middle school art research project

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K-8 Art Lessons Inspired by Great Artists

Artist Research Project

A culmination of my middle school students’ Art History education, this is one of my school’s favorite projects.

 Students learn about and take notes on a different "Artist of the Month" all year (or for several years when the student has been at my school for their whole middle school education). 

In the spring of their 8th grade year, students choose one artist to write a paper on and create artwork in the style of.

A crucial step before beginning an Artist Research Project is to decide how students will learn about the artists. I teach my students about a variety of artists using PowerPoints from my TpT store . If you teach a student about an artist of the month every month from grades 6-8, you could cover 30 artists by the end of 8th grade! Or you could teach one artist every week to cover even more! 

My students take notes on the artists we learn about using a note-taking worksheet , which asks for just about all the information they need in order to write their papers.  At the middle school level, I prefer this method over having students independently research artists using books and the internet, because it gives them the practice of writing papers without the temptation of plagiarism. Students may be intimidated by the idea of writing a research paper, and using the internet to search for information makes it way too easy to just "copy and paste". Having them take notes on the artist first forces them to form their own sentences and paragraphs, helping them develop the necessary skill of putting information in their own words. If you do choose to allow your students to independently research their artists, I suggest spending some time addressing plagiarism with your class. 

The second part of the project is creating artwork in the style of the artist. Students can replicate one of the artist's most significant works, or create artwork in the artist's style.  The artwork students choose to recreate should be discussed in their paper. These finished artworks make a stunning end-of-the-year art display!!

This full Artist Research Project , with the Student Instruction Handout, a Grading Rubric, and the note-taking worksheet, is available on my TpT store, All About Art !

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The 30 Best Art Activities For Middle School Students

Categories Activities & Ideas

Art is one of those subjects that many middle schoolers look forward to.

It provides a welcome creative outlet and gives them a break from math and languages.

Coming up with compelling new art project ideas isn’t always easy, though.

Sometimes, as teachers, our creative juices just run dry.

Fear not, you bring the paints; we’ve got the ideas covered.

Below, we’ve pulled together a list of the 30 best art activities for middle school students – you’re welcome!

1. Self-Portraits With Mixed Media

Have students create self-portraits using various materials like magazine clippings, fabric, paint, and colored pencils.

This activity encourages self-expression and lets students experiment with different mediums.

2. Art History Timeline

Guide your middle school students to research different art movements, from ancient to modern times, and then have them create a timeline using drawings, paintings, or collages that represent each period.

3. Cultural Art Study

Assign different cultures or countries to students and have them research traditional art forms from that culture. They can then create their own artwork inspired by their research.

4. Nature Impressions

Take students outside and have them choose a natural object.

They can then create artwork using this object, either by drawing or painting it or using it to make impressions in clay.

5. Comic Strips

Encourage students to create their own short comic strips.

This activity can be integrated with literature, allowing students to adapt scenes from books or plays they’re studying.

6. Mural Project

As a group, students can brainstorm a theme and then create a large mural that represents that theme. This promotes teamwork and allows students to contribute to a bigger project.

7. Recycled Art

Have students bring in old or discarded items from home and challenge them to turn these materials into a new piece of art.

This teaches resourcefulness and environmental consciousness.

8. 3D Sculpture

Using materials like clay, wire, or papier-mâché, students can create three-dimensional sculptures.

This can be based on a theme, or they can have free rein to create what they wish.

9. Stop Motion Animation

With the use of simple apps or software, students can create their own stop-motion videos.

They can sculpt characters, design sets, and develop short narratives.

10. Printmaking

Introduce students to the basics of printmaking using materials like rubber, foam, or linoleum. They can carve their own designs and then make prints using various colors of ink.

11. Photography Exploration

If the right equipment is available at your school, students can delve into photography, learning about composition, lighting, and subjects.

They can then hold a small exhibition of their best shots.

12. Abstract Watercolor Backgrounds

Equip students with watercolor paints and let them create abstract backgrounds by mixing and blending different colors.

Once dry, they can use black ink or thin markers to overlay patterns or doodles on top.

13. Thematic Sketchbook

Provide each student with a sketchbook and introduce a theme every week.

This will not only improve their drawing skills but also encourage them to think creatively within set parameters.

14. Monochromatic Painting

Challenge students to choose one color and create a painting using only shades, tints, and tones of that color. This is a great way to teach them about color depth and variation.

15. Landscapes In Perspective

Teach students the basics of one-point, two-point, and three-point perspectives, and have them create a landscape or cityscape based on these principles.

16. Ceramic Tile Painting

Get your hands on some blank ceramic tiles and let students paint on them with specialized ceramic paints.

Once dried, these can be glazed and fired for a lasting piece of art.

17. Pop Art Portraits

Introduce students to the world of Pop Art, highlighting artists like Andy Warhol.

Have them create their own pop art-style portraits using bold colors and patterns.

18. Collaborative Story Illustration

Start a narrative and ask every student to draw a continuation of the story based on the previous student’s artwork. This can result in a fascinating visual story at the end.

19. Interactive Art

Allow students to create art pieces that viewers can interact with.

This could be tactile art, pieces with movable parts, or even art that involves light and shadow.

20. Origami And Paper Sculpture

Go beyond the traditional paper folding methods and challenge students to create intricate paper sculptures or large-scale origami installations.

21. Mosaic Madness

Provide students with broken tiles, glass pieces, or colored paper and have them create mosaics. This could be on boards, pots, or even furniture.

22. Clay Busts

Give each student clay and tools, and ask them to create a miniature clay bust of themselves.

23. Art Inspired by Literature

After reading a story, poem, or play in class, students can be asked to interpret and depict a scene, character, or emotion through their artwork.

24. Kinetic Sculptures

Introduce the concept of art in motion. Using wire, beads, and other materials, students can craft sculptures that move, rotate, or balance.

25. Resin Art

Introduce your students to resin as a medium and have them create coasters or hangers made with resin and filled with materials like buttons, glitter, or even flower petals.

26. Digital Art Exploration

If resources allow, students can explore digital mediums like graphic design, digital painting, or even 3D modeling.

There are many free software options available that are user-friendly for beginners.

27. Fashion Design

Engage your students in the task of designing clothes for the future. They can use bold pens or different materials to create shapes and textures.

28. Geometric Shapes

Share the concept of geometric shapes in art with your students and ask them to draw an animal using only geometric shapes.

29. Jewelry Making

Introduce students to the world of jewelry design. Using beads, wire, thread, and other adornments, they can create earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.

As they advance, techniques like bead weaving, macramé, and even simple metalwork can be explored.

This activity can be particularly rewarding as students can wear and showcase their creations.

30. Handmade Greeting Cards

Incorporate printmaking, collage, and drawing techniques to create unique greeting cards.

Students can design cards for specific holidays, birthdays, or other special occasions.

This activity can teach students about design composition and the importance of conveying a message through their artwork.

Further reading: Drawing games for your students .

Art is an opportunity to let your imagination run wild while learning about the concepts and techniques that have influenced the world of art.

It’s an important part of the curriculum that allows children to express their creativity.

Above, we’ve given you 28 art activities for middle school students that they’re sure to enjoy.

Hopefully, this will help to keep your lessons fresh and exciting.

Ready for more inspiration? Take a look at these STEM ideas .

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Artist Research Project

For this project the students will research an artist of their choosing. The students will research their artist and present to the class their findings. Then the students will then complete an artwork inspired by their artist. Below you will find student examples and information about popular artist that the students can select from.

Student Examples

Research an artist, make a google slide presentation, present your slides to the class, and create an artwork based on your artist

Post Modern Art Principle: Appropriation

Google Slides:

Check List :

Slide 1: Artist name and a picture of the artist

Slide 2: Hook...an interesting fact about your artist

Slide 3: Subject matter the artist uses/ Material the artist uses

Slide 4: Background information: birth date/ lives where?/ death date (if dead)

Slide 5: educational background

Slide 6: what inspires the artist? Why does he or she create this kind of art?

Slide 7: who was your artist influenced by? or who in the future did they influence? name another artist

Slide 8: example of his or her work and art critique

what do you like and dislike about the art?

what meaning could be behind the artwork?

Slide 9: example of his or work and art critique

Slide 10: sources

Presentation:

-5 minute presentation

-everyone can hear you talk

-slides are complete on the due date/ turned in to google classroom

-show your artwork and explain how it appropriates your artist

-create a sketch of what you want to do

-artwork must appropriate your artist

-artwork must take at least 2 full days to make

Google Art and Culture is a GREAT Resource! https://artsandculture.google.com/

Slides Templates: https://slidesgo.com/

Pick an artist from the list to research .

