Bridging Art and Writing

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Bridging Art and Writing
by Mary Erickson Arizona State
University
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Building a Bridge Lots of Ways to Get from
Here to There Todays high-stakes testing
environment presents art teachers with the
challenge of contributing to increases in student
learning across the curriculum while remaining
true to our commitment to meaningful art
education. Helping students understand how
they think in art and in writing may offer a
foundation on which to construct a sturdy bridge.
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This presentation will 1. Report on the
adventures of a team of teachers determined to
build bridges. 2. Introduce an new DVD/CD
resource that uses questions to build bridges
between art making and art understanding. 3.
Review a variety of ways the teacher team
used the new DVD and journaling to build
bridges between art and writing.
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This presentation will also 4. Propose that
the thinking process offers a foundation on which
a sturdy bridge between art and writing might be
constructed. 5. Overview an instructional
unit that teaches students to see clear
connections between art and writing.
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Potential Intrinsic Benefits of Integrating
Art and Writing Enhance both students art
making skills and art interpretation skills as
a result of writings contribution to increased
observation, thinking, and reflection.
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Potential Extrinsic Benefits of Integrating
Art and Writing Contribute to the schools
mission to improve language arts skills
measured on high stakes tests Contribute to
increasing students success on the new writing
component of the SATs
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The Canaries is an evolving team of
elementary and secondary art teachers
and others. Canaries Long-Term Goal To build
effective instructional strategies that
meaningfully bridge 1. art making with art
understanding and 2. learning in art with other
core subjects
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The Canaries first interdisciplinary study
involved developing, implementing, and analyzing
learning effectiveness of a website featuring the
work of the late Luis Jiménez called, Who Cares
for Art? Next a middle-school art
teacher used the site, in eight
sixth-grade classes. This time we
worked with a writing expert, Jim
Blasingame, to sharpen the writing focus.
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We published our conclusion in
Interdisciplinary Art Education (2005) We
concluded that rather than robbing art
programs of precious time, integrating
writing and art may not only reinforce
language arts goals, but also provide an
effective means of achieving important art goals
by increasing students engagement in inquiry,
discovery and meaning making.
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In the meantime I developed a new DVD/CD
following my long-time interest in inquiry to
build meaningful bridges between art making and
art understanding. The DVD features Anne Coe,
painter, and Michael Brolly, sculptor, responding
to four sets of questions about their
art. Here is an overview of those four
sets of questions.
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Art Making and Meaning Understanding
through Questions 1. What can I
see? 2. What else can I learn? 3.
What does it mean? 4. How does it
compare? The first two sets of questions
seek facts. The second two sets seek
conclusions?
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• Questions that Seek Facts about an a Artwork
• What do I see?
• The Human Touch
• The Real Thing
• Treasures
• All Things Visible
• More to See and Touch
• People, Places, and Things

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• Questions that Seek Contextual Facts
• What else can I learn?
• The Days of Our Lives
• The World Around Us
• What Does it Do?
• Cultures Here Now / There Then
• Visual Worlds

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• Questions that Seek Conclusions about Meaning
• What does it Mean?
• Group Think
• My Two Cents
• What Artist Wants to Do
• Experienced Informed

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• Questions that Seek Conclusions about
• Connections among Artworks
• How does it compare?
• Family Resemblance
• Everything Comes from Somewhere
• Big Ideas

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The Canaries devised pilot ventures using the
new DVD to build meaningful bridges between
learning in art and learning in writing. Art
objectives in green. Writing objectives in
white. Segments from DVD are in gold.
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• Karla Primosch
• Sahaurita Middle School
• Sixth Grade Art
• Students
• 1) Compare and contrast the style of their
• masks with another students mask.2) Identify
  artistic influences that contributed
• to their mask-making decisions. 3) Identify the
  theme that best represents their mask.4) Explain
  the terms style, influence, and theme.5)
  List synonyms for compare and contrast.6) Write
  about the art influences.7) Write a brief
  comparison and contrast about style and about
  theme.
• Students viewed the Family Resemblance,
  Everything Comes from Somewhere and Big Ideas
  segments of the Art Making and Meaning DVD which
  featured the work of Anne Coe. They then applied
  what they learned about style, art influence, and
  theme to their their own and their classmates
  masks.

