Grades 9-12

Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts
Students understand the impact of visual art on the history, culture and society from which it emanates. They understand the cultural, social and political forces that, in turn, shape visual art communication and expression. Students identify the significant contributions of visual artists to cultural heritage. They analyze the historical, cultural, social and political contexts that influence the function and role of visual art in the lives of people.

Benchmark A: Explain how and why visual art forms develop in the contexts in which they were made (e.g., cultural, social, historical and political).

Explain the relationship of a selected work of art to the time period in which it was created.

Research and describe the cultural values in various traditions that influence contemporary art media.

Explain how art historians, curators, anthropologists and philosophers contribute to our understanding of art history.

Make a presentation, using words and images, to show how visual art affects changes in styles, trends, content and expressions over time.

Research and report on the historical, cultural, social or political foundations of selected art forms.

Analyze a work of art and explain how it reflects the heritages, traditions, attitudes and beliefs of the artist.

Understand and apply knowledge of art history in oral and written discussions about selected works of art.

Compare and contrast the stylistic characteristics of visual art from one historical period with the those of the previous time period.

Explain the circumstances and events that influence artists to create monuments and site-specific works.

Explain how issues of time, place and culture influence trends in the visual arts.

Identify and compare the relationships between artworks on the basis of history, culture and aesthetic qualities.

Benchmark C: Explain the characteristics and content of culturally and historically representative artworks to demonstrate understanding of how visual art reflects historical issues, events and cultural traditions.

Connect a variety of contemporary art forms, media and styles to their cultural, historical and social origins.

Explain how art history interrelates with the study of aesthetics, criticism and art-making.

Investigate the recurrence of a particular style or technique in art history (e.g., pointillism and realism).

Compare the artistic styles and subject matter in artworks by artists of different cultures.

Investigate and describe artistic styles and/or images in traditional and non-traditional settings (e.g., media images, computer graphics, television, film and video).

Describe the use of technology as a visual art medium using computer-generated examples.

Analyze major changes to artistic styles throughout art history and determine the historical, social, political or artistic factors that influenced the change (e.g., Cezanne to Braque).

Describe various sources visual artists use to generate ideas for artworks (e.g. personal experience, imagination, interests, everyday events and social issues).

Identify an artist, or work of art, of personal interest and write about the historical, social, cultural or political factors influencing the artist or the work.

Explain the process used to acquire and use knowledge from art history for art production.

Determine the influence of community or cultural values on the choices artists make when creating art.

Incorporate knowledge and ideas from art history to produce innovative projects (e.g., independent study, senior portfolio and interdisciplinary projects).

Creative Expression and Communication
Students create artworks that demonstrate understanding of materials, processes, tools, media, techniques and available technology. They understand how to use art elements, principles and images to communicate their ideas in a variety of visual forms.

Benchmark A: Demonstrate mastery of materials, concepts and personal concentration when creating original artworks.

Demonstrate perceptual skill when drawing from direct observation.

Create original artworks in at least two three-dimensional media and several two-dimensional media that show the development of a personal style.

Create original works of art that demonstrate increased complexity and skill and which use a variety of two-dimensional and three-dimensional media.

Integrate the elements of art and principles of design using a variety of media to solve specific visual art problems and to convey meaning.

Use available technology as a tool to explore art techniques and to express ideas (e.g., digital imagery, video and computer graphics).

Make informed choices in the selection of materials, subject matter and techniques to achieve certain visual effects.

Evaluate their choices of compositional elements in terms of how those choices affect the subject matter of the work.

Trace the origin of symbolism, imagery and metaphor in art and demonstrate the use of these visual devices in their artworks.

Create artwork that interprets a theme, idea or concept and demonstrates technical skill and the perceptive use of visual art elements (e.g., show light sources, different vantage points and local or subjective color).

Produce artworks that demonstrate a range of individual ideas, subject matter and themes with at least one idea explored in depth.

Solve visual art problems that demonstrate skill, imagination and in-depth understanding of media and processes.

Explain their artistic processes from conceiving an idea to completing a work of art.

