Readymades and Found Objects: The Art of Meaning-Making


Life and Death 
Artists: Sami Tano, Susana Bustamante, Megan Rittemberg, Julia Kaplan

Some people are lively in class and some people are not paying attention. Everybody is similar, yet different. The different types of leaves represent different types of people. They all make up the world.



Untitled
 Artists: Brennan Prusack, Caroline Kapp, Sim Vreeland, Annie Stockel

In our piece the fork represents each of us as an individual. We are wrapped up by what society expects from us, thus the paper towel serves as a shield to who we really. We are teeter-totering in life as the fork tries to balance on the water bottle. The hair tie on one end bridges the fears and societal expectations. The ring is shiny, demonstrating the internal conflict we feel to try to break away from the shield, exposing who we really are as individuals along with revealing our vulnerabilities.



  Santa's Enchanted Forest
Artists: Kayla Pournazarian, Molly Halback, Valerie Izquierdo

This piece represents a typical Miami Christmas that makes people [from the north] sad and homesick , but it is still nice.

 


 Rivals
Artists: Romeo Finley, Olivia Dobrin, DeeJay Dallas, Robert 
Burns

Our piece means that there will always be people who are against you, but they only fuel your growth.




 Prisoner of the 21st Century

 Artists: Abbie Codispoti, Will Shields, Bryan Early, Sheila McAndrew

In today's world, there are many constraints to the creative mind. The chair represents that of formal education of a standard 9 - 5. The phone depicts how social media consumes us of our original ideas. The saran wrap shows how little freedom  our creative minds are allowed to explore in today's world. The rat wristband represents addiction, which is the result of a repressed mind.




  
Evolution of Paper
Artists: Cole Masterson, Sydney Kramer, Sydney Feyerick, Shannon Lerner

 This piece is about the transition from earth to raw and recycled cardboard, towards its most manufactured form. It represents the human corruption of raw material.



  Essentials of human Nature
Artists: Sadie Gray, Lauren Fuster

These are the things that humans find essential to human life, with a mix of man made and natural items.


 
 Green Project
 Artist:  Olivia Steinberg, Rachel Westhoff, Natalie Kiboneka

This piece brings attention to a straw made with plant material, which does not dissolve as fast as paper, but is not as bad as plactic. The Starbucks cup is reuseable, placed on a green reusable backpack. Our Green Project's motto is "reuse, reduce, recycle."


Knowledge
Artists: Shaquille Quarterman, Tyreic Martin

This piece brings attention to knowledge that we accumulate and do not let go to waste by recycling it, as well as letting it stick and be a part of us. 

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Summary


After introductions, which allows for us to create a safe learning environment for everybody, our first class focused on creating installations using readymades and found objects. Students went outside the classroom to find materials they could use to make a statement. They were engaged and creative during the art-making process. They familiarized themselves with conceptual art by being resourceful in terms of creating art with no budget for materials. They photographed their installation pieces to document their work. They implemented the meaning-making process by giving their pieces a title and explaining what each one meant.

Concepts Addressed


art installation
readymades
found objects
art-making
conceptual art
meaning-making

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 18, 2019 at 1:21 PM

    I think this class activity is one of the most useful assignments I have ever completed because I worked with other students I did not know and used resources from readymade and found objects. This lesson taught me to think outside of the box and to be able to use what some people consider garbage as a work of art with meaning and purpose. Students from any school around the world will be able to complete similar assignments, no matter their socioeconomic status. - Megan Rittenberg

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 18, 2019 at 1:28 PM

    I really enjoyed this activity because it forced me to think outside of the box. In college I have not had very many opportunities to think creatively, so I really appreciated the chance to do so. It is amazing how simple, everyday objects can be combined to create art. -Julia Kaplan

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kayla PournazarianNovember 20, 2019 at 1:16 PM

    These readymades were so fun to do! I never realized that creating art can happen right in your backyard. This lesson plan has taught me that being innovative is incredibly important when you are teaching. Budgets come and go but you owe it to your students to teach them at the highest level you can with supplies that are all around you. In fact, it was more fun to use tools and supplies around us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ArtlanderDecember 9, 2019 at 4:20 AM

    In addition to your comments, I would like to say that once you develop a concept about how to arrange the pieces, write a synopsis about its meaning and give it a title, you are also facilitating an artistic process that harvests artistic sensitivity, critical thinking and sociopolitical/economic awareness.

    ReplyDelete

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