Shedaprd Fairey- https://obeygiant.com/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m02lkwf

Nick Cave- https://art21.org/artist/nick-cave/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m05zz9kl

Kehinde Wiley- https://kehindewiley.com/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m07czpt

Banksy- http://www.banksy.co.uk/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m023b7b

Callen Schaub- https://callenschaub.com/

Dimitra Milan- https://dimitramilan.com/

Jason Decaires Taylor- https://www.underwatersculpture.com/

Yayoi Kusama- https://www.artsy.net/artist/yayoi-kusama

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m028n9m

Dustin Yellin- https://dustinyellin.com/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m03cnkrq

Jeff Koons- http://www.jeffkoons.com/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m01n1tq

Chuck Close- http://chuckclose.com/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m03fz84

Dale Chihuly- https://www.chihuly.com/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m02h_g

Damien Hirst- http://www.damienhirst.com/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m01qwfk

Richard Serra- https://gagosian.com/artists/richard-serra/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m02ktf7

Takashi Murakami - https://gagosian.com/artists/takashi-murakami/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m049nxt

Barbara Kruger- http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m059jlg

Or Pick an Artist from the List Below

Salvador Dali- https://thedali.org/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m09_xn

Vincent Van Gogh- https://www.vangoghgallery.com/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m07_m2

Frida Kahlo- https://www.fridakahlo.org/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m015k04

Andy Warhol- https://www.warhol.org/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m0kc6

Gustav Klimt- https://www.klimtgallery.org/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m03869

Edvard Munch- https://www.edvardmunch.org/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m02nsp

Leonardo Da Vinci- https://www.leonardodavinci.net/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m04lg6

Claude Monet- https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cmon/hd_cmon.htm

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m01xnj

Pablo Picasso- https://www.pablopicasso.org/

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m060_7

Jackson Pollock- https://www.moma.org/artists/4675

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m04510

Henri Matisse- https://www.moma.org/artists/3832

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m0gct_

Michelangelo- https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/michelangelo.shtml

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m058w5

Rene Margritte- https://www.moma.org/artists/3692

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m06h88

Edward Hopper- https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hopp/hd_hopp.htm

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m0hc3t

Piet Mondrian- https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/piet-mondrian

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m0crnb5

Marcel Duchamp- https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m0bqch

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Middle [6th-8th] Lesson Plan

Artist research project, created on april 05, 2017 by katier.

In this lesson, students research an artist of their choice, write a paper about that artist, and then recreate the "Mona Lisa" in the style of their artist.

13 Keeps, 1 Likes, 0 Comments

Make a Mark Studios

My Favorite Middle School Art Projects

After a decade of teaching high school art, I’ve recently moved to teaching middle school art. It’s a blast and there is truly NEVER a dull moment. Through some trial and error, I’ve learned that some projects are more engaging than others. Below are some of my favorite middle school art projects that have yielded engagement and great visual end products! The ideas below use a variety of art media and include a range of 2d and 3d art projects. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to comment below if you’d like to share some of your personal idea for successful middle school art projects.

#1- 3D Shadowbox Collages

Student goal: Use found collage images to create layers of depth inside a 3D foam core shadowbox. Click here for the full lesson of this 3d shadowbox collage project.

#2- Colored Light Self Portraits

Student goal: Use colored pencils on toned paper to draw a self portrait of yourself photographed with a colored light source (we used 3 light sources- red, blue and green bulbs). Click here for more information about this lesson using colored light sources.

A variation with a cropped composition on expressive eyes.

#3- Vortex Drawings

Student goal: Use a media of your choice to draw a vortex that shows depth, rhythm and movement. Click here for a full lesson on how to draw a variety of vortexes.

#4- Alien Point of View Perspective Drawings

Student goal: Use paint stix, oil pastels, or colored pencils to render an exaggerated “alien’s point of view” space drawing. Click here for free lesson a guided worksheet of this fun, alien perspective drawing.

#5- 1/2 Cartoon Face Digital Portraits

Student goal: With a photographed portrait, creatively divide the face in half and use digital drawing methods to stylize one side as a cartoon. Click here for free guided steps on how to do the 1/2 cartoon face portrait.

*This project was inspired by a viral challenge called #cartoonme. Lots of cool inspiration photos online!

#6- Plaster Masks

Student goal: Using plaster strips upon a cardboard armature, create a wearable 3d mask. **In my class, we connected this to Hispanic heritage month and created Sugar Skull and Alebrije masks. We used this free template to create the armature for the mask.

#7- Elements of Art Project

Student goal: Divide one subject into seven sections. In each section, illustrate each of the elements of art using a variety of materials. For more information on this lesson including step by step directions, click here.

#8- Monochromatic Posterized Portrait Paintings

Student goal: Using a portrait of your choice, create a monochromatic, posterized portrait. **We used this method (with the free webpased program Pixlr) to digitally posterize our photo references prior to drawing and painting them on canvas.

#9 Limited Color Scheme Landscapes

Student goal: Using a random color scheme of only 5 colors, create a composition of a landscape that shows a sense of space with foreground, mid ground and background. ** Click here to check out how I randomly assign students their 5 colors and their landscape setting. There is also a free guided video to show students how to begin this project.

#10 Surreal Collage Perspective Rooms

Student goal: Draw a room with accurate 1 point perspective techniques and add color to all sides of the room. Then, creatively incorporate surreal collage images into the room. Click here to check out my FREE guided step by step instructions on how to draw a 1 point perspective room interior.

#11- Open ended art challenges

Student goal: Using a random art challenge prompt (such as the #blendartchallenge) , artists will use a style and medium of their choice to compose a solution.

#12-Monster Dolls (inspired by kid drawings)

Student goal: Using a drawing of a monster from a young child for inspiration, create a hand sewn stuffed animal. Use a variety of materials including felt, cloth, yarn, buttons, and more!

#13- Wire Stocking Sculptures

Student goal: Using a block of wood as your base and a nylon stocking stretched over a manipulated wire hanger, create an interesting 3d form. Use acrylic paint to create a gradient of at least 3 colors.

This is a really popular project, if you are looking for step by step directions a quick google search of ‘wire stocking sculptures’ should get ya there!

#14- Dictionary Page Drawings

Student goal: Given a random dictionary page, find at last one word on the page to illustrate visually. Use a variety of art media to contrast your drawn image with the busy background. ** For more info on this lesson, check out this link here.

#15- Geometric Creatures

Student goal : On a watercolor wash background, draw a silhouette of a creature. Break your creature into polygonal shapes and add color with marker.

#16- Collaborative School Logo “Quilt” Drawings

Student goal: Create a quilted tile section of the school logo. Use a material of your choice and a style of your choice to show your individual personality. **Note, the entire logo is visually connected by the black lines.

#17- Faux Lined Paper Illusion Drawings

Student goal: On a white piece of paper, create a “faux” lined piece of paper with bending blue lines over a shaded pencil drawing. **My students used this awesome website by Julianna Kunstler to aid in our drawings. It was very helpful.

#19 Linoleum block printing

Student goal: Create high contrast prints using a hand carved linoleum block.

#20-Oil Pastel Dragon Eyes

Student goal: Use oil pastels to create a colorful drawing of dragon eye. Imply the texture of the scales through use of blending gradients. **Note- I am definitely not the teacher who created this idea, it’s pretty popular and oh-so-fun! I would love to credit whoever originally got this going, so let me know! My students used t his resource by Art by Ro to help us draw the dragon eyes.

#21- Line Drawing Landscapes-in-a-shape

Student goal: Create a landscape in a shape that shows a sense of depth. Explore a variety of line drawing techniques such as hatching and stippling to add texture and value. **Note, this lesson comes from this post from Cassie Stephens who was inspired by an artist named Jen Aranyi.

#22- ANYTHING op art!

Student goal: Choose from a choice board (I gave them lots of choices!), create an original op art drawing! **If you are interested in a fun op art drawing from Make a Mark Studios, check it out here! 🙂

#23 Art History Reproductions

Student goal: Analyzing the brushstrokes, colors, and composition, recreate a famous artwork. **We created ours on our ceiling tiles as our 8th grade legacy works. C lick here for tips we learned along the way for painting on ceiling tiles.

#24 Non Objective Abstract Art

Student goal: Use sharpie to draw a non objective abstract artwork with a variety of lines and shapes. Using oil pastels, color in the composition fully.

#25 3D Creature Heads

Student goal: Use recyclables to build an armature of a 3d fictional creature head of your own imagination. Use paper mache or plaster strips to finalize your head . For full lesson on how to do this, check out my blog post here—

#26 Glowing Light Bulb Drawing

Student goal: Use colored pencils on black paper to create the illusion of a glowing light bulb. For step by step guided tutorial and video, check out my full post here.

