Hands: A Handbook

(December 30, 2008). Why Learn Languages? [Blob Post] http://norwegianlanguage.eu/2008/12/30/whylearn-languages/

Farrah Avikah, Scanagram Art, Printer scan (2005)

A Unit Plan Guide By Tina K Stevens

References
Emery, L. (ed) Teaching Art in a Postmodern World, Postmodernism and Art Education, Common Ground Publishing, Australia (p. 55). Gordon, Robyn (2010, July 3), Tools of the Trade, http://artpropelled.blogspot.com/2010/7/tools-of-trade.html Gude, Olivia, January 2007, Principles of Possibilities: Considerations for a 21 -Century Art and Culture Curriculum, Art Education Magazine
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MacAdam, Barbara A., (2010). Self-Portrait as Muskrat, Monkey, and Moust. Artnews, May Issue, pgs 92 97. (September 4, 2007), Laying of Hands [Blog Post] http://eternallycool.net/2007/09/laying-of-hands/ Nizer, Louis, Between You and Me, Beechurst Press, (1948) Snider, A (June 1977), The Case for a Thematic Approach in Art and Design Education, The Annenberg Partnership Sumer Institute Steven Seagal (Producer, Director) On Deadly Ground (1994), Motion Picture, Warner Brothers Pictures

Contents
1. All Hands Rationale for the unit 2. Project Ideas Four project ideas for the unit
Annie and Julie, (September 24, 2010), Do I really care if you have too much time on your hands? [Blog Post] Retrieved at http://franklyspeakingvintagegreetings.blogspot.co m/2010/09/do-i-really-care-if-you-have-toomuch.html

3. Unit Assessment Assessment guideline and tools

References

Chapter 1 All Hands

The American Heritage Dictionary defines the hand as the terminal part of the human arm, consisting of the wrist, palm, four fingers, and thumb (3 ed. 1992).
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Our hands, mainly due to our opposable thumb, set us apart from other species. We as human beings are unique because of our hands. In addition to their facility to be incredibly useful in a utilitarian respect, hands have the ability to express emotion, intention and language. Asbestos, a street artist, as quoted in Robyn Gordons blog, Art Propelled, says. The hands have been a revelation to paint. Theyre the tools that separate us from the animals. They can create and they can destroy and thats why theyre so fascinating to paint. Each pair has its own grain that highlights the personality of the owner. Hands surpass other features of the human body, such as the voice and the eyes, in their expressivity. Their relevance to the everyday, to every experience, to every individual allows for many avenues of exploration. He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hand, his head and his heart is an artist (Nizer, 1948). The hands can reveal a great deal of the personality and distinctiveness of the individual. They can exhibit cultural and social characteristics in both their physical qualities and their movements. In choosing hands as a theme of study in the visual arts, the will be to present a simple and concrete subject, that even very young children could understandand not too broad, abstract, or conceptual (Snider, 1977, p.1). My projects however will be directed towards middle school aged children in a full year public school art class. I feel it is with this age group that the level of understanding of self, peers and community is conducive to a more expansive exploration of the theme. Also, in a full year art program, students will become more comfortable with their environment and their abilities to produce work that will speak more strongly and closely to the themes presented within the unit. Through this unit plan, hard issues such as race and ethnicity will be explored through artistic means in a way that is non-threatening. Many art

Portfolio Review

teachers are teaching classes of students born in many diverse parts of the world, this is a compelling reason for the art teachers to rethink the direction of western dominated art programs(Emery, ed., p.55). In an environment of diversity, having a way to investigate and examine those differences is important. This investigation could in turn develop into a study of materials and techniques from different cultures. Craftsmanship, as it is translated from culture to culture, the ideas of handmade goods and the relationship of art to craft are all strong entry points to explorations of race and ethnicity.
______Complete ______Not Complete

