I just recently had my middle school students do an art project that addressed the social issue of the expectations of police officers, excessive force and the killings of African American Males. A very touchy subject that could have easily gone south if not controlled. We were studying Graffiti and I had the students talk about the issue with their parents to help develop their own opinions and ideas about the situation. (I made it clear that we would not debate the issue during class or critique). However, I wanted them to be completely submerged into, again, protesting or expressing their opinions through their art work. They were expected to apply their art work to a skateboard drawing. I must say...I have never seen my Middle School students work so hard on an art project before!! They loved it! I also was blown away (even cried a little) during critique being able to hear them explain their work and talk about how it was connected to the social issues we are experiencing in our communities.
I had one 7th Grader who asked if she could focus more on Women's Rights and equality and I allowed her to do so since I felt that it embellished her personality more so than the topic I had presented and I was very pleased with her ability to incorporate a bit of the history of pop art without being directed to.
I really feel that it is important that we connect the students learning (even now more through assessment) to their own lives and real world problems. Essentially we are helping develop the whole child and if we can make an impression on them in any way to help develop their minds and hearts to put others above themselves or at least be considerate of any situation as a whole rather than through just their point of view then I feel like we are obligated to do so. We are shaping the future through them just as our teachers helped shape who we are.
The Art of Graffiti is just one of many mediums or styles of art that are a very real historical and contemporary global perspective of visual expression and I was able to bring it into the classroom and connect it to real world problems that our global societies encounter on a daily basis.