Exploring Identity Our trip to the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia

What in the world???? Who is this? What does she do? What does her stance (the way she’s standing) tell us about her? Do her clothes and personal objects help tell us who she is?

What about this? Who is this? What is he doing or what is he about to do? Does the clothing help us understand him?

Marc Sijan These are two sculptures by the Ultra-Realistic sculptor Marc Sijan. Ultra-Realistic means they look so real you could have a conversation with them. The lady is titled: The Maid The man is titled: Standing Man Do the titles help you understand the pieces of art any better?

What’s going on? Who is this and what is she doing? Do you think this is her job? If you could give this work a title, what would it be? What do you think the artist is trying to tell us?

Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes This is an image created by photographer Glen McClure. It is titled: Tsunami Tsue. McClure is part of an exhibition of local contemporary (art created after 1945) artists who want to show their ideas of portraits. If you could create a portrait, who would it be of and what would it look like?

Here is some vocabulary that might help us talk about art: Abstraction- To abstract is to generalize. An abstract image can be grounded in an actual object or it can give visual form to something inherently non-visual like emotions or sensations. The subject matter may be recognizable or may be completely transformed into shape, color and/or line. Contemporary Art (New Art)- Contemporary art typically refers to works of art created from 1945 to the present day. Contemporary art could also be described as new or recent works of art that reflect today’s cultural views. Identity- Identity is the set of characteristics that somebody recognizes as belonging uniquely to himself or herself and represents his or her individual personality, for example: facial expressions, interests, pose, clothes, etc. Mixed Media- A technique involving the use of two or more artistic media, such as ink and pastel or painting and collage, that are combined in a single composition. Portrait- A portrait is a work of art that represents a specific person, a group of people, or an animal. Portraits usually show what a person looks like as well as revealing something about the subject's personality. ** Realism- Realism is the realistic and natural representation of people, places, and/or things in a work of art. The opposite of idealization. ** Sculpture- Sculptures are 3-D works of art that can be seen from multiple points of view. Sculptures are unlike paintings or drawings that are generally viewed from only the front. * **

Our field trip… We will be going on a field trip to the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia in Virginia Beach on April 6 th. While this should be a fun experience, there are some rules that we MUST follow:

No touching artwork. No touching gallery walls. Try to stay 2-3 feet away from the walls and the art. Pencil only in the galleries. No drinks, food, or gum in the galleries. Students must stay with their tour group. No photography! No large bags, backpacks, or umbrellas in galleries.