CANADIAN ART SAMPLER – Elements, Principles, Research

Students will:

• research Canadian artists from the past 150 years;
• create a sampler of 9 different Canadian paintings;
• identify one interesting fact about each artist represented in the sampler;
• identify the dominant element and principle in each painting;
• demonstrate technical accomplishment; 
• support their ideas with evidence found in the works.

Have students:

• do in depth research about one of the artists they have chosen;
• create a short video about the life and works of the artist, for example, with 2 students in role, one as the artist, and the other as the interviewer;
• share the videos in a class film festival.

1. Gather and make available books about Canadian art, for example, Canadian Artists, by Maxine Trottier; A First Book of Canadian Art, by Richard Rhodes; A Concise History of Canadian Painting, by Dennis Reid; The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson, by David Silcox; Tom Thomson, by Charles Hill; Emily Carr Collected, by Ian Thom; Lawren Harris: An Introduction to His Life and Art, by Joan Murray; Canadian Heritage Collection, Primary Documents of 20th Century Canada – The Visual Arts, by Heather Miller.
2. Download and display the Elements of Art and Principles of Design posters available on this website.
3. Review or introduce the elements of art and some or all of the principles of design. You may want to use the lesson plans available on this website.
   Elements of Design
   Principles of Design
4. Have students browse the books to find images and artists they wish to focus on and then do an internet search for them.
5. Have students select 9 images that highlight different key elements and principles.
6. ​Photocopy the Canadian Art Sampler Guides enough for one per student. (Downloads – CanadianArtSamplerGuide.pdf)

1. View and discuss an image of a Canadian painting, for example, "Whales of Monterrey", by Ted Harrison.
2. Have students decide what key element of art is dominant in the painting.
   - Point out that art uses all or most of the elements, but often some elements are more dominant than others.
3. Have students decide what key principle of design is dominant in the painting. 
   - Point out that art uses many of the principles, but often some principles are more dominant than others.
4. Introduce the challenge.

1. Place students into small groups. 
2. Ask them to: 
   - Share their work and discuss the choices and things learned about each artist.
   - Discuss the things that are especially effective in the design of the sampler and why.
   - Talk about what they found difficult and what they found easy to do.
3. Share ideas with the whole class. 
4. Ask students to tell how they felt about doing this project.
5. Display the samplers alongside the guides so students may view them over several weeks.

1. Observe students as they work – thoughtful focus, discriminating, seeking more information, elaborating, experimenting.
2. Observe students as they discuss their samplers – speaks with a clear voice, looks at audience while speaking, points to areas in the sampler, provides accurate information, answers questions from the audience effectively.
3. Observe students as they listen – looks at presenter, asks effective questions, supports ideas with evidence found in the artworks.
4. Use a checklist to track progress. (Downloads – Sampler_tracking.pdf)
5. Have students use the self-assessment form to evaluate their work. (Downloads – Sampler_self-assessment.pdf)