Artist Spotlight Webquest

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Author Unknown
Lesson: Artist Spotlight Webquest
Grade level: Middle School

NAME___________________________     computer _________

 Art Tech: Artist Spotlight   Poster Lesson   Hands-on  WebQuest

This will be a multi-part lesson. You will design a Web Page (Web Quest) with links to images of the artist’s work or culture.  You will also create a PowerPoint with images, historical background and music (if possible). On days that we are in the art room, you will work on a small hands-on project inspired by your selected artist or culture—this will not be graded on skill level, but on amount of effort and influence you show. You must present your idea before you begin. Two-dimensional materials the will be available include: Watercolor, pastels, oil pastels, tempera and collage.  Three-dimensional media available: clay and plaster (with wire).  Three-dimensional is by special permission only.  An example of an idea for Leonardo da Vinci might be a three dimensional collage using several digital images of his work (this could be done for any selected artist—sort of like a shadow box—with images layered)

1. Write the name of artist/culture here ____________________________

2. Look for background information—This should be in the form of a brief biography or short history.  You may photocopy from a resource or copy from a Web page.  We will be within legal requirements by citing the source –giving proper documentation.  Rewrite information to ease understanding.  Be sure your sources are authoritative (do not use a student created Web page).  Find a minimum of five Web addresses.

3. Search for images on the Internet.  You must have a minimum of five images to represent your artist or culture for a “C”—more would be desired.  Be sure to copy the URL information and information about the image.  You may highlight—copy—and paste into a Word document. 

4. Save your images into your Art Tech folder — save by name of the image.

5. Save all Word and HTML files as: Your last name- artist last name.  Save into Art Tech folder (or disk if researching at home). NOTE: Any files not saved into the Art Tech folder may be deleted from the hard-drive at any time!  Always be aware of where you are saving your images and files.

6. Web page requirements:
1. Brief biography or history
2. Timeline
3. Portrait (photograph, self-portrait or other portrait) –Art image if doing a culture.
4. Links where more information may be found (minimum or five)
5. Wallpaper background (Watermark or embossed artist’s work—this will be done using PhotoDeluxe®. You can buy this software from the Adobe Education Store).
6. Write a brief letter to request permission to use images on your page

Copyright information (rules for fair usage on the Internet)

Click here for page template

KNOW THE ARTIST: FACT-FINDING SHEET

These are the minimum requirements for a "C" or better

1. Name of the Artist (of course!)

2. Birth- year and death- year (month and day optional…but maybe after all of this work you will want to celebrate your artist's birthday!)

3. Find a brief biography (maybe 150 to 200 words). Save into your Art Tech Folder--and save the URL (you must have the Web address)

4. Find a biography with more information for those who wish to learn more. Save into your Art Tech folder and save the URL. You will only put a link to this longer biography from your web page--but may include it on your Hypermedia (PowerPoint®).

5. Find a photograph or portrait (even a portrait by another artist!)--This will be used on the Web page, PowerPoint® and poster.

6. Select a minimum of five works by this artist for your "Museum" exhibit and "Virtual Museum". Remember--YOU MUST HAVE THE URL FOR THESE IMAGES (The Web address) and the facts about the works (when created, what medium, how large, etc.).

7. Know what style of works your artist created. Are you able to describe at least one of the works in detail so others are also able to understand? What media did he/she use? What general subject matter interested your artist?

8. Find at least five Web sites with more information for your artist. Save these links into a Word Document as "Name of artist - links". These will be put on Web page and on PowerPoint

9. Create a timeline with a minimum of five events from your artist's life and a minimum of five world events and/or art related events. Artists are greatly effected by what is going on in the world around them. Placing the artist somewhere in time is crucial to understanding the artist's work. History and art go hand-in-hand. Your timeline will be a list in sequence by year. Merge the artist's life with the world events.

10. BONUS: Find music relating to the time period of your chosen artist.

7. PowerPoint® requirements
1. Title page—Artist name, your name—Background image (water mark)
2. Table of contents
3. Introduction--Portrait –Summary (brief)
4. Biography
5. Favorite images (from Web)—minimum of five
6. Timeline (this will include names of artists contemporary with the one you have selected along with major art movements and world events during the life of your selected artist.
7. Resource page—Include proper documentation:

Author (date). Title of page. [On-line] URL address. Retrieved March 12, 2000.

Author (date). Title of article. Title of Book. Publisher.

Note: Author is last name, first initial

Date after author is copyright date

Retrieved date (put date after month) is when you found it on the Web. I found my information for Picasso on March 12, 2000. 

Art Tech: Know the Artist Poster-Picasso Example

This project will use Publisher® software.  You will use information that you gathered for your Web page and PowerPoint. Completed posters will be printed in large- 13x19 inch format using the color printer.

(Microsoft Publisher is a Windows only application. InDesign, a similar program by Adobe, works on both platforms. You can buy InDesign from the Adobe Education Store)

These are the requirements for the poster:

1.  Portrait of the Artist—This can be a photograph from a scanned image in a book—or an image from the Internet.  You are responsible for finding this image.  The image counts 10 points.

2.  You must have a large image of one of the artist’s works and an explanation of the artist’s style.  Be sure to include the information where the painting or work is located (and give the source of your image—i.e. Web page address or book.

3.  You must have a description of the artists life—a brief biography

4.  Map to show where the artist lives and where he/she did their work (optional).

5.  A gallery of additional examples of the artist’s works (these will be from the Internet—you will not need to find any additional)

6.  A timeline that relates the artist’s life to important art periods and world events (use same Timeline as on Web page).

7.  Two posters will be printed—one for the art room and one for you to take home. Your posters will be larger than the example on the Web--image was reduced due to file size.

You will use the following features of Publisher®:

• Word Art
• Text box
• Insert picture (JPEG- GIF- portrait - works of art)
• Draw- line and object
• Fill – color change for map, if desired

SEE EXAMPLE-- This is an image with text and visuals.

See examples from a very similar lesson:

"Know the Artist" by Akinyi Edmonds (Archive)
NBCT Akinyi Edmonds, North Carolina middle school business education teacher, helps introduce her students to the uses and creativity of technology by demonstrating student use of desktop publishing software and use of the Internet to publish posters about important artists.