Dear Art Teachers,

In order to help your students better understand the theme of peace through art and sport for the Naregatsi Art Institute’s Armenian Children’s Arts Olympiad 2006, we have put together a lesson plan.

The activities suggested below will allow students to understand the Art and Sport topic, develop connections between the two disciplines, express their opinions, and finally, create their own individual artworks. Please use all, one, or any combination of the following activities in your curriculum to encourage the most thoughtful artwork from your students. However, any activity may be modified to fit your classroom.

􀂃 Activity I: The Purpose of Art and Sport: This activity opens students’ minds to realize the connections between Art and Sports through a series of discussion questions.

􀂃 Activity II: Building Peace through Art and Sport: This activity familiarizes students with the effects of both art and sport in our society, and how they can be used in peace-building. Additionally, these discussions introduce the Olympic ideals to the students.

􀂃 Activity III: Thinking Beyond the Stereotype: This activity gives students a “hands-on” approach to break stereotypes they must think outside the box.

Activity I. The Purpose of Art and Sport

Why do people create art? Why do people compete in athletics? Addressing these basic questions with your students will allow them to think in detail about the issues. The following activity can help guide the discussion.

Have half the students of a class become “Artists” and the other half become “Athletes.” Then, ask them to develop and write down their own answers to two questions (Artists get questions 1 and 2 and Athletes get questions 3 and 4):

1. Why do people draw, paint, sculpt, dance, etc…?

2. How does creating Art make you feel?

3. Why do people run, play soccer, climb trees, etc…?

4. How does playing Sports make you feel?

Once they have finished writing their answers, the students are put in Artist-Athlete pairs to discuss their responses with one another and to answer one final question: What are the similarities between why people create Art and participate in Sports? At the end, each group presents their answers to the class.

Acivity II. Building peace through Art and Sport

Examine the roles that both Art and Sport can play in the peace-building process. Break the class into small groups to allow the students to work together to come up with their

own visions of how these two activities can be used to create peace. As a discussion starter, give each group a copy of the Olympic ideals

Olympic Ideals—by blending Sport with culture and education, the Olympics promote a way of life based on: (a) The balanced development of mind, body and character; (b) The joy of effort; (c) The value of role models; (d) The value of teamwork; and (e) Observing the ethics of: tolerance, generosity, unity, friendship and respect.

Some questions to ask the students: What do these ideals mean to you? Have you seen them before when playing sports? How could they apply to Art as well?

Activity III. Thinking Beyond the Stereotype

Too many students think athletes cannot create wonderful art and artists cannot be athletes. They believe that everyone and everything fits into a particular mold. To help change this view, this activity encourages students to look beyond the obvious.

For this activity, several pieces of athletic gear (such as balls, bats, nets, gloves, etc.) and art tools (such as paint brushes, canvases, construction paper, etc) will be necessary. The exact type does not matter, as long as the object is defined as a tool in arts or sports.

Split the class into teams of three or four and give each group one of the objects. Ask them to analyze the object for a few moments. Then, ask them to create an art project using the sporting gear or a game using the art tools. Using the questions below, have students create a specific structure for each game or project, which they then present to the class.

Art tools: How is this tool usually used?

Create a game using the following rules: your tool must be used throughout your game, and you must not destroy your tool in order to use it in the game. Otherwise you are free to create whatever you imagine.

What is the name of your game?

What are the rules of your game?

How is your object used in your game?

How is its use in your game different than its general use?

 

Sporting Equipment: How is this object usually used?  It is associated with which sport?

 

Create an art project using your object as either a tool or a part of that piece of art.  Describe the project below, but do not actually create the project. 

            What is the name of your project?

            What materials do you need for your project?

            What are the steps to making your piece of art?

            How is your object used for your project?

            How is its use different than its general use?

 

In the process of this activity, students will learn that objects can have specific purposes, but can often be used in other ways.  Then, ask the students how this activity relates to people, and their purposes.  Guide students to see that people, too, can have many skills – including being both artist and athlete.