PBL: Is Street Art a Legitimate Art Form?
PBL Artifact Template
Driving Question: Are graffiti and street art legitimate art forms?
Indiana State Standards
9-12. WT.7
9-12. WT.8
9-12. WT.9
1) Driving Question (12.5 points)
Does the DQ warrant in-depth study?
Yes - This is a social issue with many different aspects (fiscal, social, legal, cultural) and no clear or easy answer.
Is the DQ an authentic and relevant issue/problem for my students?
Yes. The question of street art and its quasi-acceptance as a legitimate art form raises issues of justice/injustice, racial/cultural biases, and obedience/rebellion against authority - all topics that high schoolers can relate to.
Is there more than one plausible solution to the DQ?
Absolutely. In regards to the legitimacy of street art, society itself has not decided on one clear answer. Instead, different communities take different views of it based on the communally held values of the area.
Does the DQ provide opportunities for students to evaluate, analyze, present, and defend their solutions? - Provide a brief introduction to your question as well
Yes. Not only are there many potential answers to whether street art is a legitimate form of artistic expression and whether or not it should be allowed despite its illegal and unsanctioned nature, but the definition of street art vs. graffiti vs. vandalism is up for debate as well. Students will not only take a position based on whether or not there should be strict prosecution of unsanctioned artwork, but they must also decide what constitutes vandalism and decide where society should draw the line when cleaning up unsanctioned markings and trying to stop those who create them.
Question Intro: “Street art is defined as visual artwork created in public locations, usually unsanctioned by property owners and created outside the permission of authority. Street art, graffiti, and vandalism are generally grouped together as anti-authority forms of rebellious expression, though many would say that they are not one and the same. Street artists such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey have managed to cross over into the mainstream art world and gain acceptance as legitimate artists while still producing street art.
The question is this: Is street art a legitimate art form? In small groups, you will be answering this question based on the specific social issues your group is assigned.
Where do we draw the line between street art, graffiti, and vandalism? As unsanctioned marking of public property, are they the same? Or is there an aesthetic standard that must be met in order to qualify as art?
Street art is often characterized by a counterculture attitude that references social issues and questions the status quo. Therefore, some might say that the suppression of street art is also the suppression of political opinion, especially because street art, graffiti, and vandalism all flourish in areas of poverty. Do you think that unsanctioned public marking is a valid form of political expression?
Whether it is a valid form of social expression or not, it costs money for cities to clean up unsanctioned markings. In either the long term or the short term, are there any good solutions to reducing the cost of cleanup for unsanctioned markings? Hint: Who is most concerned about unsanctioned markings, the rich or the poor? Where are the markings being made, and who is making them? Why?
2) Grabber (22.5 points)
On the cost of graffiti removal:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/graffiti-vandals-cost-public-millions/
On street art as political expression:
http://www.giarts.org/article/street-art-gives-voice-community-low-income-housing
On street art vs. graffiti
http://www.columbia.edu/~sl3731/graffitiART/index.html
General:
http://www.complex.com/style/2011/03/the-50-greatest-street-artists-right-now/
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/178219/colombian-street-artists-graffiti-for-peace
http://www.urbanfieldstudies.net/2009/11/arguments-for-and-against-graffiti/
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/arts-culture/the-story-behind-banksy-4310304/
Does the story, article, video, announcement, or role play other resource hook the learner into asking more questions about the topic?
Yes, I think so. There are many different views here, and I think that the wide range of opinions and issues will get students asking more questions as they read more about it.
Does the grabber capitalize on novelty and / or high emotion situations?
I would say definitely - the themes of rebellion, justice/injustice, questioning authority, and defining social “norms” are all high emotion and very relatable for high school students.
Does the grabber establish authenticity & relevance?
Yes, the articles listed are from reputable sources and reference authentic situations in which society weighs the value of street art and graffiti and presents arguments from both sides.
Make sure to explain how this grabber would be used.
Each group would be required to read the article about their specific question, and then encouraged to expand their viewpoint by making up their own questions and searching the other articles for relevant points. This would be done in preparation for the presentation and argument defense portion of the assignment.
3) Culminating Activity (65 points)
The culminating activity will be in two parts: a presentation put on by the group detailing their argument - answering both their specific question, and deciding on their answer to the penultimate question as well. The students will create a powerpoint that lists their findings, their reasoning, and any solutions to the problem that they may have come up with. The second part will be a class discussion right after the presentations, where the groups ask questions and present opinions based on their own findings. This discussion will be guided by the instructor, who will ask questions that draw on all the issues at stake.
How is the activity authentic?
The activity is authentic because it presents actual problems and asks students to imagine themselves in a real-world position where they must make decisions about such ongoing problems as the role of rebellion in the art world, the legitimization of anti-authority viewpoints, and the voice of the disenfranchised vs. the views of those in power.
Does the activity provide students with the opportunity to present and defend problem solution?
Yes - students will decide their position and detail their reasoning based on the information provided both in the articles and through independent research. They will then present their solution to the problem, if any. If there is no solution, the students will outline why.
Does the activity require student collaboration?
Yes, the students will be working in small groups and putting a presentation together. They will need to communicate their opinions and reason out their solutions amongst their group members before doing so in the presentation and class discussion.
How will I judge what students have learned from the activity?
I will require participation not just from each group, but from each group member individually. During the researching phase, I will observe the groups and ask each group member to turn in an individually completed brainstorming worksheet. Each member will be required to participate in the public speaking during their group’s presentation (essentially the members will take turns presenting different points of their argument). Finally, in the class discussion, I will grade participation based on knowledge of the topic, participation in public debate by asking specific questions, and debate etiquette (which will be outlined for all the members before debate begins).
Example of a Successful Student Argument (Presentation Portion)
“As a group, we have decided on the following responses to our subtopic “Do you think that unsanctioned public marking is a valid form of political expression?”:
- In the case of DjLu in his street art for peace in Columbia, this unsanctioned public marking is a political commentary on the outcry against continued warfare within the country. Because war is often fought for the rich while the poor on both sides suffer, the anti-authoritarian act of unsanctioned marking is a plea for social justice because the people of Columbia want peace. This is an example of street art as an expression of community identity.
- The organization Wall Hunters in Baltimore not only made a political statement with their unsanctioned marking of abandoned buildings, but organized a real community action effort that helped fuel awareness and even municipal policy by linking their street art with QR codes that led to websites bringing attention to the high rate of abandoned buildings and urban decay that endangered the health of the nearby residents. Baltimore increased their demolition budget by almost $20 million after a publicly reported dispute between Wall Hunters and the owner of one of the targeted abandoned buildings.
- In “Arguments for and against graffiti,” the author points out that though graffiti is sometimes done because of a lack of policing in rural areas that encourages criminal acts, it can also be done out of a sense of community by the community members themselves. Either way, we think that this kind of graffiti is a method of raising a voice for those who have been rendered voiceless in the political process - the poor and disenfranchised who often live in neighborhoods where police and authority figures have little interest. Whether positive or not, graffiti stands for a need - the need to be noticed and have the community itself legitimized in the social sphere, as much as those communities where crime, poverty, and disenfranchisement are not rampant.
- In conclusion, we think that unsanctioned markings including street art and graffiti are legitimate ways to voice a political or social opinion, especially because the communities in which it occurs are frequently inhabited by those individuals who do not have as much power in the sanctioned political process because of racial or social biases.
The following is a rubric for the discussion portion of the project:
PBL rubric for discussion portion