Making an Impact

In art education, we often talk about influence, inspiration, and engagement when we introduce a lesson or unit of study or when we encourage students to reflect on some type of experience. I wonder how often we use the term impact. After all, when students graduate from high school, in what way does curriculum, discussions, critiques, connections, and relationships impact their actions, goals, and dreams? How can this impact be measured after they graduate or when they move on to the next grade?

Robert Indiana’s BRAT
This lesson began with a presentation on public art, primarily focusing on Robert Indiana’s sculpture BRAT, located in Johnsonville, Wisconsin. We defined and discussed the terms site-specific, context, public art, and intention. With a focus on intention, we discussed how if BRAT was installed in a different location, the context would change as well as how the word would be pronounced. After all, Sheboygan County is known for its bratwurst.

Impact as a Big Idea
After the presentation, I asked students to think about the word impact and to consider what visuals come to mind when they hear this word. Students were prompted to think about a memory or scenario that motivated them to take some type of positive action.
Once students had an example, they wrote about it in a design worksheet, followed by the association of a specific word that embodied what they felt. The design worksheet consisted of a series of prompts addressing intention, placement, personal story (optional), and design concepts. Students were given the necessary space needed to craft their narratives.

Choosing an Installation Location
Next, students took a walking tour of the school, seeking locations that would become an appropriate place for their word sculptures. Locations included student services, the main office, the band corridor, the art wing, and the language hallway. Students then began to create preliminary sketches and participate in short one-on-one conferences with me.

I enjoyed seeing their proposed ideas and hearing their story in their own voices. This was an opportunity to create something that has special meaning for them. Like an abstract painting, their selected word would be interpreted differently by students, staff, and administration. And when the art was placed in a public space, it could raise controversy and even sustain damage. Students understood what the consequences might be, and they would learn how to address it.

Choices
Materials included cardboard or tag board remnants, packing tape, scissors, rulers, gesso, paintbrushes, paper towels, and acrylic paint. There was a minimum height requirement of 12" (30 cm), with the length and width being their choice. The orientation and design of their word sculpture would also be up to them to decide. It was important to facilitate short critique sessions with students and to maintain the motivation since this project took a while to execute.

Assessment
During their final assessment, we walked throughout the school and students talked about the meaning behind their sculptures and what they learned from them. I asked a series of questions such as: “What does impact mean to you? In what ways does your word address impact? What inspired your word sculpture? What message are you trying to communicate to viewers?”

The degree of an artwork's impact can vary depending on the perspective of the student and the art teacher. It was an emotional journey seeing students open and willing to share their world with me and each other.

Responses
“The colors in the sculpture are meant to represent the ʻsea of emotionsʼ and the impact of emotions on everyday life. I also wanted to make a larger sculpture because emotions are a leading factor in peoples’ lives, and I wanted the sculpture to represent the huge impact of that.”
—Taylor S., grade eleven

“I want people to know that, even if they don’t feel their work is good, they can improve and make big strides. Every mess-up or failure is a success in some way. Because of failure, you learn how to improve. If you never fail, then you never get the true message.” —Gavin W., grade eleven