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Chakaia Booker: Weaving Treads of Meaning This lesson focuses on the work of contemporary artist Chakaia Booker, who has called herself "a narrative environmental sculptor." In an interview with Sculpture magazine, Booker says "My intention is to translate materials into imagery that will stimulate people to consider themselves as a part of their environment--one piece of it.... I believe that art should dialogue with viewers." Through this lesson, students will explore the power that media choice can have in artwork, especially in light of the gendered meanings we give to certain media. |
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Chakaia Booker: Weaving Treads of Meaning Target Group: 9th-12th grade Timing: 45-50 minutes Objective: After viewing images of Chakaia Booker's artwork and discussing the way that choice of media can provide meaning for an artwork, students will create a three dimensional artwork about gender using found objects, as well as writing three sentences describing their work. Rationale: It is important for students to consider the ways that media can impact a work's possible meanings, as well as to question the ways that we attribute gender to inanimate objects around us. Focus: Show students a large image of Chakaia Booker's sculpture Wrench (Wench) II. Have them write three questions they have about this artwork. Have a few volunteers share their questions with the class. Using the student's questions as a starting point, ask them:
Instructional Input: Provide them with some information about the work:
After this introduction, show students images of other sculptures Booker has made, such as Repugnant Rapunzal (Let Down Your Hair) and It's So Hard To Be Green. Ask:
Guided Practice: Show students found objects and materials that you have collected. Ask them to divide the objects into "male" and "female" groups, prompting them for reasons for each. Are they making associations based on use? on shape? on texture? Once the items are grouped, ask students if they think any object needs to be re-categorized. Try to prompt them to question their reasons for putting objects into one pile or the other. Discuss how we assign "male" and "female" meanings to objects, and ask whether that might be harmful or unfair in any way. Ask how Booker combined objects, techniques and themes that we might see as male or female in her work. Ask students how they might transform one of the objects into a sculpture that would make others see the object differently in terms of gender messages. Have students create thumbnail sketches of their ideas. Independent Practice: When you have seen their thumbnails, allow students to choose an object from the table of found objects. They may modify it in any way they like to create their sculpture, with the goal of transforming it in terms of gender messages. Closure: Students should write three sentences about their artwork. Have a volunteer show her or his work to the class, explaining the artistic choices made in creating it. Evaluating Students: Did students participate actively and contribute to the discussion? Did students make creative choices appropriate to their artwork? Did the students write three sentences explaining their artwork? Evaluating Lesson: Were students engaged by the lesson? Did they show evidence of thinking about choices of media? Materials:
Cross-curricular Ideas:
TEKS Correlations: perception, creative expression/performance, historical and cultural heritage, and critical evaluation |
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