Who in the world am I? Portraits of Power

Grade (or Art Class) Level: High School – Advanced Level/AP Art

Enduring Idea: Power

Two Essential Questions

• What are power imbalances?

• How can art be a tool for empowerment?

Lesson Description:

Students will use a variety of found materials to construct a 3D mixed media introspective on the ways they have experienced power struggles, privileges, or disadvantages. They will craft a self- portrait of sorts—although it does not need to be directly representational—using different elements of art to analyze how empowerment and social standing are represented in portraiture. They must explore at least one area of privilege and one area of struggle/disadvantage.

Jacques-Louis David's Napoleon Crossing the Alps (left) and Kehinde Wiley's Napoleon Leading the Army Over the Alps (right)

Students will become knowledgable about the work of Kehinde Wiley and Rina Banerjee, and compare and contrast portraiture throughout art history with contemporary works like Wiley's.

In Mute Witness at the outskirts and out of center she forms a final creased edge of makeshift settlements, a dark and iridescent thorn of horn pierces all home with the hard and the green of unripe fruit, Rina Banerjee

South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency

• Artistic Process: Connecting

Indicator VA.C AH.6.1: I can justify and create, artwork based on historical and cultural traditions and describe how those traditions contribute to my artistic development.

• Artistic Process: Responding

Indicator VA.R AH.5.1: I can justify my interpretation or intent of an artwork and

how they fit into the world.

Download the full lesson plan below:

ARTE 760 Lesson Plan 1 (Suburban) H. Kilgore.pdf

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