For example, if a child describes their favorite piece of art as beautiful, ask the other children if they think all good pieces of art need to be beautiful. Maybe Vashti’s dots are art, but are they good art? You can start this discussion by asking the kids: What’s your favorite type of art? Follow this with: Why do you like it? Use their descriptor words to ask a generalizing question about all art. The Dot also raises question about the evaluation of art. Ask: Are the marks that you made art? Would they be art if you hung them around the room or put them in a museum? What if they signed them? ![]() submitted it to others as something that is art)? Attention can be brought back to the dots that the children drew. put into an institutional context)? Or did the dot painting become art when Vashti signed it ( i.e. Did the dot painting become art once it was framed and hung up on the wall ( i.e. Something like this is going on in The Dot. Alternatively, an artist might want something to be considered art by art-appreciators and other artists, so since it was created with this intent, it is automatically art. For example, the fact that some artifact is in an art museum could be the reason why it is art. The basic idea is this: Something is art (a) if it is meant to be a contribution to the art institution, or (b) if the art institution has deemed it art. One definition of art that some philosophers have suggested is an institutional definition of art. For each candidate piece of art, ask the kids whether they think it is art or not, and why they think so. For example, you could show abstract art, sculptures, or photographs. One option at this point in the conversation is to bring in different candidate pieces of art which kids might disagree about. ![]() ![]() For example, if a child thinks the dot is not art because it is not representative of anything, give an example of an abstract work of art. If they cannot, bring one up yourself, and ask if they think it’s art. If children say “yes”, you can ask: What about the dot makes it art? If children say “no”, you can ask: Why not? If a child offers a definition of art, ask the other children if they can think of a counterexample. The question arises: Is Vashti’s dot painting art? Discussion can begin with this question. She doesn’t think of this ‘painting’ as art until her teacher asks her to sign it, and then proceeds to hang it up. Vashti simply marks her paper with a dot. While you will refer back to this activity in this module, it isn’t needed to have a philosophical discussion. Once the children have completed the activity, have them put their papers aside to listen to the story. The activity is a fun way to engage and learn kinesthetically, and is also a good jumping off point for later discussion. Each student is asked to make a single mark on their paper. For this activity, each student has a blank piece of paper and a marker in front of them. One way to begin the lesson is with a hands-on activity before reading. The questions can be accompanied by the following activity. The Dot raises philosophical questions about the definition and evaluation of art. Read aloud video by Peter Reynolds Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion Vashti encourages the boy to “make a mark and see where it takes you,” which sets in motion a whole new story. Vashti meets a little boy in awe of her work. Realizing she can draw a better dot, Vashti begins creating many more dots. Her teacher encourages her to “make a mark and see where it takes you.” Vashti makes a frustrated mark on the page, and her teacher asks her to sign it and displays it for everyone to see. ![]() In art class, Vashti convinces herself that she can’t draw. Questions for Philosophical Discussion » Summary The Dot is about aesthetics and asks two central questions: “What is art?” and “What makes art good?”
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