ELEMENTARY Artist-Inspired SELFIES Leigh Drake M any of us cringe when we hear the word “selfie.” We often think of teenagers, as well as adults, standing awk-wardly in front of their phone trying to get the perfect shot. A selfie is defined as a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone, and shared via social media. Thinking about our student population and their obsession with technology (as well as with themselves), I thought, why not make a lesson out of this? It would definitely catch students’ attention. works of art and turn them into some-thing comical. I thought to myself, how can I make this more than just a parody? How can I make this a learn-ing experience? Upper elementary students often know several artists’ names through verbal recognition, but can they associate the name with the artwork? I wanted this experience to be memorable and provide that recogni-tion of famous artists and their work. could show me documented informa-tion about the artist. Each student looked up biographical information and This assignment allowed students to gain connections and understanding of artists through a simple selfie portrait. analyzed one of the artist’s works of art. That artwork would then serve as the background of their final designs. Incorporating Famous Artists I started looking into parody art—how people can take famous or well-known Choosing and Researching an Artist Students each chose an artist who was easily recognizable. I provided students with a list of historical and contem-porary artists they could choose from. They could also go off the list if they Isn’t a Selfie Just a Picture of Me? For this project, a selfie wasn’t neces-sarily a picture of oneself. I asked stu-36 APRIL 2019 SchoolArts
School Arts Magazine APR 2019: Page 40
