Visual Art and

Digital Communication:
Exploring the Art of Conveying Meaning in the Digital Age

High School Art Curriculum Rationale

Olivia Brus
ArtE 545
Introduction:
Visual Art and Digital Communication: Exploring the Art of Conveying Meaning in the

Digital Age is a twelve-week high school art curriculum in which students will explore concepts

surrounding the visual arts in their day to day lives through digital platforms and the internet. By

exploring the impact that this type of communication has on our society and daily lives, students

will be able to explore new and innovative ways to see art and form significant connections with

others in this new virtual space. This curriculum is aimed at teaching students how to create art

in a way that incorporates their personal visual culture, their roles in forming impactful and

meaningful connections through online communities, and how to incorporate new kinds of

technology into their technical art making skills.

Social media is a driving force in our modern-day society, which has become even more

evident in recent times. People today use this as their primary source of communication with

their friends, co-workers, family, and communities, not only for personal use but also as a means

of gathering important information and staying connected during times of uncertainty. It has

become so tightly interwoven with our lives that it would be almost inconceivable to imagine a

world without constant communication with people around the world at a click of a button or the

like of a post. The virtual world is an enormous part of our cultural fabric, with the majority of

teenagers and young adults using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more to

consume and participate in imagery and creating content. There are so many possibilities to use

these platforms to create and discover new mechanisms to express ourselves in artistic ways.
New technology has allowed for information to be passed instantaneously, which makes art all

the more important for expressing ourselves and sharing ideas, not only with our local

communities, but with a much greater audience then has ever been possible in the past.

The cover of this binder is the conceptual framework for this curriculum. The image on

the cover is a collage of images that represent the network of communication that occurs online.

The student is using his cell phone to stay connected to the platforms of social media, such as

Twitter and Facebook, as well as community tags, private messaging, and websites, represented

by the flowing colors and light that connects back into the phone. There are also several images

that depict traditional art and their visual culture interpretation, art communities, influential

online artists work, tutorials showcasing technical art skills, and digitally created works of art.

All these elements combined form a network or ‘web’ around the student, which represents how

much community and sharing plays a role in the diverse amount of information available to the

student through tools found online.

Curriculum Aims and Goals:

Visual Art and Digital Communication will focus on the following aims and goals. The

curriculum is created so that students will have developed a crucial set of skills including

technological literacy, visual literacy, as well as personal identity and community. The aims and

goals are:

Aims

1. Developing community through technology

2. Establish technological literacy

3. Exploring the connections between adolescent development and technological advancement

1. Encouraging the development of a healthy community through use of social media platforms

2. Apply technological literacy through exploration of digital technology

3. Understand the effects that digital communities and technology has on adolescents

Aim 1 and Goal 1 focus on the student forming community through their visual art

making. By forming an online community, students will be able to have a much more diverse

audience for their ideas and will also be exposed to other cultures. In the Illinois Visual Arts

Standards, this correlates with number VA:Cr2.3.III which states “Demonstrate in works of art

or design how visual and material culture defines, shapes, enhances, inhibits, or empowers

people’s lives (ISBE, 2016)”. Through sharing ideas and finding common ground through visual

culture, students will learn a better understanding of the impact that their artworks and ideas can

have on their communities and be able to demonstrate their understanding of these effects on

others.

Aim 2 and Goal 2 relate through helping students form a strong technical literacy.

Through understanding the reasons for technological versions of traditional art tools and

developing skills with these new types of technology, students will be better prepared for

progression in technology in the future. According to the Illinois Visual Arts Standards, number

VA:Cr1.2.I states “Shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present day life using a

contemporary practice of art or design (ISBE, 2016)”. Through this course, students will develop

a good foundation of technological knowledge which will give them an advantage as technology

continues to develop. By creating works of visual art with contemporary practices such as using
digital art programs like Photoshop, students will gain a greater understanding of the trajectory

of future developments and have valuable problem-solving skills for later in life.

Finally, Aim 3 and Goal 3 center on the connections that adolescents have with

technology and the effects it can have on their art-making. These aims and goals align with

Illinois Visual Art Standard number VA:Re7.1.III which states “Analyze how responses to art

develop over time based on knowledge of, and experience with, art and life (ISBE, 2016)”. Art in

the contemporary age can now be shared virtually nearly instantaneously anywhere in the world.

