8th grade students were presented with the "Demandments" project which was developed by Chicago artist Lee Tracey. We assembled her large demandment that stated "Hate Ruins Everything." After several discussions about the meaning behind this statement, and coming up with a definition for the word "demandment." Students took notes on an art history presentation about art and social change. DOES ART HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD? many students said no. We looked at Art's role in WWII, the civil rights movement, the anti war movement, the Women's Suffrage movement, and Occupy Wall Street, and then had more discussions about art and its power. Students then began brainstorming ides for their own demandment message.
After several materials demonstrations, students began working alone or in pairs to design and create their own demandment. Students then presented them to the class, sharing not only their artwork, but also their ideas about the world.