Lesson: Geometric Artist

Have each student take out a large piece of scrap paper, a pencil, and a ruler. Give students different sets of directions to draw shapes. Have some sets of directions that ensure all students draw the same shape, such as “Draw a square with side lengths of 3 inches,” and other directions that allow for different shapes to be drawn, such as “Draw a right triangle with one side length of 8 centimeters.” Then ask: What ensures that the shapes are the same? What allows them to be different? Were the given constraints easy or difficult to follow?

Play the video. Then ask the following questions:

• Who was Sol LeWitt? (He was a conceptual artist—often he is referred to as the father of conceptual art.)

• What is conceptual art? (Conceptual art is art in which the idea behind the piece is more important than how the piece ends up looking.)

• How can math be seen in LeWitt’s work? (His work relates to geometry, scaling, and proportions.)

Have students read the article in pairs. Then ask:

• What do Sol LeWitt’s pieces look like? (LeWitt’s artwork is made of fairly simple lines and shapes.)

• What makes LeWitt’s work unique? (LeWitt came up with the ideas behind the pieces while others actually executed the pieces.)

• How did LeWitt support other artists? (He hired female painters when most professional artists were men. He wrote instructions for his work, but others were hired to execute the pieces.)

Before beginning the math lesson, ensure students know how to correctly use a protractor by reviewing the following concepts: 1) Measuring angles with protractors: Make sure students place the center mark/origin on the vertex of the angle to be measured and ensure that this aligns during the entire measuring process. 2) Drawing angles with protractors: Show students that if the left endpoint of the line is the angle vertex, they use the inner scale to make a mark at the desired angle measure. If the right endpoint is the angle vertex, they use the outer scale.

Read through the introduction and the example of the “Drawing Polygons” box on page 21. Then distribute rulers, protractors, and blank pieces of paper to each student. Read each of the “Your Turn” instructions aloud to the class. After each question, have students work in pairs to check one another’s work. Then choose volunteers to present what they drew for each question and why.

Have students sketch a design using only circles, squares, and triangles. Then invite them to experiment with repetition, variation, scale, and color. Ask: How many different compositions can you imagine? Have students write a paragraph describing how this exercise has transformed their ideas about abstract art.

Have students put together a set of 8 or more directions or constraints that describe a geometric drawing. Have them share their directions with two different friends or family members, asking that each person complete the drawing. Students can analyze whether the drawings look the same or different. Then have them go back and modify their directions to address the differences in the drawings, if any.