#27 Watercolor Mosaic

Student goal: Create a mosaic using cut tiles from a painted watercolor background. Explore either random polygonal tile shapes or a geometric repeated shape. For full lesson, check out my blog post here.

#28 2 point perspective graffiti wall

Student goal: Create a personalized graffiti tag on an illustrated 2 point perspective brick wall. For a FREE full guided drawing lesson of how to do this, check out my blog post here.

#27 Bauhaus Geometric Shape Paper Collages

Student goal: Create an asymmetrically balanced, geometric Bauhaus-inspired paper collage. For more info on this creative shape challenge, check out my blog post here.

#28 Mixed Media Abstract Art with EMPHASIS

Student goal: Create a mixed media abstract artwork that employs the principle of design EMPHASIS to create a defined focal point. For more info on this lesson, c heck out my blog post here.

#29 Hand Sewn Pop Tart Plushies!!

Student goal: Hand sew a pop art plushie inspired by contemporary felt artist, Lucy Sparrow! Step by step tutorial for how to sew a pop tart can be found here!

#30- Primary color, Pop Art Inspired Onomatopoeia Compositions!

Student goal: Create a composition of an onomatopoeia inspired by the pop artists using techniques such as ben day dots, primary color schemes, bold outlines, and more! Click here for the lesson on how to complete this Pop art project..

#31- Color wheel in an Eye

Student goal: Using only 3 primary colors of paint, create a color of 12 analogous colors in an iris of an eye. Click here for a step by step tutorial of how to create a color wheel in an eye.

Thanks for checking out this blog post! Please  follow Make a Mark Studios on Facebook  to keep up with the latest posts! Thanks in advance!

-Stephanie Villiotis , creator of Make a Mark Studios

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Visiting Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion?

You must join the virtual exhibition queue when you arrive. If capacity has been reached for the day, the queue will close early.

Lesson Plans

These lesson plans help you integrate learning about works of art in your classroom. Select an option below to browse lesson plans by grade, or continue scrolling to see all lesson plans.

Lesson plans for elementary school students

Lesson plans for middle school students

Lesson plans for high school students

Elementary School

Ancient Animals at Work

Identify ways animals (past and present) enhance daily life through a close look at an ancient figurine and art making.

Animal-Inspired Masks and Masquerades

Help students understand the connections between art and the environment of Guinea, animal anatomy, and the cultural context of the Banda mask with the help of viewing questions and a dance activity in the Museum's African Art galleries.

Armor—Function and Design

Identify moveable and static features of armor as well as functional and symbolic surface details and examine similarities and differences between human and animal "armor" through classroom viewing questions. Enhance the lesson with a sketching activity based on an English suit of armor in The Met collection.

The Astor Chinese Garden Court

Explore the Museum's Astor Chinese Garden Court and enhance students' understanding of how traditional Chinese gardens reflect the concept of yin and yang and how material selection and design can convey ideas about the human and natural worlds. Use viewing questions and a storytelling or drawing activity in the Museum's Chinese galleries.

The Burghers of Calais

Convey the interpretive significance of pose and expression in the visual arts—in the Museum or the classroom—with viewing questions and a story-writing activity inspired by a nineteenth-century French sculpture by Auguste Rodin.

Medieval Beasts and Bestiaries

Explore the use of animals as symbols in medieval art with viewing questions and a group drawing activity at The Met Cloisters or in the classroom.

Power in Ancient Mesopotamia

Examine how a great ancient Mesopotamian king conveyed power and leadership in a monumental wall relief in the Museum's Ancient Near Eastern art collection and consider how leaders today express the same attributes through viewing questions and an activity.

The Nomads of Central Asia—Turkmen Traditions

Students will be able to identify ways art of the Turkmen people of Central Asia reflects nomadic life and understand the functional and symbolic role objects play in their lives.

Voices of the Past

Focus on a slit gong in the Museum's Oceanic collection to illustrate the impact of scale in works of art, and consider objects' functions in their original contexts and ways different communities engage with their elders and ancestors. Classroom viewing questions and an oral history activity enhance the lesson.

Middle School

Aeneas, Art, and Storytelling

Virgil's epic poem, The Aeneid , has inspired generations of artists and writers. Create your own artwork inspired by the text and consider how artists draw upon and reinterpret stories from the past.

Architecture and the Natural World

How can buildings reflect the relationship between people and the environment? Explore possibilities in this lesson plan featuring an ancient Egyptian temple.

Art and Empire—The Ottoman Court

Students will be able to recognize ways a tughra functioned as a symbol of power and authority within a culturally diverse and geographically expansive empire.

The Battle of David and Goliath

Illuminate strategies for conveying stories through images in the classroom with viewing questions about a large silver plate in the Museum's Medieval collection and an illustrating activity.

Beyond the Figure

Consider how artists convey personality in nonfigural portraits and the relationship between visual and verbal expression by looking at a painting by Charles Demuth in the Museum's Modern and Contemporary galleries and through a portrait-making activity in the classroom.

Bravery Stands Tall

Examine a major turning point in the American Revolution through a close look at this depiction of General Washington and his troops crossing the Delaware River.

Composing a Landscape

Study the relationship between the human and natural worlds in art, as well as the techniques artists use to convey ideas, by exploring a painting by Frederic Edwin Church in the Museum's American Wing. Extend the lesson through a writing and drawing activity in the classroom, or a sketching activity outdoors.

The Making of a Persian Royal Manuscript

Students will be able to identify some of the key events and figures presented in the Persian national epic, the Shahnama (Book of Kings); make connections between the text and the illustrated pages of the manuscript produced for Shah Tahmasp; and create a historical record of their community.

The Mughal Court and the Art of Observation

Students will be able to recognize ways works of art reflect an intense interest in observation of the human and natural world among Mughal leaders; and understand ways works of art from the past and present communicate ideas about the natural world.

Muses vs. Sirens

Through movement and storytelling, uncover the layers of meaning embedded in a Roman sarcophagus.

Point of View in Print and Paint

Explore ways that viewpoint shapes the way we picture the past in this lesson plan featuring a depiction of the abolitionist John Brown.

The Power behind the Throne

Bring the Museum's African collection into the classroom with viewing questions and an art-making activity that cultivate visual analysis and an understanding of how surface detail and composition can express themes of power and leadership.

A Rite of Passage

Explore the ways rituals, ceremonies, and rites of passage play an important role in communities around the world through an investigation of related objects.

Science and the Art of the Islamic World

Students will be able to identify similarities and differences between scientific tools used now and long ago; and use research findings to support observations and interpretations.

Shiva—Creator, Protector, and Destroyer

Inspire students to interpret, communicate through, and personally connect with art through an in-classroom examination of a powerful sculpture in the Museum's Indian art collection and a self-portrait activity.

High School

Ancient Mesopotamia—Literacy, Now and Then

From cuneiform inscriptions to digital tablets, this lesson highlights changes and continuity in written communications across the ages.

Arabic Script and the Art of Calligraphy

Students will be able to identify visual qualities of several calligraphic scripts; recognize ways artists from the Islamic world engage various scripts to enhance works of art supporting a range of functions; and assess the merits of several computer-generated fonts in supporting specific uses.

The Art of Industry

Use viewing questions and a debate activity to investigate the relationship between art and community values, techniques artists use to convey ideas, and strategies for interpreting an American painting in the Museum's Modern and Contemporary galleries.

Above: Writing board (detail), ca. 1981–1802 B.C. Middle Kingdom. Dynasty 12. From Egypt; Said to be from Upper Egypt, Thebes or Northern Upper Egypt, Akhmim (Khemmis, Panopolis). Wood, gesso, paint, 16 15/16 x 7 1/2 in. (43 x 19 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1928 (28.9.4)

Home > Art Education > Art Projects for Middle School Students

• Barbara Mason
• October 4, 2022
• Art Education

Art Projects for Middle School Students

We have covered both art projects for preschoolers and art projects for elementary school students . Our goal was to show you how art can be integrated into everyday lessons taught at schools.

As children get older, they can tackle more complicated types of art projects. So today we’re going to continue this approach to discuss art for middle school children. And among the many reasons why kids need art during the ages of 11–14 is the ability to reinforce problem-solving, communication and focus, plus other skills required for academic achievement.

5 Art Projects for Middle School Students

There are countless engaging art projects suitable for grades 6–8, with many of them integrating math, science, history and more. Here are five of our favorite projects.

1. Paint a Self-Portrait

Self-portraits are fun, thought-provoking projects that can be adapted to any age group. Looking in the mirror or studying a photograph encourages a child to think about their identity and replicate it creatively on paper. A child must study the shapes and locations of their features, then consider how they will look using various art styles – such as a detail-oriented or abstract technique.

