PROGRAM #1 FOUR ARTISTS 25:30

Host Betty Van Etten introduces us to the work of four distinctive artists:
Georgia O'Keefe, Joyce Scott, Nam Paik and Carl Hancock Rux. The
setting for the stories' introduction is the National Museum of Women in the
Arts where an exhibit of costume designer and director Julie Taymor is seen.
Ms. Taymor is best known for her work as the designer and director of the
Broadway show " The Lion King."

Pre teaching activities:

Teachers can choose any of the following activities:
1. The day before the lesson, tell students to bring in any art that they can.
Pictures or small pieces. Bring in art that you like to talk about with the
students.
2. Ask the students to talk about art in their neighborhood/country/home.
The day before the lesson, ask students to bring in examples, pictures or books,
of art that they enjoy. Find out if any students in the class are artists. Ask
students what kind of art they like. If your school has an art department, ask
local artists to bring in examples of their work to discuss. Ask the artists why
they want to do art, and what influences them.
3. Write the word "art" on the board and ask the students, "What is art? Is
TV art? Can ANYTHING be art?" Write down their responses, then try to
get a short definition.
4. Teach the following vocabulary:
Prelude and linking segments: Julie Tamor
Costumes
Stage
Play
Individuality
Broadway Musical
Part one: Georgia O'Keefe
Art
Style
Vision
Impression
Museum
Costumes
Nature
Modernist / impressionist
Landscape
Influence

Culture
Seductive
Equivalence
Copy
Icon
Durable
Imitation
Paint
Inspired
Part two: Joyce Scott
Risk (as artist)
Sculpture
Contradictory
Derogatory
Fabulous
Freedom
Bead/beaded
Rodney King (see above)
Idle
Ignite
Riot
Criminal
Stereotype
Violence
Quilt
Experiment

Part three: Nam Jun Pak

Vocabulary
Video art
Electronic
Cathode ray tube
Canvas
Vintage
Robot
High-tech
Avant-garde
Criticize
Humble
Modest
Entertain
Shock
Harm

Project
Laser
Waterfall

Part 4: Carl Ross

Urban
Poet
Writer
Performer
African-American
Poetry
Prose
Impoverished
Visual art
Story telling
Narrative
Dialogue
Cartoon
Picasso
Community
Marginalized
CD
Jazz/Funk/Blues/Soul (types of music)
Influence
Career

Teaching activities
Connections 1 is in four segments, each featuring a single artist. The narrator
talks about Julie Tamor, who designs costumes for plays, in between the other
four sections to link the show together. The other artists are:
1. Georgia O'Keefe, a painter.
2. Joyce Scott, a sculptor.
3. Nam Jun Pak, works with video.
4. Carl Hancock Ross, a poet and writer.

Introduction
Depending on the level of the students, several activities can take place
Low-level students: play the introduction once, and have the students write down
any words that they recognize. Write the words on the board and ask students to
give a definition. Encourage students to write down any words they are unsure of
for later revision. Play the introduction again and check for comprehension.

Mid-level students: Play the introduction, then ask students to write down any
words that they don't understand. Write them on the board and go over them as a
class. Play the introduction again and check for comprehension.
Higher-level students: Describe the costumes you saw.
Content questions:
What country did Julie Tamor live in. How long did she live there? What play did
she design the costumes for?

Part one
Talk with the students about the difference between representational and
abstract art. Why do some artists like to make the picture look like the thing, but
others like to paint more how they feel?
What do the pictures remind you of?
What other landscape artists do you know?
Stop the tape at (insert time) and get the students to describe the painting by
Georgia O'keefe.

Part two
Joyce Scott
Ask the students to discuss the feelings of an artist and how they express those
feelings in their art. Look at any examples of art you have brought in; how do
they make you feel. After you have watched this segment, compare those
feelings with how Joyce Scott's pieces make you feel.
What is racism? How does it feel to be discriminated against? Draw a picture
that represents racism. Draw another showing how the world should be.
How many different media does Joyce Scott use? How are all the different
media (beads, quilts, spoken word, singing) the same? How are they different?

Part three
Nam jun Pak
Ask the class to discuss more modern art forms, like electronic music and film. Is
this an improvement on art, or a step backwards? Can electronic media be
viewed as a tool, like a hammer, that can be used to make either good or bad
things?
If you have an old video camera, connect it to the TV so that you can see the
picture from the camera on the TV, then point the camera at the picture on the

TV. The feedback will cause swirls and patterns to form on the TV (this does not
work with digital cameras). Ask the class if this is art.
Is a film art?
Can a TV show be art?

Part four
Carl Ross
Ask the class to think about how a persons childhood affects the rest of their
lives.
Draw a picture of anger. Describe it to the class.

Post-teaching activities
Ask the students what form of art they like the most. Encourage them to make a
piece of art and bring it to class to share. Describe the piece to the class. Ask
them where they think artists get their inspiration. What risks do artists take?
Can art be political?
Why are artists sometimes put in jail?
Would you want to be an artist?
What kind of art do you NOT like? Why? Why is some art difficult to
understand?
Take the students to an art gallery. It can be a fine art museum or the university
art department, but get them to talk about the art and compare it with what they
have seen in this unit.
If the class feels that any of the artists in this program are not really artists, have
a debate over what is and isn't art.