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Style Our masks look alike because
of the swirls and lines. Our masks are
similar because we used the same
colors.
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Art Influence I got my art ideas from
my friends at my table. My mask is
influenced by Forests mask because he
painted his red and used a unibrow.
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Theme Our masks share the theme of
patriotism. My mask is of the American flag
and his is of the Mexican flag.
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• Kathy David
• Tempe High School
• Advanced Photography
• Students
• 1) generate questions that lead to facts about
  art.
• 2) generate questions that lead to conclusions
  about art.
• 3) recognize threats to the physical conditions
  of artworks.
• 4) identify ways art professionals care for
  artworks.
• 5) write persuasive paragraphs using facts to
  support their own conclusions.
• Students viewed the Introduction and Treasures
  segments of the Art Making and Meaning DVD and
  applied what they learned to photos. In
  addition, they wrote reports on Internet
  investigations proving or disproving the
  hypothesis Photographs
• made in a traditional darkroom will last longer
  than digital photographs printed by a laser
  printer.

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Preserving Photographs Art should be
preserved because of the value it holds. Art can
conjure memories or act as a portal to our
surrounding world. Art, and specifically
photography, is meant to last. . Art should be
kept as alive as possible, and preservation is
the way to do it. excerpted from the
writing of Megan Neel
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Traditional Vs Digital Photography I
think that photographs that were made in the
darkroom will last longer than ones that have
been printed out by a laser printer because the
ink from the laser printer will fade in time.
Photographs in the darkroom go through a process
in which unexposed silver crystals are removed.
Color photos fade because , the color has
faded. Regular photo paper lasts up to 65 years
while fiber paper lasts a hundred years or
longer. excerpted from the writing
of Christina Meckel
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• Roxie May-Thayer
• Cesar Chavez High School
• Ceramics
• Students
• 1) communicate using visual symbols.
• 2) describe and explain the meaning of
• their symbols.
• Roxie used Art Making and Meaning to help her
  plan a variety of ways to challenge her students
  to broaden and deepen their reflections on
  personal and universal symbols. Throughout the
  extended unit students wrote, journaled, drew,
  and reflected on symbols. Students viewed What
  the Artist Wants to Do after drafting their
  artist statements and before writing their final
  statements.

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Jasmine Box 10th grade African-American
female  I chose symbols that were relevant
to my name and helped convey my personality. 
My symbols show that I am hearty, friendly,
and very happy.  I would want the viewer of
my piece to see that I am affable and
very loving.
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Marko Nikolic 11th grade Rumanian male My
symbols stand for the love and protection I
feel for my mother and my sister.  They are
represented by the circles in the heart.  The
hand holds us together and the eye is
watchful.  The other symbol shows how I do
not open myself to many people except for one
special friend.
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• Susan Raymond
• Horizon High School
• AP Art History
• Students
• 1) use inquiry questions to better
• help them analyze, and understand the context of
  an artwork.
• 2) write persuasive paragraphs to answer
  questions.
• Over three days students viewed The Human Touch,
  Contextual Facts, Meanings, and Connections
  sections of the Art Making and Meaning DVD,
  concluding with Family Resemblance and Big Ideas.
  
• Students used the notes they had taken and chose
  four questions to analyze a new art work. They
  wrote persuasive paragraphs to show understanding
  of four Art Making and Meaning questions in
  relation to the new image. 

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Excerpts of Expository Essay (1 1/2
pages) Relating Contextual Facts to the
Artwork The artist was a child during
the Civil War, and lived during the time the
country was expanding west, the individual
was highly prized. As this is a portrait that
a patron would have requested, the culture of
the artist and subject is very much a part of the
image  
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Excerpts of Descriptive Essay (1 1/2
pages) of the Artwork Sargent uses
color to strongly establish the mood in the
room. The light blues and cream colors create
an icy atmosphere . Her head is resting on
the couch, and the tilted form of her head
conveys that she is tired, weak or depressed. The
strong horizontal line of the painting and table
makes her form on the diagonal even more
noticeable.
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• Nancy Erickson
• Mesa Community College
• English as a 2nd Language
• Writing with Oral Practice 3
• Students
• 1) explore a homeland treasure/artwork.
• 2) write a narrative paragraph.
• 3) write a descriptive paragraph.
• 4) write a process paragraph.
• 5) write an opinion paragraph.
• 6) write a definition paragraph.
• 7) explain several viewpoints about an artwork,
  including the artists intention.
• Students viewed the What the Artist Wants to Do
  and Treasures DVD segments as an introduction to
  the Homeland Treasures project. They
  investigated online, drafted papers for feedback,
  and made class presentations.