In this curriculum, students will learn the impact that their choices and ideas can have on others

through sharing these works for a wide audience. Students will also research the way that art was

used as a form of communication before the age of the internet and how these changes in our

society have changed the way art has been experienced.

Importance of the Theme:

To understand the importance of this theme, we must look at the evolution of

communication that has occurred since the turn of the century at the very least. The invention of

the internet forever changed the world and how we interact with one another. Over the last two

decades, communication became almost instantaneous and readily available through email,

blogs, websites, and more. The advancement in technology pushed forward the use of

cellphones, digital media, online forums, and virtual communities, becoming the new normal for

how many people chose to interact with those with similar interests. Two generations have now

grown up with technology in their pockets and constant flow of information available to them at

the click of a button. This kind of constant connection has changed how we, as a society, now

interact with not only people but also the content that we consume and produce.
 By looking at the way that art has evolved alongside these new forms of technology and

these digital platforms of communication, the art classroom can become a place of learning that

not only hones the technical skills of the students but also allows for students to instantaneously

see and explore arts in ways that no one has ever done in decades past. Before, one would have

to travel to see the works of famous artists displayed in a museum or stumble upon the works of

a local artist by chance. Now, students can tweet at an artist they admire that they might have

discovered on any number of platforms and get a response from them within an hour. Students

can also explore an interest through a hashtag and find a whole community they resonate with.

The ways that students learn and consume their information now can be challenging in a

classroom environment, so it is crucial for a curriculum to keep up with the ever changing ways

that students learn.

Today, students can interact with like-minded individuals from across the world and

share their own ideas freely to a literal world-wide audience. Using social media platforms as a

tool within the classroom can help these young artists understand the immediate impact that their

ideas and creations can have on others. They can watch a local artist in Chile create a painting

and communicate with that artist on a livestream. They can ask questions about process, about

different techniques, or concepts from artists on Instagram. They can share their work on Reddit

and receive feedback from people who value their content, who otherwise would not have been

able to view it traditionally. By incorporating more technological literacy within an art

curriculum, students will gain an arsenal of skills that they can then carry with them in to their

professional lives no matter what path they chose.

Course Description:
 Visual Art and Digital Communication will be a twelve week long high school

curriculum for the visual arts that will explore the social and artistic impact that online

communities, social media networks, and new digital art making techniques can have on their

daily lives. By delving into their personal connections with online communication and what it

means to them, students will learn to think critically about the different ways that people have

communicated their ideas and how they will continue to in the future. Throughout history, art has

been used as a form of communication which could then be interpreted by others to form new,

individual meanings. Students will create projects based on their personal connection to social

media, the internet, and technology to communicate their ideas and personal interpretation of

community through their art.

The aim of Unit 1 is to encourage students to explore new kinds of technologies in their

art making that have an impact on how art is created today. By fusing traditional art techniques

such as drawing, photography, and print making with new digital art-making tools such as

Photoshop, Indesign, and Corral, students will experience constructive risk-taking that will allow

them to communicate a variety of ideas in new and innovative ways. Incorporating their personal

identities as well as their visual culture into their projects will allow students to feel connected

with their art, that when shared, will encourage meaningful connections with others. Other uses

of technology will also be integrated into the lessons through new trends, cultural influences, and

contexts that shape the way that art is now created while also discussing the advantages and

disadvantages to these new digital advances.

Unit 2 will focus on students observing the influence that social media and other forms of

online communication have on their social dynamics. For example, Internet culture has become a

major influence on the imaginations of teenagers, the visual art often repeating itself in ways
such as memes, trends, and tags through social media. Students will discussion and think

critically about issues that would benefit from having their message repeated or ‘viral’ and how

this would impact what people think about said issues. Students will create projects based on

visibility online and creating a professional, curated online presence to showcase their art as well

as critical thinking and imaginations.

For Unit 3, students will work together on a project that will incorporate elements from

both Unit 1 and Unit 2 to address a social issue and shared online to promote interactive art

discussion and art community. The reach with which people have to communicate their ideas is

vast in comparison to how people had previously been able to communicate through their

artwork. In the past, artists would have to rely on galleries, public spaces, and in-person art

communities in order to discuss and share their works with others. Today, artists have the

advantage of being able to reach literal millions of users through a variety of online venues that

allow more people to join the discussions about the artwork being created as well as bring in new

and interesting viewpoints from different cultures. Students will have the opportunity to see how

their opinions and voices can impact many people from around the world through their art.

