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Introduction:
Art and Physics: Creating Aesthetics through Light, Force and Motion is an
interdisciplinary art curriculum designed for high school students that relates the
properties of light and principles of classical mechanics to artistic concepts and practices.
In learning the relationship between these two disciplines, students will be introduced to a
new way of viewing their world by coming to the realization that two apparently unlike
force and motion to art forms, students will understand the science behind pieces of
between science and art. As Mae Jemison (2002), an astrophysicist and art collector,
states in her TED talk "The difference between science and the arts is not that they are
different sides of the same coin… or even different parts of the same continuum, but
rather, they are manifestations of the same thing. The arts and sciences are avatars of
human creativity." Her unique approach to thinking about science and art inspires
ideas, create works of art by applying scientific knowledge, and be able to communicate
to learn such a useful skill. Throughout the curriculum, students will be required to use
scientific problem solving skills to complete each project. They will relate skills learned
in physics to their visual arts projects, naturally reinforcing the topics and building a
stronger understanding of the concepts. Art and Physics: Creating Aesthetics through
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Light, Force and Motion will appeal to several types of learners. The curriculum will
This curriculum is designed to follow the spiral model that teaches higher order
thinking skills. Students will gain a clear understanding of the topics throughout the
curriculum as the information gets more complex each time we start a new unit. The
concepts taught in the first unit will be revisited in the second unit at a higher level. The
same pattern occurs for the final unit. Each time we revisit a particular concept, this
information becomes refined and more concrete for the students. By the end of the course
students will be working collaboratively to combine what they have learned about light,
physical forces, motion and art techniques to create a hanging kinetic mobile that
postmodern curriculum model known as the lattice or web model by allowing students to
work from all different directions and bring multiple perspectives to collaborate with
The conceptual framework of this curriculum also serves as the cover. On it, you
will see images that represent each of the three units that make up Art and Physics:
Creating Aesthetics through Light, Force and Motion. The first unit, Analyzing and
Interpreting the Visual Properties of Light, is represented through the use of a color
wheel, the cornea and a section of the famous pointillist painting “A Sunday on La
Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat. Unit 2, Form and Context: The Relationship between
Artistic Processes and Force is visually presented through the imagery of the baseball;
aesthetics. The final unit, Making Motion Meaningful: Combining Art with Physics to
on mechanical force and motion, a study done through artistic approaches to automaton.
Lastly, the infamous kinetic sculpture seen right in the center created by Marcel
Duchamp predicts concepts learned within the final project of the curriculum, a
collaborative hanging kinetic mobile that uses skills learned in all three units.
Art and Physics: Creating Aesthetics through Light, Force and Motion includes
three specific aims and goals that relate directly to the Illinois Learning Standards of Fine
Arts. These aims and goals provide a general framework for the curriculum.
Aims of Curriculum:
Goals of Curriculum
The first aim, to inspire inventive ideas, responds to our society’s growing need of
new ideas and change. In schools, art is important because of the inventive process that
the subject encourages. Without aims like this, it would be hard for students to step out of
the box and express themselves through a creative manner or come up with innovative
ideas. In Art and Physics: Creating Aesthetics through Light, Force and Motion, students
will achieve this aim through a process of goals and objectives. By developing scientific
explanations of creative forms and visual culture, students will understand how science
and art work together to create the items that make up their specific visual culture. By
analyzing aspects of each subject, students will learn how to make connections among
thinking approach, which leads to the second aim, to encourage the creation of new
knowledge. We have been teaching in the same style since the Industrial Revolution when
the purpose of school was to teach students basic skills and prepare them to work in
factories. Our world has evolved since then to include phones, cars, and technology to
name a few. Those basic skills will no longer guide students to success, “The world has
progressed, and now we need people who think creatively, innovatively, critically,
independently with the ability to connect” (I Just Sued the School System, 2016).
and art forms is just one of many ways students can exercise this approach to learning.