2. Art History Project

Art history projects offer an engaging path into the various movements including modernism, impressionism and expressionism. Learning about art history, the lives of great painters and the development of artistic styles can help contextualize art for children as they grow up. For example, discuss the history and techniques of the pop art movement and have kids create their own art based on the style.

3. Optical Art

Optical art is an abstract style that uses shapes, colors and patterns to mislead our brains. Not only is it fun to look at optical illusions, they provide accessible art projects for middle school kids. Integrating art into STEM is a growing trend, and optical illusions are an example of art combining science and math principles.

4. Design a Comic Strip

A comic strip uses art and storytelling within a clear, structured format. Projects require kids to develop a concept, consider how to convey the information visually – and maintain a cohesive pattern. This would be a great assignment to do in place of a traditional book report in English.

5. Word Art

Art projects designed around a single word are fun and creative, and also expand the vocabulary. For art projects in the classroom , you could compile a list of words based on historical, scientific or literary concepts. Children then look up the meaning of the word and create an artwork with the available resources at their disposal. This approach could also be used to study how to spell words.

Middle School Art Projects to Inspire Classroom Creativity

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Designing a Middle School Art Curriculum

I have designed many art curriculums in my time teaching and developing art lessons. Middle school can be a tough level to plan for. When developing a middle school curriculum you need to build off of techniques taught in elementary art classes and prepare them for high school art classes. You also have to take into account the possibility they didn’t have art in elementary school. Topics must be engaging, not too juvenile, but age-appropriate.

When creating middle school art curriculums, similar to elementary art curriculums , I use the elements of art and principles of design as the backbone. Because the elements and principles are often introduced in elementary art, in middle school art classes you want to review and reinforce the ideas they learned in elementary school.

Check out how I introduce each element of art and principle of design when creating a middle school art curriculum. There is a lot of info here, it’s going to be a long one! If you want to jump straight to the details, check out my year-long middle school art curriculum ( on TPT here and on my website here ), semester 1 middle school art curriculum ( on TPT here and on my website here ), and semester 2 middle school art curriculum ( on TPT here and on my website here ).

When designing an elementary art curriculum I prefer teaching the elements and principles in order of complexity. But, because middle school is a review, with middle school art curriculums you can jump around. Focus on building art techniques and subjects from simple to complex. Next, highlight the element or principle that is most important in the project.

In my middle school art curriculum, I like to start with a still-life drawing. Students draw a still life with little instruction, then redraw it at the end of the course to gauge their improvement. This is a homerun lesson for administrators, who love those tangible growth markers. It also gives students a boost to see how far they have come. I focus on the principle of design, contrast in this lesson. (Check out this lesson on my TPT or my website shop ).

After the still life drawing we shift focus to the element of art, value, with a shading review (check it out on my TPT ). I use printable art activities for students to work on independently before applying shading techniques to a fun optical illusion project, op art squiggles (check it out on my TPT ). This is a fun, approachable way to review shading techniques. Op art squiggles ix one of those projects that is successful no matter a student’s art ability.

Value continues to be the highlighted element of art in the next project, landscape drawing. Atmospheric perspective (check it out on my TPT) is discussed and students focus on monochromatic landscapes. Through shading practice, a fun op art lesson, and a traditional drawing, middle schoolers practice and master techniques.

Next in my middle school art curriculum is a focus on variety. After a traditional, technique-focused project with the landscape drawing, students loosen up with Zentangles (check it out on my TPT here ). Students design a zendoodle maze and fill their design with patterns. Variety is the highlighted principle of design in this fun, loose project. I love this lesson because it has a cross-curricular tie into ELA by discussing the book, The Maze Runner (another admin homerun).

After so much drawing focus it’s time to add a new material and technique, copper tooling! This is a lesser-known art material, but it’s so fun to work with. Your middle school art students will be oooohhhing and aaaaahhhhing over the shiny metallic surfaces. The bonus, copper sheets are cheap, double-sided (silver on one, copper on the other), and you can use pencils to create the design. For this project, students look at historic bronze reliefs and create their own story in one image. The principle of design, emphasis, is the highlight as students learn how to emphasize their focal points. (Check out this project on my TPT ).

Art history is an underlying theme in the next project, a focus on Egyptian cartouches. Although students return to drawing materials, they finally get to incorporate a wider range of color. This project is low supply, using colored pencils, crayons, or markers. Students write their name or initials in Egyptian hieroglyphics and use the element of art, shape, as a guide in adding decoration. (Check this out on my TPT )

REPETITION AND PATTERN

Since you can’t have pattern without repetition I like to teach these two principles of design together. Middle school artists continue to work in color using markers to create a print. First, they draw a garden design using Sharpie, filling the shapes with patterns. Next, marker is transferred from foil to their drawing to create a unique look. (Check this out on my TPT )

Although students have used color up to this point, this unit is where color is emphasized and discussed in depth! I start my middle school art students with a color review. We look at color theory, color schemes, and similar. Students work on color mixing handouts to review color mixing and the color wheel. (Check out the handouts on my website ).

Following a color review students apply their understanding of color mixing in a fun portrait project. Rather than focusing on realistic portraits, students create two blind contours, a self-portrait and a portrait of their neighbor. These drawings create such fun shapes and spaces they fill with color. (Check out this lesson on my TPT ).

Next in my middle school art curriculum is the final painting project, a roofing paper painting. This focuses on symbolism and selecting a color scheme. Students create stained glass-inspired paintings that have a big visual impact. You can read about this project in-depth on my blog or grab it ready to go on my TPT or on my website shop.

Rhythm is the next principle of design students focus on. For this art lesson students use their initials to create a mandala design. Using repetition and pattern they create a sense of rhythm around a central point to create radial symmetry. This is another quick, low-supply project. Check it out on my TPT .

The element of art, space, is the subject of two projects because it can be technically challenging. To warm up, students learn about one-point perspective by drawing their name or initials in perspective (check it out on my TPT). Next, students apply their understanding of one-point perspective to create a mixed media project incorporating perspective and self-reflection. They select a word that reflects them and add it to a perspective word bubble. Next, they take a picture of themselves showing that word. To wrap it up, they design a frame to put their picture in and place the word on top (Check it out on my TPT ).

PROPORTION & SCALE

A perfect building-off point from space is scale. Students think of scale two-dimensionally by creating another Op Art project, a face/vase design. This is filled in with more Zentangles, continuing to practice lines and patterns. Check out this lesson on my TPT . Next, they think of scale in terms of creating an illusion of space by drawing a person in perspective. Check out this lesson on my TPT .

Line is the focus of the self-portrait print project. This project is so fun because students focus on creating a Pop Art version of themselves. To make this printing project even easier, have students print in white and add color using colored pencils. Scratch foam is the material used to print, this is a cheap, easy-to-use product. The lines are created in the printing process and create a unique, interesting work of art. Check this project out on my TPT.

I don’t think a middle school art curriculum is complete without at least one sculpture project. Although it’s easy to focus on 2D lessons, they are easier to store and oversee, it’s so important to introduce students to the world of 3D art. With this lesson, students are creating animal-shaped bells. This is a fun, engaging project with an interactive final product. If you don’t have kiln access, don’t stress! Use air-dry clay and paint. Check this project out on my TPT .

As a follow-up to creating animal bells, students learn about building vessels. Using clay slabs they add texture by pressing objects into the surface of the clay. The slabs are then put together to create a hollow form. This project creates beautiful, displayable sculptures. Check it out on my TPT.

Following sculpture projects, students turn back to 2D by creating mixed media works of art. Balance is the principle of design they focus on as they create a collage of found images. Students then redraw the collage, using cubism as inspiration, adding charcoal, paint, ink, and other materials. This project allows students to experiment with composition and supplies. Check it out on my TPT here or website here .

This fun, one-day art activity creates successful results no matter what. Unity is the focus as students turn printed images into tape transfers. These semi-transparent images are then layered over a collage base to create a unique, mixed-media work of art. Check it out on my TPT here or website shop here .

Middle School Art Curriculum Wrap-Up

The final projects of my middle school art curriculum don’t focus on single elements of art and principles of design, but instead task students with harmoniously bringing them all together. First, students explore the world of graphic design and digital art by redesigning a movie poster using the free, online program, Canva. This project is fun and focuses on current topics that interest students (check it out on my TPT or on my website). Next, students further explore collage and mixed media by creating mini works of art to trade. Artist trading cards are always a hit with middle schoolers, this project is a must-try (Check it out on my TPT and on my website ). Last, but not least students redraw the still life from day one and bask in the glory of their growth as an artist.

When you design a middle school art curriculum it’s all about scaffolding. You don’t want to throw students into the deep end without them understanding or mastering a technique. In middle school, you need to build confidence for students to enjoy a project and be ready to move to the next step. Start with smaller activities and basics of art with drawing, build to color, test out sculpture, and end with mixed media bringing all the techniques together.

