Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

45 minutes

Part A: The Impact Of Art

15 minutes

Part B: Combat The Coward Punch Through Art

50+ minutes

Part C: Developing Artistic Ideas

60+ minutes

Part D: Refining The Concept

10 minutes

Reflection

Part A: The impact of art

Step 1

Play this video in full:

Use art to turn the world inside out | JR (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PAy1zBtTbw)

Note: There is some adult language in this video. Use with discretion.

Step 2. Invite students to discuss how JR (the artist) “turned the world upside down” with his art. You could use these prompts:

How did the public respond to his art project?
How did his art help people?
What intentions did he have for his art?

Step 3

Display this artwork:

The Coward Punch - Un-Australian Behaviour

Russell Tate: https://thedrawingarm.com.au/artists/russell-tate/

Invite students to share their reactions to this artwork. You could use these prompts to lead the discussion:

What impact does this artwork have on the viewer?
What is its message and target audience?
What symbols are used in this artwork?
What do you like about this artwork?
What might you change about this artwork to improve its impact?

Analysis notes:

This artwork uses three contrasting colours to gain attention
The arrows indicate the movement of the fist towards the back of the victim’s head
The Southern Cross is incorporated into the design to indicate a ‘stunned’ victim
Concentric circles amplify this effect by creating a ‘target’ around the head
The words are clear and easy to read
It is obviously targeted to an Australian audience.

Part B: Combat The Coward Punch through art

Note: If your students have completed Coward Punch: Introductory Workshop - Years 9 & 10 or are otherwise familiar with the STOP the Coward Punch campaign, move straight to Step 2. If your students are not yet familiar with the campaign, we suggest you complete Step 1.

Step 1

Ask the class if they have heard of the STOP the Coward Punch campaign and what they think a coward’s punch might be. Explain that there have been many deaths of young Australian men due to the coward’s punch. Danny Green’s campaign aims to stop people from dying from this senseless form of violence.

Show the class this short video which presents an overview of the campaign:

Coward's Punch - Case Study (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vTuZ3EHvhI)

Facilitate a class discussion about the video - what do they think of the campaign and its outcomes?

Step 2

In groups of three to four, ask students to respond to the following and elaborate on their thinking:

How could art further the impact of the STOP the Coward Punch campaign?
What kind of art would best reach the target audience (men aged between 18 and 85)?

Invite groups to create a mind map of various ways that art could be used to prevent coward punch attacks. They may find it useful to refer to techniques used in the poster and TED talk studied earlier in the lesson.

Part C: Developing artistic ideas

Step 1

Present the task:

Create and annotate an artwork that aims to eliminate the coward punch from society.

Step 2

Read the below example of an artwork and its related annotation:

Artist - Casey Baugh

“This artwork is for the Week Without Violence Campaign in Australia. A face is sketched in charcoal and then smudged with my hands to show the irreconcilable hurt and pain that a family carries after losing someone from a coward’s punch. Because the artwork is smudged the audience will never be able to see what the artwork appeared like before I intentionally ruined the piece. Although the perpetrator may not have intended to end a life, their actions and decision to act cowardly has rippling effects - effects that cannot be so easily forgiven or forgotten.”

Note: The annotation above was created for use in this lesson and does not represent the original intentions of the artist.

Invite students to note that they will likely be able to imagine what the artwork looks like without even having seen it. If they viewed the artwork prior to reading the annotation, they will develop a much clearer idea of the meaning of the piece. This is what we want the annotation to achieve.

Step 3

Invite students to note down and sketch some initial concepts for their artwork.
While students are working you may consider walking around the room asking them questions and providing feedback.

Some guiding questions may include:

I am interested in where this is headed, would you mind telling me what you’re thinking?
I can see you have your head down and have been working away. Would you like to share what thoughts are running through your head?
I can see you are thinking deeply about this, what do you think you would like to experiment with first?

Hot tip: Some students can get ‘stuck’ in the thinking stage. Gently invite them to move into sketching, modelling or painting and to ‘think through their hands’ rather than their minds. Sometimes the ideas will flow more freely this way.

Part D: Refining the concept

Step 1

Once students have decided on a concept for their artwork, stretch their thinking by asking the following questions (individually or as a group):

Does your artwork target the relevant audience?
Is your artwork eye-catching and impactful?
Is your artwork effective at communicating your key message?
Does your artwork challenge public perceptions of the coward punch?
Does your artwork demonstrate refined techniques?

Step 2

Urge students to draft and redraft or work to refine their artwork and annotation. Remind students that it’s rare to get the effect they want on the first attempt.

There may be some techniques that require practising, such as colour mixing, choosing an effective and stable colour palette, painting or cutting straight or curved lines, smudging, smoothing clay, etc. Support your students individually to refine any relevant techniques required for their final artwork rather than editing or refining the artwork yourself.

Step 3

Allow plenty of time for students to complete their artwork, either during class or after hours. Remind them to annotate their artwork, describing their thinking behind the piece and the meaning behind any specific elements used in the artwork to create impact on the viewer. The annotation should be around 100-200 words.

Step 4

Invite students to share their artworks and annotations through a gallery walk or by photographing the artworks and displaying them digitally so everyone can see them and read the annotations. Alternatively, students can submit their work via an online gallery and complete the viewing from home. You might like to provide some specific positive feedback for each student, or allow them to critique one another’s work using the following prompts:

I really like…
I can see how you…
Next time, would you consider…?

Reflection

Invite students to write a written reflection on the following questions:

What would I like to add to, or change about, my artwork?
Could I turn this artwork into a series of similar designs? What might they look like?
What materials could I use instead of the ones I initially chose to improve the visual impact of my piece?
Is there a skill I might need to practise to improve the visual impact of my piece?

Differentiated Learning

Extension

Students might like to refine, adapt or expand their artwork into a series.
Students could consider ways they could disseminate or display their artwork/s. They could research platforms, artists, organisations that they might be able to speak to about opportunities. If no opportunities seem to exist, perhaps they could create one.
Students could apply for funding to take their ideas further and share them with the community. They could start with this website to explore available grants:
- Australia Council (australiacouncil.gov.au/investment-and-development/arts-projects-for-individuals-and-groups)

Hot tip: The City of Melbourne and ArtsHub have some great information and/or videos about how to apply for grants and gives students the opportunity to understand how some artists produce work.

Provisions for Learning Support - Some students may not finish their artwork, or may not have access to the relevant materials. They might find it more appropriate, interesting or engaging to create an annotated portfolio of their concepts, materials and artistic techniques. See Coward Punch: Create A Concept Portfolio - Art - Years 7 & 8 for guidance on supporting students to develop a portfolio.

Teacher Reflection

Coward Punch - Make An Impact With Art

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Summary

Lesson guides and printables

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