Robert Puschautz

ARTE 302
Lesson Ideas
Feb-02-2010

These are texts taken directly from the websites that I found along with lesson ideas that I
thought of.

1. The Activist Artist: An Interview With Wendy Testu

San Francisco-based artist and teacher Wendy Testu discusses her latest project: a labor of love
that galvanizes one community around its social and environmental history.

In this example Wendy Testu worked with students to set up a exhibition of environmental issues
of their area. She worked with students and the community in encouraging awareness of the
environmental damages caused by a nearby manufacturing plant. They were harming the
environment and the plant contributed to the cases of asthma in the area.

2. Augusto Boal's theater of the oppressed (TO) premises spect-actors rather than spectators; able
to take action, they become the subject who acts rather than the object who is acted upon. Boal
was inspired by pedagogue Paulo Freire's shift from a "banking method" of education where the
student is a passive object into which the teacher deposits knowledge, to a partner in critical
education, conceived as a dialogue, a joint problem-solving activity. Boal's concept "rehearsal for
the revolution" means that while not itself direct action, TO provides a space to practice and
prepare for activism. Such techniques include forum theater, in which spectactors help think
through a social problem (racism or sexism, for example) by acting out possible solutions to a
specific situation in which it was manifested. By generating theatrical techniques that don't
require a particular education or artistic virtuosity, TO democratizes access to civic dialogue.
(See various essays on Boal in the CAN Reading Room.)
http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archivefiles/2002/02/an_introduction.php

Create a civil dialogue in the classroom. Raise issues that are important to the students. Find
how they want to actively persue bringing about change and how they might get attention and
how they can get the community involved.

3.
http://www.artactionunion.org/
+ Text and symbolism are often strong indications of ACTIVIST ART
+ Ideally the intended purpose of the work is to educate and raise awareness in the broader
community about a concerning issue in society
• Education and discussion are encouraged

This website had a variety of artwork produced that was activist art. One that I looked at was
against violence in the area. I think a good project could come from students identifying an issue
in their community, one that effects them quite often and work to make a difference with an art
project. Try to include community members.