Aboriginal Art Dot Painitng
Aboriginal Dot Painting Lesson Plan
Overview:
Students view the world from a new perspective and represent it in the style of the indigenous people of Australia. There is also a suggestion for interdisciplinary lessons with Language Arts, Art History and Social Studies. My Power Point slide presentation is used as an introduction for the project. Followed by You-Tube Videos on the history of the Aboriginal People.
Time Frame:
The lesson takes one to two days for the introduction and student rough drafts. The painting will take two to three days, depending on the size of the piece. The examples shown were done with tempera paint on 12’x18’ black or brown construction paper. To make the dots we reuse chop sticks, sticks that are found in new shoes, old paint brush handles, Q-Tips and pencil erasers.
Grade Level: The examples for the art lesson were done with 7th Grade Middle School students.
Objectives: Upon completion of this lesson the student will be able to:
Introduction:
Since the 1970’s Aboriginal Art has reached a wider audience with the introduction of acrylic paint on canvas for the depiction of traditional imagery. This imagery had been around for more than ten thousand years on rock engravings. Some of it was depicted during ceremonies using plant fibers on the ground. Works of art, which had been ephemeral, was now permanent and religious images were now more accessible to the public. The Aboriginal Dot paintings are of interest for the study of their symbols as well as their aesthetic appeal. The meanings of the imagery provide us with a window into Aborigine religion and mythology as most of the paintings relate to the Dreaming. The Dreaming is the mythical time of creation and the time of the ancestor beings.
Students view the world from a new perspective and represent it in the style of the indigenous people of Australia. There is also a suggestion for interdisciplinary lessons with Language Arts, Art History and Social Studies. My Power Point slide presentation is used as an introduction for the project. Followed by You-Tube Videos on the history of the Aboriginal People.
Time Frame:
The lesson takes one to two days for the introduction and student rough drafts. The painting will take two to three days, depending on the size of the piece. The examples shown were done with tempera paint on 12’x18’ black or brown construction paper. To make the dots we reuse chop sticks, sticks that are found in new shoes, old paint brush handles, Q-Tips and pencil erasers.
Grade Level: The examples for the art lesson were done with 7th Grade Middle School students.
Objectives: Upon completion of this lesson the student will be able to:
- Describe the significance of these paintings to the Aborigine society.
- Explain the social role of the artist in relation to these paintings.
- Describe typical characteristics of these works.
- Recognize some of the symbols and explain their meanings.
- Understand that a piece of art may be appreciated on many levels.
- Understand what an aerial view is.
Introduction:
Since the 1970’s Aboriginal Art has reached a wider audience with the introduction of acrylic paint on canvas for the depiction of traditional imagery. This imagery had been around for more than ten thousand years on rock engravings. Some of it was depicted during ceremonies using plant fibers on the ground. Works of art, which had been ephemeral, was now permanent and religious images were now more accessible to the public. The Aboriginal Dot paintings are of interest for the study of their symbols as well as their aesthetic appeal. The meanings of the imagery provide us with a window into Aborigine religion and mythology as most of the paintings relate to the Dreaming. The Dreaming is the mythical time of creation and the time of the ancestor beings.