Unit 2 — Producing
Description
Students demonstrate understanding of how and why art is created by analyzing, interpreting, and conveying meaning through the creation of media and visual art using various skills, media, and methods. Students understand that presenting and sharing of objects, artifacts, and artworks influence and shape ideas, beliefs, and experiences. The unit covers how artists and presenters consider various techniques, methods, venues, and criteria when analyzing, selecting, and curating works for preservation and presentation. Students develop plans for displaying and conserving final artworks and understand how curation preserves artifacts and cultivates appreciation and understanding.
Essential Questions
- How are artworks cared for and by whom? What criteria, methods and processes are used to select work for preservation or presentation?
- What methods and processes are considered when preparing artwork for presentation or preservation? How does refining artwork affect its meaning to the viewer?
- What is an art museum? How does the presenting and sharing of objects, artifacts and artworks influence and shape ideas, beliefs and experiences?
- How are complex media arts experiences constructed? At what point is a work considered complete?
- How do time, place, audience, and context affect presenting or performing choices for media artworks?
Learning Objectives
- Experiment with and integrate multiple forms, approaches and content to coordinate, produce and implement media artworks
- Develop and demonstrate a variety of artistic, design, technical, and soft skills through producing media artworks
- Develop and demonstrate creativity and adaptability through processes such as testing constraints and divergent solutions
- Analyze and design various presentation formats and tasks in the presentation and distribution of media artworks
- Analyze benefits and impacts from presenting media artworks
- Investigate and analyze ways artwork is presented, preserved and experienced, including use of evolving technology
- Individually or collaboratively prepare and present theme-based artwork for display and formulate exhibition narratives
- Analyze how exhibitions in different venues communicate meaning and influence ideas, beliefs and experiences
Supplemental Resources
- Poster board or construction paper for display design
- Plastic page protectors for preserving and displaying artwork
- Tape and glue sticks for mounting and assembling displays
- Chart paper for creating exhibition labels and narratives
- Printed images or photographs for comparative analysis of presentation styles
Music - Performing
Media Arts - Presenting
Students apply mathematical reasoning and measurement when creating visual representations, analyzing proportions in composition, and using geometric principles in design tasks.
Students investigate scientific concepts through artistic inquiry, explore the relationship between form and function in nature-based designs, and examine how scientific understanding informs creative processes.
Students analyze how art reflects and shapes cultural, historical, and social contexts. They explore the role of art in society, examine artistic movements across different time periods and cultures, and understand how artists respond to global issues including climate change.
Formative Assessments
- Discussions about presentation formats and curation decisions
- Question and answer sessions about conservation methods
- Teacher observation of artwork preparation and display planning
- Peer feedback on presentation approaches
- Projects demonstrating understanding of exhibition design
Summative Assessment
Students develop plans for displaying and conserving final artworks and select works for presentation, portfolio, or collection based on specific criteria. Media arts students analyze benefits and impacts from presenting media artworks in various formats and are assessed using digital rubrics on a learning management system. Visual arts students demonstrate curation practices that preserve artifacts and cultivate appreciation.
Benchmark Assessment
Projects, discussion, school-wide displays of art, question and answer, end of year show of student artwork
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a visual presentation, sketch-based plan, or guided discussion with the teacher instead of written documentation. Sentence frames, visual examples of curation and conservation methods, and simplified checklists may be provided to support planning and decision-making about artwork display and preservation.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students may benefit from visual models and examples of completed exhibition plans or curated displays to support their understanding of presentation and conservation concepts. Directions for multi-step production and curation tasks should be broken into smaller, numbered steps with visual aids to reduce processing demands. Teachers should allow alternative output modes—such as verbal explanation, recorded narration, or dictated artist statements—in place of extended written responses when demonstrating understanding of curation decisions. Frequent check-ins during artwork preparation and display planning will help students stay on track and build confidence in their creative choices.
Section 504
Students should be given extended time to complete artwork selection, display planning, and any written or digital components of the summative task. A low-distraction workspace is especially helpful during focused production and curation work, and preferential seating during discussions about exhibition design supports active participation. Printed or digital copies of verbal instructions and rubric criteria should be made available so students can reference expectations throughout the unit.
ELL / MLL
Visual cues such as images of real-world exhibitions, labeled diagrams of display formats, and examples of curated collections help make the concepts of presentation and conservation more accessible. Key vocabulary related to curation, exhibition, and media arts production should be pre-taught and supported with visual references or a personal word bank students can use throughout the unit. Teachers should provide simplified directions for production and display-planning tasks and encourage students to express artist statements or curation rationale in their home language before transitioning to English.
At Risk (RTI)
Connecting curation and presentation concepts to familiar experiences—such as choosing favorite images for a social media post or organizing personal belongings—can help build engagement and activate prior knowledge. Offering structured planning templates with visual prompts reduces the complexity of exhibition design tasks and provides a clear entry point for students who may feel overwhelmed by open-ended production work. Breaking the artwork selection and display process into smaller, manageable stages with frequent positive feedback helps students experience early success and build momentum across the unit.
Gifted & Talented
Students who demonstrate early mastery of curation and presentation concepts can be challenged to investigate how professional curators or media artists make high-level decisions about theme, sequence, and audience impact in real exhibition contexts. Encouraging these students to develop a more sophisticated exhibition narrative—one that considers how different venues, formats, or evolving technologies might shift meaning for diverse audiences—pushes thinking beyond the standard task. Independent research into conservation ethics, digital archiving, or the cultural responsibilities of presenting artwork can deepen engagement and connect visual arts production to broader interdisciplinary questions.