Frank Big Bear Drawings Lesson Plan

Frank Big Bear

Grade Level/Age: All ages

Time Needed: One class period

Focus: The children will study the abstract works of Ojibwe artist Frank Big Bear

Objectives: The students will:

1. 0.1.3.5.1 demonstrate understanding of the personal, social, cultural and historical contexts that influence the arts areas. Identify characteristics of visual artworks from a variety of cultures including the contributions of Minnesota American Indian tribes and communities.
2. Strand I: Artistic Foundations: demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of the arts area.
3. 0.1.1.5.1 identify the elements of visual art, including color, line, shape, texture, and

d)   0.4.1.5.1 compare and contrast the characteristics of a variety of works of visual art.

Motivational Resources:

• Document Camera
• Frank Big Bear “Autumn’s Wind”, “Floral Man – Self Portrait”, and “God’s Eye” posters
• Frank Big Bear powerpoint
• Alison Aune’s book on Frank Big Bear

Art Materials:

• Prismacolor pencils, rulers, bristol paper, stencils, regular pencils, scrap paper
• Ample coloring space in tables of 4-6 students to encourage communication of ideas but not too distracting

Introduction to the Lesson: 

Abstraction is defined as the act of considering something as a general quality or characteristic, apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances (dictionary.com). In art, this process involves taking an object and detaching it from its realistic properties, making it into something new and often unexpected. An early 20th century artist who perfected this style is Pablo Picasso, who created a form of artistic abstraction known as cubism. In this style, artists would reduce an object to simple fragmented geometric forms, often viewing the object from multiple vantage points at once.

Born in 1953, Frank Big Bear is an Ojibwe artist who began his art career while working as a cab driver. He was inspired by the abstract landscapes of his University of Minnesota professor, Ojibwe artist George Morrison, and early 20th century abstraction. He uses this process of abstraction to create colorful, dreamlike drawings that feature faces that are broken apart into multiple organic shapes, sometimes melting into the background. Numerous Ojibwe symbols, such as the coyote, bear claw necklaces, and Ojibwe beadwork flowers, symbolize the deeper story of his culture and growing up in the White Earth Indian Reservation. Big Bear uses his paintings to confront Ojibwe culture issues ranging from malnutrition in the reservations to trying to meld modern Western culture to that of his ancestors.

Instructional Procedure:

Step 1: Once students are seated, the teacher will welcome them and begin going through the powerpoint, beginning with abstraction in art, cubism, and the works of Frank Big Bear while detailing the life of the artist. The powerpoint will feature numerous works by Frank Big Bear which will be used as a segue into the overall theme of abstraction and Ojibwe culture. Ask the students if Frank Big Bear actually has vines on his face and if his eye is really 5 colors and explain to them what abstraction is. Then, ask the students what kind of hidden images they can see in the background and explain the cultural significance of each symbol. The students will be abstracting their faces and coloring it in a style inspired by Frank Big Bear.

Step 2: Set up the document camera and demonstrate some ways in which they can abstract their faces using a ruler and some stencils. Also introduce them to the coloring techniques of gradation using two colored pencils plus a white colored pencils and how to add dimension to a shape by coloring the outside dark and slowly getting lighter as you reach the center.

Step 3: Using all the supplies that are in the middle of their tables, have the students begin sketching out their basic faces and then sectioning them into “puzzle pieces” using the techniques previously demonstrated. Encourage them also to try new ways of breaking up the face (e.g. using their hands instead of stencils, folding their paper to create lines, etc).

Step 4: Instruct the students to begin coloring their “puzzle pieces” leaving no white spaces. Encourage them to use the new coloring techniques demonstrated on the document camera in their pieces. Go around and check up on all students, starting conversations on critical evaluations of their artistic choices and problem solving (e.g. well what do you think if you colored in those white spots?).

Step 5: At the end of class, in alphabetical order (or some other order that doesn’t leave any student being picked last), have students come up to the front of the class and briefly explain “two stars and a wish”, or two things they like about their work and one thing that they’d like to change if they did the piece again. This encourages them to practice effective art criticism.

Evaluation/Assessment:

• Art Production: students created abstract drawings in the style of Frank Big Bear.
• Art History: students learned about the abstract movement and contemporary Ojibwe artist Frank Big Bear.
• Art Criticism: each student describes both the positives and the negatives of their piece while also hearing feedback from their fellow students.
• Aesthetics: the students gained an appreciation of different styles of abstract art and to appreciate the work of Frank Big Bear

Bibliography:

“Abstraction.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.

“Famous Abstract Art.” Abstract Art Framed. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.

“Frank Big Bear.” Frank Big Bear. Tweed Museum of Art. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.