Art I Geometric Mandala Designs Instructional Objectives: 1. Students will gain an appreciation for mandalas in many cultures. Compare and contrast designs from many cultures 2. Students will see geometric design in mandalas - become aware of symmetrical balance and radial balance, concentric circles, points of tangency, external point of tangency and internal point of tangency. 3. Students will create a mandala design using compass and protractor - showing radial balance and/or symmetrical balance. Develop skills in using compass, ruler and protractor. Materials: drawing paper, compass, protractor, ruler, pencil, Ultra fine point Sharpies Vocabulary: geometric, radial, balance, contrast, angle, protractor, parallel, compass, symmetry, pattern, intersect, bisect, point of tangency, concentric circle, external point of tangency, internal point of tangency. GLE’s: I1a, I3a, I3b, I3c, II1a, II1b, II1d, II2a, III1a, IV2a, Lesson/ Activities: Mandala: A symbol of wholeness -- Mandala is the Sanskrit word for circle. In religious art, the mandala is used to symbolize wholeness - the circle of eternity. However, the pattern of a mandala -- a circle with a center -- reaches far beyond a two or three dimensional art form. Examples of mandalas are found in nature. Every cell in our body, for instance, is a living mandala. So is the iris of our eye, a snow crystal, a bird's nest --even a bicycle wheel. Look around - Can you see more mandalas in your surroundings? Every culture across time has utilized the circle not only in their daily lives but in their art and religion as well. Art I students used the internet to view a photo presentation of Buddhist Monks creating a medicine mandala for the Ackland Art Museum in North Carolina. We also took a look at the Islamic Art collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City through their website. We discussed the development of the Christian Rose window in Cathedrals and churches all over the world, as well as the first use of the mandala here in America by the Native Americans. Currently mandalas are used worldwide for therapeutic and meditative purposes. NATIVE AMERICAN GEOMETRY is a physical, proportional geometry that originates from the simple circle. A growing body of architectural and iconographic evidence from Native America suggests it was a relatively common tradition that has been practiced for at least two thousand years. This is the same type of geometry that was discovered and developed by the ancestors of many peoples in many places, from China to the Mediterranean Basin to the British Isles. Currently, it resides among the logo designers of Madison Avenue. Generally, it maintains a similar methodological structure to the Middle Eastern tradition of classical geometry that is limited to operations carried out by the compass and straightedge, or two sticks and a rope. In the anthropological world, there are generally two ways traditions come into being in any particular culture: diffusion or borrowing from another culture; and, independent invention or discovery. Did the geometry have a single source and diffuse around the world over a period of several millennia? Or is there something about it, like stone working techniques, that made it independently accessible to the human mind in diverse cultures and civilizations? Personally, I believe the geometry was discovered independently by widely disparate cultures. Why? Because this type of proportional geometry originates with the circle, one of the most popular and multi-cultural symbols in the human world. It is a shape that served as a foundation for countless domestic and ceremonial structures. Given the intimate relationship between the circle's radius and the hexagon, it is an argument I can live with, for now. This opinion does not exclude instances of cultural diffusion within specific geographic regions. Medicine Wheel The Medicine Wheel is representative of American Indian Spirituality. The Medicine Wheel symbolizes the individual journey we each must take to find our own path. Within the Medicine Wheel are The Four Cardinal Directions and the Four Sacred Colors. The Circle represents the Circle of Life and the Center of the Circle, the Eternal Fire. The Eagle, flying toward the East, is a symbol of strength, endurance and vision. East signifies the renewal of life and the rebirth of Cherokee unity. The medicine wheel is a symbol for the wheel of life which is forever evolving and bringing new lessons and truths to the walking of the path. The medicine wheel teaches us that all lessons are equal, as are all talents and abilities. Every living creature will one day see and experience each spoke of the wheel, and know those truths. It is a pathway to truth, peace and harmony. The circle is never ending, life without end. Islamic art is a style of art, which developed in the Middle East, that uses rich, intricate patterns as the basis for the art form. These complex designs are