Portfolio Review

Checklist

This unit will engage students in several personal and community related topics, most obvious being race, class, and self. Because the hand holds a physical connection to the student, these themes will find their way easily into projects. Good multicultural curriculum introduces us to the generative themes of others helping us to see the world through the eyes of others(Gude, 2007, p.9). Each student will be able to not only translate their ideas of the theme, but will gain a better understanding of how their peers have translated it. Differences in culture, and as a byproduct the reinforcement of community connections, may be explored through the presentation of beliefs and practices of others as a teaching tool or perhaps a way of building a connection between teacher and student. Practices such as henna or tattoo, representations such as the fist held high or the Hamsa amulet, and perhaps shocking and frightening traditions related to the hand all allow for entry points by which to engage the attention and interest of the student and at the same time offer a teaching moment. Kim Joon, a Korean artist, whose works are strongly based on the art of tattooing offers an example of arts ability to alter negative beliefs and connotations. Revealing to the students the ability of using art within a dialogue of beliefs and practices is valuable. Through these explorations, and the work that would be produced from them, students will build on their understanding of self and others. There are many ways by which artists use their hands. They are tools, they are subject, they are content, and they are medium. Martin Puryear, whose work is
4. In describing a specific piece, what vocabulary words best relate to the work? 3. What artists do you relate to and why? 2. Which project did you find most exciting and why? 1. What materials did you enjoy working with and why? ______Proper use of materials ______Care of work ______Following instructions

Questions for Portfolio interview:

Critique
Students Name Participation _____ _____ _____ Use of terms _____ _____ _____ Students Name Participation _____ _____ _____ Use of terms _____ _____ _____ Students Name Participation _____ _____ _____ Use of terms _____ _____ _____ Students Name Participation _____ _____ _____ Use of terms _____ _____ _____ Students Name Participation _____ _____ _____ Use of terms _____ _____ _____ Students Name Participation _____ _____ _____ Use of terms _____ _____ _____ Students Name Participation _____ _____ _____ Use of terms _____ _____ _____ Students Name Participation _____ _____ _____ Use of terms _____ _____ _____

There are many ways by which artists use their hands. They are tools, they are subject, they are content, and they are medium. Martin Puryear, whose work is strongly linked with the craftsmanship of carpentry, is one example of the literal use of the word. Much of his work is carefully sculpted with the detail and precision of a carpenters hands, but hands do not move into the subject matter of his work. Other artists however place their hands within their work as part of the subject or medium. M.C. Escher of course is one artist who used hands in his work, such as in Drawing

Hands (1948), for him they were subjects to which he could add illusionistic qualities. Some artists are inspired directly from such iconic images as Shane Willis was in his 21 century update of Drawing Hands (2007), where two robotic hands are tinkering with each other. Other artists who use hands as subject matter include Dorothy Frankel, who incorporates American Sign Language into her work and Asbestos, who paints the hands of street artists using materials he finds in the street. Rona Pondick is an artist who is best known for her human-animal and human-fauna hybrids, using her own form, including her hand, to enhance her work. Writing of Pondicks work, Barbara A. MacAdam said, reaching out from the chaos like a controlling tail, or an appendage to tell the tale is the artists long, skin-textured arm and big hand, trying to hold everything in place or commanding both monkeys and viewers to pay attention(ArtNews, 2010). As the hand is both recognizable and expressive, Pondick and others are able to use this tool for relaying messages and imagery that have the ability to capture interest and intrigue.
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New media such as video and digital images would be an exciting place to work from. Students ideas of culture, self and community may be incorporated into video work that could more clearly express the language of the hand. Artists such as Richard Serra, Yvonne Rainer and Jonathan Burrows use video as the medium and hands as the subject to convey conceptual ideas. Representing hands in action, these films explore the utility and dexterity of the hand but at the same time open up a dialogue with the artists personal beliefs and ideas. Television advertising, for such companies as Guinness and Volkswagen,

use video to express ideas they wish to convey about a product. In one such ad called A Short Film Called Hands, video is utilized to illustrate the impatient movements of idle hands while waiting for a pint of Guinness. This would be an entertaining example to use as inspiration for the students as well as to incorporate into a project. The translation of idea into image and image back into ideas would be an effective thought pattern to instill in the students. Then to incorporate a study of Braille and the manual alphabet would be useful in a continued investigation of language as it relates to the hand. From birth, the hands are used as entertainment, discovery, and signaling. As young children, songs are accompanied by hand gestures to facilitate learning. As a child gets older, hand games become popular for anything from inflicting pain (smacking the backs of hands), to tests of skill (being able to not get smacked), and as a decisive model (rock, paper, scissors). How these games and activities could be represented in artistic terms would be an interesting investigation. For this particular age group, visual culture references would be exciting for them to use as motivation. Films, television, Internet, and print publications often utilize recognizable nostalgia to engage the reader/viewer. In this same way, bringing in examples such as Inspector Gadget and his technology, or On Deadly Ground (1994), a movie with Steven Seagal where a childrens game of hand slapping is used to settle an argument would be a stirring exchange. Sculptural references to childhood such as Rock, Paper, Scissor, a sculpture representing these three elements by Kevin Box and Warren Cullar or works by Lauren Francis Moore that are inspired by childrens songs would be great tools for students to make the connections necessary for their translations of ideas. Each of the artists is presented with the same subject and each utilizes it and interprets it as best suits them. This is what will be brought to the classroom using this unit theme. With this age group and the full year art program, the students will build a non-threatening creative environment in which they can discuss, explore, and discover new ideas of themselves, and others while creating art that is meant to inspire and invigorate.