Developmental Level:

In this curriculum, the focus is to facilitate the student learning through communication

and adolescent development. According to educator, Donald Lipski (2001) “By encouraging

students to develop their personal interests—even in seemingly mundane objects—we can

provide them a stimulating source for artmaking (p.23). Lipski goes on to explain that students

who learn from their interests then approach learning with inventiveness and an eagerness to link

aesthetics to big ideas, or conceptual understandings, to create successful art. This approach is
important to keep students engaged with the curriculum and also to ensure their understanding of

the world around them.

Visual culture plays a vital role in the development of adolescence sense of identity as

well. By incorporating a student’s visual culture into the curriculum, students will form stronger

personal connections with the material being taught. As Kerry Freedman (2003) states “Visual

culture is a form of social production; it plays an important role in the construction of social life.

It mediates between people who communicate social ideas through it in social contexts.

Therefore, visual culture is worth teaching if it is powerful—if it influences the way people think

about the world, visualize, and live in it” (p. 54). Students use their surroundings and their

everyday lives as inspiration to form the context of their artwork, thus encouraging strong

connections with others through shared experiences.

In this curriculum, the instruction also emphasizes a strong development of technical

skills through the use of advancing technological innovation. Using digital new kinds tools and

learning new ways to create innovative forms of communication through the visual form allows

students to think critically and will have a great impact on their technical literacy. In one case

study done at the Michigan State University stated about social media platforms (2011) “The

features of social media that facilitate rewarding and efficacious communication have been

discussed and documented across a variety of research contexts. One such context examines how

communication technology can be used to improve education and the adjustment to college” (p.

15). By incorporating the use of new technologies as well as new forms of communication,

students will have the working knowledge of a variety of tools which will be necessary for them

in the future as they head into college and adulthood.

Resources:
 For Visual Art and Online Communication, students will primarily be using digital media

as their art-making tool, however, several projects will involve the fusion of traditional media

with contemporary, digital media. Students will use many different sources to conduct research,

engage in discussions, view art, both historical and contemporary, as well as create their own

artwork. Primary research tools will involve cell phones, computers, and access to art databases,

either online or from the library. As this curriculum focuses on online communication, the use of

social media and other digital platforms will be necessary to conduct further research and

participation in discussions. All materials required for the course will be listed below.

Traditional Media:

 Drawing materials (pens, pencils, micron pens, etc.)

 Coloring materials (colored pencils, watercolors, markers, etc. Student’s choice)

 Sketch book

 Scissors

 Glue sticks or tacky glue

 Digital Camera (either their own, rented, or a cell phone with good quality camera)

 Quality drawing paper

Additional Resources:

 Projector

 Computer/laptop

 Cellphone

 Adobe Create Suite (or free online equivalent)

Conclusion:

The Visual Art and Digital Communication curriculum will be beneficial to the students

by providing them with tools with which to enter the professional world, not just in the arts but

many fields. The world online is vast and always changing, so having a base of knowledge of

how to navigate through and use the tools of social media, the internet, and digital technologies

will greatly improve a student’s abilities to contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Through the projects outlined within the three units, the students will be able to navigate through

the virtual world of art with more confidence and a better understanding of how their ideas can

and do impact their world around them. They will be made aware of and participate in the art

communities that value their works, their ideas, and their voices. They will also be equipped with

the technical art making skills that demonstrate technical literacy, which will be beneficial in

many aspects of their professional lives. Lastly, the students will be able to understand the

impact that these new kinds of technologies have effected the way our world works and how

these tools can be used to better themselves, continue developing new ways to communicate, and

share meaningful works of art.

for University Students. International Journal of Instruction, 11(2), 281-296.

 David C. DeAndrea , Nicole B. Ellison, Robert LaRose, Charles Steinfield, Andrew

Fiore. (2011) Serious social media: On the use of social media for improving students'

adjustment to college. Department of Communication, Michigan State University, United

States

 Illinois State Board of Education. (2016). Illinois Learning Standards for Fine Arts.

Retrieved from https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Visual-Arts-Standards.pdf

 Freedman, K. (2003). Teaching Visual Culture. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

 Freedman, K., Hernandez, F. (1998) Curriculum, Culture, and Art Education. Albany,

NY: State University of New York Press.