Visual & Performing Arts · 6th Grade

Active learning ideas

Contemporary Art and New Media

Contemporary art and new media resist neat definitions, which makes active learning essential. When students engage with provocative works or create their own proposals, they move beyond abstract debates and confront the complexities of the field firsthand.

• Common Core State Standards
• NCAS: Responding VA.Re7.1.6
• NCAS: Connecting VA.Cn10.1.6

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Is It Art?

Show images of Duchamp's Fountain, Yoko Ono's Instructions, a Banksy mural, and a viral social media image. Students individually rate each on a scale of 1-5 for how much this is art and why, then pair to compare and discuss where they disagree most.

What makes an everyday object like a bicycle wheel become 'art' when placed in a museum?

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, circulate to listen for misconceptions and redirect with questions like, 'What skill does the artist use if not traditional craft?'

What to look for

Present students with an image of Marcel Duchamp's 'Fountain' (a urinal). Ask: 'Why might an artist consider this object art? What is the artist's idea here? Does it change your definition of art?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their reasoning.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Whole Class

Gallery Walk: Art Form Timeline

Post eight contemporary art examples labeled by form: installation, performance, video, net art, street art, bio art, AI art, conceptual. Students visit each with a question card and write one way this form challenges traditional painting or sculpture.

How do contemporary artists challenge traditional notions of what art can be?

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, assign pairs a decade and ask them to find one artwork that challenges the norm of skill in art-making.

What to look for

Ask students to write down one example of 'new media art' they have encountered (e.g., a video game, a digital animation, an interactive website). Then, have them write one sentence explaining what makes it 'art' in their opinion.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Four Corners
• 30 min · Individual

Mini-Project: Conceptual Art Proposal

Students write a five-sentence artist statement for a conceptual artwork they would create, explaining the idea without necessarily describing how to physically make the object. Inspired by Sol LeWitt's instruction pieces, which exist as written directions.

Predict how emerging technologies might shape the future of artistic expression.

Facilitation Tip

In the Conceptual Art Proposal, require students to write a one-paragraph artist statement before they sketch, ensuring the concept drives the work.

What to look for

Show students a short video clip of a famous performance art piece (e.g., Marina Abramović's 'The Artist is Present'). Ask students to identify the medium used (body, action, interaction) and one emotion or idea they think the artist was trying to convey.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Socratic Seminar
• 40 min · Whole Class

Socratic Seminar: The Technology Question

Provide three short readings: one on NFTs and digital art, one on AI-generated art, one on performance art. Students lead a structured discussion on whether the use of new technology makes something more or less valuable as art.

What makes an everyday object like a bicycle wheel become 'art' when placed in a museum?

Facilitation Tip

During the Socratic Seminar, allow silence after questions to give students time to formulate responses rather than rushing to fill the space.

What to look for

Present students with an image of Marcel Duchamp's 'Fountain' (a urinal). Ask: 'Why might an artist consider this object art? What is the artist's idea here? Does it change your definition of art?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their reasoning.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should avoid framing contemporary art as 'easy' or 'anything goes.' Instead, emphasize the rigor in research, planning, and conceptual clarity. Research shows that students grasp the depth of contemporary practice when they create their own conceptual pieces, not just discuss them. Avoid over-explaining; let the works and students' responses drive the conversation.

Students will demonstrate understanding by connecting ideas to materials, explaining their reasoning in discussions, and applying concepts in their own creative work. Look for evidence of critical thinking beyond simple likes or dislikes.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Think-Pair-Share, watch for students who say, 'If there is no technical skill involved, it is not real art.'

  Redirect by asking, 'What skills did the artist use in their research, planning, or installation process?' Have students revisit their assigned artwork to identify the specific intellectual or spatial skills involved.

• During Gallery Walk, watch for students who dismiss works as 'just weird or shocking' without deeper analysis.

  Ask students to spend two minutes researching the artist's intent before discussing. Challenge them to identify the social, political, or philosophical question the work addresses, using the artist's statement or reliable sources.

• During the Conceptual Art Proposal, watch for students who assume Duchamp's urinal is art only because a museum displayed it.

  Have students write a response in their proposal explaining how their own concept and context define their work as art, drawing parallels to Duchamp's argument about intention and context.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Gallery Walk
• Four Corners
• Socratic Seminar