Individual Project Checklist

_______ Completed _______ Not Completed

1 2 3 4 5 6 Following Instructions 1 2 3 4 5 6 Use of Materials 1 2 3 4 5 6 Understanding of project 1 2 3 4 5 6 Personal expression

Visual Journal/Sketchbook
Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name Student Name ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed ________Not Completed Peter Kerr, (January 6, 2009). Dont Underhand the Red Hand. Retrieved from http://handsoffcountry.blogspot.com/2009/01/dont-underhandred-hand.html

Chapter 2 Project Ideas

Project #1
Drawing on layers
My contribution to the world is my ability to draw. I will draw as much as I can for as many people as I can for as long as I can. Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic. (Keith Haring)

Unit Assessment
Visual journal/sketchbook (10%) Individual Project Rating Scale (10 %) Critiques (10%) Student Portfolio with Interview - (30%) Final Portfolio (40 %)

Materials:
White drawing paper (11 x 14), graphite pencils, vellum (8 x 11), acetate (8 x 11), permanent markers (colored and black), wood (precut, approx 6 and 8 slats, 1 thick), glue, scissors, wooden dowels

Project Description:
Students will be shown various photos of hands so that they may have a sense of how individual they are and can become through life and work. They will discuss the variations in size, shading, lines, and details. They will be asked to examine their own hands and the hands of their classmates to recognize differences and similarities and to relate them to the pictures we have viewed. The students will discuss these differences and similarities with the group. They will look at the book Hand: A Pictorial Archive from Nineteenth Century Sources (Harter, Jim, ed. 1985, Dover Publications) that depicts how the hand was viewed historically through drawing. The students will be directed to discuss how these artists used drawing to bring out the character of the hand. Students will be given white drawing paper and graphite pencils and they will be asked to make observational drawings of their own hands laying flat, both front and back. They will be encouraged to pay attention to details. Students will be given two sheets of acetate to which they will trace the outline of their hands with permanent marker.

Visual Journal/Sketchbook Students will be expected to complete weekly assignments. It will be marked as completed or not completed. Individual Project Checklist/Rating Scale Each project will be assessed through a checklist/rating scale incorporating the elements of completed/not completed, following instructions, use of materials, personal expression, understanding of project Critiques Students will be expected to participate constructively in critiques that will last a class period, four times a year. A checklist will be used to mark participatory students. Student Portfolio Interview (Checklist/Questions) Students will be expected to have compiled all work completed up until the time of the interview in an organized and careful manner. The work will be marked as completed or not completed. Additional elements for assessment will be following of instructions, pride in and care of work, knowledge of terms and materials Final Portfolio The final portfolio, as with the portfolio interviews, will be an opportunity for students to compile all work for the year in an organized and careful manner. Rubric A Rubric will be used to join all elements of the assessment, allowing for an easier translation to a number grading system

Students will then look at anatomical drawings done by Leonardo Da Vinci in which, through drawing he reveals different layers of the hand are shown. The students will also be shown an anatomical chart of the hand that shows its inner workings, from bones, to muscles, to ligaments. Students will be instructed to imagine the layers beneath their own skin, what they would see both front and back. They will then be asked to create two drawings depicting two separate layers each, beneath the skin, for the front and the back. Again, using white drawing paper, students will sketch their ideas. Once completed, they will be directed to use their vellum outline drawings to transfer that outline to four pieces of acetate, two for the front and two for the back. Using their layer drawings as a guide, they will be instructed to add the line details of their drawings to each piece of acetate using colored permanent marker. Students will then be given foam core board that has been pre-cut to desired even lengths. Students will frame each drawing on both sides, lining up the frames and removing excess acetate. The drawings will then be mounted to each other with thin wooden dowels so that a half-inch separates each piece.

Questions:
What can you see in the pictures, what differences and similarities do you see in your own hand in relation to the pictures? How did the artists use drawing to depict the characteristics of the hand? How does using only line change your drawing?