Are you looking for ideas to create an elementary art curriculum? Check out my blog post here .

I hope you have ideas for your next art class and feel more confident in how to scaffold lessons. Please reach out with any questions or comments! Don’t forget to follow me on  Instagram  and  TikTok  for weekly visual journal demos and other project ideas.  Subscribe here  to get freebies, project tutorials, and more straight to your inbox. Until next time!

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70 Best High School Science Fair Projects in Every Subject

Fire up the Bunsen burners!

The cool thing about high school science fair projects is that kids are old enough to tackle some pretty amazing concepts. Some science experiments for high school are just advanced versions of simpler projects they did when they were younger, with detailed calculations or fewer instructions. Other projects involve fire, chemicals, or other materials they couldn’t use before.

Note: Some of these projects were written as classroom labs but can be adapted to become science fair projects too. Just consider variables that you can change up, like materials or other parameters. That changes a classroom activity into a true scientific method experiment!

To make it easier to find the right high school science fair project idea for you, we’ve rated all the projects by difficulty and the materials needed:

Difficulty:

• Easy: Low or no-prep experiments you can do pretty much anytime
• Medium: These take a little more setup or a longer time to complete
• Advanced: Experiments like these take a fairly big commitment of time or effort
• Basic: Simple items you probably already have around the house
• Medium: Items that you might not already have but are easy to get your hands on
• Advanced: These require specialized or more expensive supplies to complete
• Biology and Life Sciences High School Science Fair Projects

Chemistry High School Science Fair Projects

Physics high school science fair projects, engineering high school stem fair projects, biology and life science high school science fair projects.

Explore the living world with these biology science project ideas, learning more about plants, animals, the environment, and much more.

Extract DNA from an onion

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Medium

You don’t need a lot of supplies to perform this experiment, but it’s impressive nonetheless. Turn this into a science fair project by trying it with other fruits and vegetables too.

Re-create Mendel’s pea plant experiment

Gregor Mendel’s pea plant experiments were some of the first to explore inherited traits and genetics. Try your own cross-pollination experiments with fast-growing plants like peas or beans.

Make plants move with light

By this age, kids know that many plants move toward sunlight, a process known as phototropism. So high school science fair projects on this topic need to introduce variables into the process, like covering seedling parts with different materials to see the effects.

Test the 5-second rule

We’d all like to know the answer to this one: Is it really safe to eat food you’ve dropped on the floor? Design and conduct an experiment to find out (although we think we might already know the answer).

Find out if color affects taste

Just how interlinked are all our senses? Does the sight of food affect how it tastes? Find out with a fun food science fair project like this one!

See the effects of antibiotics on bacteria

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Advanced

Bacteria can be divided into two groups: gram-positive and gram-negative. In this experiment, students first determine the two groups, then try the effects of various antibiotics on them. You can get a gram stain kit , bacillus cereus and rhodospirillum rubrum cultures, and antibiotic discs from Home Science Tools.

Learn more: Antibiotics Project at Home Science Tools

Witness the carbon cycle in action

Experiment with the effects of light on the carbon cycle. Make this science fair project even more interesting by adding some small aquatic animals like snails or fish into the mix.

Learn more: Carbon Cycle at Science Lessons That Rock

Look for cell mitosis in an onion

Cell mitosis (division) is actually easy to see in action when you look at onion root tips under a microscope. Students will be amazed to see science theory become science reality right before their eyes. Adapt this lab into a high school science fair project by applying the process to other organisms too.

Test the effects of disinfectants

Grow bacteria in a petri dish along with paper disks soaked in various antiseptics and disinfectants. You’ll be able to see which ones effectively inhibit bacteria growth.

Learn more: Effectiveness of Antiseptics and Disinfectants at Amy Brown Science

Pit hydroponics against soil

Growing vegetables without soil (hydroponics) is a popular trend, allowing people to garden just about anywhere.

More Life Sciences and Biology Science Fair Projects for High School

Use these questions and ideas to design your own experiment:

• Explore ways to prevent soil erosion.
• What are the most accurate methods of predicting various weather patterns?
• Try out various fertilization methods to find the best and safest way to increase crop yield.
• What’s the best way to prevent mold growth on food for long-term storage?
• Does exposure to smoke or other air pollutants affect plant growth?
• Compare the chemical and/or bacterial content of various water sources (bottled, tap, spring, well water, etc.).
• Explore ways to clean up after an oil spill on land or water.
• Conduct a wildlife field survey in a given area and compare it to results from previous surveys.
• Find a new use for plastic bottles or bags to keep them out of landfills.
• Devise a way to desalinate seawater and make it safe to drink.

Bunsen burners, beakers and test tubes, and the possibility of (controlled) explosions? No wonder chemistry is such a popular topic for high school science fair projects!

Break apart covalent bonds

Break the covalent bond of H 2 O into H and O with this simple experiment. You only need simple supplies for this one. Turn it into a science fair project by changing up the variables—does the temperature of the water matter? What happens if you try this with other liquids?

Learn more: Covalent Bonds at Teaching Without Chairs

Measure the calories in various foods

Are the calorie counts on your favorite snacks accurate? Build your own calorimeter and find out! This kit from Home Science Tools has all the supplies you’ll need.

Detect latent fingerprints

Forensic science is engrossing and can lead to important career opportunities too. Explore the chemistry needed to detect latent (invisible) fingerprints, just like they do for crime scenes!

Learn more: Fingerprints Project at Hub Pages

Use Alka-Seltzer to explore reaction rate

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Easy

Tweak this basic concept to create a variety of high school chemistry science fair projects. Change the temperature, surface area, pressure, and more to see how reaction rates change.

Determine whether sports drinks provide more electrolytes than OJ

Are those pricey sports drinks really worth it? Try this experiment to find out. You’ll need some special equipment for this one; buy a complete kit at Home Science Tools .

Turn flames into a rainbow

You’ll need to get your hands on a few different chemicals for this experiment, but the wow factor will make it worth the effort! Make it a science project by seeing if different materials, air temperature, or other factors change the results.

Discover the size of a mole

The mole is a key concept in chemistry, so it’s important to ensure students really understand it. This experiment uses simple materials like salt and chalk to make an abstract concept more concrete. Make it a project by applying the same procedure to a variety of substances, or determining whether outside variables have an effect on the results.

Learn more: How Big Is a Mole? at Amy Brown Science

Cook up candy to learn mole and molecule calculations

This edible experiment lets students make their own peppermint hard candy while they calculate mass, moles, molecules, and formula weights. Tweak the formulas to create different types of candy and make this into a sweet science fair project!

Learn more: Candy Chemistry at Dunigan Science on TpT

Make soap to understand saponification

Take a closer look at an everyday item: soap! Use oils and other ingredients to make your own soap, learning about esters and saponification. Tinker with the formula to find one that fits a particular set of parameters.

Learn more: Saponification at Chemistry Solutions on TpT

Uncover the secrets of evaporation

Explore the factors that affect evaporation, then come up with ways to slow them down or speed them up for a simple science fair project.

Learn more: Evaporation at Science Projects

More Chemistry Science Fair Projects for High School

These questions and ideas can spark ideas for a unique experiment:

• Compare the properties of sugar and artificial sweeteners.
• Explore the impact of temperature, concentration, and seeding on crystal growth.
• Test various antacids on the market to find the most effective product.
• What is the optimum temperature for yeast production when baking bread from scratch?
• Compare the vitamin C content of various fruits and vegetables.
• How does temperature affect enzyme-catalyzed reactions?
• Investigate the effects of pH on an acid-base chemical reaction.
• Devise a new natural way to test pH levels (such as cabbage leaves).
• What’s the best way to slow down metal oxidation (the form of rust)?
• How do changes in ingredients and method affect the results of a baking recipe?

When you think of physics science projects for high school, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the classic build-a-bridge. But there are plenty of other ways for teens to get hands-on with physics concepts. Here are some to try.

Remove the air in a DIY vacuum chamber

You can use a vacuum chamber to do lots of cool high school science fair projects, but a ready-made one can be expensive. Try this project to make your own with basic supplies.

Learn more: Vacuum Chamber at Instructables

Put together a mini Tesla coil

Looking for a simple but showy high school science fair project? Build your own mini Tesla coil and wow the crowd!

Boil water in a paper cup

Logic tells us we shouldn’t set a paper cup over a heat source, right? Yet it’s actually possible to boil water in a paper cup without burning the cup up! Learn about heat transfer and thermal conductivity with this experiment. Go deeper by trying other liquids like honey to see what happens.

Build a better light bulb

Emulate Edison and build your own simple light bulb. You can turn this into a science fair project by experimenting with different types of materials for filaments.