attached to all types of Muslim artifacts. Some of the countries in the Middle East that produce Islamic art include Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. One favored type of Islamic motifs are geometric formations. One of the popular foundations from geometry uses the seven circle pattern construction. The Islamic or Muslim era began in 622 when the Prophet Muhammad embarked on a journey to Medina. From that journey, Islam- the major religion of the Middle East- developed and grew. The rise of Islam brought about a new method of artistic expression that is still being used in modern times. Because Muhammed preached against idolatry, his position was interpreted as a rejection of representative art. As a result, Islamic law forbids illustrations of humans or animals on any type of religious work. Therefore, artists turned to ornamental adornment as a means to decorate their art forms and mosques. Designers and illustrators sought to become the great pattern makers of the world. Objects and buildings were literally covered with complex designs, often in multiples. The strong nonfigurative art forms that developed throughout much of the Middle East remained intact for hundreds of years. Designs radial symmetrically from a central point, leaf and floral formations are also a favorite motif inside the basic circle patterns. Geometric designs are two-dimensional. There is no attempt to create space. There is a contrasting background but a 3D quality is not pursued. Teach Geometry Terms: Concentric Circle- like a bull’s eye target or a dart board. They begin in the center and get larger as they go out; they may be evenly space or irregular. Point of Tangency is where lines and a circle meet. There can be more that one point of tangency if the line goes through the circle. When two circles meet this is called an external point of tangency. An internal point of tangency happens when circles meet on the inside. (one circle is inside of another). Instructions: 1. Begin by developing 2-3 geometric patterns from circles, experiment with 5,7,9 circle constructions until you get a grid that you like best. 2. Lightly develop it on a 12x32 piece of paper. At this point, you have a single-line geometri pattern. Develop ¼ in ch parallel lines around some of the design. 3. Now the fun begins. The basic premise is that whatever you do on one side of the circle, you must balance the same thing on the opposite side to create your radial design. Fill in the patterns with repeated geometric, plant, or floral drawings. Every part of the design should contain some type of drawing. 4. Keep developing your design by repeating whatever you draw on one side of the circles to the other side soon after you develop all new parts of your design and watch your design grow in complexity. 5. We are going to use fine point Sharpies and colored pencils to fill in and color our geometric designs. If you have a very intricate but simple idea, I suggest doing it in pen the first time rather that drawing a million little circles and then trying to trace over them. 6. If you make a mistake it is easily fixed by just duplicating the "mistake" on the opposite side of the circle to make it all look like part of the pattern of the whole design. Evaluation: 1. Did students show an appreciation and understanding of the use of mandalas in different cultures? 2. Could student use discussion information to identify ways we use mandalas in our everyday lives 3. Was student able to compare and contrast different approaches and methods for creating mandalas? 4. Did students show skills in using protractor, compass and ruler to create their own 5 , 7, or 9 circle construction/ or use concentric circle design? 5. Did students use symmetrical or radial balance in their mandala? 6. Did students show contrast by developing ¼ inch parallel lines around some of the design? 7. Did student use repeated geometric, plant or floral drawing to fill in every part of the design that requires some type of drawing? 8. Did students exhibit skill and craftsmanship in drawing and inking their design? 9. Did student use pattern and repetition in their use of colored pencils or markers on the interior drawings? Resources: http://www.earthmeasure.com/index_earth.html http://www.princetonol.com/groups.iad/lessions/elem/linda/mandala.htm Islamic Muslimhttp://www.metmuseum.org/Works_Of_Art/department.as p?dep=14 Tibetan Buddhist Medicine http://www.ackland.org/art/exhibitions/buddhistart/constr uction.htm Native American Medicine http://penfieldgallery.com/sand.shtml Christian Rose Windows http://www.abgoodwin.com/mandala/links/rose.html 1. Compare 2 of the cultures that we discussed- how was their radial artwork similar. 2. Contrast 2 of the cultures that we discussed- how was their radial artwork different. 3. In class we talked about everyday places that we see mandalas, for 10 points list at least 5 more places in your everyday lives that we see mandalas.