The final aim and goal pair is less broad. Students will promote an understanding
of physical properties through the process of working with various art media (aim) to
Throughout the curriculum, students will be presented with projects and tasks that require
them to connect what they know about the properties of physics and characteristics of art
media. They will apply that knowledge to help build new knowledge and understanding
of both art and physics as they learn them simultaneously. Students will explore diverse
outlooks on pieces of fine art and other forms of visual culture as they learn how to relate
science to creativity. This new approach to interdisciplinary education is beneficial for all
types of learners.
connections in and among the arts” is met through the connection of science, specifically
light, physical forces, motion, and art in its interdisciplinary nature (Illinois Fine Arts
Goal, 2011). Through the process of relating the properties of physics such as color,
centrifugal force, and mechanics to the creative process of art making, students are
meeting this standard by studying the science that supports the arts. The final project
satisfies State Goal 25.B. by requiring the students to work collaboratively on a hanging
kinetic mobile that exhibits a variety of scientific and artistic skills learned throughout the
curriculum.
Art and Physics: Creating Aesthetics through Light, Force and Motion is
supportive of Illinois State Goal 26, “Through creating and performing, understand how
works of art are produced” in several ways (Illinois Fine Arts Goal, 2011). State Goal
26.A., “Understand processes, traditional tools and modern technologies used in the arts”
is met through the process of examining how each tool and form of technology works in
physical properties for each process in each project in each unit. Students will apply their
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properties behind each process through their creation of artistic work. The final project
will encourage students to explore conveying meaning through evaluating how their
choice in art media communicates an idea. Furthermore, each lesson or project leading up
to the final project will guide the students to use drafting, planning, research and problem
solving skills, demonstrating meeting State Goal 26.B. “Applying skills and knowledge
necessary to create and perform in one or more of the arts” (Illinois Fine Arts Goal,
2011).
Analyzing the relationship that art has to physics will broaden students’
understanding of the subject matter. Students will begin to realize how many connections
art has to the real world. This will guide them to understand how creativity leads to
success and innovative ideas. In an interview done with Richard Florida (2015), an
schools by explaining, “The creative class is truly a broad, perhaps universal class
spanning not just technology, innovation, business and management but also arts and
culture.” Our future demands that people think outside the box. Through the lessons in
each unit, students will “Understand the role of the arts in civilizations, past and present”
as stated in Illinois State Goal 27 (Illinois Fine Arts Goal, 2011). Students will view
historical and contemporary works of art and explore how the artist’s respond to the
current scientific knowledge and societal interests of that particular time period in which
As mentioned above, the style of teaching has not changed since the Industrial
Revolution. Then, it was important to learn basic skills to work on an assembly line for
mass production; students were treated as if they were products on an assembly line.
They were each shaped and molded into copies of each other and were all expected to
have the same level of intelligence and learn the same way. Society has changed; we have
already met our goal of creating a working class and that is no longer good enough.
Schools need to be producing creative individuals, people who will be innovators and
inventors, people who will come up with creative solutions to problems, people who will
think critically about what came before them instead of just accepting it. We now live in
the postmodern era and should teach in a way that makes sense for our time, “postmodern
disciplines, as well as a blurring of their boundaries with other subject areas” (Efland,
Freedman, & Stuhr, 1996, p. 67). This starts with teaching creativity in schools and it
goes way further than traditional methods and techniques in the art classroom. This can
be done easily in an art classroom because “art is inherently interdisciplinary and art
various school subjects” (Freedman, 2003, p. 114). By combining two different subjects
and teaching them simultaneously, students will gain a new outlook on their visual world
and start to appreciate the connection between disciplines. It is important for students to
because the real world is not strictly separated into categories of subject matter.
Studying the connection between art and physics is important because students
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will understand that all professional fields, not just careers in the arts, require creative
thinking skills. Throughout this course, students will be required to communicate ideas
and feelings visually. They must do so with an understanding of a concept in art and in
physics. Learning this skill is important because it teaches students how to be an activist
through art. It also provides them with the skills needed to communicate to a larger
learning skills that are authentic to professional disciplines in and out of the arts.
Studying works of art through a scientific lens allows students to comprehend the context
in which the work was produced and to “develop an understanding of the conditions that
made the production of the object possible and the study of it worthwhile” (p. 119).