Measure the speed of light—with your microwave

Grab an egg and head to your microwave for this surprisingly simple experiment. By measuring the distance between cooked portions of egg whites, you’ll be able to calculate the wavelength of the microwaves in your oven and, in turn, the speed of light.

Generate a Lichtenberg figure

See electricity in action when you generate and capture a Lichtenberg figure with polyethylene sheets, wood, or even acrylic and toner. Change the electrical intensity and materials to see what types of patterns you can create.

Learn more: Lichtenberg Figure at Science Notes

Explore the power of friction with sticky note pads

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Basic

Ever try to pull a piece of paper out of the middle of a big stack? It’s harder than you think it would be! That’s due to the power of friction. In this experiment, students interleave the sheets of two sticky note pads, then measure how much weight it takes to pull them apart. The results are astonishing!

Build a cloud chamber to prove background radiation

Ready to dip your toe into particle physics? Learn about background radiation and build a cloud chamber to prove the existence of muons.

Measure the effect of temperature on resistance

This is a popular and classic science fair experiment in physics. You’ll need a few specialized supplies, but they’re pretty easy to find.

Learn more: Temperature and Resistance at Science Project

Launch the best bottle rocket

A basic bottle rocket is pretty easy to build, but it opens the door to lots of different science fair projects. Design a powerful launcher, alter the rocket so it flies higher or farther, or use only recycled materials for your flyer.

More Physics Science Fair Projects for High School

Design your own experiment in response to these questions and prompts.

• Determine the most efficient solar panel design and placement.
• What’s the best way to eliminate friction between two objects?
• Explore the best methods of insulating an object against heat loss.
• What effect does temperature have on batteries when stored for long periods of time?
• Test the effects of magnets or electromagnetic fields on plants or other living organisms.
• Determine the best angle and speed of a bat swing in baseball.
• What’s the best way to soundproof an area or reduce noise produced by an item?
• Explore methods for reducing air resistance in automotive design.
• Use the concepts of torque and rotation to perfect a golf swing.
• Compare the strength and durability of various building materials.

Many schools are changing up their science fairs to STEM fairs, to encourage students with an interest in engineering to participate. Many great engineering science fair projects start with a STEM challenge, like those shown here. Use these ideas to spark a full-blown project to build something new and amazing!

Solve a current environmental issue

A science fair project can also be an entry into the Slingshot Challenge . Students produce a 1-minute video with a solution to a current environmental problem (think: uniting creative waste reducers on social media or rehabilitating forests affected by fire) for the chance to receive up to $10,000 in funding.

Construct a model maglev train

Maglev trains may just be the future of mass transportation. Build a model at home, and explore ways to implement the technology on a wider basis.

Learn more: Maglev Model Train at Supermagnete

Design a more efficient wind turbine

Wind energy is renewable, making it a good solution for the fossil fuel problem. For a smart science fair project, experiment to find the most efficient wind turbine design for a given situation.

Re-create Da Vinci’s flying machine

Da Vinci sketched several models of “flying machines” and hoped to soar through the sky. Do some research into his models and try to reconstruct one of your own.

Learn more: Da Vinci Flying Machine at Student Savvy

Design a heart-rate monitor

Smartwatches are ubiquitous these days, so pretty much anyone can wear a heart-rate monitor on their wrist. But do they work any better than one you can build yourself? Get the specialized items you need like the Arduino LilyPad Board on Amazon.

Race 3D printed cars

3D printers are a marvel of the modern era, and budding engineers should definitely learn to use them. Use Tinkercad or a similar program to design and print race cars that can support a defined weight, then see which can roll the fastest! (No 3D printer in your STEM lab? Check the local library. Many of them have 3D printers available for patrons to use.)

Learn more: 3D Printed Cars at Instructables

Grow veggies in a hydroponic garden

Hydroponics is the gardening wave of the future, making it easy to grow plants anywhere with minimal soil required. For a science fair STEM engineering challenge, design and construct your own hydroponic garden capable of growing vegetables to feed a family. This model is just one possible option.

Learn more: Hydroponics at Instructables

Grab items with a mechanical claw

Delve into robotics with this engineering project. This kit includes all the materials you need, with complete video instructions. Once you’ve built the basic structure, tinker around with the design to improve its strength, accuracy, or other traits.

Learn more: Hydraulic Claw at KiwiCo

Construct a crystal radio

Return to the good old days and build a radio from scratch. This makes a cool science fair project if you experiment with different types of materials for the antenna. It takes some specialized equipment, but fortunately, Home Science Tools has an all-in-one kit for this project.

Learn more: Crystal Radio at Scitoys.com

Build a burglar alarm

The challenge? Set up a system to alert you when someone has broken into your house or classroom. This can take any form students can dream up, and you can customize this STEM high school science experiment for multiple skill levels. Keep it simple with an alarm that makes a sound that can be heard from a specified distance. Or kick it up a notch and require the alarm system to send a notification to a cell phone, like the project at the link.

Learn more: Intruder Alarm at Instructables

Walk across a plastic bottle bridge

Balsa wood bridges are OK, but this plastic bottle bridge is really impressive! In fact, students can build all sorts of structures using the concept detailed at the link. It’s the ultimate upcycled STEM challenge!

Learn more: TrussFab Structures at Instructables

Looking for more science content? Check out the Best Science Websites for Middle and High School .

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45 Cool Chemistry Experiments, Demos, and Science Fair Projects

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2 Issue 2 : Local-Eyes!

Partizaning's first year - an exhibition in December at Vostochnaya Gallery showing a year's worth of projects. (Photo (c) Partizaning)

Partizaning: participatory art, research and creative urban activism

Partizaning leverages artistic interventions in Moscow’s public spaces as tools for social research and transformation, blurring the boundaries between everyday life, urbanism, activism and art.

P artizaning (v): public art practices which strategically challenge, shape, and reinvent urban and social realities.

The last several years have witnessed increased visibility and importance given to DIY cultures and tactical urbanism in cities across the USA, Canada and Europe. This is partially as a response to the financial crisis and limited resources for city maintenance and development, and resistance to the forms of neoliberal urban development. Active, creative citizens have begun to address the inadequacies of government functions, using temporary, creative interventions to suggest alternative realities.

DIY cultures are not new: most recently, they have long existed in Latin America, parts of Asia and in the former USSR (as well as other parts of the world, at different points in time), where capital-led urbanism was not the norm and people lived in circumstances of scarcity. These DIY traditions have demonstrated people’s ingenuity as the best solution in times of necessity; people can invent and deftly make do, especially in the city.

The tactical urbanism movement – led mostly by planners and architects – has built on DIY action in a strategic struggle for bottom up or grassroots urban planning. The same phenomenon is referred to as ‘urban hacking’ in parts of Europe. But what all of these actions share are active resistance and citizen participation in the processes and developments in our cities.

Partizaning’s first documentation exhibition in Amsterdam. (Image (c) Partizaning)

In Russia, we are witnessing a form of strategic, bottom-up urbanism being led by artists who work in the streets and writers, rather than by architects and planners. Creative people are working in public spaces to express themselves and to create dialogues with authorities and with other citizens. In this article I discuss the work I am doing as a member of the project Partizaning, leveraging artistic interventions in public space as a tool for social research and transformation; blurring the boundaries between everyday life, urbanism, activism and art.

Our idea is not to propose a new form of DIY urbanism, but to transform the idea of a top-down, expert planned city into one where residents are active stakeholders in the place they live; a space where they have a right to lead the lives they choose. I explain how we connect the ideas of DIY-ism and participation, as well as how Partizaning is a strategy which is aligned, but different from, tactical urbanism and conventional social art practices by its connection of research and process of creation.

In Context: Urban Planning in Russia

Partizaning’s map of the Moscow Metro which promotes our ideas of affordability, pedestrianism and walkability. (Image (c) Partizaning)

Russian cities are unique, complex entities. Following the revolution in 1917, all Russian land was nationalized and socialized, transferred to State or local authorities. The houses once belonging to the bourgeoisie were divided into accommodation for the proletariat. The collapse of a traditional spatial order required new planning approaches. At the time, ideas of a ‘socialist city’ were debated in terms of the concepts of two groups: the urbanists and dis-urbanists. Dis-urbanists wanted to dissolve the difference between town and country, while Urbanists proposed a contained expansion and planning of existing cities. The Garden City, an idea that flourished in the West, also became a starting point for the Soviet suburb. All this was resolved by the top-down functional and central planning in the form of high-rise apartments with wide-ranging amenities like schools and clinics located nearby. These ‘microrayon’ structures continue to exist today and present just one aspect or challenge of contemporary urban living in Russian cities.

A game about urban tactics which we created and disseminated online and in print. (Photo (c) Partizaning)

After the collapse of the USSR, the country saw the growth of economy and a construction boom as a result of privatization. The Western model of a city and urban development began to take root; but after 20 years of post-Soviet development, most people still live in a reality which created by and for a centrally planned economy. How is this shift to a capital system possible without removing all ideals of social equity?