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Excerpt from Description by Rumania
Student The Voronet monastery, like the other
Bucovinian monasteries, were built of bricks and
decorated with enameled disks and colored bricks
around the steeple. The Voronet Monastery is 29
meters long and 7 meters wide. . Frescoes are on
the outside and inside walls. This fresco
illustrates the lives of the saints and martyrs.
The background of the frescoes on its exterior
walls is dark blue. This color is unique and is
known as Voronet blue.
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Excerpts from Opinion Essay by Colombian
Student The Fat Woman is very pleasing to
me because it is something to share with
everybody at every social level in Medellin.
Very often friends meet at The Fat Woman in
the park . Although this sculpture is
difficult to understand, and each one who
sees it interprets it according to own culture
or style of life, everybody is proud of her
and of her Colombian maker.
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• Mary Erickson
• Arizona State University
• ARA 194 Viewpoints on Art
• Students
• 1) distinguish art preferences from
• judgments.
• 2) use terminology to describe artworks in a
  variety of ways.
• 3) discriminate among various contexts that can
  affect how artworks are made.
• 4) differentiate viewpoints that can impact
  ones interpretation of art.
• 5) recognize stylistic, thematic, and
  influential relationships among artworks.
• Art Making and Meaning is the textbook for
  an entirely online fine arts and humanities,
  general studies elective. Students used The Real
  Thing DVD and CD segments for the following
  writing sample.

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Excerpt from Comparison of Reproduction v
Original The biggest and the most obvious
difference between the online picture and seeing
the real artwork in person was the size of it! I
failed to pay close attention to the dimensions
on the website and I pictured it as a small
sculpture. The colors were also very vibrant
and grand, which you do not get a sense of
from the picture on the website. His eyes are
squinted and his nose is truly wrinkled and
smashed to the side. One could not recognize
nor appreciate the detail in those features
from the reproduction.
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Writing A Tool for Art Understanding Nationa
l Art Education Foundation Grant
Project Goals Use multi-group pretest
posttest experiment to measure any improvements
in both art and writing after integrated
instruction. Use theory to explain the cause
of any improvement rather than just report any
correlation. In remaining slides color changes
are for emphasis only, not coded to content
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There are skills and structures that might
be learned in the arts and transferred to
academic disciplines. Such transfer is unlikely
to occur unless students are made aware of the
possibility of transfer. Meta-analysis of
1135 studies of which 31 met reviewers
research criteria. Winner, E. Cooper, M.
(2000). Mute those claims No evidence (yet)
for a causal link between arts study and
academic achievement. Journal of Aesthetic
Education, 34 (3-4), 11-75.
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Students need special assistance in reflecting
on metacognition thinking about thinking if
writing is to enhance learning in other
subjects. Meta-analysis of over 300
studies of which 46 met reviewers research
criteria. Bangert-Downs, R. L., Hurley, M.
M., Wilkinson, B. (2004) The effects of
school-based writing-to-learn interventions on
academic achievement A meta-analysis.
Review of Educational Research 74(1), 29-458.

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Strategic transfer is when knowledge about our
mental processes is gained through monitoring our
mental activities during learning. Haskell , R.
E. (2001). Transfer of learning Cognition,
instruction, and reasoning. San Diego, Academic
Press, p. 31.
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Research Question Can explicit teaching for
transfer between art and writing lead to
students increased abilities both to
communicate their ideas with effective word
choice and to support their interpretations of an
unfamiliar artwork with visual evidence?
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Transfer is being able to remember something
and use it appropriately in a new
situation. Some argue that learning without
transfer is not learning at all.
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Thinking in Art Making Art teaches
students to think through and with a
material. Eisner , E. (2006). NAEA Newsletter,
48 (1).
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Thinking in Looking at Art Looking at art
invites, rewards, and encourages a
thoughtful-disposition. Perkins, D. (1994). The
intelligent eye Learning to think by looking at
art. Santa Monica, CA J. Paul Getty Trust.

