Visual Arts Grade 12

UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE PREPARATION (AVI4M)

This course focuses on the refinement of students’ skills and knowledge in visual arts and De’VIA arts. Students will analyse De’VIA art forms; use theories of art in analysing and producing art; and increase their understanding of stylistic changes in modern and contemporary De’VIA arts including Canadian (and Native Canadian) De’VIA art.. Students will produce a body of work demonstrating a personal approach as a Deaf person.

Note: De’VIA, (Deaf View Image Art) explores Deaf experience on a personal cultural or physical level using formal art elements.  Many artworks instinctively or intentionally reflect De’VIA elements such as:

• Intense and contrasting colours
• contrasting textures and values
• emphasis on eyes, mouths, ears and hands
• motifs, metaphors, insights and perspectives of Deaf experience
• This presents an opportunity for students to reflect on, explore and integrate their experiences as Deaf individuals and to express their experiences through art.

Reference: For a list of links, please click on “Visual Arts Resources”. 

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

• demonstrate an understanding of modern and contemporary De’VIA art that incorporates world cultures;
• identify the characteristics of De’VIA artwork that incorporates world cultures such as Canadian (including Native Canadian) art, as well as African, Oceanic, and Central and South American art;
• demonstrate an understanding of the historical context and stylistic evolution of some De’VIA arts and/or Deaf artists’ artwork;
• identify and develop De’VIA and world cultures artistic ideas and concepts to shape and unify their own art works;
• choose the materials, tools, techniques, themes, and processes best suited to De’VIA art (eg. strong contrasting colours, textures, etc.;
• evaluate, individually and in groups, the effectiveness of expressing their experiences as a Deaf person throughout the creative process, and in the final artistic product;
• analyse and evaluate modern and contemporary De’VIA works of art, that incorporate world cultures such as Canadian (including Native Canadian) art, as well as African, Oceanic, Central and South American art and emerging art communities;
• analyse and differentiate the roles of Deaf and hearing critics and art criticism in the understanding of De’VIA arts;
• explain the influence of aspects of social, cultural, and political contexts, including arts organizations, on the creation and understanding of De’VIA art, fine art, applied design, and craft works.

Specific Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

• demonstrate an understanding of ways in which the technical approaches, the elements and principles of design, formal qualities, visual conventions, concepts, and ideas shape expression in De’VIA art works;
• identify the message that De’VIA artwork emits through the use and understanding of background research, materials, techniques, and processes intended for particular audiences (e.g., for Deaf consumers, or hearing consumers);
• describe characteristics and trends both in modern and contemporary art that incorporate De’VIA characteristics (modern – Helen McNicoll, contemporary – Danny Quinn);
• demonstrate an understanding and describe how art work integrates both cultures; Deaf culture and non Deaf culture (Native Canadian (Samuel Ash), Southwest Native (Tony McGregor), Middle East (Uzi Buzgalo), Russian (Igor Soldatenkov) and the history of both cultures’ form, function, and content ;
• describe the influence of De’VIA art works and Deaf artists from the past on the students’ own art works;
• describe the influences of technology on De’VIA art work in all aspects, the creation process, design process and cultural influence (e.g., cochlear implants incorporated as a topic in De’VIA artwork, interactive hand movement art display, paper maché body cast artwork by Enza Iovio, “Butterfly” by Betty Miller);
• research and describe historical and recent works of De’VIA art from around the world that specifically relate to the issues and concerns expressed in their own work (Deaf Culture Centre has a great source of De’VIA artwork);
• create a proposal for a body of De’VIA art works that defines a set of connected ideas related to their understanding and values of Deaf culture and community and include an outline of the research to be completed, a description of the media and processes to be used, rough drawings, and an indication of the scope and range of the proposed works (e.g., Dawn Moncrieffe’s art journals);
• analyse and contrast the similarities and differences of the visual, symbolic, and conceptual aspects of a specific Deaf artist’s art work collection (e.g., Samuel Ash’s 30 year retrospective art collection, Pamela Witcher’s art collection, Vanessa Vaughan’s art collection and Dawn Moncrieffe’s art collection);
• produce and contrast well-reasoned interpretations of two or three De’VIA art works based on information (background, social, cultural, political and historical) distilled from analyses of the works and from research on the works (e.g., three Deaf women artists; Dawn Moncrieffe, Pamela Witcher and Vanessa Vaughan or three Native Deaf artists in Canada; Sam Ash, Kawtysie Kakee and Nat Quamanirq) distinction in their upbringing, schooling experience, exposure to Deaf culture and community etc);
• analyse how a specific work of De’VIA art is used as a vehicle for ideas, values, and ideologies (e.g., “Hitler, Bell and Ling in Disguise” by Pamela Witcher, “Red Curtain” by Vanessa Vaughan);
• identify influential De’VIA artists whose art works reflect themes, techniques, content, or cultural connections similar to their own;
• research and describe how a particular collection in the Deaf Culture Centre has been created, and analyse the potential impact on individual viewers and communities. (Information can be obtained in an interview with the Centre’s Co-Directors and/or Curator).
• describe organizations that promote or support the arts and De’VIA arts (e.g., arts councils, Deaf cultural organizations) and develop a personal plan for Deaf arts advocacy in the community.