Reversing urban gentrification with a DIY platform and discussion in Dusseldorf. (Photo (c) Christian Ahlborn)

Russian cities as they now exist are struggling with remnants of Soviet-era urban planning and the development of a neoliberal form of the city. Although highly organized, these plans were not created for people to experience life in the city. Architects and bureaucratic planners promoted ideals like creating social equality through infrastructure and access. But ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent privatization of space in the city, there have been many recurring urban issues worldwide, such as traffic, over-consumption and trash generation and resource overuse, each with an environmental impact.

So the idea of a ‘partizan’ re-emerges in this contemporary context of resistance and urban revolution. In Russian, the word means ‘guerrilla’ and the idea we promote is resistance to this form of urban development and engage people in the processes shaping their cities – advocating a sense of creative responsibility. With it, we are seeking to promote a new ideal and a new vision for cities – constructed by and for people, based on their explicit involvement and dialogues. Our work straddles the worlds of art and urbanism: we work in the city and with the public but use artistic venues as just one forum for sharing our ideas.

Partizaning: Participatory Urban Re-planning

The DIY mobile discussion platform to activate abandoned railway tracks in the city. (Photo (c) Partizaning)

The website Partizaning emerged at the end of 2011 as an online project documenting examples of urban interaction and participation, whether social, political, environmental or anything else. Meant to inspire people, we show examples of projects in the public realm as creative achievements of social transformation through DIY and participatory actions. The site is managed by an interdisciplinary group of artists and researchers in two languages, because we realized that the project resonates, not only in Russia but as an idea taking root in cities around the world. So we document projects and people who work with the language of art to transform urban contexts worldwide.

A Public mailbox which we installed in Troparevo Nikulino. (Photo (c) Partizaning)

Part of our goal is to reorient the city around people and their goals and ways of life, rather than around expertise and bureaucracy. We recognize the important role of creativity as commentary and suggestion, while advocating people’s involvement, because residents know the city best and sometimes just need the tools to participate, or to express or converse ideas about it. The problem with how cities have developed is that they are perceived as places of work instead of sites of play and living. If you think of the city as an extension of your home, it is different. You are more willing to plant trees, to clean up trash, to decorate it, to repair it. But this is not an idea that is widely held – people are generally confined to their homes, their cars, and are restricted in public space. Partizaning proposes the idea that unsanctioned repairs and improvements can collectively help to re-create a better city. We have done things like made DIY benches, painted crosswalks and created maps and signs that promote an alternate trajectory for the city.

Scans of the mail received during the Cooperative Urbanism project. (Image (c) Partizaning)

We are motivated by a conflation of art and urbanism and are inspired by the role of the Situationists and of street art and urban interventions which fall into the realm of revolutionary urban and social activism. In Russia and internationally, we engage in participatory processes based on research and culminating in interventions in public space. We think of these interventions more as a process and dialogue. Apart from projects, we try to promote creative grassroots urbanism and participation by giving lectures, presentations and conducting workshops in various cities. We also try to produce a bulletin which is occasionally printed as another format for people to interact with some of our ideas.

Cooperative Urbanism

Public surveys in Amsterdam during the Kunstvlaai Festival. (Photo (c) Partizaning)

In 2012, we did a project based on installing Public Mailboxes in outlying districts of Moscow. An experiment in the idea of collaboration and in the concept of cooperation in the city, we tried to get people to communicate their urban challenges and desires by leaving us anonymous mail. Our goal was to work with the idea of how people could reorganize their city from the bottom up and engage in processes that are generally impenetrable. What we found was that creating unsanctioned and unwatched forums in public space involved children and the elderly, who had varied and different suggestions and ways of using the mailboxes. As part of this project, the mail was scanned and shared with participating municipal authorities who could respond to people’s concerns – but the other part of the project was to encourage people to be the agents of urban change in their own neighbourhoods, particularly if they already knew the problem.

What Should Happen to Sint Nicolaas Lyceum?

In Amsterdam, as part of the Kunstvlaai Festival, we put up large format posters surveying residents in the district under transformation for insights about a building that was going to be demolished. We found people to be apathetic about future changes in their city and wanted to facilitate a public dialogue. This is another way in which we have sought to promote the idea of urban participation in varied contexts.

We are interested in how to facilitate and moderate user-oriented cities, promoting the belief that residents know best what they need and how they should behave in a moderated dialogue with other activists and experts. But one of the concerns and challenges we faces is truly involving overlooked and minorities in the city – voices that remain unheard and invisible, but are part of the urban fabric. In cities like St. Petersburg, Moscow, Amsterdam and Dusseldorf we find that our projects are invariably used by voices that don’t have forums for expression – or become taken over by those who seek to control the socially unaccepted.

Ultimately, as researchers, artists and urbanists, we find ourselves trying to use the language of art as a tool for inquiry to understand urban processes and facilitate a form of participation based on art and ideas of inclusion. To what extent we are successful can be debated, but as an experiment we believe that art in the city has a right to public space and interaction in the same way all urban residents do.

Shriya Malhotra is an urban researcher and intervention artist based in Moscow with Partizaning . She has an MA in Cities and Urbanization from the New School and collaborates on participatory art and process based projects that highlight the unseen or unusual aspects about cities and urban life.

• Insights and findings from the Nashville Partnership for Education Equity Research Symposium

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Jun 7, 2024, 10:57 AM

In May, the Nashville Partnership for Education Equity Research —a collaboration between Metro Nashville Public Schools and Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development—hosted its inaugural research symposium at the MNPS Martin Center for Professional Development. The symposium included poster presentations on research projects to improve equity outcomes across MNPS and panel discussions on research processes, practices, and lessons learned from PEER collaborations. The symposium provided opportunities for MNPS school board members, Vanderbilt University researchers, and MNPS leadership to engage and learn from one another.

Working Group Poster Presentations

Four working groups presented posters:

• Vanderbilt: Maury Nation, Sarah Suiter
• MNPS: Elisa Norris, Allison D’Aurora, Sean Braisted, Ashford Hughes, Renita Perry
• Vanderbilt: Sean Corcoran, Erin Henrick, Changhee Lee, Mary Smith, Melody Suite, Richard Welsh
• MNPS: Sanjana Ballal-Link, Peter Busienei, Kevin Edwards, Meri Kock, Emily Munn, Matt Nelson, Kwame Nti, David Williams
• Vanderbilt: Richard Welsh, Jamie Klinenberg, Changhee Lee, Kayla Fike, David Diehl, Joanne Golann
• MNPS: Carol Brown, Taylor Biondi, Catherine Knowles
• Vanderbilt: Jennifer Russell, Tom Smith, Meghan Riling, Kathryn McGraw
• MNPS: Jill Petty, Jessica Slayton, David Williams, Stephanie Wyka

Rapid Response Teams Poster Presentations

Rapid response teams engage in short research projects of six months or less to provide quick, actionable evidence on pressing questions for MNPS. Three rapid response teams presented posters:

• Vanderbilt: Maury Nation and Megan McCormick
• MNPS: Caroline Marks, Peter Busienei, Krista Davis, Nécole Elizer
• Vanderbilt: Kelley Durkin, Luke Rainey, Marcia Barnes, Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Rebecca Adler
• MNPS: Katie Pattullo, Casey Souders, Peter Busienei
• Vanderbilt: Claire Smrekar, Amanda Alibrandi, Brittany Baker
• MNPS: Sanjana Ballal-Link, Sarah Chin, Kevin Edwards

Panel Discussions

Panel 1: What We’re Learning About Creating Shared Research Plans

PEER working group members discussed how their teams create and share actionable research plans relevant to the needs of MNPS and other districts and contribute to understandings in research literature. The panelists emphasized the importance of stakeholder engagement, literature reviews, and balancing practical needs with research contributions.

• Panelists: Kayla Fike, assistant professor of human organizational development; Jennifer Russell, professor of leadership, policy, and organizations; Taylor Biondi, MNPS RTI-behavior coordinator; and Meri Kock, MNPS ACT coordinator
• Moderator: Ellen Goldring, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Education and Leadership and vice dean of Peabody College

Panel 2: All About Rapid Response Projects

The panelists discussed the importance of amplifying student voices, developing specific research questions, and building close partnerships between Vanderbilt and MNPS colleagues to ensure projects deliver concrete and actionable recommendations.