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Thinking in Writing Thinking and writing
are active processes. Thinking and writing are
directed toward a purpose. Thinking and writing
can become organized processes. Chaffee, J.
(1999). Critical thinking, thoughtful writing.
Boston Houghton Mifflin
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Student Thinking Process Journal
for Integrated High School Unit
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People Nature Unit five high schools 10-15
class periods Drawing Painting (2),
Photography, Ceramics, and AP Studio classes
Research Hypothesis Both art understanding
scores and writing scores will increase after
students engage in and analyze parallel thinking
processes in art making and writing.
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Lesson 1 Nature as a Theme in Art Getting
Ideas - identify nature theme in art by Coe and
Brolly First Try - brainstorm with sketches and
word lists
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Lesson 1 Journal for Brainstorming Sketches
and Words
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Workdays Students continue to work on their
People and Nature artworks and Artist Statement
and journal about their thinking. High
School students print and artist statement
that relates people and nature from
an earlier Canary project If all the
immigrants are taken out of the country, we will
not have anybody to pick crops.
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Lesson 2 In-Process Revision and
Feedback Revision - compare revision
processes in painting and wood (DVD) -
draw hand and leaf in pencil and marker and
compare revisions possible with each
tool - sculpt hand and leaf in Play-Doh and
make revisions based on written feedback
from peers
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Lesson 2 Journal for Class Notes
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Workdays Students continue to work on their
People and Nature artworks and Artist Statement
and journal about their thinking. Middle
School students print and artist statement
that relates people and nature from
an earlier Canary project In protest
of polluting our oceans and killing sea
animals
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Workday Journal for Reflection
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Lesson 3 First Try Interpretation Get
ting Ideas - inventory visual features
in Anne Coe painting First Try -
written draft
interpretation of Anne Coe painting
Revision - Use visual features to
support revised interpretation
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Lesson 3 Journal for First
Interpretation
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Workdays Students continue to work on
their People and Nature artworks and Artist
Statement and journal about their thinking.
High School students ceramic box and
artist statement from an earlier Canary project
My treasure box shows the moon and the sun
and clouds to represent day and night. I want to
spend everyday and night with my family.
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Workday Journal for Reflection
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Lesson 4 Why Revise? First Try - describe
an object in detail Revision - revise
description based in peer feedback Revision -
write feedback on peers in-process artwork and
artist statement
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Lesson 4 Journal for Feedback Revision
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Workdays Students continue to work on their
People and Nature artworks and Artist Statement
and journal about their thinking. High School
students ceramic box and artist statement from
an earlier Canary project My treasure box
is covered with earth symbols. The earth is a
treasure we should all take care of.
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Workday Journal for Reflection
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Lesson 5 Revising My Interpretation
First Try - based only on first viewing, draft
first interpretation of Coe painting Revision
- revise inter- pretation after hearing
Coes intentions and her invitation
to interpret
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Lesson 5 Journal for Revising Interpretation







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Students interpret a Franz Marc painting
before and after instruction as Pretest and
Posttest. The Canaries achieved strong
inter-rater reliability in scoring students
interpretations for learning both in art and in
writing.
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Journal for Refining and Presentation







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Canary Report We anticipate completing our
research study in the spring after which we
intend to publish our findings. Look for us at
future NAEA meetings and in NAEA
publications.
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Keep Bookin by Building a Bridge Lots of
Ways to Get from Here to There Todays
high-stakes testing environment presents art
teachers with the challenge of contributing to
increases in student learning across the
curriculum while remaining true to our commitment
to meaningful art education. Helping students
understand how they think in art and in writing
may offer a foundation on which to construct a
sturdy bridge.
67
CRIZMAC Resources Stories of Art
Thematic, inquiry-based stories for young
people introduce art through the millennia and
across the globe. Educators free online
supplement provides 167 art reproductions and a
detailed writing lesson for each theme.
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CRIZMAC Resources Art Making and Meaning
Understanding through Questions Fifty-four
short videos in which two artists respond to
key questions. Interactive CD with over 200
review, guided practice and metacognition
activities.
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MaryEricksonVentures.com links
to lesson plans and other thematic, inquiry-based
resources