Use criteria to revise works-in-progress and describe changes made and what was learned in the process.

Use feedback and self-assessment to organize a collection of their artworks in a variety of media.

During the assessment process, reflect on the effectiveness of their processes and choice of materials and techniques to achieve intended purposes.

Prepare a digital portfolio of artworks demonstrating knowledge of technology and its application to visual art.

Organize and display their original artworks as part of a public art exhibition.

Analyzing and Responding
Students identify and discriminate themes, media, subject matter and formal technical and expressive aspects in works of art. They understand and use the vocabulary of art criticism to describe visual features, analyze relationships and interpret meanings in works of art. Students make judgments about the quality of works of art using the appropriate criteria.

Valuing the Arts/Aesthetic Reflection
Students understand why people value visual art. They present their beliefs about the nature and significance of selected artworks and the reasons for holding these beliefs. Students reflect on and respect diverse points of view about artworks and artifacts.

Demonstrate skill in evaluating the methods and beliefs used for refining and reworking the ideas that influence the creation of their own works of art.

Articulate how individual beliefs, cultural traditions and current social contexts influence response to the meanings in works of art.

Explain their processes and rationales for refining and reworking their own artworks.

Develop aesthetic criteria for selecting a body of work for their portfolios that demonstrates accomplishment, knowledge and skill in the visual arts.

Explain how the value of a work of art is affected by themanner in which it is exhibited.

Compare the ways in which the emotional impact of a specific artwork affects the interpretation.

Benchmark B: Identify and analyze a variety of viewpoints on aesthetic issues and develop a personal point of view.

Demonstrate logical reasoning when arguing the merit of a selected work of art and discuss the arguments put forward by others.

Justify the merits of specific works of art using theories that may be different from their own conceptions of art.

Analyze how society influences the interpretation of works of art.

Identify aesthetic issues connected to the public display of works of art.

Compare and contrast responses to works of visual art on the basis of how well the works communicate intent and purpose.

Apply critical thinking skills to synthesize the beliefs of significant philosophers about the nature of art.

Benchmark C: Judge the merit of selected artworks and provide the aesthetic basis for their positions.

Identify various sources for published reviews of artworks and use them to analyze and understand different aesthetic perspectives.

Develop and apply criteria that address the aesthetic characteristics in works of art (e.g., expressive or contextual).

Explain how the context in which an artwork is presented influences the way it is perceived and judged.

Demonstrate the ability to form and defend their judgments about the merits and significance of works of art.

Research and compare the reviews of different art critics of the same work of art.

Connections, Relationships and Applications
Students connect and apply their learning of visual art to the study of other arts areas and disciplines outside the arts. They understand relationships between and among concepts and ideas that are common across subjects in the curriculum. Students recognize the importance of lifelong learning and experience in visual art.

Survey various art theories or movements and make a presentation (e.g., oral, written, visual or multimedia) to explain one of them.

Identify the philosophical beliefs, social systems and movements that influence the function and role of art in people's lives.

Identify ways in which culture has influenced the work of contemporary artists (e.g., photographers, painters and sculptors).

Research and explain the relationships between specific artworks and major historical events.

Compare and contrast universal themes and sociopolitical issues in a variety of artworks from different cultural contexts.

Research and compare how visual art is used in a musical, theatre or dance production.

Research and provide examples that show the relationship of visual art to other subjects in the curriculum (e.g., English language arts, mathematics, social studies and science).

Compare the media, materials and processes (e.g., perceiving, responding, creating and communicating) used in visual art with those used in other arts disciplines.

Explain commonalities between visual art and other disciplines.

Research and demonstrate the relationships between visual art and other disciplines (e.g., ceramics--chemistry, photography--chemistry, mobile--physics, graphic art--technology).

Select interdisciplinary visual art projects for a portfolio and write a description of the processes used.

Research and report on careers in the visual arts and identify the experience, education and training needed for each one.

Investigate opportunities for lifelong involvement in the arts and arts-related careers.

Identify ways to provide active support to the arts locally and nationally.

Research one local, state or national professional arts organization for the visual arts and describe ways that it advocates for arts education.