Visual Research

Left: An AP student’s personal, self-reflective visual research. Right: An honor student’s self-portrait exploration inspired by visual research on Käthe Kollwitz: “I can take inspiration from Käthe by portraying a meaningful expression and really pushing my lights and darks like she does.”

Mention the word “research” to high-school students, and youʼll be greeted with a chorus of groans. I took on this art research challenge to expand studentsʼ knowledge of diverse contemporary artists, engage them in creating original works, and teach required skills, techniques, media, and genres. I call it Visual Research.

Through gathering visual and written data, students are challenged to explore a wide variety of topics. Iʼve used Visual Research with all levels, and there are countless ways you can incorporate it into your curriculum.

My drawing and painting students complete Visual Research as a spread in their sketchbooks. My photography students use Adobe Photoshop to complete their Visual Research. All students must consider the overall presentation of the information. I allow class time for students to work on their research in my beginning and advanced classes, and AP students are required to complete research for homework. Once they complete their research, we take time to share our findings with each other. This is a great way to get students talking about art and excited to share their creative ideas with each other.

Researching Contemporary Artists
The first time I did Visual Research was with my second-year drawing students. I gave them four artists to explore: Daniel Gordon, Hilary Pecis, Anna Valdez, and Guy Yunai. I presented the still-life unit overview along with a few images of the artistsʼ work, and students selected which artist they wanted to explore.

Research requirements included: an image of the artist, biographical information, an example of the artistʼs work, a description and analysis of the artistʼs work, and a visual and written response to the work. Students determined what aspect of the artistʼs work they would use as inspiration for their personal still-life assignment. Options included subject matter, theme, use of color, or use of principles of design. The resulting work was personally meaningful and original.

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