Sense of Place: Landscapes, Environments, Psychology, and Narrative

Angela Buenning Filo, *Trinity Park Development, "from the upper $500,000s," Alviso, June 2001*, from the series *Silicon Valley*, 2001; collection SFMOMA, Accessions Committee Fund purchase; © Angela Buenning Filo

A lesson plan prepared by SFMOMA’s Teacher Advisory Group

This lesson utilizes photographs from SFMOMA’s collection that feature natural and urban environments. The images range from traditional compositions to unique, abstract approaches, introducing students to different ways landscapes and environments can be captured and presented. Additionally, this lesson asks students to view, discuss, and reflect on artists’ intentions and the emotional or narrative effects of the work. Using the examples as inspiration, students then create their own image or series of images.

Essential Questions

How
does photography tell a story about a particular place?
How
do the choices an artist makes affect the way we interpret the story or
emotions behind a photograph?

Victor Landweber, Los Angeles County Fair, Pomona, California, 1979; collection SFMOMA, gift of Louis Landweber; © Victor Landweber

Learning Outcomes

Understand
and analyze how composition choices, framing, cropping, or arranging can have
an impact on the emotional or narrative qualities of an image.
Create
a photograph/series of photographs that focuses on a natural/urban environment
and includes a strong emotional/narrative component.

Robbert Flick, Along Ocean Park, Looking West, Summer, 1980; collection of the Sack Photographic Trust; © Robbert Flick

Materials

3–5 printed copies of 9 photographs from the lesson
Photograph Analysis Worksheet
Link to Adobe Spark presentation
iPads, laptops, or computer lab

Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe, Above Lake Tenaya, Connecting Views from Edward Weston and Eadweard Muybridge, from the Yosemite Project, 2001; collection SFMOMA, purchase through a gift of Mary and Thomas Field; © Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe

Part One—Look + Discuss (1 Day)

Day 1

Do Now: Have students write down and be prepared to share a statement about what they most like about photography, and how it impacts them or others around them.
Preview: Preview the series of photographs with the students, taking a minute or two to touch on unique qualities of each image in terms of composition, mood, or sense of story. How does the view, subject, or arrangment of the images affect their interpretation? What impact does it have or create upon first look?
Small Group Discussion:
a. Having made 3–5 copies of the 9 images, mix them up and distribute them to the class randomly. Some of the images may work better for students who struggle with less literal and figurative narration/content.
b. Distribute a copy of the Photograph Analysis Worksheet to every student, and give students about 25–30 minutes to complete it.
c. Have students with the same photograph get into a group to share and discuss their initial observations and questions. Have them write down 2 or 3 additional ideas they gained from the others in the group about the artist or the artwork.
Share: Ask a representative from each group to share key findings and new information.
Individual Work: Give students additional time to individually complete sections.
Review: Visit the Spark site with students, and review the considerations for selecting an artist style or approach.
Homework: Finish assignments.

Len Jenshel, Yosemite National Park, California, 1986; collection SFMOMA, Members of Foto Forum purchase; © Len Jenshel

Part Two—Create (2–3 Days)

Day 2

Do Now: Review the previous day’s images together using a projector. Ask students to select a photograph or composition style that they like and are interested in using in their own photography project. Have them explain what they like about that photo or arrangement in terms of psychological impact or narrative, and why they are interested in trying it. Select random students to share their choices and reasons.
Create: Review the following assignment with students:
Sense of Place—Having viewed and discussed many photographs/projects that focus on various places, environments, and viewpoints, both natural/urban, and considered the story, narrative, and design/composition choices, it is now your task to pick your own approach and presentation style. In the next week, take a minimum of 30 photos to work with and from. Post the photos to Instagram or Google Drive to have them accessible for viewing, discussion, and selection.
Work Time: With remaining class time, students can brainstorm possible photos or take photos around the campus.

Day 3

Work Time: Meet with students individually to review photographs and discuss selections. The other students should be working on writing an artist statement/vision that explains what their photographs and composition choices reveal in terms of the psychology or narrative created by the environment.

Day 4

Work Time: Using computers, students will create an Adobe Spark project that contains at least 15 of the photos that they took and a description and/or quote for each photo that supports their theme. The Spark project should have a creative title and contain an introduction or foreword with their artist vision/statement explaining their choice of subject matter, artist, and what meaning or narrative they developed out of the series. As an alternate to the Spark project, students may print, mount, and display the photographs/project with a typed and mounted artist/vision statement.

Part Three—Share/Reflect

Share: In small groups, have students share and discuss the photos/projects they created, identifying and discussing the psychological or narrative impact, and what visual elements or principles are helping to generate the feeling or narrative.
Evaluate: Have students use the Photograph Analysis worksheet to evaluate at least one classmate’s project in depth.

Anthony Hernandez, Public Transit Areas #45, 1979; collection SFMOMA; purchase through a gift of Randi and Bob Fisher; © Anthony Hernandez

Standards and Assessment

Evaluate students’ projects according to the following California Visual Arts Content Standards and Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy:

CA Visual Arts 1.3: use principles of design to analyze environment/ artworks
CA Visual Arts 2.3: manipulate digital imagery
CA Visual Arts 4.4: demonstrate process/rationale for refining own artworks
CCSS ELA Writing 2, 4, 10: writing an artist statement
CCSS ELA Speaking + Listening 1: artwork discussion

Joe Deal, View. Magic Mountain, Valencia, California, 1977; collection SFMOMA, gift of Dr. and Mrs. William R. Fielder; © Estate of Joe Deal

Downloadable Documents

Angela Buenning Filo, Trinity Park Development, “from the upper $500,000s,” Alviso, June 2001, from the series Silicon Valley, 2001; collection SFMOMA, Accessions Committee Fund purchase; © Angela Buenning Filo

Sense of Place: Landscapes, Environments, Psychology, and Narrative

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