This video showcases a Portland artist and her abstract climate change art, including an interview with the artist as she is creating.
It also features the artist talking through her process of foraging for pigments, the inspiration behind some of her works, and the process that goes into creating her art.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The footage is engaging to watch and easy to follow.
The artist talks about trying a certain career and then realizing it wasn't for her, which sends a great message that not everything you try is going to be for you!
Additional Prerequisites
Some students may need the terms foraging and climate grief defined before watching the video.
Students can make a better connection to the art examined if they have some prior knowledge of glacial loss and what glaciers and ice sheets look like.
Differentiation
Science classes discussing minerals or geology can make a connection to the artist's pigment foraging, while classes learning about albedo, melting glaciers, global warming, or the water cycle to connect to the subject matter displayed in the art works.
After viewing this video, art students can go out on a nature walk and forage for their own pigments to make their own climate change art.
English language arts classes can use both the art as well as the music that plays over it to discuss the concept of tone & mood.
English language learners and students who have lower auditory processing capabilities can either use the closed captioning and/or slow down the video's playback speed.
Guidance or SEL classes can use this video to talk about climate grief and discuss the use of art and other mediums to work through this.
Social studies classes can discuss the influence of art on cultural, political, and spiritual ideas throughout history, using this video to connect to modern art and culture.
Scientist Notes
This ~9 minute video showcases the artwork from painter Daniela Molnar. She discusses how she got into art and why she considers her art important to the discussion on climate change. She discusses the unique way she creates the paints that she uses in her art. This video would be a great addition to a classroom discussion about climate change and the many ways that can be used to relay information to the public about the effects of climate change on our planet.
Standards
National Core Arts Standards
Visual Arts: Standard 6 - Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
VA:Pr6.1.8a Analyze why and how an exhibition or collection may influence ideas, beliefs, and experiences.
VA:Pr6.1.Ia Analyze and describe the impact that an exhibition or collection has on personal awareness of social, cultural, or political beliefs and understandings.
Visual Arts: Standard 7 - Perceive and analyze artistic work.
VA:Re7.1.IIa Recognize and describe personal aesthetic and empathetic responses to the natural world and constructed environments.
VA:Re7.2.IIa Evaluate the effectiveness of an image or images to influence ideas, feelings, and behaviors of specific audiences.
Visual Arts: Standard 10 - Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
VA:Cn10.1.6a Generate a collection of ideas reflecting current interests and concerns that could be investigated in art-making.
VA:Cn10.1.IIa Utilize inquiry methods of observation, research, and experimentation to explore unfamiliar subjects through art-making.
VA:Cn10.1.IIIa Synthesize knowledge of social, cultural, historical, and personal life with art-making approaches to create meaningful works of art or design.
Visual Arts: Standard 11 - Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
VA:Cn11.1.IIIa Appraise the impact of an artist or a group of artists on the beliefs, values, and behaviors of a society.
VA:Cn11.1.5a Identify how art is used to inform or change beliefs, values, or behaviors of an individual or society.
