A Perfect World

Big Idea: Utopia

Grade Level: 6th grade
Art Approach: Meaning Making and Big Ideas

Katie Alicaya
Mikaela Bugarin
Jemie Quero
Activity 1: Memos
- Take out your memos

- On a piece of paper, each group will write down an important takeaway they
gain from the article

- Each group will share what they wrote down when we join as a class
Lesson Overview
Students will use their own personal experiences and values to create their
interpretation of utopia through artmaking. They will be able to visually express
their perspectives on what their perfect worlds would revolve around. Students will
demonstrate their ideas by creating wearable art using old clothes, recyclable
materials, and classroom art materials.
Lesson Objectives

1. Content area 1 Science : The students will (TSW) be able to experiment with
different materials following a multistep procedure of their choosing. Students
will take measurements of their materials to the scale of their body size.

2. Content area 2 History : The students will (TSW) analyze and interpret
historical events through visuals and texts. Teachers will instruct students to
refer to their past as a way to come up with their idea of their utopia.

3. Content area 3 Language arts: The students will (TSW) be able to choose
words and expressions that are meaningful to them and appropriate them
through the expression of visual art. Students will come up with an idea and
build their items to create wearable art.
- Formative Assessment strategy (Language arts):

- Students will revisit their memos to come up with one takeaway quote or idea that makes the
article significant. Teachers will assign groups to talk about and come up with one takeaway
idea.

- Summative Assessment strategy (History and Science):

- Revisiting the Essential Questions, students will answer the questions in reference to their
work. Teachers will ask students to come as a class and portray their essential questions
answers to the class to better understand their work.
Vocabulary
1. Utopia: an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.

2. Mythology: the collection of traditional stories that explain history or natural events involving
supernatural beings and events.

3. Symbolism: the use of symbols/ to represent ideas or qualities.

4. Philosophy: the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence.

5. Ideology: a system of ideas and ideals; the study of their origin and nature.

Retrieved from www.wikipedia.com

Key Concepts
1. Utopias can be represented through different
artworks.
2. Artists can be conservative in artmaking by
reusing clothing and art materials.
3. Utopias are shaped by different philosophies.
4. Different utopian philosophies can help
improve modern day society.
Essential Questions
1. How can utopia be represented in artwork?
2. How can artists utilize reusable items in their
artwork?
3. What are philosophies/big ideas that can
represent a utopia?
4. How might the philosophy of utopias be
implemented to help improve modern day
society?
 Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peSpUDMcGR8
 - New York based artist

Artist: Saya - Has a B.A. Visual Art and Economics from Brown
University and M.F.A. in Sculpture from School of

Woolfalk
the Art Institute of Chicago

- Woolfalks interests are in hybridity, science, race

and fantasy where she reimagines the world in
multiple dimensions

- Her works portrays scenes with a fictional race of

women known as the Empathics who are able to
alter their genetic makeup and fuse with plants.

- Through her works, Woolfalk builds narrative of

these women's lives, and questions the utopian
possibilities of cultural hybridity

- She experiments with different mediums to portray

her artwork
Studio Time
Instructions:
Materials:
- Students will be asked to come up with a theme to resemble their utopia using
inspiration from their own experience, philosophies, etc.. - Clothing

- Students will choose to either make or enhance one item (list below) or make a look - Jewelry
(doesnt have to be complex)
- Beads
- piece of jewelry
- Jewels
- Piece of clothing
- Scissors
- Headdress
- Hot glue gun
- Once a utopia is determined, they will take out the materials they brought. Students will
also have access to the materials that are located at the back table and on the - Glue
countertops to create their piece or pieces
- Markers
- Students may use items like recyclable materials, old clothes, materials that can
Concluding Activity
Frame your answers according to the thought behind your work

Essential Questions:
1. How can utopia be represented in artwork?
2. How can artists utilize reusable items in their artwork?
3. What are philosophies/big ideas that can represent a utopia?
4. How might the philosophy of utopias be implemented to help improve modern day society?