Hidden Meanings - From Prehistoric Times to Today

•

Native American Petroglyph

•

The first lesson of the 2013-2014 quarter was based upon Prehistoric Art (30,000 bc –2500 bc).  Students learned that Prehistoric means “before the existence of written records," art is the oldest form of human record, and the need to create art has always been a driving force among people. 

They also learned that petroglyphs are a form of rock art that consists of designs carved into the surface of natural rock.  “Petro” means “rock” and “glyph” means “symbol.” These “rock symbols” are a type of ancient “billboard” meant to be viewed by people passing by.  

Ancient Native American petroglyphs can still be seen today. Many are in the Southwestern United States and are believed to hold some deeper meaning, shaped from a forgotten age, or symbols of some old and secret religion. 

Over the years, Native American designs and symbols have been subject to "interpretation" by non-Native Americans. Often, these interpretations are explained in terms of Anglo-European concepts that were nonexistent to the Native American. The result frequently bears little or no relationship to the true meaning of the symbols.

"Open Wide" by Barbara Kruger

Like the ancient Native American petroglyphs, artist Barbara Kruger’s images are meant to make you think about their hidden meanings.  Based upon her experience working as a graphic designer in advertising, she creates billboard-sized images  to make you question their real meaning.  

Kruger alters existing images to mash up meanings and create new ones.  In Modern Art this is known as “Appropriation.” Appropriation artists deliberately copy well-known images and use them in their art. They are not stealing or plagiarizing. They are not passing off these images as their own.  Instead, appropriation artists want you to recognize the images that they copy, and then think about the new meaning that they have given these images.

After learning about prehistoric art and appropriation art, students were instructed to:

• Choose an ad from a magazine and brainstorm 3 or more new headlines to change the original meaning of the ad 
• Pick the headline that best expresses their view of the image’s hidden meaning. 
• Do at least 3 “thumbnail” sketches to show the placement of their image and text 
• Cut out the image and letters and glue them neatly onto white paper.