Resources:
Images of hands; a variety of ages, races, and professions Anatomical Chart depicting hands Hand Anatomy Studies by Leonardo Da Vinci Hands: A Pictorial Archive from Nineteenth Century Sources (Harter, Jim, ed. 1985, Dover Publications)

Jesus Diaz, (July 10, 2007). Hands Hands Soap is Just Wrong Wrong, [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://gizmodo.com/276647/hands-hands-soap-isjust-wrong-wrong

Assessment:
Individual Project Checklist/Rating Scale Included in Portfolio with Interview and Final Portfolio

Chapter 3 Unit Assessment

http://kenmorealliance.com/2 44000.ihtml

Kim Joon, Party-Prada, C-Print, 2007

http://www.nichesolutions. net.au/2008/07/photos/

Sailman, November 5, 2009 http://eplaya.burningman.co m/viewtopic.php?p=506952

Harter, Jim. (1985). Hands: A Pictorial Archive from NineteenthCentury Sources (Dover Pictorial Archive Series). Dover Publications: New York

(November 6, 2007), Time (and Paint) on His Hands, http://laughlines.blogs.nytimes.co m/tag/hand-art/

Asbestos, Overflow, 2007, Mixed Media on wood

http://www.massageking.com/pr oducts/AnatomicalChart/Hand-&-WristAnatomical-Chart/943/1/1

Yvonne de Villiers (September 19, 2008) [Blog Post] Retrieved on http://www.yvonnedevilliers.com/ ?p=143

http://www.adifferentplace.o rg/newpage9.htm

Project #2
Talk with the hands
Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work (Carl Sandberg, NY Times, February 3, 1959). I love my jazz hands! (David Dickinson, English celebrity, www.saidwhat.co.uk)

Questions:
How do the artists change the look of the hand? Does tattooing and henna change the look of the hand? What did you need to do to your hand to transform it into something else?

Resources:
Images of henna hands Images of work by the artist Kim Joon Images of work by the artist Asbestos Images of hand painting

Materials:
White drawing paper (11 x 14), graphite pencils, digital cameras, video camera, and computers, roll of white paper, a spotlight.

Project Description:
Hanging throughout the room will be newspaper images of people who use their hands to support language, who talk with their hands. We will discuss what hand gestures or tools the students remember form childhood; ie: Rock, Paper, Scissors or Open/Shut them. In relation to the images hanging in the room, we will discuss the many ways by which the students and others communicate using their hands. Students will be shown video advertising from Volkswagen; that uses animated shadow puppetry to create an entire environment through which a Volkswagen owner would drive, and Guinness; that shows impatiently idle hands filling the time with mundane movements waiting for a pint. The students will have a dialogue about the messages each advertisement is trying to send. So that the students can relate it to the project, they will be asked to think about the message they got from the advertisement and what if anything they would change. They will then be shown a video that shows the simple movements of the hand, Hand Movie (1966) by Yvonne Rainer. This will be used to represent an artist using hands as their subject. They will be asked to decide if in fact there was a message trying to be relayed by the artist. Students will then be divided into groups and as a group will be asked to choose from a given list of poems by Shel Silverstein. They will be told to translate these poems into visual language with their hands, using digital cameras and video. They will be directed to plot out their ideas with paper and pencil first so that they have a clear idea of where they want to go with the filming. Once the images are stored, they will be uploaded onto a computer where the students will be able to further manipulate and animate their poem.

Assessment:
Individual Project Checklist/Rating Scale Included in Portfolio with Interview and Final Portfolio

Project #4
Hand Painting
What is real is not the external form, but the essence of thingsit is impossible for anyone to express anything essentially real by imitating its exterior surface. (Constantin Brancusi)

Questions: Are there hand gestures you can think of that you use with your friends or family? What messages do people send most frequently using their hands?

Resources: Video advertising from Volkswagen (http://vimeo.com/2753051, And Guinness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQjynOzgCk), Dorothy Frankel sculptures that incorporate sign language Yvonne Rainer Hand Movie (1966), Images of people who talk with their hands; i.e., public speakers and politicians Shel Silverstein poems (http://www.shelsilverstein.com/play.asp).

