Artists of the Civil Rights Movement Visualization

I selected an infographic for my visualization platform. I think an infographic fit well into my discipline of art because it’s a way to simultaneously show images as well as information. I also liked the format that Piktochart offers; because of its verticality, if it was printed out it could be hung in the classroom on the wall for students to refer back to for information and inspiration. As for the subject, I wanted to stick with the Civil Rights Movement theme because that’s what I used in the Scaffolding project. Because I was building onto knowledge I had already researched, I already knew what I needed to include and wanted to show students, it was sort of like I was creating a Civil Rights Movement unit. I selected artists that I knew about and also some I learned about through research, artists that I thought would be most beneficial to students. I chose the specific art pieces because I thought they demonstrated the artist’s survey of work well and the qualities of the Civil Rights Movement. I also think it's important for students to learn about contemporary artists, so I included those related to this movement at the end, so students first learn about the past and then the present. Kehinde Wiley is an influential contemporary artist, here is a link to his website if not familiar with him. 

Creating the visualization deepened my understanding because when selecting who and what I wanted to include, I needed to consider what I felt most important for students to know and what represented the movement the best. I also think including the timeline with the artists helps to give context to students who would be viewing the visualization, so they can see what artists are responding to at the time they were creating and growing up witnessing. Also by including numerous artists, discussions can be held comparing the artists to one another, instead of just reading about one individual artists after another; instead they share space and the artwork is there to see. I also think a visualization itself is more enjoyable for students to read instead of out of a textbook, it’s a refreshing view that can utilize color and images.

  After creating this visualization I can see how it can be a vehicle for learning. I think it can be a great platform for students to learn from and also for students to create themselves in order to learn. When creating my own visualization, I learned more than I knew before about the Civil Rights Movement artists and discovered new artists. Therefore, if students were to create their own visualization, they also could learn about their topic and discover an array of artists. After, they could present the information to the class, so everyone would benefit from this experience. However, I think the more crucial information would be left up to the instructor’s visualization so everything that needs to be included will be in the most effective way. Overall, visualization can be both a vehicle for teachers and students, and offers a refreshing and creative way to learn.
(It's hard to read what's in the visualization, it looks better if you download the image and then zoom in on your computer. Sorry for the inconvenience I'm not sure how to resize it on here)

Kehinde Wiley, "Anthony of Padua." 2013