Jenny Holzer: American Conceptual Artist (b. 1950)

Please Change Beliefs AdaWeb Project by Jenny Holzer. This is her first project on the world wide web, and is developed in the same spirit as her previous experiments in the public sphere. Click on the "Truism" to see more-- or -- change beliefs. Select any of the truisms given and modify.

Jenny Holzer- Selected Works from Theatre Marquis series and Survival series.

Jenny Holzer: ArtNet.com Four pages of images. Click on thumbnail image to see a larger view of each work.

The Green Table- Jenny Holzer - the Stuart collection, University of California, San Diego. See more works in the Stuart Collection. For more art with text, see the installation by John Baldesarri - Read/Write/Think/Dream - and the neon work by Bruce Nauman that spells out the 7 vices and 7 virtues.

Artcyclopedia: Jenny Holzer on the Internet See some more works by Jenny Holzer

Jenny Holzer images (Google search)

Barbara Kruger: American Conceptual Artist (b. 1945)

MORE ART WITH TEXT

Instructions:

1. Think about the message you want your sculpture to portray. Study the art of Paul du Toit (look at wooden sculpture and paintings) and Michael Basinski (use pull down menu). 
   
   
2. Write your own message in Microsoft Word®. Save your file as your first name.
    
3. Explore the images of South African artist Paul du Toit. Get ideas from his use of color and whimsical shapes. How does he use color, shape and line to show emotion. 

MORE ART WITH TEXT

Inversions by Douglas Hofstadter An inversion is a word or name written so it reads in more than one way.

Contemporary artist Stuart Semple  From UK. Stuart had a lot of art with text when this link was originally added. At that time, he was called Nancyboy. See newest work

Folk Artist- Howard Finster works combined with spiritual messages.

For a contemporary artist who uses words as art, look at Michael Basinski's work: Use pull down menu to select image.

Haiga Online - Haiku with Art 'haiga' is an art form in which haiku is combined with illustration--traditionally sumi-e but modern internet haiga is often based on digital photography.

Inscribing Meaning: Writing + Graphics in African Art - explores the relationships between African art and the communicative powers of language, graphic systems and the written word. National Museum of African Art.

Steve Shepard Bold colorful compositions with text borders. Powerful messages. Steve's work is black ink and Prismacolor on paper darkened with alizarin crimson watercolor - with text borders inspired by the Peaceable Kingdom (and others) by Edward Hicks. His work may inspire a lesson using pastels, Prismacolors, oil pastels or construction paper crayons on black (or dark paper) paper. Steve is from Mississippi.

Sister Mary Corita Kent  Look up images of "Art with Text" by Sister Corita Kent from the 1960's Corita Kent at the National Gallery   More on Corita Kent

Micrography - Word as Art - Micrography is the scribal practice of employing minuscule script to create abstract shapes or figurative designs. A traditional Jewish art - but does not have to be about religion.

Ambigrams - words that can be rotated 180 degrees and read the same - Math concept. Ambigram generator.

For inquiry regarding artists who use words in their work, here is a
partial list of various artists who use language, words and letterforms
as the core or an additive to their work. 

Some of these artists are quite conceptual.
Dadasism, Surrealism, Futurism, Constructivism and the more recent
Fluxus (1960s) movements all have very strong typographic styles.

LESSON PLANS

Word as Art by Marvin Bartel - Select a word or truism and create it out of the something that represents that word.

Ribbon Words - Ginny Rockwood (no longer on line). Use Ed Ruscha for inspiration. More examples by Ruscha

Ribbon Words - lesson by Norma Allende 

Word Pictures UIC Spiral Art Education Curriculum. Lesson by Dena Cavazos

Power of Advertising UIC Spiral Art Education Curriculum. Lesson by Tracy Van Duinen

I Can change the World - Poster UIC Spiral Art Education lesson by Carol Molenda.

7th Grade Relief sculptures - "Art with a message". Students studied the work of George Segal and other artists from the 1960's 1980's-90's conceptual art was also of interest. Students were introduced to the career of "Art Therapy" through this lesson.

3-D Letter and Logo Sculpture - paper mache. Letters can be painted to illustrate word.

"Signs for the Time". This was to be a lesson for 8th grade using the resources on American History - Photographic Images links page. Student would find images that appealed to them - insert them into a file using Publisher - then add text over them. The text was to be about American values - character education - good quotes for character building - issues of importance (student would brainstorm on topics - social awareness or for environment)  These posters were to be printed off on 13" x 19" paper and laminated for display around the school. Duplicates could be made for elementary buildings as well. While all sites linked do not have photos in public domain, they could all be used for the purpose mentioned here.  Songs from the 60s and 70s would have been played during this unit ("Signs" by Five Man Electrical Band, "Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell and others). This lesson was never done, if this description sparks a lesson, please send examples of student art to Incredible Art Department.