Materials:
Digital cameras, computers, printers, heavy stock paper (8 x 11), graphite pencils, tempera paint (primary colors), brushes (various sizes)

Project Description:
Students will be shown images of work by the street artist Asbestos. They will discuss how he uses found materials, color and paint to represent the hand. They will then be shown work by the artist Kim Joon who incorporates tattoo design into his work. We will open a discussion of tattoo art and how it is a decorative art added to the surface of the skin. They will be asked to describe what they see as different and similar between these two artists. This discussion will lead in to the presentation of images of henna hands and how these too are decorative art on the surface. The students will discuss the art of tattooing and henna, the permanence of one and the temporariness of the other. From here students will be shown images of painted hands that, although painted on the surface, transform the hand into something else. We will discuss how these relate to henna and tattooing. Students will be divided into groups and given digital cameras to take pictures of their hands in different positions. They will be directed to find hand positions that they can imagine turning into something else. Once completed, the students will upload their images and after choosing one image that they can transform into something else, they will enlarge it and print it on heavy stock paper. The students will use pencils to draw out their transformative ideas into the image of their hand. This will be their guide as they will then use paint to enhance this drawing and bring their ideas to life.

Assessment: Individual Project Checklist/Rating Scale Included in Portfolio with Interview and Final Portfolio

Michael Reisenger, VW Phaeton: "Galanty Show" http://vimeo.com/2753051

Tim Burton, Untitled (Edward Scissorhands), 1990, Pen

Yvonne Ranier, Hand Movie, 1966 http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=RK_4xoWNtZA

Tim Burton (Producer, Director) Edward Scissorhands (1990) Motion Picture, Twentieth Century Fox

Dorothy Frankel, Peace 5 Colors, 2007, Acrylic

Adicsapic, (November 9, 2008), Hands On My Fingertips Explore #1 [Photo Blog Post]. Retrieved at http://www.flickr.com/photos/adicsapic/ 3017906013/

A Short Film Called Hands, Guinness Ad, Retrieved at http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=IQDjynOzgCk

Dierdre, (January 6, 2010), Inspector Gadget Fun Facts http://www.wanderinggoblin.com/2010/0 1/06/inspector-gadget-fun-facts/ Steve Jobs Brad Spirrison, (July 25, 2010) Jailbreaking is not a crime, says FCC. [Blog Post] Retrieved from http://www.appolicious.com/tech /articles/2425-jailbreaking-isnot-a-crime-says-fcc Visual Index of Measurement Items, Dimension of the hand. Retrieved at http://staff.aist.go.jp/yamashitajuli/projects/nibh94data/vis_index.html Barack Obamas Health Care Reform Speech to Democratic Caucus, March 20, 2010. Retrieved at http://www.politicalspeeches. net/barack-obama/barackobamas-health-care-reformspeech-to-democratic-caucus Shane Willis, Drawing Hands, 2007

Project #3 Design it Better

Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly (Sir Francis Bacon). Questions:
What parts do you see in the hand? What functions do you find the hand capable of? What would you add, what would you take away from the function and capability of the hand?

Materials:
White drawing paper (11 x 14), graphite pencils, armature wire, clay, clay tools

Project Description:
The students will discuss the term Anthropometry that is the study of the measurements and proportions of the human body. Students will look at diagrams of these measurements and then with a measuring tape investigate their own hands. The students will brainstorm the many functions and capabilities of a natural hand. They will be asked to use their hands as tools in brainstorming, to move their hand around and see how it moves and what it is capable of doing. They will be asked to draw each section of their hand separately in an effort to understand its parts and functions. Students will then be shown two video clips. The first from the animated TV show Inspector Gadget that shows the many imaginative functions of Inspector Gadgets hands. The second clip will be from the movie Edward Scissorhands, (1990) by Tim Burton that presents a character with hands that are replaced with scissors. They will discuss some things they wish they were able to do with their hands. Students will then be shown several images, one of which is an altered photo of a hand with individual hands on the end of each finger. We will briefly discuss how things evolve, gaining useful elements and discarding un-useful ones. Drawing Hands (2007) by Shane Willis recreates with robotic imagery the iconic drawing by M. C. Escher, Drawing Hands (1948). Students will look at preliminary drawings by Tim Burton for Edward Scissorhands (1990) and through a series of questions they will brainstorm how to improve on the natural design of the hand. They will be encouraged to think futuristically in terms of technology and evolution. Students will then be asked to create a 3D model of their idea using armature wire and clay.

Resources:
Inspector Gadget video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVYI80PRVTo&feature=related) , An altered photo of a hand with additional hands on the fingertips Images of Hand Anthropometry Edward Scissorhands clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWFa8zfWfeA), Shane Willis, Drawing Hands (2007)

Assessment:
Individual Project Checklist/Rating Scale Included in Portfolio with Interview and Final Portfolio