• Panelists: Brittany Baker, assistant director of equity and immersion Vanderbilt; Kelley Durkin, research assistant professor; and Sanjana Ballal-Link, MNPS director of partnerships for postsecondary readiness
• Moderator: Adrienne Battle, MNPS director of schools

Panel 3: What we’re Learning about Equity-Centered Research

PEER working group members discussed how equity informs partnership practices, their attention to power dynamics between researchers and practitioners, and the design and implementation of research plans to ensure that designs are equitable. They also highlighted the importance of listening to students, families, and community members when making decisions about policies, programs, and initiatives.

• Panelists: Sean Corcoran, associate professor of public policy and education; Ashford Hughes, MNPS executive officer for diversity, equity, and inclusion; and Stephanie Wyka, MNPS director of professional learning and growth
• Moderator: Erin O’Hara Block, MNPS School Board Member, District 8

Keep Reading

Emphasis on equity: Peabody’s research-practice partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools takes major step to improve college and career readiness

Vanderbilt University and Metro Nashville Public Schools launch partnership to boost college admissions from Nashville schools

Peabody College to collaborate with MNPS on lab school at John Early Magnet Middle School

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Which social media platforms are most common, who uses each social media platform, find out more, social media fact sheet.

Many Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves. Explore the patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape.

To better understand Americans’ social media use, Pew Research Center surveyed 5,733 U.S. adults from May 19 to Sept. 5, 2023. Ipsos conducted this National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for the Center using address-based sampling and a multimode protocol that included both web and mail. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race and ethnicity, education and other categories.

Polls from 2000 to 2021 were conducted via phone. For more on this mode shift, read our Q&A.

Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and  its methodology ­­­.

A note on terminology: Our May-September 2023 survey was already in the field when Twitter changed its name to “X.” The terms  Twitter  and  X  are both used in this report to refer to the same platform.

YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms. About half of U.S. adults say they use Instagram, and smaller shares use sites or apps such as TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter (X) and BeReal.

Note: The vertical line indicates a change in mode. Polls from 2012-2021 were conducted via phone. In 2023, the poll was conducted via web and mail. For more details on this shift, please read our Q&A . Refer to the topline for more information on how question wording varied over the years. Pre-2018 data is not available for YouTube, Snapchat or WhatsApp; pre-2019 data is not available for Reddit; pre-2021 data is not available for TikTok; pre-2023 data is not available for BeReal. Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.

Source: Surveys of U.S. adults conducted 2012-2023.

Usage of the major online platforms varies by factors such as age, gender and level of formal education.

% of U.S. adults who say they ever use __ by …

• RACE & ETHNICITY
• POLITICAL AFFILIATION

This fact sheet was compiled by Research Assistant  Olivia Sidoti , with help from Research Analyst  Risa Gelles-Watnick , Research Analyst  Michelle Faverio , Digital Producer  Sara Atske , Associate Information Graphics Designer Kaitlyn Radde and Temporary Researcher  Eugenie Park .

Follow these links for more in-depth analysis of the impact of social media on American life.

• Americans’ Social Media Use  Jan. 31, 2024
• Americans’ Use of Mobile Technology and Home Broadband  Jan. 31 2024
• Q&A: How and why we’re changing the way we study tech adoption  Jan. 31, 2024

Find more reports and blog posts related to  internet and technology .

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UComm highlights Art student’s undergraduate research project

As one of 672 UW–Madison undergraduates who presented their research at this year’s annual Undergraduate Symposium, Art Department student Amber Mans’ project got a shoutout in a campus news story.

In a preview of the symposium published by University Communications, Mans said she explored ideas for her project with guest instructor Brett Swanson while she was a sophomore research fellow with UW–Madison’s Glass Lab.

“I had been subtly pursuing my own personal research without the title since my freshman year, but Brett had an idea of something we could work on together that aligned with some of the work I had been doing and it seemed like a good fit,” Mans explained.

She said she was excited to share her project, called “Refractory Cements and Their Qualities in Mold Blown Glass,” with other researchers at the April 25 conference.

“I am very firm in the belief in access to knowledge,” said Mans. “I just want to share as much as I can but also to create avenues to people interested in this field who otherwise may be closed off from having access to the material or learning about it.”

To learn more, check out the full article at news.wisc.edu .

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10 Artist-Inspired Projects Your Students Will Love

Who was the first artist you remember falling in love with? The first who, after learning about them or seeing their work, you knew would forever hold a special place in your heart? I’m not here to tell you some gushy artist love story, but aren’t these the experiences we want our students to have?

I find projects that allow students to experience techniques and processes directly related to specific artists are the best way to fall hard. That’s why, in my classroom, we do something called “Art History Fridays.”

On each Friday, (you guessed it) we explore a new artist together. I introduce the artist, and then the students create an artwork based on that artist either individually or collaboratively. These sessions are great because they allow students to take a break from other projects and can also serve as options for early finishers.

Here are 10 artist/activity pairings to sweep your students off their feet!

1. jen stark / colorful collaborative drawing.

Jen Stark has a versatile body of work ranging from sculptures to animation. Because of her use of vibrant colors and exciting designs, students flock to her work. It’s a wonderful way for students to explore pattern, shape, and color. Using simple drawing materials, students can create artwork individually and arrange it as one large collaborative piece.

2. Kristin Farr / Rings and Rectangles

Artist Kristin Farr’s work is inspired by Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Art. The use of color and pattern creates an experimental result your students can’t resist. Exploring her artwork is a wonderful way for students to study color vibrations and math to form an amazing result. Take a peek at the  flipped Rings and Rectangles lesson  I use with my students. Feel free to use it with yours!

3. Kehinde Wiley / Non-Traditional Portraits

Let’s face it, for some students, portraits will just always be boring. That’s why Kehinde Wiley’s work is so interesting. Students find his juxtaposition of background and subject striking. Sharing his work with your students might allow them to take a different twist on their traditional portraits as they explore his ornate and decorative backgrounds.

If you’re looking for more innovative ways to bring artists into your classroom, you’ll want to check out the AOE course Integrating Art History . You’ll survey hundreds of years of art as you simultaneously plan rich learning opportunities for students in diverse and dynamic settings.

4. Thank You X / Op Art Cubes

The large-scale geometric work of street artist, Thank You X , will inspire your students to become cube and op art masters. Using the work he became well-known for on the streets of LA, challenge your students to create their own cube designs. Display them together for a dizzying effect.

5. Joanna Wirazka / Leaf Paintings

Polish artist, Joanna Wirazka , will leave (or should I say leaf) your students fascinated. This 17-year-old is already developing a name for herself by creating detailed paintings on leaves. Your students will find her age inspiring while exploring the connection between art and nature.

6. Kelsey Montague / Collaborative Ballons

The artwork by public artist Kelsey Montague is taking social media by storm. Her body of work #WhatLiftsYou is inspiring and relatable. Your students will love exploring her work as they think about what lifts them. Have each student create a small piece related to something that lifts or rises. Balloons or feathers are popular choices. After each student creates their piece, display them together to create an interactive piece.

7. Carly Waito / Crystal Paintings

The artwork by Carly Waito is mesmerizing. The Toronto-based artist uses crystals and minerals to create hyper-realistic paintings. She explores the connection of geology, light, and geometry. Although your students might not yet have the skill-set to create realistic works like these, having a few exciting props, like real crystals, will excite them! This project is also a great time to introduce or review watercolor techniques !

8. Heidi Annalise / Miniature Paintings

Artist Heidi Annalise explores nature and art in a new way. Instead of painting on a traditional canvas she creates miniature paintings inside tins, like small Altoids containers. She is an excellent artist to share with your students as they think of unconventional surfaces on which they might want to create art.

9. Keith Haring / Collaborative Haring Figures

Students will gravitate toward the exciting way Keith Haring took his art to the subways for all to see. Even though Haring only had a short time to share his gifts with us, the footage of him at a young age speaks volumes and allows students to relate to him. Although you might not be creating art on the subway walls, collaborative Haring-inspired people will spark interest for your students. Break students into groups, have them trace a body shape, and fill in that body shape in an interesting way. Make sure you display these, so your whole school can enjoy them!

10. Dale Chihuly / Coffee Filter Sculpture

There’s something about the glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly that fascinates students. Although they’ll probably be a little disappointed when you tell them they aren’t blowing glass, you’ll find excitement nonetheless. This collaborative Chihuly-inspired project takes the idea of his Macchia form, but replaces the glass with coffee filters. This is often an individual project, but is stunning when placed together. Check out a video explaining the process right here .

The next time you’re looking to infuse more artist-inspired work in your classroom, share the artwork of one of these artists with your students. Whether working collaboratively or individually, your students are sure to be inspired!

What artists do you love teaching in your classroom?

How much time do you spend talking about artists and art history?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Abby Schukei

Abby Schukei, a middle school art educator and AOEU’s Social Media Manager, is a former AOEU Writer. She focuses on creating meaningful experiences for her students through technology integration, innovation, and creativity.

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