Every year I assign a research paper. Students select an artist from a hat, they are given 5 minutes to trade names if they like, and I give them an outline to follow. We spend a week in a computer lab searching out information. They have a cover page, 2 solid pages of writing, a 4th page with an image properly labeled, and a basic bibliography. It's rather traditional, and... boring.
I feel it's an important assignment, they need to dig deeper, they need to write, they need to research in all their classes, so this is how I've done it.
Then I saw this image by Douglas A. Sirois. (Website HERE)
I feel it's an important assignment, they need to dig deeper, they need to write, they need to research in all their classes, so this is how I've done it.
Then I saw this image by Douglas A. Sirois. (Website HERE)
In a flash I had an idea. What if students conducted an interview with a famous artist; a Zombie Artist! Here's my scenario:
"The dead have come to life again! You'd think the government would be on high alert, schools would be closed, and there would be chaos everywhere... but no. Unlike pop‐culture zombie movies, these dead folks are just as normal as they ever were, except partially decayed, but all‐in‐all, the same.
Your art teacher, apparently a zombie sympathizer, has decided that this is the perfect opportunity for you to actually go out and meet a famous artist and interview them instead of writing a boring research paper. Once you select an artist, your teacher will give you give you a clothes pin for your nose, (zombies are stinky) and send you off with a list of questions to ask.
Don't worry, they don't eat brains!"
I have created a packet you can download below, and left the length of the paper blank so you can require what you are comfortable with, but I think this alternate to a traditional report could be fun.
Updated 2017: I have run this project 2x now and it's been much better than the traditional paper. They plagiarize much less, mainly because they have to re-write the information like a conversation.
Special thank you to Douglas Sirois for giving me permission to use his image for the cover of the attached packet! I added the text to mimic Andy Warhol's Interview Magazine covers.
If you spot a typo or error, please let me know at LOVSART ([at)] Aol.
"The dead have come to life again! You'd think the government would be on high alert, schools would be closed, and there would be chaos everywhere... but no. Unlike pop‐culture zombie movies, these dead folks are just as normal as they ever were, except partially decayed, but all‐in‐all, the same.
Your art teacher, apparently a zombie sympathizer, has decided that this is the perfect opportunity for you to actually go out and meet a famous artist and interview them instead of writing a boring research paper. Once you select an artist, your teacher will give you give you a clothes pin for your nose, (zombies are stinky) and send you off with a list of questions to ask.
Don't worry, they don't eat brains!"
I have created a packet you can download below, and left the length of the paper blank so you can require what you are comfortable with, but I think this alternate to a traditional report could be fun.
Updated 2017: I have run this project 2x now and it's been much better than the traditional paper. They plagiarize much less, mainly because they have to re-write the information like a conversation.
Special thank you to Douglas Sirois for giving me permission to use his image for the cover of the attached packet! I added the text to mimic Andy Warhol's Interview Magazine covers.
If you spot a typo or error, please let me know at LOVSART ([at)] Aol.
| Interview Outline & Requirements |
| Student Sample Report |
Updated 2020: This is a video I created to help students understand the expectations for this assignment.
More awesome resources for art teachers HERE.
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