We started this unit with a Tantamounter and a clothespin challenge. Then looked at how limitations are used by artists to create works of art. These limitations might be physical or material or conceptual. Each artist at South B was encouraged to pick a  limitation and create a final work of art.

Some students chose strange materials such as actual jelly to create a painting of a jellyfish. Other students tried new concepts such as anamorphosis or creating a work of art using only white paper. Still other students attempted techniques that they had never tried before including lino cut printing and ink on silk. 

Here is a look at some of the projects, many still in the works...

As part of our unit, Artists Solve Problems, we took on the challenge of creating an extraordinary work of art inspired by an ordinary object... in this case, a clothespin.

​Each artist was given one clothespin to use as inspiration. they didn't have to use the actual clothespin. however, some artists did and well, Walmart in Southport is now sold out of clothespins.

here are a few of the final challenge solutions...

How do you take the ordinary and turn it into extraordinary? What if that ordinary object was as simple as a clothespin?

As our second challenge for our first unit, Artists Solve Problems, we stole a project that was part of a presentation we saw at NAEA16 in Chicago. The concept was simple. Create an original work of art inspired by the very ordinary. The work does not need to incorporate the actual clothespin. The clothespin can simply be an inspiration.  Here is a look at a few of the works in progress.

For our first unit together at South Brunswick High School, we decided to start with Artists Solve Problems.  The basic concept behind this unit is that artists are faced with limitations. Some of these limitations can not be controlled, as is the case for Phil Hansen. In fact, we started the day by seeing how Phil dealt with his limitation by watching his TED Talk, Embrace the Shake.

At the end of the video, Phil mentions that his next goal is to create art that others can replicate. With that concept in mind, we took a look at the Tantamounter Project. A group of artists in NYC would collect an object from the public. in about 45 minutes, they would return the object with a work of art that was tantamount to the original. View the project here.

Today's Challenge: Select an object and in groups or alone, create a work of art that is tantamount to the original. You will have less than an hour to complete the piece.