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Grade 8 Visual Arts

Interdiciplinary Unit |Printmaking | Sculpture
"Circus Olay!" 
Interdisciplinary Unit: PHE| Vis Art| Music |Theater 

Statement of Inquiry: Creation of an aesthetically pleasing performance requires synthesizing interaction and composition to express culture.

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In this unit, students engage in the Interdisciplinary Unit, Circus Olay. The students use skills from PHE, Drama, Visual Arts and Music to create a Cirque du Soleil-inspired production, which was performed over two nights for the school community.

In Visual Arts, students explore how effective stage makeup, costumes, props, and set design can further communicate a story to an audience. The students develop their ideas based their ideas on the celebration and country chosen for the Circus Olay and the characters they developed in Drama. The students present these ideas in their Arts Process Journals using photographs, sketches and annotations to record their process. Throughout the unit students develop research and media literacy skills in their research presentation, showing their understanding of how these different disciplines can be combined to produce a show like Cirque du Soleil. Finally, students develop their critical thinking skills, identifying strengths and weaknesses in their work, and their deeper understanding of links between Music, Visual Art, Drama, and PHE.

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Skills: Effective stage makeup, developing practical costumes to fit their characters, and props, and creating sets that fit their scene.

Indigenous Prints
Intro to Printmaking

Statement of Inquiry: Cultural Beliefs can be communicated through Art.

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In this unit, students will explore print making through an inquiry into indigenous art( art specific to a region) including Australia, South Africa, Ghana, and  Mali ). Students will look at how different cultures communicate their beliefs and values through symbols, colours and patterns. Students explore the world of printmaking in order to develop their own Reduction Relief prints to be able to communicate their own beliefs.

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Skills/Content

  1. Introduction to Relief Printmaking: Exploring the history, techniques, and materials used in relief printmaking, including linocut relief printing.

  2. Cultural and Belief Systems: Investigating the cultural and belief systems of indigenous communities, including their spiritual beliefs, mythologies, and cultural practices.

  3. Symbolism and Iconography: Analyzing the symbolism and iconography present in indigenous art, including motifs, colors, and patterns that represent cultural values, stories, and beliefs.

  4. Artistic Process and Production: Understanding the process of creating relief prints, from initial design and carving to printing and editioning, with an emphasis on craftsmanship and attention to detail.

"Figure It Out"
Intro to Sculpture and the Human Form

Statement of Inquiry: Throughout time, artists have expressed through the use of natural and human resources to communicate to an audience.

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In this unit, students are introduced to the Human Form and sculpture. Students create an inquiry into Form, different types of sculpture, and the purposes and functions of sculpture. They are also introduced to the proportions of the body. Students then brainstorm ideas for the 4 functions of sculpture (to communicate emotions, to commemorate, to educate, and reigion). Students use the materials around them to create an "In the Round" sculpture based on the human form and their chosen function. 

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Skills: 

  • Working with three-dimensional space

  • Learning sculpting techniques (carving, modeling, assembling)

  • Experimenting with different materials

  • Using sculpting tools safely

  • Creating textures and forms

  • Understanding scale and proportion

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