Course Description:
Through the progression of the units, students will build on what they already
know about light, force, motion and art as they explore the two disciplines
simultaneously. The scope and sequence of this curriculum includes the following
Within the development of each unit, the concepts become more challenging and
that “The combination of art with physics to communicate an idea takes innovative
planning and imagination”. This starts with a smaller concept in the first unit,
“Imagination has lead to artistic and scientific discoveries about light”. Students will
learn this skill through a series of projects that require the decoding of artwork and
scientific facts.
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After learning basic concepts, students will be able to transition into independent research
and hypothesis in the final unit. This will be presented in the form of a project proposal.
Students will work towards the understanding that “The desire to artistically
communicate through moveable works of art takes the exploration of combining several
Several items of popular culture will be embedded into each unit. Through
analysis and playing with interpretation, students will become aware of visual
manipulation and targeting tactics. The progression to the final unit will lead students to
the understanding that “The combination of art and other disciplines is used every day to
In the first two units, students will learn how to analyze a work of art in relation to
the scientific knowledge that was prevalent at the time that the work was created.
Learning how art can be inspired by scientific evidence will provide students with
contextual clues when looking at art. The final unit will focus on a larger contextual
concept in which the students will become aware that through the use of art and physics
the education, cultural context or prior experiences of the viewer. Students will become
familiar with this concept throughout the curriculum and eventually understand first hand
how they can use their knowledge of physical properties to purposefully create many
Developmental Level:
High school students often explore several avenues to career paths. They are
discovering what they enjoy, what they are good at, and what they are passionate about.
Typically, in the high school setting, science and creativity, facts and ideas are separated.
Often adolescents and young adults typically do not show interest in concepts or ideas
presented by teachers or other adults (Wood, 2007). To engage and motivate these
students, we must relate our lessons to topics of their interest. By combining physics and
art to visual and popular culture, a more diverse range of students are more likely to pay
attention and enjoy what they are learning. Breaking down the curricular barriers within
the school is another way to reach several types of learners. In his book Art and
Cognition, Efland (2009) states that “If the aim of education is to fully activate the
cognitive potential of the learner, ways have to be found to integrate knowledge from
“students will experience a period of withdrawal from their responsibilities and have a
interesting content to high school students will help keep motivation and interest levels
By the time students enter high school, they are aware of which subjects they
succeed in. The students who are excelling in science and mathematics typically stay
away from creative courses such as the arts. Art and Physics: Creating Aesthetics through
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Light, Force and Motion is designed to merge the two opposites in efforts to attract those
Resources:
Art and Physics: Creating Aesthetics through Light, Force and Motion will
integrate a variety of resources throughout the entire course. These resources will assist
students in making the connection between the properties of physics and visual arts:
PowerPoint presentations
Pixelstick software
Pottery wheels
Conclusion:
Art and Physics: Creating Aesthetics through Light, Force and Motion will guide
students to understand the relationship between two subjects that often get perceived as
opposites. Students will finish the course with a better understanding of how art and
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science cannot only be related but also work together. Students will develop a more
critical lens when looking at and analyzing visual aspects in their world. They will realize
that even people who are logically and mathematically intelligent can be creative.
Additionally, Art and Physics: Creating Aesthetics through Light, Force and Motion will
challenge students in ways that will better prepare them for professional careers by
teaching them collaboration skills, planning and drafting skills and pushing them to come
References:
Clegg, B., Ball, P., Clifford, L., Close, F., Evans, R., May, A., & Rawlings, S. (2016). 30-
Efland, A. D. (2009). Art and cognition: integrating the visual arts in the curriculum.
Efland, A., Freedman, K. J., & Stuhr, P. L. (1996). Postmodern art education: an
Florida, R. (Spring, 2015). A Creative Economy for the 21st Century [Interview by C.]
http://www.creativeclass.com/rfcgdb/articles/Catalyst.pdf
Freedman, K. (2003). Teaching Visual Culture: Curriculum, Aesthetics and the Social
Illinois Learning Standards for Fine Arts (2011). Illinois State Board of Education.
http://www.isbe.net/ils/fine_arts/standards.htm
https://www.ted.com/talks/mae_jemison_on_teaching_arts_and_sciences_to
gether
I Just Sued the School System. (2016), September 26. Retrieved September 18, 2017,
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqTTojTija8
Wood, C (2015). Yardsticks: children in the classroom, ages 4-14. Turners Falls, MA: