Introduction
Welcome, little artists! Have you ever seen a work of art that seemed to move and dance right off the page? Well, Keith Haring was an artist who used bold black lines, bright colors, and fun symbols to share important messages with the world. Haring’s figures and lines often appeared to be in motion, jumping, dancing and bending, giving his artwork a sense of life. In this lesson, you will become little art historians and explorers as you learn about Keith Haring’s life, style, and the messages he delivered through art.
Guiding Questions:
- Who is Keith Haring, and why should we care?
- What symbols and color combinations did Keith Haring use, what did they mean?
- How can art be used to express ideas and emotions as well as share messages with others?
- How can we create our own Keith Haring inspired artwork?
Learning Objectives:
Students will,
-Identify key facts about Keith Haring’s life and art style.
- Explain the meaning of some of his symbols and messages.
- Create an original work of art inspired by Keith Haring’s art style.
- Reflect on how art can be used to communicate ideas to others.
Task
Your Mission:
- Listen Up! ~ Pay attention to Ms. Fernandez’s presentation about Keith Harings life, attributes, and impact on the world.
- Decode the Symbols ~ Think about Harings line work, colors, and symbols. What do they mean? Put your detective hats on, y’all!
- Get Those Hands Movin’ ~ Use paper and markers to make a Keith Haring inspired piece. Extra points if they actually dance off the page!
- Strut Your Stuff! ~ Stand in the front with Ms. Fernandez and show your classmates your masterpiece! Remember to tell your peers the story behind it and get ready to be amazed by everyone’s dancing shapes!
Process
Your art adventure begins! Remember to,
- Spy on the art ~ Pay attention to Haring’s techniques and try to find the secret messages in his art.
- Plot your masterpiece ~ Think about a story or message YOU want to tell the class.
- Make it move - Grab your art materials and make a Haring inspired masterpiece. Make it colorful, make it move, and most importantly, make it you!
Evaluation
Masterpiece Meter:
| Criteria | Superstar (4) | Almost There (3) | Getting There (2) | Needs a Boost (1) |
| Creativity and Effort | Artwork is very colorful full of movement. | Creative and colorful with some movement. | Some creativity, little movement. | Minimal effort or little to no connection to Harings style. |
| Symbols | Symbols clearly tell a story that everyone can understand. | Symbols mostly tell a story. | Some symbols, story is a little tricky to understand. | Symbols/story unclear or missing. |
| Presentation | Explanation is clear and confident. | mostly clear explanation and sharing. | Somewhat clear, audience has some trouble understanding. | story or explanation missing, difficult to follow. |
Conclusion
The Grand Finale
Congratulations, little artists! You’ve successfully completed your journey into the colorful and wiggly world of Keith Haring! You’ve learned about his life, the way and the why he created his art and you’ve created your very own Keith Haring masterpiece! Your lines, colors, and shapes tell stories just like Harings did!
Along the way, you’ve observed Haring’s style, decoded the meaning behind his symbols, and used your beautifully creative minds to make your piece full of energy and emotion! Great job everyone!
Next week will be the life and art of Yayoi Kusama!
Don’t want the fun to end? Here’s a Keith Haring Circle Maze! - https://artsology.com/keith-haring-circle-maze.php