Having read this do you have a different idea about the meaning and purpose of art? What benefits do art give students? Does art help keep students in school?  Does it have to be in a museum to be art?  If it is mass-produced is it art?  You and a group of your classmates are going to answer the following questions to determine the answer to the question, "what is art?" Click on the "What is art" link to start this task.

Now that you have a firm grasp of what art truly is and what it means to the educational system, how are you going to plead your case?  You and your team are going to present a packet to the school board that will undoubtedly change everyone's mind about doing away with the arts.  Before you attempt to plead your case you might want to consider What is already being done in the political arena about this cause? What do our congressmen think about art in schools? This packet will require you to use all of the tools you possess.  You will write. You will create. You will dazzle them with your resourcefulness and creativity.  Here are the three components of your presentation.

The Process

Your presentation needs to contain three things.  The first is a journal where you have recorded the uses of art in your daily lives and in your other "core classes".

The second is a drawing that illustrates what the world would look like if art didn't exist.

The third element is a time capsule that contains relevant art for the future.

The Journal
 

During a two week period you will keep a journal of your day to day activities.  You will need to take this journal with you everywhere you go.  As you observe things in your surroundings that are derived from art you will record them.   It may be an advertisement.  It might even be a CD cover.  You will also record any time that art and its many forms is mentioned or used in your other classes.  This might take the form of a visual for a presentation in english or a famous monument sculpture in history.  It might even be tessellated patterns in geometry.  You may want to research journaling to help you get started. You will also get quotes from parents, teachers, principles, and others about their stance on the importance of art in school.  Read these quotes to help guide this activity.  Testimonials also have great impact in convincing people on this topic.  Read these testimonials and then add your own to your journal.  Review the journal rubric before starting your journal.

Using any media you choose you are going to create a visual image that illustrates how the world would look if art did not exist.  Think about all the implications of a non art world.  Would there be color?  Would there be architecture?  Would there be parks, fountains, cars, etc.?  Also consider what it would be like to live without the ability to create art or have access to its elements. This image needs to be well thought out and executed. Review the guidelines to the drawing component before you begin.  It needs to demonstrate your skill as an artist while illustrating the importance of artto this planet.  Review the drawing rubric before completing this task.

A time capsule is a unique way to send a message to future generations.  Imagine what it would be like to open a time capsule from 100 years ago.  What do you think you would find inside?  How would technology have changed, clothing, music, art?  Now, think about what you would want someone from the future to know about our present generation.  View this site for tips on building a time capsule.  I want you to focus on the importance of art in that role.  If a picture truly is worth a thousand words then we can easily tell our story through the use of relevant art.  Choose current art that illustrates the impact that art has on our society.  This can take the form of photography, pottery, weavings, sculpture, clothing, architecture, illustration, and drawing.  This example of a time capsule was designed to look like a piece of art outside as well as contain artifacts from our time.  Click on the "time capsule" link to see the guidelines for creating your time capsule.  Make sure to review the "time capsule" rubric before you begin.

Resources
http://www.nytimes.com/specials/magazine3/items.html
http://finearts.esc20.net/art/art_strategies/art_strat_crit.html
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr144.shtml#articles
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/news/opinion/2003/02/22/200302221818.htm
http://greenvilleonline.com/news/2003/11/22/2003112219602.htm
http://www.americansforthearts.org/issues/artsed/artsed_article.asp?id=1091
http://www.americansforthearts.org/issues/artsed/artsed_article.asp?id=610
http://www.artsusa.org/issues/advocacy/advocacy_article.asp?id=1110
http://www.artsusa.org/issues/advocacy/voting_records.asp
http://www.artsusa.org/artsexchange/quotes.asp
http://www.artsusa.org/issues/advocacy/advocacy_article.asp?id=1169
http://www.artsusa.org/issues/advocacy/advocacy_article.asp?id=1110
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/timescapsule/contents.html
http://www.newsherald.com/articles/2001/03/05/lf030501a.htm
http://www.oglethorpe.edu/about_us/crypt_of_civilization/time_capsule_tips.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/millennium/timecapsule/tcsamples.html#2
http://www.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/361r14.html
 

Conclusion
 

Hopefully this has been an enlightening experience for you and those people who you contacted to help you in this process.  You now have a very convincing portfolio to present to the School Board to justify the continuing support of the art program.  With the 3 different components I have no doubt that you will win your case!  Congratulations on a job well done!

Evaluation
 

The 3 components of your portfolio, the journal, the drawing, and the time capsule, will be evaluated separately and then combined to give you your final grade.  Use the links to each rubric to see how you did.

The Journal Rubric
The Time Capsule Rubric
The Drawing Rubric