Student Worksheet

Artist Challenge - Activity Instructions

Students will...

You will learn about several key artistic elements
You will understand how to create artworks that make a profit
You will apply your understanding of art and business to create an art series.

Students can...

You can identify and apply several key artistic elements
You can express opinions about art and art-making
You can write an artist’s statement
You can use entrepreneurial thinking to assess the viability of art projects
You can create artworks that demonstrate your values and style
You can seek and incorporate feedback into your artworks.

Watch IMAGI-NATION{TV}:

Artist Challenge is a segment in the Friday’s IMAGI-NATION{TV} episodes that focuses on 'Artists’:

Visual artists from all disciplines take us on a journey of live creation, from blank space to work of art, to the accompanying sounds of musicians with a message.

Find all the IMAGI-NATION{TV} episodes on AIME’s Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/aimementoring), then navigate to the ‘Artists’ playlist and select any episode you like! The Artist Challenge will pop up on several occasions throughout the episode so you can follow the progress of the artists in the middle of creation! Check out the timestamps in the video description if you need help finding what you want.

Part A: Dig Deeper

“Art is the only place you can do what you like. That’s freedom.” - Paula Rego

“Art is a line around your thoughts.” - Gustav Klimt

"As a visual artist I see everything as some type of artform." - Brian Robinson

“I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way - things I had no words for.” - Georgia O’Keeffe

“The practice of art isn’t to make a living. It’s to make your soul grow.” - Kurt Vonnegut

Step 1.

Read the quotes above. Choose one that stands out to you and write or talk to a friend about what it means to you.

Extension opportunity: Find a different quote (or write your own) that clearly describes how you feel about art.

Step 2.

Write the name of one of the artists featured in the IMAGI-NATION{TV} episode you watched:

Answer the following questions:

What kind of artwork does the artist make?

Does this artist make money from their art? If so, how?

What did you like about their artwork?

If you were making a similar piece of art, what might you change, or do differently?

Were there any messages, beliefs or values that the artist was sharing through their artwork?

Extension opportunity: Did you see any evidence of sustainable themes or practices used by the artist?

Step 3.

Read about these key elements of art and circle two that you could clearly see were used by the artist above:

Line: "A line is a dot that keeps going. Lines can be fat, thin, wavy, straight, jagged, curly, etc." (Source)
Colour: Primary colours are red, blue and yellow. Secondary colours are created by mixing two primary colours together. You can also change the hue of a colour by adding black or white.
Texture: Texture is something you can feel. For example, smooth, sticky, sharp, layered, bumpy. You can also create the illusion of texture by the way you overlap lines, colours and/or shapes.
Shape: A shape can have no corners, some corners or many corners. Either way, a shape will be enclosed, rather than open-ended like a line.
Value: This describes the lightness or darkness of a colour. For example, when you colour with a pencil, you can press hard to make a dark value and softly to make a light value.
Form: Form is something that takes up space and has volume. Hint: artworks with form will be three-dimensional (3D), like a sculpture.
Space: Positive space is the part that the subject takes up. Negative space is the gaps made around the subject.

Source: https://www.kitchentableclassroom.com/elements-of-art-for-kids/

Extension opportunity: Describe how several of these artistic elements were applied in the artwork.

Part B: Reflect

Step 1.

A lot of artists need to run their own businesses in order to make money by selling their art. What skills do you think an artist might need in order to run a successful art-making business?

Step 2.

IMAGI-NATION{TV} challenges artists to create something out of nothing in only 25 minutes.

What are some potential benefits of learning to make an artwork in only 25 minutes?

What are some potential pitfalls (risks) of trying to make an artwork in such a short amount of time?

Step 3.

Do you think it’s important for an artist to consider sustainability when creating artworks? Explain your answer:

Note: Sustainability is built upon the pillars of people, profit and planet (the 3 Ps). Each pillar needs to be present and balanced in order for sustainability to succeed. Another thing people call the 3 Ps is Society and Culture, Economy and Environment. This description tells us a bit more about them, but isn't quite as easy to remember!

Part C: Imagine

You are going to create a plan for a sustainable, profitable art series.

Step 1.

Choose two artistic elements that you can use as the focus of your artwork.

Line
Colour
Texture
Shape
Value
Form
Space

Step 2.

Choose a theme or story you would like to share through your work.

Hint: You could choose one of the AIME values to use as your theme.

Note: You might like to include topics related to social or environmental sustainability. If so, think about whether you want your message to be subtle or obvious. How can you use symbols or memes to allude to the topic or issue?

Step 3 (optional).

Think back to the artist you wrote about. What inspiration could you borrow from their art or approach?

Step 4.

Write an artist’s statement that explains the artistic elements and other concepts you want to include in your art series. You can use these questions to help you guide you:

What is the title of your artwork?
What materials did you use?
What is the message behind your work?

Hint: An artist’s statement is simply a paragraph or two that explains why you are making what you are and what you hope your art might achieve (for example, you may want to make the viewer, user, or audience feel, think or behave in a particular way). This video provides some good tips and here's some samples for you to look at.

Here's a quote that Lin Onus wrote in one of his artist statements in 1990:

"I kind of hope that history may see me as some sort of bridge between cultures, between technology and ideas." (Source)

Extension opportunity: Read about Lin Onus and look up examples of his artwork online. Do you think this quote helps you understand him better as a person and as an artist? Do you know that there was a film made about him called Bridge Between Cultures, because of this very quote? What are your thoughts about that?

Step 5.

Sketch or build a simple prototype of your art series or just one artwork. Make sure you include your chosen artistic elements, theme/story and how/if your art considers sustainability.

Step 6.

Check that your art series is going to be able to make money. Consider the following:

Is this art the right level of challenge for me? (If it is too difficult, you might get discouraged and give up. If it is too easy, you might get bored or someone else might copy, or improve on your idea.)
How long would it take me to complete the artwork?
How much does it cost for materials, tools and resources to make this artwork?
Is this artwork able to be reproduced, replicated or adapted into a series?
Is this art unique and making the most of my skills?
Does this art tell a story that is important to me?

Step 7.

If you need to make changes to your artist’s statement or initial prototype/sketch then do so. Once you’re happy with your concept, go ahead and make your first artwork!

Step 8.

Get some feedback on your artwork from a trusted teacher, family member or friend and think about any changes you need to make at this stage. Write a final copy of your artist’s statement, that you could put on a website or sign to help you sell your art.

Taking it Further

Option 1. Using your plan and artist’s statement try to make an artwork in only 25 minutes. Share a photo of your artwork on social media using the hashtag #imaginationTV.

Option 2. Film or photograph the creation of your artwork and turn the footage into a fast-motion or stop-motion video. Send your video to IMAGI-NATION{TV} (general@imagi-nation.tv). Who knows, they might decide to feature you on their artist episode one week!

Option 3. Make several artworks based on your plan and artist’s statement. Investigate how you could sell your artworks and write a business plan. Consider reaching for help to get your business up and running. Hint: Etsy is an online store that is quite popular with artists and could be an easy way for you to get started. Make sure you’re making art that people will want to buy and charging enough to make a profit. You could also set up a stall in a local market.

IMAGI-NATION{TV} - Artist Challenge

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