Week 2- Level 2 Challenge Option: Paint the Town

PAINT THE TOWN

America has a rich history of commissioning art in public spaces: murals, mosaics, structures, you name it! In this Challenge, you must submit a proposal for a public mural to be located on the exterior of a public courthouse. The proposed mural must measure 20 feet high by 60 feet wide and symbolize at least five terms from the Annenberg Classroom Glossary Links to an external site., as well as illustrate the importance of civic engagement. The proposal should include a listing of the terms with descriptions of how they will be realized/visualized in the mural, as well as a scaled down version of the mural you upload as a PDF or document.

Once you have completed the assignment, submit your work on the Module 2 Level 2 Challenge page

PREPARATION

FIRST

Read the article “What Do We Mean By ‘Civic Engagement’?” by Richard P. Adler and Judy Goggin Download Read the article “What Do We Mean By ‘Civic Engagement’?” by Richard P. Adler and Judy Goggin

and answer the following questions:

Of all the definitions presented in the article, which definition aligns the most with your personal views?
Of all the definitions presented in the article, which definition aligns the most with your personal views?
Why is this particular definition appealing to you? (Provide a thoughtful, critical answer. Don’t just say “because I like it” or “because it is what I believe.” Explain what exactly it is about the definition that appeals to your views of civic engagement and volunteerism.) Connect this definition to your personal life.

NEXT

View the Multnomah Bar Foundation video (see below for link) entitled Civic Engagement 101 and answer the following questions:

How does the Multnomah Bar define civic engagement? Summarize its definition in your own words.
Compare the Multnomah Bar Foundation’s definition of civic engagement with those presented in Adler and Goggin’s article (above). Whose definition does the Multnomah Bar Foundation’s resemble the most and why?

THEN

Review the civics glossary at the Annenberg Institute for Civics at the University of Pennsylvania Links to an external site. and select five terms that you would like your mural to symbolize.
Check out the Friends of Community Public Art, “Murals” page Links to an external site. for some inspiration.
Brainstorm ideas for your mural, be sure to think about ways to symbolize your five terms as well as the importance of civic engagement.

ACTION

Design your mural! Remember: It must be dynamic enough to consume a space/wall of 20 feet high by 60 feet wide and symbolize at least five terms from the Annenberg Classroom Glossary plus, it must illustrate the importance of civic engagement. You can create your design on the medium of your choosing. For example, you could

draw or paint it and then take a digital picture of your drawing/painting or scan it (not recommended for the less artistically inclined);
create it using PowerPoint, Keynote, Word, Adobe Photoshop, or any other software of your choosing.

List your five terms and explain how each is symbolized in your design.

Explain how the importance of civic engagement is illustrated in your mural.

REFLECTION

Do you think public art should be supported with taxpayer dollars? Explain your opinion.

Regardless of your opinion on the previous question, do you think that public art should contain strong messages or do you think they should be neutral? Explain your opinion.

RESOURCES

Title

Civic Engagement 101, Multnomah Bar Foundation

URL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBrmwYdp6gU Links to an external site.

Annotation

This is an additional video resource that students will use to further examine what civic engagement means.

Title	Volunteering and Civic Life in America
URL	http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/rankings.cfm Links to an external site.
Annotation	This website provides national, regional and local civic engagement and volunteerism rankings in the United States. Use it for Part 3 of this Challenge, as you ponder what you can do to improve civic engagement in your community.

Title	Terms, Annenberg Classroom
URL	http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/terms Links to an external site.
Annotation	Online dictionaries for civics can be too brief, poorly written, or ideologically charged. This dictionary from The Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics at the University of Pennsylvania has collected some of the best explanations of common civics-related vocabulary in their “terms” section.

Title	Murals, Friends of Community Public Art
URL	http://www.fcpaonline.org/mms.asp?c=1 Links to an external site.
Annotation	Friends of Community Public Art is a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the creation, planning, promotion and preservation of public art to increase the awareness of a community’s rich historical and cultural heritage. The “Murals” page of their website contains over 100 images of public murals, which can serve as inspiration for students as they design their own.

Title	Public Art Archive
URL	http://www.publicartarchive.org/ Links to an external site.
Annotation	This site hosts images and extensive descriptions of public art from across the country. You can search for murals and other forms of art by key term, including civic, civic engagement, and the terms you selected.

RUBRIC

	No credit	Below expectations	Meets expectations
Mural Design	The student’s mural design is not creative AND does not symbolize terms from the Annenberg Classroom Glossary OR the importance of civic engagement.	The student’s mural design is lacking in creativity OR symbolizes 3-4 terms from the Annenberg Classroom Glossary OR does not illustrate the importance of civic engagement.	The student’s mural design is creative and symbolizes five terms from the Annenberg Classroom Glossary as well as the importance of civic engagement.
Terms and Civic Engagement	The student does not clearly explain how the terms are symbolized in the mural design AND the student does not explain how the importance of civic engagement illustrated in the mural design.	For most terms, the student clearly explains how the term is symbolized in the mural design OR the student does not fully explain how the importance of civic engagement illustrated in the mural design.	For each term, the student clearly explains how the term is symbolized in the mural design AND the student explains how the importance of civic engagement illustrated in the mural design.
Reflection	The student did not complete the Reflection portion of the Challenge.	The student responds to both reflection prompts, but the responses are not fully developed and appear to be lacking detail or thoughtful reflection.	For each of the two reflection prompts, the student provides complete and thoughtful responses.